NBL launches Summer League in Las Vegas

Some exciting news from the NBL earlier in the week. Originally I wasn't sure whether the deal was that each NBA Summer League team would have two NBL players in it but it seems the NBL are having their own summer league prior to the main one.

I loved my time at the NBA Summer League in 2012 so next time I go this could be an excuse to get there a little earlier! :-)

NBL launches Summer League in Las Vegas

The National Basketball League has launched an exciting new tournament that will see the iconic brand join one of the biggest global events in the sport.

The Australian NBL Summer League will be played in Las Vegas in July. It will position the NBL on the doorstep of the NBA Summer League, held annually on the UNLV Campus.

All eight NBL clubs will send a minimum of two players and coaching staff to the Summer League. They will be integrated into teams of draft hopefuls looking to catch the eye of talent scouts around the world.

Crucially, NBL coaches and team management will be given a first-hand glimpse at a wide array of potential imports looking to play in Australia. The Australian NBL Summer League will allow coaches to see how those players perform in game situations, alongside NBL personnel.

In previous years, Melbourne Tigers guard Chris Goulding, Sydney Kings centre AJ Ogilvy, San Antonio Spurs star Patty Mills and Boomers forward Joe Ingles have played in the NBA Summer League tournament.

NBL Chief Executive Fraser Neill said the launch of the Australian NBL Summer League was a glowing endorsement for the NBL and the progress it has made during the 2013/14 season.

“It is an exciting new initiative that the NBL is extremely proud to be launching,” Mr Neill said.

“The opportunity to be on campus next to the NBA speaks volumes for the regard the NBL is held in abroad. It will showcase the quality the NBL has to offer and will open up great opportunities for our players and our brand.”

“This is about more than just games though. This is about further enhancing our relationship with the NBA. We will be part of the business hub of the global basketball community. This is an opportunity to take the NBL to the world.”

The Australian NBL Summer League will held from July 13 to 16 in Las Vegas. More information can be found at www.nblsummerleague.com

Steph Curry at The Garden

I got an e-mail from my best friend asking me to look in to some accommodation in San Fransisco for his 40th birthday next year. He mentioned a few of the things that we might get up to around the area and I said surely we'll be seeing a Golden State Warriors game. My friend isn't a basketball fan as such but knows a bit about the NBA as he loves sports and we used to have epic NBA Jam battles back in the day. I'm sure he wouldn't know that Aussie Andrew Bogut is now playing for the Warriors but I thought I should introduce him to Steph Curry ...

Shane Heal vs The Dream Team

One of my mates sent me this article last week and its a good look back at a famous moment in Australian basketball history.

The forgotten story of ... Shane Heal v the Dream Team

The Boomers guard was a thorn in the side of the NBA's biggest stars as Australia punched above their weight at the Olympics

The Dream Team III enforcer Charles Barkley was clear from the outset. “We’re here to prove we are the best country in the world. We’re the best at basketball. We have got to kill them all.”

Heading into Australia’s 1996 exhibition match against the reigning Olympic champions, peroxide-blond guard Shane ‘The Hammer’ Heal and his Boomers team-mates were excited but not daunted by the prospect of taking on the NBA’s best.

“I think it was a defining sort of a moment,” Heal tells Guardian Australia 17 years after a fiery confrontation that remains the first thing basketball fans want to discuss when they meet the veteran of four Olympic campaigns.

The Australians, a blue-collar line-up by international standards, approached the game with respect for their opponents but didn’t fear them. Heal recalls “we’d seen other teams getting photos taken with them and autographs before and after games and things like that. We said that wasn’t the Australian way and we certainly weren’t handling the game like that.”

Heal would finish the Olympic tune-up with 28 points and shoot a remarkable 8-from-13 from three-point range, many of them a remarkable distance out from the line, but it was his confrontation with the notorious Barkley that captured the attention of the media and fans alike.

Click here to read the full article.

Interview: Aron Baynes on the NBA

Not a bad interview with Australian/New Zealander Aron Baynes about his time so far with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA.

