Avv
Years ago

Boomers Squad announcement soon?

Going by this article on the USA squad it mentions:-

"The final 12-man roster and six alternates must be submitted June 18, before the NBA Finals will be complete. But all 18 names have to be given to the U.S. Olympic Committee by the end of January to be placed in the drug program."

http://www.talkbasket.net/6263-usa-basketball-to-announce-18-players-by-january-18th.html

I'm assuming the same rules apply to Australia and thus an 18-man squad would be announced by the end of June also?

Anyone aware of anything in this area?

Topic #27262 | Report this topic


Avv  
Years ago

Whoops just realised they're submitting the names to the US Olympic Committee so probably doesn't apply!

Ah well...

Reply #345618 | Report this post


Avv  
Years ago

Whoops just realised they're submitting the names to the US Olympic Committee so probably doesn't apply!

Ah well...

Reply #345619 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

Never mind Avv - its good to start these types of discussions early anyway.

The 12-man team to take on NZ in the qualifiers was;

Adam Gibson, AJ Ogilvy, Aleks Maric, Aron Baynes, Brad Newley, Damian Martin, David Barlow, Joe Ingles, Mark Worthington, Matt Nielsen, Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills.

Injuries aside, there will likely only be 2-3 changes to the team shown above. Two automatic changes will be the inclusions of Andrew Bogut and David Andersen. Nate Jawai will likely be included in any training squad, so there's plenty of competition for big man spots. AJ Ogilvy and Aron Baynes probably will be the unlucky losers in this battle.

Other than those guys, Daniel Kickert will probably get looked at again, and in the NBL, the best three Aussie performers this year (aside from those already in the above team) arguably have been Cam Tragardh, Julian Khazzouh and Peter Crawford who will all get a look in.

Crawford is the interesting one for mine. He's in career best form at 17ppg, shooting 48% from deep. The Boomers probably lacked a little bit in overall scoring punch and three-point shooting, so he could be a smokey for the final 12 to go to London.

Brett Brown always likes to throw a couple of young guys into the squad, so college guys like Hugh Greenwood, Anthony Drmic and Brock Motum could round out the squad.

Interesting times ahead for the Boomers!

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Anonymous  
Years ago

I don't think they can take both Martin & Gibson, they both provide the team with the exact same qualities - Crawford needs to be in the team IMO OR Kevin Lisch if available... The glaring deficiency at the NZ series and the lead up Euro games is 3pt shooting and both of those guys provide that.

Reply #345634 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

Anon, I dont think Kevin Lisch has been here long enough (into his third NBL season) to qualify for citizenship.

Pete Crawford definitely is in the picture as an SG, though Adam Gibson has been playing that role (and doing it well) for the Blaze of late, wheres Damian Martin has been playing his usual more traditional point guard role.

It's definitely going to a tough decision, but that's a good thing as it means there are plenty of worthy contenders for the 12 spots.

Reply #345636 | Report this post


ANON12  
Years ago

Is Irving available to play for Australia???

Reply #345637 | Report this post


skull  
Years ago

mills
delly
crawford
newely
ingles
barlow
wortho
neilsen
anderson
jawai
maric
bogut

this is the best squad.....but who knows what mr.brown and his merry men will come up with !!

Reply #345640 | Report this post


paul  
Years ago

One issue we face is that squad contains five guys who are playing very limited minutes with their clubs, another with a limited role, Mills who is in limbo and Bogut who is still quite a way off his best. Hopefully all these guys can get themselves into form by the end of the year.

I dont mind that squad, although Jawai is a long way off at the moment and Delly's poor shooting last year would have him out for mine.

Reply #345641 | Report this post


rohant16  
Years ago

Delly would be a pass first type of guard which is a good thing with Bogut and others.

What about Markovic isn't he deserving of selection?

Reply #345643 | Report this post


paul  
Years ago

He definitely deserves consideration alongside Martin, Gibson, Dellavedova and Crawford.

Reply #345652 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Mills is so over rated!!! Id have Gibbo n Martin as 1 2 punch!!

Reply #345653 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

At this stage I'd say Baynes is ahead of Jawai. He's killing it in Greece at the moment whereas Jawai is barely getting any minutes for UNICS Kazan (not sure if it's injury related or not). Given they're similar body types at that PF spot I'd guess Brown would only take one of the two.

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orbit  
Years ago

Vart i think thats about as good an argument i've heard in ages.
Logical & right on the money! It saves me thinking too hard.

