Balls before Anderson? dont think so!

unfortunately i have to agree with wasportsfan1, as awesome as Ballinger is, Anderson has more experience on the world level...

Balls is too slow of foot to compete at the international level. That was the reason no NBA team took a chance.

Ballinger is the go 2 man. he's almost like a miny bogot!

whats a bogot?

I'm really looking forward to the Boomers campaign this year too. I'd say we've got the best talent level we've ever had and could go very close to a medal if they can play smart, team ball.

I disagree with your comment about Balls and Andersen though Hurley. Andersen has been very effective off the bench for the Rockets this season and should be confident going into the Worlds. I do like the idea of Balls on the team though. I think I'd seriously consider him as our 5th big. He could be a real surprise weapon off the bench if the Boomers are having a poor shooting night.

I just had a look to see how Barlow is doing in Spain as well and he has some good stats - better than Ingles - but for some reason has only played 12 games and missed a couple of months at the end of last year. Anyone know what the deal is there?

At this point, I'd be leaning to a team like this:

Bogut Ogilvy
Andersen Nielsen Ballinger
Barlow Worthington
Newley Ingles
Mills Bruton Dellavedova

Arguably you could take Gibson instead of Dellavedova, but I have been really impressed with Matt's freshman year at St Mary's, following on from his assured showing for the Boomers. The kid just does everything well. He handles the ball, shoots the three, makes good passes and defends. For that reason, he would make a good emergency option at both guard positions.

Nielsen squeaks in instead of Jawai as well, because he is more mobile and will work hard to defend whoever he is matched up on. Its hard to leave Jawai out because I think he has potential, but I'm just not impressed with his conditioning and movement, which makes him a liability on defence. Offensively, I just think that at the Worlds, good teams won't allow him enough room to work around the basket. He will be a turnover waiting to happen. That could change if he improves his footwork and learns to establish better position, but for now I'm not sure he's ready.

The biggest weaknesses I see for our team are the lack of athleticism at SF and pretty average shooting at SG. Barlow and Wortho are going to have to compete hard, rebound well and try to channel their opponents to the help defence, cause they are going to get beat off the dribble by quicker guys. We're going to need Mills, Bruton, Wortho, Barlow and Andersen to shoot well and open the floor for Bogut and for Newley and Ingles to drive.

Barlow broke his pinky and was out for about eight weeks. Yes, his stats are better than Ingles but don't forget that he is playing in the Spanish Division 2.

Thanks AB4EVA. Might have to reassess if Barlow is only playing div 2. Last time I saw him, I would have said he was marginally ahead of Ingles, but I always have felt Ingles has greater potential. Perhaps he is ready to leapfrog Barlow and start at SF? Probably will be sorted out based on form in training camp.

Ingles is having a pretty good season, but Barlow has been in great form in Spain following his return from injury. The Spanish 2nd division is very strong though do not forget!

Spot on Beantown about our weaknesses. We lack serious depth in the 3 spot and also at shooting guard. But if you delve deeper, our PG stocks are also pretty thin. this is why guts like Ingles, Barlow and Wortho essentially pick themselves.

We need to have a change of philosophy from Beijing - we need to pump the ball into Bogut and feed off him - playing an inside-out game. Some pick and roll with Mills is also required.

I have serious concerns about the PG spot. Mills has seen little playing action in the US, and Bruton will not have the pace to guard the quicker PG's. Gibson or Delly (whether selected on experience or youth) may need to step up to play defensive roles to help out.

Ball is a borderline selection and the 5th big-man spot may well come down to selection camp.

Exciting times ahead for sure!

LC, I guess I can understand your concerns about PG, but I have a fair bit of faith that Mills will shine at the Worlds. Sure, he isn't playing much at the moment, but I think that will just mean he is fit and raring to go at the right time.

As long as that happens, I think we will be fine. CJ is still a very good shooter and has a lot of experience, so I also think he could be used to good effect against zones and for certain matchups. I also have a lot of faith in Dellavedova's level head and all-round ability to pinch hit should injuries or poor form hit Mills or CJ.

Agreed with you on just about everything else, though I really believe Balls is a must as the fifth big man because of his exceptional shooting. After Andersen, none of our big guys are great outside shooters and I just think the erratic shooting ability of our guards necessitates that extra shooting big man to spread the floor. We have to have enough shooting to counter Euro zones and open things up for Bogut and Newley (who I see as our prime weapons).

Bose is going to be a very good player, but he is nowhere near International level yet.

I guess time will tell on the final makeup of the team Beantown. I hope Mills has a blinder as he is lost sitting on the end of the Blazer's bench...

Agreed on Bose. I think for this campaign the brains trust would sooner pick Harvey than he, but in fact I don't think either player will be selected. Bose way well become an important player for the Boomers in the future however, as he is currently projected as a second round pick for the 2012 NBA Draft.

a tad offtopic, but i'm headed over to the states next week, and i was looking for a Boomers jersey (probably Bogut) to wear while i'm over there. where can i get one? i fount jerseys on the BA website, but they had no numbers/names on them.

any help is appreciated.

thanks in advance.