Interview: Aron Baynes on the NBA

30.10.13

By Nick Metallinos in New York

Image: Getty Images

It would, naturally, be tough for any professional player to go from playing regular rotation minutes, to sporadic minutes. For Aron Baynes, the 6’10 Australian, the transition to the NBA was made smoother with the situation he found himself in.

 

Some may say it was serendipitous, but if you follow the Spurs’ organisation, you’ll know that nothing is left to chance when it comes to their player selection. Nothing is left to chance.

 

Yes, Baynes found himself at the end of a deep San Antonio bench, but his Boomers teammate Patty Mills, and then-national team coach, Brett Brown, were there to help guide him through the rigors of the NBA schedule. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt when you have one of the game’s greatest big men, Tim Duncan, to learn from while playing on a championship-calibre team.

 

Basketball Australia caught up with Baynes just before the 2013-14 season was set to begin to get his thoughts on last season, and what lies ahead.

 

Basketball Australia: Firstly, how was your summer? What did you spend it doing?

 

Aron Baynes: It was good. I spent a lot of time in San Antonio, played in the Summer League, and worked out here the rest of the time. I had a lot of time to get better, worked with big guys like, Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter. It’s been good to be here and be able to develop my game.

Click here for the full interview: Basketball Australia : Interview: Aron Baynes on the NBA

NBA game down under and some gold from Chris Anstey

Two good reads from yesterday, first there is talk on the NBA blog about a possible pre-season game being played down under which I think is well overdue:

Why not down under?

By the end of 2013-14, the NBA since 1978 will have staged 148 preseason or regular season games in 20 countries and territories across Europe, North and South America and Asia. Still waiting their turn – to answer the many emails we get here at HTB – are Australia and New Zealand.

Scott Levy, senior vice president and managing director, NBA Asia, acknowledged the heavy interest in the NBA in those countries. Past and present players have hailed from there, including Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Luc Longley, Sean Marks, Shane Heal, Chris Anstey and Nathan Jawai. Oklahoma City’s first-round pick Steven Adams is from New Zealand and Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving was born in Melbourne.

Participation is high, Australia ranks No. 1 in subscribers to NBA League Pass International and in NBAstore.com’s international revenue, and the country certainly has the sports facilities and culture befitting a possible preseason destination.

“Australia is an important market for the NBA in the region and we enjoy a great following from our fans,” Levy said. “We have conducted several NBA events in the country, including the 2011 Asia Pacific Team Camp featuring the top youth basketball players from Australia, New Zealand, China, and South Korea. There have been discussions around many different programs from grass-roots clinics, development programs, mass participation events, and a preseason game, but nothing is definite at this point.”

For the full article, click here.

Then, in his weekly blog for the NBL website, Chris Anstey talks about what he learnt from Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki while he was playing for the Dallas Mavericks. Click here to read the whole story but what surprised me most was his final paragraph:

I played tennis until I was 17. My doubles partner, Dustin Fletcher, played to the same age and will become the second highest AFL games player in history.

Being a Bombers fan I didn't know this about one of my all-time favourite players. That must've been the tallest, skinniest doubles pair ever!

Townsville Suns t-shirts

Gather round and let me tell you about a time when the NBL was booming, so much so the NBA felt threatened by its popularity! (Ok, I’m exaggerating a touch but I’ll explain shortly)

After several years of campaigning, Townsville entered th...e NBL in the ’93 season adopting the name of their state league team, the Suns.

The Suns got off to a slow start in the NBL losing their first four games and didn’t make the playoffs until they later changed their name. Despite not getting too many wins, they were fun to watch and the people of Townsville got behind the team selling out their first 69 games!

In ’98 the team was involved in a dispute with the NBA's Phoenix Suns, who held the "Suns" trademark in Australia. Faced with the prospect of paying Phoenix royalties on merchandise sales, the team changed its name to the Townsville Crocodiles.