That's not u Mr. 'peaks & valleys' is it!!

Dante Exum for a training run again?

Is there any reason why Loughton is never mentioned?

Fearne for a defensive coaching position? - not one of Browns boys but getting the job done. Hard to ignore...

Reply #345658 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

loughton is still way off form

Reply #345674 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

paul-delly,who we want to be a pass first p/g on our national team has a below average shooting year and you want to cut him? better off talking about his assists and running of the on court team don't you think?
please dont mention adam gibson and the boomers team in same sentence again......seriously embarrassing.

mills overated...great he will draw some defence off our shooters.
what about markovic......good question...what about markovic??why would we??

the only real question is the jawai vs baynes one.
i love baynes raw strength and heads up play...a bit risky but that comes with the beast.
a fit jawai could be the difference between a medal and eighth place.......i rest my case.

Reply #345675 | Report this post


skull  
Years ago

that last post was from me.....looks like you have to enter your details everytime you post now??

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Irving
Mills
Dellavadova
Newley
Ingles
Barlow
Worthington
Neilsen
Baynes
Maric
Andersen
Bogut

That leaves no room for Gibson & PC... If no Irving then I'm seriously putting PC in for his 3pt shooting as he is that little bit taller, longer arms and should be able to get his shot off better over bigger defenders. All we need from that position is to sit in the corner & knock down 3's when teams double down on Bogut or zone.

Reply #345677 | Report this post


paul  
Years ago

Anon, I dont think of Delly as a genuine point guard. I dont think he is ready to run a team at an Olympics at this stage of his career. If he isnt hitting the spot up I wouldnt have him in the team.

Reply #345679 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Must agree that a fit Jawai would be a huge asset, but I havent heard much good of him since his debut NBL season... If he can regain any of that form I would lock him in.. If he cant, then Baynes is the safer option.. I never liked Baynes in hjis first Boomers games, but I really saw him get it together when we played against Spain last... and if he is continuing down that road, then Having to chose between the 2 is a bit of a luxury.... Someone before said having Gibson in the teams embarassing? I dont think that at all... Gibson has more then held his own against quality international teams in the past. I am not saying that hes a lock, All I am saying is I think hes far from embarassing... You want embarassing? Look more towards guys like Luke Kendall.. who shouldnt have got within 100 miles of a Boomers team. However, Australia really lacked in quality guards at the time... so that was the situation we found ourselves in. It seems talentwise... we have a bit of a feast for this upcomming team.. all the guys in the mix can genuinely play, and the talent pool would be one of the best and most promising that the Boomers have ever had... however, everyones out of form or playing 5 minutes a game at the moment. So who knows how that will go. anyways... My 12...

Patt Mills
Brad Newley
Joe Ingles
Matthew Neilson
Andrew Bogut

Dellavedova
Anthony Drmic
David Barlow
Nathan Jawai (or Baynes)
Aleks Maric
Peter Crawford
KAzzouh or Tragardh

Reply #345680 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Della will be a gun. But is not a pure PG.. Another shoot first Australian point guard. He has grown up playing that way, and its always hard to adjust.

After watching his games for st Mary's he is definitely working on that however and I feel by next Olympics he and mills will be leading from the front for Australia...


Irving would be nice. Incredibly unlikely haha

Reply #345684 | Report this post


Avv  
Years ago

Baynes can't be ignored - 5th in scoring and 1st in rebounding in the Greek A1 League this year.

As Paul has alluded to, it's risky to have to many guys in the squad who play limited minutes for their teams. We need guys who can hit the ground running in this campaign with a mix of those limited minutes type guys...

Reply #345691 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

All good arguments thrown out there by everyone.

The Baynes situation is an interesting one. Given that he has been a part of nearly everything Brett Brown has done with the Boomers, I think he would have the nod over Jawai at the moment. Jawai is a special talent no doubt, but never seems to be in great shape, or good form at the same time.

I reckon in BB's mind he would be thinking that barring injuries there are ten locks for London;

Mills, Newley, Ingles, Nielsen, Bogut, Dellavedova, Gibson, Worthington, Barlow, Andersen and Maric.

Obviously this only leaves one spot up for grabs. Front runners being;

Baynes, Ogilvy, D. Martin, Crawford, Kickert, Markovic, Jawai and probably long shots Khazzouh and Tragardh.

Reply #345692 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

Oops - re above post I meant 'eleven' locks.

