Basketball junkies, your fix is on the way!!

Well it is here, the 2009-2010 NBA season kicks off Tuesday night in the US. There are lots of new faces in new places this season along with some familiar ones returning from injuries. For a start I will just make my fearless forecasts.

In the East I see the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavs as the teams to beat while out West, look for a Spurs resurgence in San Antonio along with the always tough Lakers and Dallas as the best picks.

Other surprises could come from the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trailblazers, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets. In the end I’m going for a Spurs vs. Magic finals series.

Roundup of Aussie action

Round 5 of the 2009-2010 NBL season kicked off with Melbourne pulling off a huge win on the road in Adelaide beating the 36ers 81-70. Mark Worthington went on a tear in the final 10 minutes of the game for the Tigers scoring 15 of his game high 29 points to lead from the front.

Thursday nights action across the Tasman saw the New Zealand Breakers limit the effect of red hot Corey Williams and held on to beat Townsville 92-82. The when came in home game number 100 for the Breakers.

On Friday night, the Gold Coast breakers ambushed Cairns 80-63 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. Winning on the road is proving to be an Achilles Heel for the Snakes.

Saturday night saw the continued slumping form of Corey Williams as Townsville went down for the second consecutive game losing 99-77 to Wollongong on the road. The Hawks remain at the top of the table with only one loss in five outings.

The poor form of North Queensland teams did not change in Cairns on Saturday night as the Snakes fell heavily to the visiting 36ers 106-89. The win was a quick fix for Adelaide after their loss to the Tigers to start the round.

On Sunday Perth recorded their 500^th win in the NBL by squeaking past Melbourne 93-90 in a battle of the Cats at Challenge Stadium. Perth now sits at number two on the NBL ladder.

In the WNBL, the students from the AIS were given another basketball lesson on Friday night, this time at the hands of Adelaide by a 77-52 count. It was a reunion of sorts for the eight players on the Lightning roster who are graduates of the AIS programme.

Friday night also saw a seesaw battle in Sydney where the Canberra Capitals got a much needed 74-72 win. The defending premiers are out to turn their season around after early struggles.

Also on Friday night, Townsville overcame foul trouble throughout the game to pull away from the visiting Perth Lynx 97-81. The win kept the Fire in sight of table toppers Bulleen.

On Saturday night Bulleen dumped Dandenong 80-67 in the Melbourne Derby. In Sunday action Canberra continued its reversal of fortunes by handing the Adelaide Lightning their first loss of the season 100-73 in the nation’s capital. The win helps Canberra make their first appearance in the top half of the ladder and sends an ominous warning to future opponents. Sunday’s other games saw the Logan Thunder top Perth 76-65 at Logan and Dandenong pick up their first win of the season on the road no less beating up on hosts Bendigo 88-72.

So far this season

So far this season on the Aussie basketball scene, the NBL has proven to be a competitive competition with only 2 games separating the penthouse (top spot) from the outhouse (last place). Surprise packets, the Wollongong Hawks sit atop the table while early favorites New Zealand and Melbourne are struggling due to injuries after four rounds.

The top player so far this season is none other than Corey “Homicide” Williams of the Townsville Crocs. Adelaide import John Gilchrist has also proven to be a fan favorite so far this season.

In the coming weeks, look for a resurgence from New Zealand and Melbourne along with continued excitement from Townsville and Wollongong as the 2009-2010 season heads towards the half way point.

In the WNBL, Bulleen have put an early stamp on the competition by racing out to a 4-0 record. With names like Tom and Robyn Maher, Michelle Timms, Gary Fox and Gaylene Mackay associated with the team, success is as close to a given as you can get. On the floor the team has size, speed and power.

The Adelaide Lightning and Townsville Fire are also off to quick starts while defending champions the Canberra Capitals have broke even in their four matches so far this season.

Jawai Traded

Fresh from: basketball.net.au

MAVERICK JAWAI TRADED TO TIMBERWOLVES

Australian Boomers forward Nathan Jawai has been traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Minnesota Timberwolves less than a week before the start of the NBA's regular season.

The Mavericks received a conditional second round draft pick in 2012 and cash as part of the deal.

Jawai will get more opportunities for court time with the Timberwolves than he would have had at Dallas and is not worried about the frigid temperatures common in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”.

“I’m used to the cold weather after playing in Toronto,” Jawai told Basketball Australia.

“I’m finishing up a couple of games with Dallas and then heading to Minnesota at the end of the week.

“I’m looking forward to getting on court as the T’Wolves don’t have many big men and I’m excited about being in Minnesota.”

Jawai was the first indigenous Australian drafted into America’s NBA when he was chosen by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of last year’s draft.

He was subsequently sent to the Toronto Raptors where he overcame a health scare to appear in six games.

Jawai was then bundled into a four-team trade in July that took to him to Dallas along with All-Star forward Shawn Marion.