Representing the birth of the NBL in Townsville for the Suns in our “Legends” series are Ricky “Rainman” Jones, Clarence “The Elevator” Tyson, Derek “I’ve been everywhere man” Rucker and Rimas “we’re surprised we managed to fit his name on a t-shirt” Kurtinaitis.

Townsville, its time to represent, show your support for the history of your team. Like, share and shop!

Check out our store for team six of the "Legends" range:
http://classicbasketballtees.spreadshirt.com/

 

 

Chris Mullin still has it

One of my all-time favourite NBA legends and shooter extraordinaire Chris Mullin shows that he still has it at training with the Sacramento Kings.

NBA Summer League trip 2014

Jeff has teamed up with Daryl Corletto for next year's trip to the NBA Summer League.

I went last year and had a fantastic time, check out our photo albums (on facebook) for some of the sights.

For anyone that fell in love with the NBA in the late 80's and early 90's, half the fun of the games is checking out the legends that are there scouting the talent.

NBA, Las Vegas ... what more do you need?!

Andre Moore - Brisbane Bullets

Our feature Brisbane Bullets legend today is Andre Moore.

“A-Train” joined Brisbane in 1990 after stints in the NBA and exploded in to the league scoring 27ppg, 13rpg and 2bpg. Andre Moore spent his first 5 years with the Bullets where he teamed with Leroy to form one of the best frontcourts in the history of the NBL.

Here's our favourite Andre Moore t-shirt:
http://classicbasketballtees.spreadshirt.com/andre-moore-classic-A12268476/customize/color/4

NBL photo feature pic on ESPN's NBA webpage

Thanks to Jonny Flynn's time with the Melbourne Tigers, an NBL photo is the feature pic on ESPN's NBA webpage today:

The article is actually by the team from Grantland. Here's the excerpt about Jonny's time in the NBL:

Flynn spent last season with the Australian National Basketball League's Melbourne Tigers. "I really wanted to play in a place that was English-speaking," Flynn said. "That was really my main focus. I want to know what's going on around me." He showcased his burst, stood up against physical players who wanted to prove their worth against a former NBA lottery pick, and was selected as a reserve for the league's all-star game. "They don't call fouls down there," Flynn said. "In the league, you can't touch guys. Down there, you can have the ball and a guy will be almost forearm-shivering you in your side and they won't call a foul. I just think getting beat up and coming from the NBA, I had that target on me."

Flynn shared an agent, Leon Rose, with Melbourne's coach, Chris Anstey. "He would have benefited from the continuous playing time over the course of a season, and the ability to run a team for extended minutes," Anstey wrote in an e-mail. "International defensive rules were new to him, whether playing it or attacking it, and he got better as the season went on.

"His offensive skillset is NBA-caliber, but he needs to continue to work on his defensive game. As great as Syracuse is as a basketball program, it certainly doesn't create the best defensive man-to-man habits in its players for when they become pros."

Not many NBA players go down under. Fewer return to carve out a sustainable NBA career. Flynn, despite the summer league setback, is attempting to do just that.

To read the full story, click here.

NBL working with the NBA?

Here's a good article by Boti Nagy that I came across earlier in the week.

You would hope the NBL have tried to develop closer ties with the NBA in the past ... but you never know. Hopefully the relationship strengthens over the coming years and maybe we could get an NBA game down here in the near future.

James Ennis' signing with Perth has prompted the NBL to look at developing a relationship with the NBA

by: BOTI NAGY THE ADVERTISER

 

PERTH Wildcats signing 2013 NBA draft choice James Ennis has prompted calls for the NBL to establish closer links with The Show and to keep its season running in summer. 
  
Wildcats chief executive officer Nick Marvin - one of the architects of the Ennis signing - today said the NBL needed to establish a working relationship with the NBA.

"The NBL playing in summer actually does work and I think, after spending time with seven NBA clubs and watching the summer league, we can establish a relationship," Marvin said.

Marvin suggested the NBL, acting on behalf of its clubs, could stage its own summer league to look at potential imports, or court the NBA to release players to Australia instead of the D-League.

