Anon12
Years ago

Dellavedova = Perserverence

Great Article from Cleveland.

Matthew Dellavedova makes for a surprise NBA success storyTwo Australians met in the NBA on Sunday, and few would have predicted one of them would play, let alone startShare 72
Email Australia's Matthew Dellavedova (left) and Patty Mills met on the court at the weekend. Photograph: Eric Gay/AP
In a league built around teamwork, hard-nose defense and strong fundamentals, supreme athleticism and individual feats of greatness stand out. Today the NBA is bursting at the seams with superior athletes, with players boasting lightning quick speed and unparalleled leaping ability. What stands out now might just be grit, hard-nosed defense and a team-first attitude. So far at least, it's working great for Matthew Dellavedova.

The young Aussie point guard’s road to the NBA has been paved by hard work and odds overcome. The 23-year old is on a dream run: only months ago, his playing future was uncertain as he found himself undrafted and hopeful of being picked up by a club.

Fast-forward to now, and not only has he found a home in the NBA in Cleveland, but he’s being tried in the starting line-up, inspiring comebacks and having praises heaped on him by his coach.

The Cavs had the No1 draft pick this year and selected Anthony Bennett. Dellavedova, who was overlooked in the draft, is already receiving more minutes and posting bigger numbers. Last week he helped his team to an overtime victory against the Washington Wizards, and then inspired them to a dramatic comeback only days later.

Yesterday, he impressed again, this time against the San Antonio Spurs, who feature some familiar faces in Aussie Boomers team-mates Patty Mills and Aron Baynes.

Coming out of college, where he set numerous records and picked up a number of accolades playing for the St Mary’s Gaels, Dellavedova made no secret of the fact that the NBA was his ultimate goal.

Scouting reports cast doubts over his ambitions, however. The experts questioned his quickness and lateral movement, doubted his ability to defend quicker, more athletic guards, and only gave him an outside chance of making an NBA roster.

This view seemed validated when Dellavedova was not drafted. Unperturbed, he battled on, and some interest reportedly came from Cleveland, Orlando and New York.

He had shown his quality at the London Games in 2012, averaging over 28 minutes in a position that most thought would be sewn up by Mills.

Then head coach of the Boomers, Brett Brown, fielded countless questions about Dellavedova, and time and again his answer was simple: 'he’s going to play’. It was as if few would believe it. After all, Mills seemed the obvious choice to start in the point spot, and few saw him leaving the floor that often.

Dellavedova’s role was not to replace Mills. Instead it gave Mills the greenlight to take on a scoring role, and it put the control of the team in Dellavedova’s hands.

The combination worked well, and the experience did not go unnoticed. Cleveland gave him the opportunity to play in the NBA Summer League, an off-season competition renowned for its desperation, as players strive to earn contracts, move up roster spots and plug gaps and holes in team lists.

Dellavedova was solid offensively, but proved tenacious on defense, and tough enough to put the clamps on the NBA’s elite athletes. Cleveland rewarded him with a contract. It was modest by NBA standards — reported to be worth $1.3m over two years — and placed him at the bottom end of a 15-man list, a long way from court time. He was in a team, he was liked, but he had work to do.

It sounded familiar.

Mills had a similar passage to the NBA. He starred for the same college, St Mary’s, only a few years earlier - they were Mills’s records that Dellavedova was breaking. Mills also used an Olympics as a springboard, in 2008 in Beijing. Unlike Dellavedova, he was drafted into the NBA, at pick 55 overall by Portland, but also with a fight on his hands for playing opportunities.

They were few and Patty has been working to stay in the league ever since. Like Dellavedova, it’s been his work ethic and likeability among team-mates and coaches that has kept him in the mix. He landed at the Spurs, where Brown was an assistant, and waited for opportunities. Last year, when the minutes dried up, Mills made a name for himself by being an overly enthusiastic supporter from the sidelines, his towel-waving antics becoming an online sensation: he stayed relevant. This season the opportunities have come, and Mills has performed.

On Sunday, the Aussies met for the first time. A 35-11 second quarter saw the Spurs take a 33-point lead into the change rooms. They wouldn’t be challenged from that point on and beat the Cavs 126-96.

The air may have gone out of the game early, but it seemed an important chapter in the unfolding stories of these two guards. Mills, a man who has been expected to flourish in the NBA, but has perhaps lacked opportunities, finished with 15 points, three rebounds and three assists in just under 23 minutes of floor time.

Dellavedova, a man who many expected wouldn’t even get a chance in the NBA, finished with 14 points, four steals, two assists and two rebounds in a starting role in just under 34 minutes.

While in the midst of an Australian Boomers training camp a couple of years ago, Dellavedova was on rookie duties. As the group milled around the baggage claim shooting the breeze, Dellavedova was gathering bags of basketballs and towels, ready to load them onto the bus for the hotel.

When the Boomers next meet ahead of the 2014 Basketball World Cup, it’s safe to say that Dellavedova won’t be gathering towels, he’ll be gathering his team-mates and leading them on the charge. If anyone can inspire that group to some unexpected success, it’s a man who is currently overcoming the odds every day he goes to work.

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LanceUppercut  
Years ago

great praise for Delly, hope he continues to get minutes and impresses like he has been..hopefully Mike Brown doesn't get shown the door in the mean time

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Mick  
Years ago

Its a double edged sword. Brown is a terrible head coach so delly could be better off playing under someone who understands how to run a team, but at the same time right now Brown is giving him some decent burn.

Reply #447081 | Report this post


GuesswhosBACK  
Years ago

I really don't like the Cavs as a team. And I really don't like Kyrie Irving.... He would rather fancy dribble through 3 players then make the easy pass to the open guy. I think the guys a showpony moron who wont be winning a lot of games so long as he plays with the attitude he has.

I do like seeing Delly on court. HOWEVER, i know on most NBA teams he wouldn't be seeing more then 5-10 mins per game. thats no knock on Delly, but he is an undrafted rookie that is getting chances that he wouldn't usually get... This is good for his career though.. if he keeps on like this he will have found his niche in the league

Reply #447084 | Report this post


Didn't Bring It  
Years ago

This could be the perfect situation for his career - every game is an audition for a future roster spot!

- @didntbringit

Reply #447093 | Report this post


Lance_Uppercut  
Years ago

Yeah I agree 'Didn't Bring It', hopefully he gets some good minutes against the Heat this Wednesday, (Thursday Aus time on ESPN).

I have read that Cavs GM job is in a precarious position, hopefully the Cavs have invested too much in Brown coming back as their coach and will give him a few seasons to get it together. (possibility they are tanking this season for good draft pick anyway).

Also, their are rumours of a Cavs-Sixers trade with Evan Turner going to Cavs for a couple of Cavs players. Turners is a very good player at the SF, but Im only (selfishly) interested in as much as it continues to allow Delly to get good minutes.

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