Reply #345693 | Report this post


thedoctor  
Years ago

I wonder whether the 'Jawai isn't in great shape' is a bit of a myth. I know he has had injury issues in the past, particularly when he was in the NBA, but I haven't seen anything lately to indicate he isn't fit.

He may just be one of those guys who is never going to look overly fit. Have a look at Worthington. He never looks particularly fit, or strong. Seems to have done OK internationally

Reply #345696 | Report this post


orbit  
Years ago

I agree Doc, maybe used as an excuse to not include him. I guess when u gotta trim back this squad any easy way out u take. Hammer was always good at stereotyping guys as easy cuts to make the job easier - Jawaii being one!

Reply #345698 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Remember the series against NZ before last when Jawai fell out of favour? There'd be a reason for that.

Reply #345703 | Report this post


Tiger Watcher  
Years ago

Delly isn't ready to play consistent ball at international level against seasoned pro's!

If you are serious about it guys returning from college very rarely even light up our NBL first or second year out as it takes time to adjust so really why are we even looking at college players over our seasoned pro's?? It is dangerous at a tournament like the world champs...by all means pick the college guys for the Stankovic Cup etc but not once the real stuff starts!

I’d be taking a seasoned pro out of euro (Markovic etc)/NBL (PC, Martin, Gibson) over college players who are still developing physically (Delly, Drmic, Greenwood, Motum)

Reply #345704 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

http://www.vtb-league.com/en/game/920.htm#mbt:15-400$t&0=1

Jawais stats finally getting time hopefully he is in good form

Reply #345712 | Report this post


Mystro  
Years ago

agreed Isaac, that was the series that NZ won and Jawai was very very average

Reply #345713 | Report this post


AK-47  
Years ago

My 12 would look as follows:
5 Bigs - Bogut, Maric, Andersen, Neilsen, Baynes.
4 Wings - Ingles, Newley, Worthington, Barlow*.
3 Guards - Mills, Dellavedova, Gibson*.

*depends on the availability of Irving and Lisch.
I'd include Lisch over Barlow because he brings a deadly 3 point shot and superior playmaking skills. Irving goes in over Gibson or Barlow because he's Kyrie Irving.

My depth charts would look as such:

C Bogut (35+)/Maric (5)
PF Neilsen (20)/Andersen (15)/ Maric (5)
SF Ingles (30)/Neilsen (5)/ Worthington (5)
SG Newley (30)/Gibson (5)/ Mills (5)
PG Mills (25)/ Dellavedova (10)/ Gibson (5)

Bogut dominates the minutes in the middle and plays the whole game if he can. Maric spells him for a minute or two or plays if Bogey gets in foul trouble.

Neilsen and Andersen split minutes at the 4, the amount should be based purely on form and their performance in that game. Maric can also spell these two.

Ingles starts and plays majority of the minutes at the 3. Neilsen can chip in here and Worthington provides some grunt minutes.

Newley starts and plays similar minutes to Ingles. Gibson and Mills share minimal minutes to spell Brad.

Mills starts at the 1 and will play the majority of his minutes there. Delly gets a run to spell Patty and Gibbo chips in to provide a steady hand.

Barlow and Baynes get DNP's.

Obviously the inclusion of Irving or Lisch would mess with this chart but I think it's pretty solid. We get our best players on the court as much as possible barring injury or foul trouble. Current game form will also be crucial. For example Mills has some erratic play and poor shot selection, Delly and Gibson can split his minutes and steady the ship.

Our offence should come specifically through Bogut and Neilsen/Andersen's high low play, Ingles and Newley's slashing and Mill's open court/fast break scoring.

Reply #345716 | Report this post


rohant16  
Years ago

I think Delly is a great passer who if played alongside good players will rack up the assist numbers. At Saint Mary's he's averaging 6-7 assists. I think this will translate well with the Boomers.

Reply #345718 | Report this post


rohant16  
Years ago

The man I really wish we had seen more of is Markovic I mean those assist numbers he was racking up this year were pretty impressive.

Looking at his stats for his team in draftexpress 10.2 points 8.6 assists a game. That is pretty good if true.

Reply #345722 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

I disagree that Delly is not ready to compete consistently at international level. His playmaking has improved every year he's been at St Mary's, and his defence is exceptional. He's also a tough kid, which always helps in international play.

I think it would be a miracle if he didnt go to London.

AK-47, how long to do you have to play in the NBL before you can become an Australian citizen? Given Lisch is only in his third season I couldnt see him being able to go to London?