"If we could get the NBA to release say 16 players to the NBL instead of the D-League, the quality of our league and the resultant spin-off advantages would be huge," he said.

"We'd need to play more than one game per round - I think it's at 1.5 per team now - but it would work.

"If they (the NBA) wanted a player in-season, the only difference would be a 16-hour flight."
Ennis, 23 and 200cm was taken at 50 by Atlanta Hawks and traded to Miami Heat.

With the Heat unable to fit him into their 2013-14 roster, they still wanted him to play at a tough professional level.

The dual and reigning NBA champion has a wealth of superstar wing players but traded for Ennis expecting him to be a perfect fit in 2014-15 when several of their veterans, including Shane Battier and Ray Allen, become free agents.

Click here to read the full article.

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf - best games

Some more of one of my all-time favourite NBA players, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. After watching the video I posted the other day, YouTube recommended I watch another series featuring him. If you're a fan of Mahmoud, or for the kids out there who don't really know is ... these are 3 of his most memorable performances and well worth watching (despite the non HD vision).

Watch, appreciate and enjoy Mahmoud in action ...

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf - TV special

Thanks to the crew from And The Foul.net for pointing out this TV special that was done a few years ago with one of my all-time favourite NBA players, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.



Its an interesting recap on his career and his perspective many years removed from his time in the NBA.

Judging from the stats on the blog, despite the controversies that tainted his career, Mahmoud seems to be quite a popular player as many people find this blog by searching for articles about him.

Simon Dwight - West Sydney Razorbacks

Let me tell you a story about the NBL player that turned down an offer to play in the NBA ...

Simon Dwight signed with the West Sydney Razorbacks in 1999 after he turned down an offer to play with the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA (yes, you read that right).

 

Simon led the league in blocks & blocks per game for 8 of 11 NBL seasons. Helping take West Sydney to the finals, 2004 was one of Simon’s best averaging 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 assists. Dwight's career was cut shot in 2005 due to major knee injuries.

http://classicbasketballtees.spreadshirt.com/simon-dwight-ball-A12596026/customize/color/17
 

 

 

ANZAC day in the NBA

In a landmark day for Australian and New Zealand basketball, today saw the first NBA game with THREE ANZAC's in it. With Milwaukee playing in Portland, Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and (Kiwi) Sean Marks all played in the same game.

It wasn't a great night for Bogut who's team was on the wrong end of a beating (80 - 106). Without his starting point guard Brandon Jennings (fractured left foot), Andrew had just 5 points 5 boards. Sean Marks had 6 points, 5 boards, 2 blocks in 24 minutes of court-time which are all good numbers for him. Patty was also solid with 8 points, 3 assists, 2 boards and 2 triples in 18 minutes.

I watched a little bit of the game tonight and it was funny to see Patty actually look tall for the first time on an NBA court ... when he was matched-up on Earl Boykins (5 foot 5). I checked Mills stats on ESPN and he's officially listed as 6 foot ... hmm, I think that's an exaggeration.

If you look very closely in the photo below you can see all three on-court at the same time. Bogut attempting the block, Marks on the left and behind him on the left is Mills.

NBA Opening Day

Its probably wise that the NBA chooses to open the season with just three games, otherwise fans may not be able to control the surge of ecstasy that the first day of the season brings.

I'm not sure I've mentioned this before ... but I love you OneHD, thank you for starting the season with a double-header.

The 2010/2011 NBA season tipped off with the much-talked about Miami Heat travelling to Boston to take on the Celtics. Due to work commitments and a personal training session, I missed most of the game but got back in time to see the final two minutes and Ray Allen knock down the game-winning triple from the corner. The Heat will certainly take time to gel so them losing was no surprise to me, especially on the road. It was funny to hear the Celtics fans chanting "over rated" to the Miami big 3.

Back to Ray Allen tho ... he finished the game with 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting including 5 triples. Rajon Rondo was the other stand-out with 17 assists. For Miami, LeBron did what he does with 31 points but a costly 8 turnovers. Wade and Bosh both struggled from the field, don't expect this to continue.