After representing Australia with distinction throughout the 2009 international program between June and August, Jawai returned to the US in September for the NBA pre-season where he received limited playing time at Dallas on a roster stacked with big men.

In Minnesota, injuries to Kevin Love (broken hand) and Al Jefferson (recovering from torn ACL) decimated the Timberwolves’ front line and opened the door for Jawai’s move north.

Minnesota’s President of basketball operations David Kahn said however that the Timberwolves were considering the Jawai trade before Love broke his hand.

"Nathan is a young project who likely will add depth to our roster at his position," Kahn said on the Timberwolves website.

"We were contemplating this trade prior to Kevin Love's hand injury, so this move is not intended to replace Kevin in the short term by any means. That would not be fair to Nathan. Rather, this move provided us an opportunity to work with a young player with size, and later determine if he could be a fit for us."

Australia has some history with the Timberwolves, with Basketball Australia and Sport Australia Hall of Famer Luc Longley drafted to the franchise with the seventh pick in the 1991 NBA Draft.

Longley was traded to the famed Chicago Bulls after two seasons with the Timberwolves and subsequently won three NBA Championships from 1996 to 1998 as a team mate of Michael Jordan.

In other NBA news, WA’s Luke Nevill was yesterday waived by Cleveland.

Nevill, a 7-foot-2 centre, averaged 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game over four games with the Cavaliers but received invaluable experience banging bodies at training with the legendary Shaquille O’Neal.

Nevill's departure leaves four Australians in the NBA: former number 1 draft pick Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee Bucks), power forward David Andersen (Houston Rockets), point guard Patty Mills (Portland Trailblazers) and Jawai.

The NBA regular season starts on October 28, Australian time, when Cleveland takes on Boston.

Houston opens its season on the road against Portland on October 28, Australian time, Minnesota hosts New Jersey on October 29 and Milwaukee opens its season on the road against Philadelphia on October 31.

Can you say Overwhelmed!!!!!

Ok, I have been furiously trying to do all things hoops since the inception of this blog but it is tough for a one man operation to fill so many niches so starting tomorrow I will do three or more features per week that will serve as a wrp-up/review type of offering.

Also, in the future I wil start to post interviews as I get them in the can along with featuring teams, associations and other basketball entities from around the world so I may be sending questions your way soon!!

WNBL Preview

Yep, I'm still waaaayyyyyy behind so here is the preview of this weeks WNBL action courtesy of: www.wnbl.com.au

WNBL: ROUND 3 PREVIEW

A mouth-watering clash between heavyweights Bulleen Boomers and Sydney Uni Flames is the highlight of Round 3 of the Women’s National Basketball League.

You can follow the WNBL action on www.wnbl.com.au, with LIVE STATS, on WNBL Radio, and on ABC TV.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 16

ACUVUE Sydney Uni Flames (5^th) v Global Metals Bulleen Boomers (1^st), 7.00pm* AEDT at ACUVUE Sports Hall, Sydney University Sports and Aquatic Centre. ABC TV GAME OF THE WEEK – will be broadcast on delay from 1.00pm AEDT Saturday October 17 on ABC1

In the most anticipated game of the round the two pre-season favourites finally meet.

The key match up here will be between Opals starting centre Suzy Batkovic-Brown and Australian basketball’s ‘next big thing’ Liz Cambage.

Cambage has made a smooth transition into the Bulleen lineup after graduating from the AIS in August but coming up against two-time Olympian Batkovic-Brown will be the 18-year-old’s toughest test yet.

This game will be broadcast with live audio commentary on WNBL Radio from 6.30pm.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Sydney Uni 29 – 21 Bulleen

Bendigo Bank Spirit (4^th) v BDS Logan Thunder (6^th), 7.30pm at Bendigo Stadium

While Bendigo easily accounted for Logan in two games last season, the Thunder came within two points of upsetting the Canberra Capitals last week.

Bendigo point guard Kristi Harrower was named Player of the Week in Round 2 and Logan will need to limit her influence on the game if they hope to get the win. Harrower and forward Lauren King have been the main destroyers for the Spirit but Logan has a greater contribution from across the team.

Logan will aim to travel better this season after claiming only three wins on the road in 2008/09. While two wins were over the 10^th-placed AIS, Logan’s first road win was an impressive victory over the Adelaide Lightning, and the Thunder became the only team to defeat Adelaide at home last season.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Bendigo 2 – 0 Logan

SATURDAY OCTOBER 17

Australian Institute of Sport (10^th) v Global Metals Bulleen Boomers (1^st), 7.00pm at AIS Training Hall

After a 110-40 drubbing at the hands of Bulleen last week, the AIS will be hoping to reduce that margin on their home court.

Bulleen will have only 24 hours to recover from their ABC TV Game of the Week clash with the Flames on Friday night and will have their fitness tested by the young students.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Bulleen 35 – 26 AIS

Go for 2 and 5 Perth Lynx (9^th) v Adelaide Link Lightning (3^rd), 7.30pm at Albany Leisure Centre

A tough assignment for the Lynx as the Lightning have been ruthless in their first two outings.