Same for Irving. I dont think anything is going to happen with him for London, but perhaps he may play for Australia in WC/OG post London.

Reply #345725 | Report this post


AK-47  
Years ago

Lisch is currently engaged to a current WNBL player (her name I cannot remember). I remember reading that marrying her will help him acquire his Australian Citizenship much quicker. Didn't include him directly in my team as he certainly isn't guaranteed to be available but no harm in discussing it.

Reply #345729 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

agreed Isaac, that was the series that NZ won and Jawai was very very average


lol Jawai averaged a double-double in that 2009 series against NZ.

Game 1: 17 pts & 11 reb

Game 2: 17 pts & 9 reb



Reply #345737 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

AK-47, how long to do you have to play in the NBL before you can become an Australian citizen? Given Lisch is only in his third season I couldnt see him being able to go to London?


I saw a story about Aus citizenship on the news the other night in relation to a swimmer or something and the min period is four years so Lisch won't be available for London.

Reply #345739 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Markovic only a few weeks ago dropped 17 points and 16 assists in the Adriatic League. He's leading the league in assists at 8.2 and is 4th in steals at 1.8. That to me suggests serious PG skills at a professional international level. Surely that puts him ahead of Dellavedova, who gets decent PG-like stats but nevertheless plays at college level?

Reply #345744 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Also on the weekend Jawai had 23 pts (9/11 FG) & 7 rebs in 20 min of action in the VTB League in Unics Kazan's win over BS Astana.


Reply #345746 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Jawai ended up coming off the bench, didn't he? Stats aside, the coach was unhappy about something with him (attitude, I assumed). Just suggesting that might be a factor when they're picking teams and there are other decent bigs available - Bogut, Maric, Nielsen, Worthington, Ogilvy, Khazzouh, Schenscher, etc.

Reply #345749 | Report this post


thedoctor  
Years ago

You also have to factor in that the Chinese league might not give Mills his clearance letter to play for the Boomers.

Reply #345750 | Report this post


Tiger Watcher  
Years ago

Delly is a gun at the Mid-Major college level but international level is a differnt ball game when it comes to size, speed & Athleticism.

Before we go and throw Delly into the deep end surely we take him along as a training body only if he gets a giv but i'd really think a number of seasoned guys are ahead of him as they have the form/history against the bigger bodies.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Jawai ended up coming off the bench, didn't he? Stats aside, the coach was unhappy about something with him (attitude, I assumed). Just suggesting that might be a factor when they're picking teams and there are other decent bigs available - Bogut, Maric, Nielsen, Worthington, Ogilvy, Khazzouh, Schenscher, etc.


Yes he did fall out of favour with BB and don't think he's played for the Boomers since but was just pointing out Mystro was talking complete shit.

Ballinger is another who fell out of favour with BB in one Boomers camp a few years ago too.



Reply #345761 | Report this post


phil  
Years ago

international ball would likely suit a scrappy hard working defender like delly more than us college ball wouldnt it? i dont think the "level" is an issue with selecting delly at all. the only reason not to select him would be going with the form or experience of gibson or markovic.

i really do think it will be mills, and 2 of gibson/ martin/ delly/ markovic.

will likely not be a case of "he cant" when ruling out a player, but more likely, "he is in better form" when selecting one.

to be honest im quite confident with any of those players being capable at the level. like others i am concerned with our perimeter game maybe being off and allowing the opposition to swamp our bigs which is our strength.

both ingles and newley are hot or cold shooters. either they are on or they are very very off.

Reply #345763 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

No one is questioning Markovic's point guard skills. He is clearly one of our finest playmakers, no doubt. And don't forget that it was Brett Brown who finally gave Markovic a chance to represent Australia at the highest level, so I'm sure BB is well aware of exactly what Markovic brings to the table.

Does anyone here know why Markovic didnt play in the Olympic qualifiers against NZ?

Reply #345767 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

Tiger Watcher - you said 'Before we go and throw Delly into the deep end surely we take him along as a training body'

Delly has been in the Boomers squad every year since 2009. He's been through plenty of training camps, and plenty of battles against all of our other point guards, including Gibson and Martin who have both been NBL defensive players of the year.

He's ready for international basketball, more specifically Olympic basketball.

Reply #345769 | Report this post


Big Sexy  
Years ago

thedoctor, Patty will be able sign a with any other team once the Chinese season finishes up in March so should be playing for someone else by then

Reply #345771 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

On cue, Matty Dellavedova explodes today for a new career high 27 points on 9-13 from the field, 6-10 from 3-pt range.

