Was never much of a Nevill fan but hes proved himself useful in this series.

I'm keen on a link if anyone knows of one...

China up 17-7 with 3 to go in the first. Refs giving them a decent helping hand.

Regarding the nbl TV app, does it actually work for anyone on Android? It doesn't work for me, but I'm only on a Samsung Galaxy Y.

15-17 ow. Johnson is absolutely pathetic. Get him out of here.

Gibson hit back to back triples...within 2 at quarter time. Turnovers and missed shots hurting...

Bairstow looking good at both ends for mine.

commendable job getting back in the game, china looks much better then they have for most of the series. Gibson stepped up with a few threes however his ball handling looks a little bit weak and I really dont think he is PG material.

Gibson was ordinary at best until he hit the triples. Johnson really bad too

I've liked what Cadee has shown in this series. Nice to see him backing himself and utilising his speed effectively. Has also handled the ball well against pressure. Hopefully he can take another step forward for the Sixers next season too.

Youknowme I tend to agree with you about Gibson. His ball-handling has been poor compared to Cadee. Even Iggy seems to have dealt with the on-ball pressure better. Part of it is probably Gibbo's lack of footspeed. He just doesn't have the speed to blow by people off the dribble, so he has to turn his back to pressure a lot more.

spot on bean.. its like he takes a lot of dribbles but cant move very far with it.

The Boomers just haven't really been dialled in for this game. I don't think Lemanis has been that focussed on winning either, giving DJ and Steindl a fair few mins despite the ballooning deficit in the the 3rd. Hopefully the guys will have a crack and bring it home in the 4th. We're certainly capable of it, but we've got to focus on D and stop their penetration.

China 69-57 Aus. 7:24 to go in the 4th.

I dont think Lemanis has been that focused on winning the whole time, giving a good spread of minutes.

I suspect he also knew from very early in this game that the Boomers would be up against it, in fact the way China works he may well have been told before the game!

I agree though, the Aussies have made mistakes in this game they didnt make in the past two, but there is plenty to take out of this whole series.

I havent seen a boomers team defend this poorly in the past 8 years. Thia is a pretty poor showing tonight

The refs, on the other hand, played a blinder for motherland today!

Yeah the defence has been matador-like after three very good efforts. I suspect all those whistles combined with a bit of fatigue have taken the steam out of it.

Nevill playing limited minutes tonight has also hurt the rim protection, theyve had a fair few lay-ups and our guys have missed way too many in close.

do petrie and wagstaff practice together, both have a knack for missing easy shots and looking uncomfortable but confident with their own ball handling.

Boomer's Report Card.

I will assess the performances of each Boomer from the Sino-Australia series.. and weigh up whether they did there chances good or harm from there input for this series... Which has been tied 2 all.

Adam Gibson: C+

Gibbo is the only Boomer in this team returning from the London Olympics. As a point Guard I feel he is playing out of position, I think his defence at that position is pretty good but his ball handling is a bit suspect.alot of the times he will back into the defense because he just isnt quick enough to get past them. In game 4 he showed what he CAN do offensively making 4, three pointers... I feel he is a better player when he doesn't have to distribute the ball. I think when Greenwood and Exum come of age his days as Australia's back-up point will have come to an end... this is no rip on him though.. he has been servicable.

Cam Gliddon: A

Cam Gliddon has been a complete surprise to me this series.. those who have followed him closer may have expected this kind of play all along. He has been one of Australia's best ball handlers, has played a touch of point guard, runs the lanes well, plays hard D and shoots at an impressive clip from the three (a place where Australia has lacked of late). I said he was the surprise packet of the series and he proved to be just that. As for his future for Australia.. there is a lot of competition at the 2 spot... However Australia could do a lot worse then to have him as the 'Peter Crawfiord' of the next olympics.... He is better then Crawford in my books.

Chris Goulding: A

I heard some one call Goulding a poor mans Rudy Fernandez, with Rudy being a phenomenal player this is hardly an insult of any kind. He seems to have the ability to create his own shot, pass well and is an active defender. His offensive ability was to be expected from what we have already seen of him at the Melbourne Tigers... He wouldnt look out of place next to Joe Ingles and Brad Newley in the World Champs team and might actually squeeze Newley out of his spot.