In the second game of the One double-header, the defending champion LA Lakers hosted the Houston Rockets. I got to watch most of the 1st quarter while I was on lunch and much of the 4th quarter because work was very quiet today (not that I'm complaining!).

Houston got off to a quick start with Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks hot early. I'm not sure if I've mentioned him before, but I'm a BIG fan of Brooks and love watching him play. With Brooks, Scola, Martin, Yao and Buddinger, Houston are a fun team to watch and you can't help but cheer for them. It would've been great to see them knock off the Lakers but it just wasn't to be. The Rockets had their chances and pushed the champs to the limit, but Gasol, Kobe and Odom were just too good in the end winning 112 - 110.

For the Rockets, Brooks finished with 26 points (including 4 triples), 9 assists, Martin led the way with 26 points and Scola had 18 points (which could've easily been more), 16 boards. For LA, Kobe had 27 points, 7 assists, 5 boards, Gasol had 29 points, 11 boards and Odom had 14 points, 10 boards.

Today was great, but I can't wait for tomorrow when there are 13 games on the card!! Welcome back NBA, I missed you.

ONE HD ... I love you

I've mentioned it a couple of times before, but I want to make sure everyone knows and understands ... I love ONE HD.

Last season, it was "just" bringing the NBA back to free-to-air TV, this season they have added the NBL and in the last week they've also added NBA Classics.

The new season of the NBL kicked off on the weekend and its great to see from the story below that TV ratings for the games were strong. Hopefully it continues throughout the season and we see more and more games next season. Saying that tho, this week ONE are showing 3 live NBL games which is fantastic.

Now, as I mentioned above, I've also noticed ONE are showing NBA Classics. The first game was on the weekend and it was the Heat vs Mavericks in the 2006 Finals. Last night they went way back with a true classic, Nets vs Knicks featuring Bernard King in New York. Its great that these games are being shown so that the kids (and even Generation Y) can see that the NBA didn't start with Michael Jordan. Not surprisingly, King put on an offensive display and just couldn't be stopped.

National Basketball League: NBL viewership figures on ONE HD "outstanding"

ONE HD, the NBL's Australian Official Broadcast partner, issued the following media release this week:

Over the weekend, the NBL made an outstanding return to free-to-air television on
ONE, achieving a ten-fold increase for the season-opening Melbourne v Sydney
game on Friday night compared to the previous season opener.

The game saw the return of the Sydney Kings to the NBL after two years out of the competition and their win over the Tigers was watched by an average audience of 56,000 and a peak of 130,000.

Sunday saw the Adelaide 36ers host last season’s champions, the Perth Wildcats.
The 36ers win was watched by an average audience of 73,000 and a peak of 172,000.

Network Ten’s general manager sport, David White said: “This is an excellent result
for the first round and reflects the work that went into launching the season by all
involved. These early ratings are extremely encouraging and we look forward to
playing a part in the continued growth of this exciting sport.”

Round 2 broadcast details
Wednesday, October 20 @ 5.30pm: New Zealand v Perth
Friday, October 22 @ 8.00pm: Wollongong v Townsville
Sunday, October 24 @ 7.05pm: Melbourne v Perth

Kirk Penney one step closer to an NBA return

I got word a few days ago that Kirk Penney has been signed by the San Antonio Spurs. Going from the article below, he's actually been signed to the training camp roster, so he's still in with a shot of making the roster.

He's got a long way to go yet but if he can bring his World Championship form with him to camp, there's no reason he won't get picked up. As any Aussie who's been to the NBA will tell you, its about being in the right situation at the right time, hopefully this is it for Kirk.

Who Is Kirk Penney? | Air Alamo | A San Antonio Spurs Blog

Those of you may have known by now that Kirk Penney has made his way to the Spurs training camp roster. You maybe asking to yourself who is Kirk Penney?

Lucky for you we will be glad to share the information in which we have compiled.

Penney is a sharp shooter out of New Zealand and made an impression on the Spurs scouts as training camp is underway.

