Nathan Jawai and Patty Mills news

News about the Aussies in the NBA ... do you want the good news or the bad news first?

Ok, we'll star with the good news, firstly Nathan Jawai has been part of a trade that's just gone down that will send him to the Dallas Mavericks. The main part of the deal for the Mavs was Shawn Marion but this should be a good opportunity for Jawai. Yes, the incumbent centre is Erick Dampier and it looks like Marcin Gortat will also be in Dallas, but Dampier is getting old and if Nathan works hard there should be minutes there for him.

Click on the title below to read all about the 4 team deal that went down to make it happen.

Marion to Mavs, Stackhouse to Griz in complex deal - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

The Mavericks, Raptors, Grizzlies and Magic combined in a massive swap Thursday that included eight players, a draft pick and stacks of cash. The deal sent Shawn Marion to Dallas, Stackhouse to Memphis and helped seal the transaction that moved Hedo Turkoglu from Orlando to Toronto.

Among the other pieces: Forward Kris Humphries, center Nathan Jawai and cash went from Toronto to Dallas; guard Greg Buckner moves from Memphis to Dallas; and swingmen Antoine Wright and Devean George go from Dallas to Toronto.

Memphis also received a second-round pick and cash from Toronto and cash from Dallas. The Mavericks and Raptors both also sent cash to Orlando.


Now to the bad news ... and its unfortunately about future superstar Patty Mills. Its been an awful 2009 for the kid, first breaking his hand, then free-falling in the draft and now he fractured his foot in the first day of practice. Its going to be a long, hard slog for Mills to now make it in to the NBA this season. Once he recovers, expect to see him either in the NBDL or even maybe the NBL.

Blazers draft pick Mills breaks foot - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—Portland Trail Blazers draft pick Patty Mills broke his right foot during practice and won’t play in the NBA’s summer league.

The Blazers said Friday that Mills fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during practice Thursday night. He will have surgery on his foot on Monday, the team announced.

A timetable for the point guard’s return has not been determined.

“You never want to see a player get injured, but it is especially heart wrenching to see a young man go down on his first day of camp,” Portland general manager Kevin Pritchard said. “We’ll do everything we can to help Patty get back on track to realize his NBA future.”

Back on this day, Patty Mills looked like he would be a lottery pick and a lock for starting point guard in the NBA ... oh how things have changed ...

Nathan Jawai update

After some garbage minutes for the Toronto Raptors last month, I hadn't noticed former NBL player Nathan Jawai's name on the boxscore lately. I then saw this article below on the NBL's website saying that Nathan is now playing down a level in the NBDL, probably to get him court-time and get him back in game shape.

While looking for a picture of Nathan, I came across a quick interview (second article) with him that was done a few weeks ago. Click on the titles below to read the full stories.

NBL > News

Australian Nathan Jawai scored a game-high 21 points as his NBDL team, the Idaho Stampede, defeated the Utah Flash 99-92 on Monday at the McKay Events Center.

Jawai, who is on assignment to the Stampede from his NBA team the Toronto Raptors, paced Idaho, going 6-of-11 from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 at the free-throw line.

In 34 minutes of court time, the former Cairns Taipans player and NBL Rookie of the Year also added five rebounds, three assist, two blocked shots and one steal.

It was Jawai's highest score in seven games since joining the Stampede. He is currently averaging 11.0 points and 6.8 rebounds.

One-On-One With Nathan Jawai | Hoops Addict

Published by Ryan McNeill on February 22, 2009

When I first met Nathan Jawai during media day back in October the rookie forward had a grin that stretched from ear-to-ear. And why not, he was living out the dream of going from playing basketball in Australia to the biggest stage in the world in the NBA.

That smile didn’t last long because back in November he was ordered to stay off the court until doctors could determine if his enlarged heart would force him to retire from playing basketball. He has since been given the green light to return but the time away from basketball has affected his conditioning and his confidence. Being a rookie in the NBA is tough, having to endure something like this just makes the burdens of being a rookie while getting used to a new country that much harder.

Hoops Addict recently sat down with Jawai to chat about his rookie season, how his conditioning is improving, what it feels like to have the Australian media following his career so closely and whether he has any plans to play for the national team this summer.