Anthony Petrie: B+

Petrie, when aggressive proved a handful for China... however whenever he took his foot off the pedal he faded a little easier into the background then one would like. He is a versatile player who can do a bit of everything, but at age 30... really only has from now til the next Olympics to go. I think he is a very good replacement for Matty Neilsen... But he is going to have some competition from the Ben Simmons and Brock Motum types for that Power Forward position. He will be in the discussion however.

Luke Nevill: A

Luke Nevill has been another "surprise" for me in this Boomer's team. I knew he could shoot the 18 footer, and I knew he was adequate on the board s but I always thought of him as a tad unco. He actually was intrumental in both the wins the Boomer's had, and was sorely missed in game 4 when he played less. His hustle on defense made a big difference for Australia, and he is someone else who has risen his Boomer's stocks and put himself in the "A Team" conversation. ofcourse he would have to contend with Nate Jawai, Andrew Bogut, Aron Baynes, Aleks Maric, David Anderson, AJ Ogilvy.

Jason Cadee C+

Jason Cadee is a young point guard who likes to push the ball and make quick decisions.. sometimes it pays off.. sometimes it doesnt, thats to be expected for someone who plays his kind of 'high octane' game at the point guard spot. He seems to like taking floaters rather then stepping in a bit closer for a textbook lay up, which when they miss can be frustrating. Jason, however has a lot of potential (at 22 years of age) and would be someone to keep bringing into camp... however I don't see him making a major tournament any time soon.

Clint Stiendl: D

Clint is a pretty one dimensional player.. he can make an open 3 pointer but out side of that he proved to be little more then useless in this series. He is a defensive liability and he has suspect decision making skills on court. I am not sure there is room in international basketball for players as one dimensional as Steindl. He was exposed against China so I am not sure what luck he would have against a GOOD international side... USA or European. On the upside, he does have that jump shot and some height... who knows what a few more years development can do but I dont se him as an international prospect right now.

Jesse Wagstaff: D+

Jesse Wagstaff reminds me of what happens in social basketball when a footy player fills in for a basketball team. The hustles good, intensity is good... defence is usually solid but the basketball fundamentals like shooting, dribbling and passing decisions are pretty weak. He plays his role well for the Wildcats but I just don't see him working Internationally... not when you already have Mark Worthington and then all the up and coming SF and PF's coming up. Wagstaff might snare spots for meaningless series like this but he wont make an olympics or world championships... I shouldnt think anyways.

Igor Hadziomerovic: C-

Igor never really got too many minutes to judge his play, however he did appear to be a pretty crafty ball handler. He never showed anything substantial.. however never showed any glaring weakness either. As a point guard I do feel he is still a fair bit down the pecking order.. could that change? I really don't know... depends how the rest of his college career/pro career goes I suppose. I wouldnt count it out but nothing I have seen yet verifies it yet for me.

Cam Bairstow: B

Cam Bairstow is another surprise. Was solid around the boards, defensively, effort wise... doesn't appear to have a jump shot or many things going for him out side of the key however but it was a pretty good introduction to a player that almost no one had ever heard of before (in Australia anyways). I am not sure how far he can, or cant go.. but I know there is stiff competition at the center and power forward spots.. I wouldnt expect him to make the Worlds next year.

Daniel Johnson: F

I feel kind of bad dropping an 'F' on a 36er.. but that is what I saw, and this is what the situation warranted. Johnson was a liability on both sides of the floor and showed literally none of his top NBL form at all. Routinely stripped of rebounds, outhustled, outmanoeuvred, he was out played consistently for essentially every moment he took the court and it actually worry's me for the sake of the 36ers that he is in this kind of form right now. Johnson lacks the defence, strength and hustle to be an international player any time soon. One can only hope this puts a bee in his bonnet and he works on these things... otherwise he has seen his last game in a green and gold singlet.

great analysis YouknowME, very thorough! As you said Luke, Goulding and Gliddon were the consistent standouts.

