Great article from Boti Nagy
http://www.botinagy.com/blog/our-world-cup-runneth-over/
Our (World) Cup runneth over
YOU would think it might be hard to get excited about Australia’s shot at a World Cup medal without starters Andrew Bogut and Patty Mills being available ... but you’d be wrong.
The Boomers team for the championship in Spain has a positive mix of old and new – without going overboard in either direction – and is laced with podium potential.
Olympians such as Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles, Brad Newley, Aron Baynes, David Andersen and Adam Gibson are back, supported by new faces Dante Exum, Cameron Bairstow, Brock Motum, Nathan Jawai, Ryan Broekhoff and Chris Goulding.
That’s a team Andrej Lemanis can take to Spain confident in its ability to do some damage beyond the group stage where it runs into Slovenia, Lithuania, Mexico, Korea and Angola.
Remember too, that stage of the World Cup will be in Gran Canaria – the Canary Islands – where Newley is a cult hero and whose presence in the team is sure to bring great hometown support to the Boomers.
Breaking down the team, it has the guard area covered with Delly and Exum at the point and Gibbo a combo guard capable of providing relief there too if necessary.
Goulding adds a “lights out” shooter to go with Newley, who also can pinch-hit at small forward.
Ingles will hold down the main minutes there with Broekhoff an understudy.
The lack of a genuine 7-footer will trouble some but Andersen, Bairstow and Motum as versatile power forwards, plus Baynes and Jawai as centres with menace give Lemanis enough with which to operate.
Just quietly, I am happy to see big Nate Jawai finally work his way into a Boomers team, making it all the way back from injury and the pressure of high expectations.
THE BUILD-UP
Discarding the mostly inconsequential Sino-Australian Challenge, the Boomers’ relevant preparation for the World Cup will all be played overseas.
They will take on Finland, Lithuania and Ukraine in a tournament in Lithuania from August 8-11.
Then another quickie against the Fins in Helsinki on August 12.
Down to the gorgeous French Riviera and Nice where the Boomers run into Ukraine, Philippines and France from August 16-18.
In Strasbourg, Australia will have its final hit-outs against Finland and France on August 23 and 25 respectively.
Hats off to Lemanis and Basketball Australia for organising such a comprehensive World Cup-specific series of matches.
It again gives the Boomers every chance of heading into the Cup fully in sync and well-prepared.
THE CUP
The Boomers open the World Cup against Slovenia on August 31.
Slovenia and Lithuania loom as Australia’s biggest challenges toward the possibility of actually winning the group stage.
That’s not to say Korea, Mexico – over which Australia had a memorable 120-117 overtime game at the 1976 Olympics (just a little Bill Simmons-style irrelevant fact for you) – and Angola will be a stroll in the park.
Not at all.
They’re all national teams and all pursuing the same goal, after all.
And it was Angola which upset Australia’s plans at the 1986 Worlds.
But if the planets align – and without Bogut and Mills they can’t be fully aligned – but if it is close and this group clicks as predicted, then a high-ranking finish to this stage is more than a remote chance.
The top four teams progress to the next round. But there are obvious benefits in finishing higher in that 1-to-4 scenario.
THE NBA
Dellavedova and Baynes, that great "pick-and-roll-for-the-dunk" combination at the 2012 London Olympics, bring their NBA experience as members of the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs respectively.
Baynes is a free agent now but has just concluded the “Lazza” tour – his nickname for the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy tour he undertook with Mills two weeks ago – and is unlikely to remain uncontracted for long.
Andersen is a Euroleague superstar who logged NBA time at Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Hornets from 2009-11.
Exum was selected as the #5 pick at the 2014 NBA Draft by Utah Jazz and that was with no college experience.
Motum, who is contracted to Bologna in Italy, has been invited to also attend Jazz camp after impressing at the Summer League in Las Vegas.
Bairstow has been signed by Chicago Bulls.
Management for free agent and Euroleague champion Ingles is in discussions with Memphis Grizzlies.
Newley was drafted by Houston before pursuing a highly successful European career.
Goulding competed last year at the NBA Summer League for Cleveland and this year did well enough with Dallas Mavericks to win a contract in Spain.
There won't be any players in this team intimidated by rival NBA experience.
THE NBL
The only players coming out of the 2013-14 NBL season selected were 2012 London Olympian Adam Gibson (Adelaide 36ers) and the league’s leading scorer Chris Goulding.
Both previously last were teammates at Gold Coast Blaze after also being together at Brisbane Bullets.
With Goulding heading to CAI Zaragoza in Spain next season, Gibson remains the NBL’s only active player on the Boomers’ roster.
However, Andersen, Ingles, Jawai and Newley all started their pro basketball careers in the NBL.
With half the team having NBL experience on their resumes, that is still a high success rate on which the league can hang its hat.
THE UNLUCKY 5
Melbourne United’s Mark Worthington has been a great servant for Australia and worn the green and gold with great pride through two Olympic and two World Championship campaigns.
His toughness may yet be missed in Spain.
Perth Wildcats Championship captain Damian Martin again is unlucky to miss after playing for the Boomers at the 2010 World Championship.
While he brings everything conceivable to the defensive end and has a heart Phar Lap would envy, the ability to consistently and confidently knock down an open look remains his international Achilles heel.
Athletic Melbourne United forward Lucas Walker must have been close and will again challenge for a Rio Olympics berth, as will Sydney Kings’ big Angus Brandt who did extremely well to make it to the final squad.
The biggest talking point though will be Ben Simmons missing the cut.
The 18-year-old prodigy last night tweeted: “''(I'm) really disappointed (I) didn't make the world's team, good luck to all the guys who did #grindtime”
Simmons, son of Melbourne Tigers NBL import Dave, has committed to attend Louisianna State University where Eddie Palubinskas, Australia’s first player to top score an Olympics, cut his college teeth.
Unquestionably Simmons will be a marquee superstar for Australia down the line, as might Thon Maker as well.
But there is a danger in rushing too many kids in too soon, Simmons admittedly doing well among the men at last year’s Oceania Series.
Simmons will return to Montverde Academy in Orlando.
Had he been selected – and I’m testing my memory here – but I believe he would have been the first high schooler since 2001 to play for the Boomers.
In 2001, Luke Schenscher cracked the Boomers as a high school student.
Maybe Simmons could have made it into the 12th spot on this roster but he hasn’t.
Unless the critics were watching training camp, you can only conclude Lemanis and his coaching staff of Luc Longley and Trevor Gleeson just didn’t believe he was ready yet.
Don’t worry. Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school team at his first attempt. How’d that work out in the long run?
“The team would like to thank the five players who missed selection for their contribution – all are wonderful people and tremendous basketball players,” Lemanis said in a BA statement.
“I have always said that difficult decisions would need to be made and it was very tough as a staff to settle on the final squad, which is tremendous credit to all who competed at the camp.”