At the recent World Championship Penney averaged 24.7 points per game putting him second overall in the tournament in scoring and more per game than USA’s Kevin Durant.

Okay, okay so he is not Kevin Durant status but the kid can obviously shoot the rock and that is what we need on our roster.

Penney who has been signed to the training camp roster can now be offered a deal. It will though be a challenge for Penney as he is expected to go head-to-head with Gary Neal whom led the Spurs summer league team in scoring. Both are great shooters but many would give the upper hand to Penney given his international experience.

Before making his way to the states, Penney told media that he wanted to give this one last shot to see if he had what it takes to make it to the big time.

“I have to see if I have what it takes to make it in the toughest professional league in the world,” Penney said.

“There is no guarantee of an offer at the end of this process (but) it is up to me to impress the right people and show I can be of some value to the Spurs. I am going to give it my best shot and have no regrets.”

Kirk Penney gaining international attention

Good to see one of our blog favourites getting some respect on the international stage. After an impressive performance in the World Champs, Kirk Penney has people thinking he can get back in the NBA.

I was pleased to see the following story on Dime this morning, unfortunately no mention of his feats in the NBL, but hey, can't have everything.

Kirk Penney Is Back Banging On The NBA’s Front Door | Dime Magazine (dimemag.com) : Daily NBA News, NBA Trades, NBA Rumors, Basketball Videos, Sneakers

By Aron Phillips

If you look at the Top 5 scorers from the World Championship this summer, it probably wouldn’t surprise you that all of them currently play in the NBA. That is, all of them except one. So while Luis Scola led the field with 27.1 points per game, it was New Zealand’s Kirk Penney (24.7 ppg) who scored more buckets than even Kevin Durant.

You may remember Penney from his All-American days at Wisconsin. But after brief stints with the Heat (2003) and the Clippers (2004), along with stops in Israel, Lithuania and Germany, he found his way back home.

This past season, Penney (6-5, 212 pounds) joined up with the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the D-League right before the playoffs and rained murder on his opponents. For example, in only his third game back, Penney dropped 40 on 16-23 shooting (5-6 from three) to go along with eight rebounds and two assists. After his impressive outing in the Worlds, he definitely deserves another look from the NBA.

2010 NBA Free Agent movement

In what has likely been the biggest summer of free-agency in the NBA ever, its easy to miss a few names changing uniforms. Sure, everyone knows about the LeBron and Bosh decision, Amare moving to NY but there are so many other less well-known stars whose change will impact the upcoming season. If you haven't been following the NBA news closely, Dime have you covered. Click on the title below to read the full breakdown on the contracts signed and who has gone where.

Dime’s 2010 NBA Free Agent Tracker | Dime Magazine (dimemag.com) : Daily NBA News, NBA Trades, NBA Rumors, Basketball Videos, Sneakers

By Dime Magazine

Just how many NBA free agents will be on the market this summer? Put it this way: Even if two of the three best players in the world weren’t part of the pool — i.e., LeBron James and Dwyane Wade — 2010 might still qualify as the most important free agent class in League history. Look around the NBA right now; most teams only have a handful of players actually under contract, while everyone else is either looking for work or having work come find them.

So if you need help keeping up, we’ve got your back.

For Dime’s 2010 Free Agent Tracker, we put together the master list of every free agent in the League, then we broke them up into tiers: From the franchise-caliber superstars down to the guys scrapping for jobs who could find themselves in Europe or the D-League next season. Throughout the free agency period, we’ll keep the list updated with info on who is talking to which teams, who’s signed, who’s sealed, and who’s delivered.

TIER 1
Franchise superstars. You don’t just build teams around these guys, you build championship-caliber teams. They aren’t just the face of your franchise, they’re the icons who may end up with their statue outside the arena someday.

* LeBron James — Signed 6-year, $110 million deal with Miami
* Dirk Nowitzki — Signed 4-year, $80 million deal with Dallas
* Paul Pierce — Signed 4-year, $61 million deal with Boston
* Dwyane Wade — Signed 6-year, $107 million deal with Miami