Nice work Delly!

SMC got the win too, 87-72 over USF.

Reply #345775 | Report this post


thedoctor  
Years ago

Big Sexy - it was a bit of a joke. Clearance letter is a non issue for Patty

Reply #345778 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Avv since you started this post I'd like to hear what your boomer team would be and why? Or are you more just keen on the US team

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LC  
Years ago

On queue as well, Jawai had a 20 point effort overnight in the VTB League, also in another win...

I would be very surprised if Irving wanted to and was cleared to play for Australia...and would also doubt Lisch would be cleared to play and hence I have left them off the invite list I have put together below...

This would be my initial Boomers squad invite list:


Andrew BOGUT
Aleks MARIC
Aron BAYNES
Luke SCHENSCHER
Luke NEVILL


Julian KHAZZOUH
AJ OGILVY
Nathan JAWAI
David ANDERSEN
Daniel KICKERT


Matthew NIELSEN
Ater MAJOK
Mark WORTHINGTON
Brock MOTUM


Joe INGLES
David BARLOW
Brad NEWLEY
Ryan BROEKHOFF
Peter CRAWFORD
Anatoly BOSE
Daniel DILLON
Clint STEINDL


Patrick MILLS
Steven MARKOVIC
Damien MARTIN
Adam GIBSON
Matthew DELLAVEDOVA
Hugh GREENWOOD
Anthony DRMIC

That's 29 players on my list - all of which may or may not be invited.

For mine, the only ones who select themselves right now would be:

Andrew BOGUT
David ANDERSEN
Matthew NIELSEN
Patrick MILLS
Joe INGLES
Aron BAYNES

Bogut because he is clearly our best player, Andersen because he is in blistering form right now on a very strong European team, Nielsen because he is the glue that will do what is required and not demand his own shot, Mills because he is the best guard we currently have, Ingles as he is playing on one of the best 5 or so teams in Europe and is still able to make an impact despite limited opportunities off the bench, and Baynes because he is simply dominating and is arguably the best centre in the Greek league right now.

Guys that will probably get a gig despite limited opportunities and form concerns are Newley but also Maric as the 2nd/3rd centre option. My only concern with Maric getting selected behind Bogut is that is that he does not offer something different like a Khazzouh or Ogilvy who have mid-range capability on their jump shots...or David Andersen who could also fill in at that position and extend the defence with his shooting. You don't really need Bogut, Baynes and Maric on the same team...

So therefore my team looks like this so far:

BOGUT / BAYNES
ANDERSEN
NIELSEN
INGLES / NEWLEY
MILLS

That's 7 with 5 more to go...

As for the PG debate, based on form and what he has done for the second season in a row Steven Markovic for mine is arguably our best true point guard available. He simply does what his team requires, whether that is lighting up the scoreboard or distributing the rock. I guess is comes down to what system (if any) that Coach Brown wants to run and whether Markovic suits that style. For mine, he makes the team if selected today on what we know today.

We lack shooters badly. Where it used to be a strength, today it is our weakness. For that reason alone, I think we need to look at a couple of shooters for the team, hence why I think Bose and Steindl gets a gig in the initial squad, and why Drmic is also invited (Cody Ellis would also be worth considering). However I am not convinced any of these young guys are anywhere near ready just yet. Therefore you look at the best shooter going around, and right that is Peter Crawford who otherwise would not get a look in.

I honestly think Worthington would get a gig (because Brown loves him) and if fit and against the right team, could play a great niggling role to relieve Neilsen.

However for now I'm sticking with my 7 selected plus Markovic (that's 8 if you can't count). I would hope that in any case, Brown runs with the guys on court that are playing well and getting the job done. The last thing I want to see is the "share the court time around" thing this time around. Look what is has donfor Clarke...

Plenty of water to go under the bridge between now and selection time...

Reply #345809 | Report this post


dud  
Years ago

If Lisch gets married to rachel watman he will get instant Australian citizenship. It doesnt matter how long he has been playing here, if he marries an Aussie he can play for the Boomers.

Reply #345815 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Vart how many assists ?? He is definitely a great scorer. No questions..
. Would never leave him open. Still is not a pure PG. So with delly and mills we have two shoot first, pass second PG's. Both have grown up doing so at aus champs every year.. They can both pass, very well too. Prefer to shoot though..