Yeah I made the Rudy/Goulding comparison, hopefully Goulding can continue to develop and work on a reliable three point shot. he provides a lot of spark and makes some creative plays.

At least these four games were able uncover some potential boomers and eliminate others for future boomer camps.

Can easily eliminate Steindl and Johnson barring any kind of freakish improvement.

Goulding I feel could have a great shot at cracking the a team, he is the only player other than mills with a scorers mentality. I also like the rudy comparison, Goulding has the ability to run and gun, hit the three, hit from mid range and create his own shot. In years gone by when mills isn't firing its been hard to see where points might come from, where Goulding is one of those explosive scorers like heal, gaze and Penney who can put on points in a hurry. He will always shoot the odd ill advised shot, but that's what makes scorers like him exciting, steph curry one leg three point runner anyone.

I think Kr is right. The Boomers need someone without a conscience. Whether that's Goulding or not remains to be seen, but they need someone who can play outside of a system when the chips are down.

Nice summary YKM.

Anon, I can think of seven players who would be virtual automatic selections for the Worlds if available:

Bogut Andersen
Baynes
Ingles Newley
Mills
Dellavedova

If Jawai comes home for Boomers camp, you'd have to think he'd be close to an automatic selection too, but I haven't heard what his plans are.

Of course, a lot of those guys above may not be available for the NZ series. Bogut definitely not and I'm sure a couple of the other guys will drop out for various reasons.

I think there is a pretty clear spot for Goulding or Gliddon to back up Mills at SG. Based on this China series, you'd probably have both in there and drop Gibson though.

Nevill's play probably has him in the mix to make the team, but it will depend on availability and form of Andersen and Jawai.

We're obviously going to need a mobile big who can matchup with Vukona against NZ and I think Petrie should be almost a lock for that spot. I have to say, though, that the thing I liked most about Bairstow was the agility he showed for his size. I actually could see him replacing Petrie in the mobile PF type of role in a year or two.

So to answer your question, I think there is more than two spots available right now and I think Petrie, Goulding and Gliddon probably have the best shot to find a spot on the team to play NZ. Nevill has a good shot, but may miss out because of the big man talent available. Gibson may make it, but I'd rather see both Goulding and Gliddon instead, and Bairstow is one for the future. The rest are real long-shots IMO.

Is Exum like to be in for the worlds? He'll be 19 next year. There have been younger Boomers. He's as good a young prospect as we have, he plays a position of need, and he's been in the squad before. Downside is he doesn't have much of an outside shot (something the Boomers would like out of their backup two).

likely*

for a meaninigless series it has been eye opener to some of the talent we have available so I got to thinking who will be our boomers in 2014,
Starters:
pg; DELLAVEDOVA
sg; MILLS
sf; INGLES
pf; BAYNES
c; BOGUT

Reserves:
pg;(exum,gibson,greenwood)
g;(drmic,gliddon,goulding)
sg;NEWLEY
sf;(broekhoff,worthington)
f;(motum,petrie,bairstow)
f/c; ANDERSEN
c; (jawai,ogilvy,nevill
the guys in caps are my locks. guys in brackets are my contenders.
I'm sure not everyone will agree and there are some good players left out such as Bose,Khazzouh, (probably playing for other countries). Then there aren players I just don't rate such as Barlow, Kickert and Maric. I do have high hopes for Simmons and Maker but they are part of future teams.

Mick, Exum says hes going to be in camp for the New Zealand series so I think he has his eyes on next years worlds.

When you add those who were already on the radar... to those who came to this series.. it makes for 40 players. Yes 40! .... Selection for the next big thing is going to be TOUGH.

Have we ever had 40 players that could conceivably play for Australia before? I really dont think so! (I can list them for those who dont believe lol)

Good to hear Exum will be in camp for the NZ series. Hope he knocks everyone dead and makes the team!

I would think Maric has to get an invite. He needs to perform well in camp though, to show why he should be selected ahead of guys like Jawai, Nevill and Ogilvy.