Adelaide’s depth will be too much for Perth to handle.

The Lynx are still searching for their first win and while American import Takia Starks impressed in her debut, last week against Bendigo she managed only 1-of-9 from the floor for two points and will need to find her feet against the third-placed Lightning.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Adelaide 37 – 9 Perth

Dandenong Jayco Rangers (8^th) v BDS Logan Thunder (6^th), 8.30pm at Dandenong Basketball Stadium

Whilst Dandenong won the pair’s two meetings early in 2008/09 by 15 points, the Thunder should be a tougher opponent this time around.

Thunder’s Polish centre Marta Dydek and Dandenong’s imports all had quiet games in Round 2 after strong showings in the opening round and it will be the Rangers’ Casey Nash, Ashley Lindsey and Megan Moody who will need to stand up against the spirited Thunder.

Logan will need to bounce back quickly from their Friday night encounter against the Spirit in Bendigo in order to match the fresh Rangers side.

This game will be broadcast with live audio commentary on WNBL Radio from 8.00pm.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Dandenong 2 – 0 Logan

SUNDAY OCTOBER 18

Canberra TransACT Capitals (7^th) v Australian Institute of Sport (10^th), 5.00pm at Southern Cross Stadium, Canberra

A slow start to the season will have the Caps chomping at the bit to get back on the winner’s list and should do so in this Canberra derby.

It would have been an uphill struggle for the AIS regardless but it will be made more difficult by meeting the Capitals after playing top-of-the-table Bulleen on Saturday night.

A Canberra side boasting Opals Carly Wilson, Marianna Tolo, Natalie Hurst and Jessica Bibby will aim to assert their dominance and get their season back on track.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Canberra 45 – 13 AIS

Blaze Find Glory, upset Tigers

The Gold Coast Blaze pulled off a huge win last night over the visiting Melbourne Tigers. I am still inundated with uni work so here is the game report from www.nbl.com.au.

Blaze tame Tigers

BOXSCORE

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

An energetic Gold Coast Blaze have climbed off the bottom of the NBL ladder with a 98-86 win over Melbourne Tigers at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on Wednesday night.

The victory marked the first time the Blaze had defeated the Tigers in five attempts since their inception three years ago.

Gold Coast were dominant in the first and fourth quarters to take the points from a Tigers squad who was already without Chris Anstey and lost Ben Knight to a knee injury in the opening minutes.

Chris Goulding had a career-high 17 points for the Blaze and import Erron Maxey had 29 of his own as the men in blue pulled away from Melbourne in the final stages.

Mark Worthington was valiant for the Victorian side with a game-high 31 points, but ran out off legs with very little support from his weakened squad.

In an end-to-end battle the visitors only got on top for short periods of the match and lacked the potency to constantly threaten the Blaze once they locked down on Worthington midway through the third.

After going toe-to-toe for the opening three quarters, Joey Wright started the final term with four guards - Goulding, Ayinde Ubaka, Adam Gibson and Tyson Demos – and ran a zone defence.

The Blaze little men took the ball away from the tiring Tigers enabling the home side to establish an eight-point lead early in the term which Melbourne failed to breach.

James Harvey had an uncharacteristic night on his home court, tallying just 15 points but the emergence of Goulding as an attacking weapon is sure to ease some of the load on the superstar shooting guard.

Looking to break a two-match losing streak the Blaze fired out of the blocks with young-gun Goulding and new import Maxey firing at will to open a double digit lead.

But at the other end of the court the home-side struggled to get a handle on Worthington who was looking confident inside, outside and at the charity stripe.

Melbourne's passers quickly recognised the opportunity and fed the big-man who racked up 11 of his points by the first break.

The visitors rallied in the second term, Luke Kendall drilled a pair of bombs and Sam Mackinnon showed his skills by rounding his man, then beating two more on the way to the hoop for a circus-shot, and one.

By half-time the Tigers had taken a one-point lead.

Both teams tightened in the third term and went tit-for-tat until the Blaze exploded in the final seconds to grab a four-point lead.

Goulding drove the lane and dished for Greg Vanderjagt to finish before Mike Vukona got a steal and handed off to Gibson who was ice-cold under pressure to nail a jump-shot as the siren sounded.

The Blaze took a four-point lead into the final term and never looked back.

Looking ahead the Gold Coast (2-3) have the quick turnaround to face the Taipans in Cairns on Friday night while the struggling Tigers (1-3) have a week to prepare for their next assignment – a road-trip to Adelaide.

Gold Coast Blaze 98 (Maxey 29, Goulding 17, Harvey 15)
Melbourne Tigers 86 (Worthington 31, Corletto 17, Johnson 12)
@ Gold Coast Convention Centre, 14/10/09. Crowd: 2,823.