Would love to see patty run the show feeding all our scorers like bogut and ingles for example. Would be fantastic. If delly was a bit taller, jeez he would make a great SG / swing man

Reply #345820 | Report this post


AK-47  
Years ago

dud, I had heard a similar thing about Lisch and his marriage, can anyone else confirm this?

Reply #345825 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

JAWAI player of the week in the VTB.... Bet he will have a strong finish to his season...

Reply #345842 | Report this post


LC  
Years ago

Yep - a 23 point and 7 rebound performance by Jawai in 20 minutes off the bench...

Delly is averaging career best (or near) stats this season in most categories, but importanmtly assists, points and FG %, and they look like this:

Matthew Dellavedova
15.2ppg / 3.2rpg / 6.5apg / 44.9% FG / 39.0% 3PT / 88.1% FT

I would still pick Steven Markovic's 9.5ppg, 2.9rpg, 8.2apg and 1.8spg in the Adriatic League over Delly...

Reply #345850 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

I'm getting tired of questions about Delly's assists. My goodness. I would think most people on this forum have a pretty decent understanding about the game of basketball and therefore would know that players can play different roles on different teams depending on what is asked of them.

Yes, Delly had a career high 27 yesterday, and I don't know how many assists he had, and I don't care. It doesn't matter. SMC run three guards in their starting five, and they share the responsibility of running the team between them. Whilst Delly had 27 points in a win yesterday, just recently he had 13 points and 10 assists in another win.

The kid is just a hard nosed, smart basketball player who can adjust to whatever role the team needs him to play.

Anyone who watched the Olympic qualifiers could have seen that Delly never looked to shoot first. That was not his role. His role was to come off the bench, run the offence and play good defence. A role he performed well.

Reply #345853 | Report this post


Mick  
Years ago

I think you have to be careful about the difference between who looks good in training camp and who is going to show up for a big time game.

A guy like Crawford -- while certainly not a lock -- is not going to look great when you have all these younger guys dunking and speeding through drills, and fast break scrimmages, but when your team is down 8 with 3 minutes left, and you need back-to-back triples from anywhere within thirty feet, he simply will not miss.

Also, I think we have to ask ourselves, what has David Anderson even contributed to the boomers? A big man who doesn't rebound and whose only post move is a fadeaway jumper? I'd rather take a flyer on trigger or khazzouh. Why not?

The biggest key for this boomers campaign is point guard play. Mills has to be a leader and not a high volume shooter. He somehow got it into his head that he can shoot 3s, but someone needs to tell him to stop. If his game changes to penetration buckets and big assist numbers we are in with a chance. Hopefully bogut assumes the big dog leadership role and keeps him in check.

Reply #345859 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

Mick, you touch on quite a few good points there mate.

Crawford - I've touched on this over and over again. Crawford is simply our best and most consistent three-point shooting option at the moment. Given the Boomers poor performance in this area, he has a great chance to make the team.

Andersen - I hear your frustration, but Andersen is simply a role player for us at the international level, and seemingly struggles whenever we ask more from him. And whilst I agree that sometimes you need to take a punt on someone (or a 'flyer' to use your words) I dont think the Olympic games is the right time to do it.

Mills - I really feel like Mills stuggles, much like Andersen, when we expect him to be the man, and carry us. Having Bogut back will take this pressure off Mills, and I we'll see his performances improve as he trys to play a more traditional pass first, shoot second point guard role.

Reply #345865 | Report this post


LC  
Years ago

I'm with Vart in that Andersen and Mills have at times been burdened with being our "go-to" players when Bogut has been missing from the team. I think that Andersen would thrive playing alongside Bogut and complement each other. Bogut draws attention in the Post leading to an open spot up jumper from Andersen and if Andersen's man pays respect, then Bogut can go one on one in the Post.

With Bogut, Mills would not be expected to be the "go-to" man either. And with Bogut being the man, his game and play would be allowed to focus on penetration and distribution, whilst still being able to hit the open jumper on a kick-out as required.

Bogut will make these guys better full stop.

Reply #345870 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

Couldn't have said it better myself LC. Now its just a matter of 'fingers crossed' that the big fella will take the floor in London!

Reply #345878 | Report this post


Mystro  
Years ago

oh no someone who hides behind an anon called me all shit lol. If Jawai was so awesome why didn't you win that series?