Al Bundy, pretty much agree with your list there. Are your contenders in pecking order though? Cos I would have Nevill ahead of Ogilvy based on what I have seen in the China series and what I remember of Ogilvy last year. Nevill did a surprisingly good job of showing on the pick right out beyond the three point line and then recovering to his man against China. Ogilvy I recall looking slow clumsy in comparison, both in his movement and in his ability to finish around the rim. Having said that, he has just played a year of pro ball, so hopefully he has improved. Could be a good battle between these two for selection.

PG:

Matty Dellevadova
Patty Mills
Dante Exum (could jump spots by 2016)
Hugh Greenwood
Adam Gibson
Steven Markovic
Damien Martin
Igor Hadziomerovic
Jason Cadee
Jackson Albridge
Mitch Norton

SG:

Joe Ingles
Ryan Broekohff
Anthony Drmic
Brad Newley
Chris Goulding
Cam Gliddon
Ben Madgen

SF:
Joe Ingles
David Barlow
Ben Simmons (could jump spots by 2016)
Mark Worthington
Todd Blanchfeild
Jesse Wagstaff


PF:
Nathan Jawai
Aaron Baynes
Brock Motum
David Anderson
Cam Bairstow


C:
Andrew Bogut
David Anderson
Luke Nevill
AJ Ogilvy
Aleks MAric
Thon Maker


I couldnt add every single player but these are the ones that are mainly in the running and how I rank them. Some of the PG, SG and SF are interchangable.

Oh should probably put Anthony Petrie in there under David Anderson for PF

Most positions ther are interchangable... There are a lot of people left out from the last squad who just arent in the runnings.. add them and theres 40 all up

The only challengers to DJ for lack of effort and enthusiasm in the series were the Chinese cheerleaders. Just a pity that they didn't spend as much time as he did adjusting their clothing and playing with their genitals.

Very impressed by Gliddon. He just has the same game face on whatever the situation. Goulding also starting to mature and develop his "IQ" and "D" and if these areas continue to improve this will make him a very valuable player added to the instant offence mentality he already has.

ftsos won the internet today!

Hey beantown yeah they're in order but I agree could change Nevill up the order would be great to see a boomers team with 3 7 footers. YouknowME I like your list and agree we have depth plus a few players who can play multi positions. Would swap Baynes and Jawai but that's just me.

We will have a pretty stacked team in 2016 I think.

Delly, Mills, Exum, Ingles, Simmons, Baynes, Jawai, Bogut (hopefully, Simmons maybe Thon Maker. Then any of Goulding, Drmic, Broekhoff, Newley, Grenwood, Anderson, Gliddon.... did I say stacked or what?

The times ahead excite me. I really cant wait to see what the next 8 years brings. i think we are genuinely shaping up as medal threats.

I have no idea what kickert was ever doing on a Boomers team

2 weeks til stanko cup... must be another camp very soon

By the time next year comes around, won't any talk of Exum running the point be over? You'd think they'd be grooming him to become a SG at college and NBA level.

For the worlds i'd like to see:

Delly
Mills, Exum
Newley, Ingles, Simmons
Maric, Jawai
Bogut, Baynes

I think giving that big tournament exposure to Exum and Simmons is going to give us a big leg up when for Rio. That team still doesn't have any great shooters which is why Gliddon should get a look. Don't really have anyone who can guard stretch bigs either. Not perfect but I'm not sure what else I'd go with. Maybe swap out Jawai or Maric for someone more mobile.

Broekhoff and Drmic are the shooters the Boomers need. broekoff us ready now, Drmic is not far behind

@ LC: who do you see them taking the spots of though?

YouknowME next boomers camp begins end of next week on 22-26 june on the Gold Coast

Goulding isn't actually a deadeye shooter. He's more streaky than anything. His averages of 33% last season and 37% for his career are middle of the road for a guard.

But he's the kind of guy who can heat up for sure. Are you better giving the spot to a Gliddon or Exum though?

Boomers need a SG. Drmic is a lights out shooter, and people can't criticise that selection -- he could do no worse than PC did.

I could see Drmic taking this spot at Worlds (replacing PC from the Olympics).

Broekhoff could operate at the 3 effectively. Also Newley could play at 2 or 3.

Motum will be so suitable for International games, because he is the ultimate stretch 4.

Still need a backup PG. That is going to be the hardest position -- there is virtually no one out there who is putting their hand up.

Team for the Oceania series:

Mills/ ?
Delly/Newley/Drmic
Ingles/Newley/Broekhoff
Baynes/Motum
Bogut/Jawai

Bogut will probably be unavailable. So Maric could step in to replace him.

But in that team above, you get a bit of everything -- get some variety. Would be hard to scout this team effectively:

- You have a backcourt duo that can share ball-handling duties, and become scorers when needed
- You have 'bangers' inside like Baynes and Jawai. But also have a stretch 4 like Motum. Nice inside-outside combo.
-You have guys who can defend the perimeter and lock down (Mills, Delly), but also have inside defensive presence with shotblockers (Jawai, Bogut)

All the Boomers need to do is sort out the backup PG spot.
Doesn't have to be an absolute stud scorer. Just someone who can get the team into sets, play hard-nose defence and not turn the ball over. (Gibson is showing increased problems with the first and last of those points)
Boomers should give this backup PG extremely limited mins -- because of the advantage of having Mills and Delly -- take Mills out, move Delly to PG and vice versa.

by 2016 our line up could be

Delly
Mills
Ingles
Motum
Bogut
Exum
Drmic
Broekhoff
Simmons
Jawai
Baynes
Thon Maker


Scary!

I think we will have our most talented squad ever soon. I dont think the Sino-Aus series was any kind of indication. Soon its going to be hard for even guys who have been locks for years to get a singlet. There wont be any Steindls, Johnsons... or Luke Kendall/Russel Hinder types on these teams. they are going to be legit!

Yeah I think by the time Rio comes around you won't see any NBL players good enough to get a Boomers jersey.

Mick. Kind of agreee... however I wouldnt be surprised if NBL players like Nevill, Goulding, Gliddon dont end up in europe at some point.

Mick, I agree with you about getting Exum and Simmons tournament exposure.

I reckon the team you list above is a bit top-heavy though, with Maric and Jawai at PF. I think Bogut and Baynes will ideally play big minutes and there'd be room for one more true big out of Andersen, Jawai, Maric and perhaps Nevill.

The fourth big I would go for a more mobile type, who can defend out on the perimeter but still rebound reasonable well. Most probably Petrie at this stage, with Simmons or perhaps even Bairstow taking over from him in the next couple of years.

I agree that the team lacks shooters, so we do need to get a couple of guys like Gliddon, Broekhoff and Drmic in there. I think we can find room for them in a team like this:

Bogut Andersen
Baynes Petrie
Ingles Newley Broekhoff
Gliddon Exum Goulding/ Drmic
Dellavedova Mills

Mills could start, but I'd prefer a shooting guard with a bit more size for defensive purposes. A guy like Gliddon would also have a clear role on offence as a spot up shooter beyond the arc.

Would like to see Lemanis push Ingles to be the main instigator on offence as well. Get him the ball in a position where he can attack the rim and either score or create shots for Bogut/ Baynes inside and Gliddon/ Delly on the perimeter.

Hopefully then play an aggressive running game off the bench with Mills, Exum and Newley all at their best in the open court.

I agree that Mills would be better off the bench as an instant offense jolt at any major tournament, but I think Lemanis will be seduced by his nba pedigree into starting him.

Yeah I agree there is a good chance Mills starts. I just think it would be a better balanced starting lineup without him. It defines clearer roles for everyone and ensures Ingles doesn't drop out of the game because Mills is dominating the ball.

I'd like to see this kind of setup:
- Delly brings ball up, gets us into our offence (esp pick and roll), knocks down the open shot and plays D
- Gliddon/ Goulding/ Drmic are there to defend and knock down perimeter shots
- Ingles as the primary playmaker - he needs to be forced to take the game on by attacking the basket, instead of floating around out there, missing long jumpshots!
- Bogut should be a post-up/ pick and roll option to mix things up, but his primary role should be defence and rebounding
- Baynes rebounds, defence, attack offensive glass while Bogut gets back on D

Yeah the one thing Australia is missing now is a quality mobile big. Every other position is looking nice. Mills and Exum can both spend time at the PG so you only need to carry Delly as a true PG.