In game 1 a young developing Alex Pledger got 16 points 6 rebounds in under 20mins compared to Jawai 17 points 11 rebounds in 22mins, Pledger was a development player, Jawai made the NBA. Benny Anthony also had a few points on Jawai in the limited minutes he played in that game as he did in game 2 also.
In game 2 in 23 1/2 minutes Jawai had 17/9 and Pledger had 15/13 playing pretty much the same amount.

Looking back Jawai's numbers weren't that bad but from memory it was the amount of points that were scored against him that lead to my opinion of him and how they were scored.

Reply #345880 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Simple Jawai don't belong with the boomers. Count him out. We have a lot better bigs then him.. Aron Barnes is a much better player than Jawai. He is not a boomer.

And from sources close to me said that Jawai is about his family and don't care if he makes it or not. Fair enough. Stop bragging about that poor bloke...

Reply #345947 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Jawai is/can be a much better player than Baynes. No way will Baynes ever play in the NBA let alone last two years in the league.

Reply #345956 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Looks to me like the pool for each position is

Patt Mills
Steven Markovic
Dellavedova
Adam Gibson
Damien Martin
Aaron Bruce

Brad Newley
Peter Crawford
Joe Ingles
David Barlow
Mark Worthington
Hugh Greenwood
Anatoly Bose
Clint Stiendl
Daniel Dillon
Kevin Lisch (maybe)
Anthony Drmic

MAtthew Neilson
Aaron Baynes
Nathan Jawai
David Anderson
Anthony Petrie
Ater Majok
Aj Ogilvy
Julian Kazzouh
Matt Knight
Cam Tragardh


Andrew Bogut
Alex MAric
Brock Motum
Luke Schensher

----

MAking a team from that would be hard and some quality players will miss out

Reply #345996 | Report this post


Gaylord Focker  
Years ago

Most have Maric as a certain for the 12 with Baynes as an outside chance. Maric is really struggling for form/minutes and would be a huge liability on the court as a back-up to Bogut.

With Brown's penchant for young smokeys, my vote is for Brock Motum to slot in ahead of Maric and Baynes.

Also, Delly over Gibson or Martin any day of the week

Reply #347639 | Report this post


LC  
Years ago

Brock Motum is a forward, not a centre anon...

I would have Delly over Gibson, but it is a line ball call on Delly vs Martin IMO.

Baynes and Maric are fighting for the backup C spot...

Reply #347650 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Gibson has been awesome this year. If he can hit the three at camp he is a lock.

Reply #347654 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

There is no such thing as a 'young smokey' at Olympic time Gaylord.

And I agree with Anon, Gibson has been outstanding this season, and is actually playing the two spot for GC since Deleon arrived. Bodes well for his Boomers chances given that Brown has played him exclusively as a two guard since Turkey.

Reply #347656 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

Just working through Anon's squad from above. My two cents worth are next to each players name below, for what its worth (not much I can assure you!);

Patty Mills - Lock
Steven Markovic - Wish I knew what was going on with him. Been in good form, but still don't know why he wasn't part of OG quals? Great playmaker, but average defender which will likely keep him out.
Matty Dellavedova - Likely to make final team
Adam Gibson - Likely to make final team
Damien Martin - Likely to make final team
Aaron Bruce - Out now due to injury

Brad Newley - Lock
Peter Crawford - Smokey for the final 12 based on 3-point shooting ability
Joe Ingles - Lock
David Barlow - Lock
Mark Worthington - Lock
Hugh Greenwood - Won't make final team, one for the future though. Will definitely play at Olympic level.
Anatoly Bose - Won't make final team
Clint Stiendl - Won't make final team
Daniel Dillon - Won't make final team
Kevin Lisch (maybe) - Won't make final team, even if he gets citizenship
Anthony Drmic - Same as Greenwood

MAtthew Neilson - Lock
Aaron Baynes - in battle with Maric and Jawai for back-up centre spot
Nathan Jawai - in battle with Baynes and Jawai for back-up centre spot
David Anderson - Lock
Anthony Petrie - Won't make final team
Ater Majok - Won't make final team, doubt he'll even make the squad
Aj Ogilvy - Won't make final team unless someone is injured. Has been injured a lot himself this season.
Julian Kazzouh - Won't make final team. Doesn't bring anything to the table we don't already have.
Matt Knight - Won't make final team
Cam Tragardh - Same as Khazzouh

Andrew Bogut - Lock
Alex MAric - Form is worrying. In battle with Baynes and Jawai for back-up centre spot
Brock Motum - Same as Greenwood and Drmic
Luke Schensher - Won't make final team

So I've called eight locks, three likelys, three in a battle and one smokey, giving a total of 15 players as listed below;

Patty Mills
Brad Newley
Joe Ingles
David Barlow
Mark Worthington
Matty Nielsen
David Andersen
Andrew Bogut
Matty Dellavedova
Adam Gibson
Damian Martin
Aron Baynes
Nathan Jawai
Aleks Maric
Peter Crawford

Reply #347658 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

Looking back at Brett Brown's squad prior to Turkey, he brought in 16 players to training camp, two of them bring Hugh Greenwood and Matty Dellavedova (both of whom were only there for experience, both players left camp early for varying other committments), so really it was a 14 man squad, leaving only two cuts that needed to be made.

That final squad was;

Damian Martin
Patty Mills
Adam Gibson
Joe Ingles
Brad Newley
Steven Markovic
David Barlow
Mark Worthington
Aron Baynes
David Andersen
Matty Nielsen
Aleks Maric
Alex Loughton
AJ Ogilvy
Matty Dellavedova
Hugh Greenwood

Both Bogut and Jawai were unavailable for Turkey. So if you look at the list, and the players that are being mentioned for London, there definitely has been good continuity through the group.

Reply #347660 | Report this post


hoopie  
Years ago

What are we selecting for, though, guys? A bunch of body-bangers to beat Europeans and lose to the US, or a bunch of athletes to beat the US and get frustrated against the Europeans?
We don't want to have a bunch of slow players who get us past the Europeans in the early rounds and then get into foul trouble against the might and speed of the US in the finals.
For that reason, I'd go less for the slower guys who excel in Europe (like Maric & Jawai) and go more for the guys who play or recently played college, or are doing well in the NBL.

Reply #347670 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

hoopie, in answer to your first question, I'd say we're trying to put together a team that can best compete with all other nations in a view to making the medal round, and then seeing what happens. Beating the US wouldn't even be considered, and there's plenty of other teams at the Olympics aside from Europeans.

Reply #347674 | Report this post


hoopie  
Years ago

Vart, I like your squad of 15. Who gets cut could be interesting.
I saw the NZ game recently. Much as I loved David Barlow in years gone by, I thought he looked a bit past it in that game. Wortho always manages to surprise on the big occasions by doing more than you expect from him, so I'd keep him regardless. Baynes looked slow, whereas Maric was impressive and Jawai wasn't even in the picture. So, drop Barlow (sniff), Jawai and Baynes.

That still doesn't persuade me that we'll bomb them in consistently from range, though.

Reply #347679 | Report this post


LC  
Years ago

I've said this before, whilst our guard play and 3-point shooting was once a strength, it has since shifted to the play of our big men...

Reply #347686 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

No doubt about that LC, though I find it puzzling the number of players that spend years at the AIS and graduate as sub-par shooters.

Reply #347697 | Report this post


Gaylord Focker  
Years ago

Exactly why Peter Crawford should be in the team, and should be used as a spot up shooter. He is good defensively too.

Vart's squad of 15 is right on the money, but IMO the three outs will be Maric, Jawai and one of Gibson/Martin/Delly as we don't need 4 point guards.

Having Mills, Delly, Gibbo and Martin on the same team is like Andrew Gaze becoming a good commentator......It just aint gonna happen.

Personally, I would leave out Gibson and use Martin as a shut-down defender who can also score.

Reply #347887 | Report this post


Vart  
Years ago

Gaylord, Brett Brown took Mills, Markovic, Gibson and Martin to the World Championships, so don't count out the possibility of him taking four point guards again.

In respect of Gibson, Brett Brown has used him exclusively as a two guard since Turkey, which at the time seemed ridiculous, but he has grown into that role, especially at NBL level. Since Deleon arrived on the Gold Coast, Gibson has played the two spot, and won two player of the week awards whilst doing so. In his past seven games his scoring average is up to 19ppg, and he's shooting 41% from three-point range. If he can take this form and new found scoring mentality into international play, it will make the complexity and balance of the Boomers roster far more manageable.

Reply #347892 | Report this post


Gaylord Focker  
Years ago

You have a point there Vart, re Gibson's form. He has been stellar in the 2 spot at NBL level.
Maybe Gibson for Martin then.. ? Man, I wouldn't like to be a Boomers selector at the moment. Some tough decisions to be made.
Still, we have a hell of a lot to look forward to. Such intense competition for positions will push everyone to perform.
I would love to check out a scrimmage at the Boomers training camp right now!

Reply #347908 | Report this post




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