I still haven't seen Motum, so I'm sticking with Petrie until I see what he can do. You could well be right though.

I agree Petrie might be too small against some international PF's, but unless Motum is ready, there just isn't any other option yet. The big one we're waiting on here is Simmons I think. If he continues to develop and hopefully add an inch or two as well, he'd probably be the ideal mobile big.

I think 3 true bigs is plenty for this team, because Bogut and Baynes would play big minutes and you only really need one guy to rotate them with.

Also, if we have Bogut, I think his defense and rebounding ability would allow us to go small around him to try to create mismatches. Ie, you could play Ingles at the four in some situations, Newley or Broekhoff @ the three and someone like Gliddon/ Goulding or Drmic at the two. Ingles and Newley would need to crash the boards hard, but there is a lot of length and speed there that could hurt some teams.

Lets hope exum is sielected for the Aus/NZ series and we see what he can do against men

Men or Rugby Players?

being new zealanders.. more of the latter. Speaking of which anyone know what kind of squad theyve got for this?

Once again Australia will be far more talented then NZ but as we have seen... that can mean a whole lot of nothing against New Zealand.

not sure if Abercrombie is playing either

Good question youknowME bro. I reckon we might look like this
Tait/t Webster
C Webster/ Henry
Abercrombie/te rangi/marcel Jones
Vukona/loe/trueman
Pledger/Adams

Kirk Penney not playing and not too sure about Adams or Abercrombie. Cheers=)

Tai Webster will prob not be available nor will Rob Loe.
Abercrombie may not be available either with NBA aspirations.
Steven Adams will def not be available
Marcel Jones will not make the team.

Tait/?
C.Webster/?
Henry/TeRangi or vice versa
Vukona/Anthony
Pledger/Truman

Australia C Team Vs NZ B team

I remember Brett Brown referring to Bogut as "...the Crown Jewel of our program" but to me, he is more like "Fool's Gold"

It's easy to get excited about these hypothetical Boomers lineups, but including Bogut as a member of them, is a false premise IMHO. And the team looks far, far weaker for his absence.

His international career is eerily similar to that of Longley; excellent performances as young men, only to have injury, as a result of gruelling 82 game seasons, coupled with the intractability of their respective teams administrators, rob the Boomers of their prime years, and concluding with an Olympic swansong in which they appear as a shell of the player they once were, or promised to be.

In Bogut's case, that swansong will be Rio 2016, if, indeed, he makes it that far. That's a big "if" IMHO. And he won't play big minutes, his body won't allow it.

Mine may be a pessimistic view, but I feel it is more realistic. And with the retirement of Nielsen, and Andersen's retirement likely not far behind, it makes these supposed "depth charts" significantly more shallow.

Bogut did say in a recent interview that he wants to play atleast 1 more olympics. but whether or not it actually happens is a whole nother issue

Including Bogut in hypothetical Boomer teams is the same as people including Steve Adams in hypothetical Tall Blacks squads.

He may make himself available further down the track if he establishes himself in the NBA as he is very passionite about being a Kiwi but at the momment the Tall Blacks are way down his list of priorities.

Bogut with his injuries and insurance issues will prob never play for Australia again. Real shame but at least he made himself available when he could.

NZ's team with it's zero funding is going to be a bit sad for this Oceania series but as both teams have qualified it's somewhat of a dead duck any way.

The Tall Blacks funding issues need to be sorted asap with the team being on the verge of having some of the most talented players ever coming through and we finally have some size with Pledger, Adams and Loe all legit 7ft.

Baynes and Jawai can play some centre? All they play is centre. I'm surprised everyone keeps slotting them into the PF spot. It's not as simple as that. However, I don't think it will likely matter, as it is doubtful Bogut's body will hold up to allow him to play a significant role for the Boomers, so Baynes most likely will be the starting centre with Jawai backing him up.

Spot on Vart, those guys are centres who might be able to play some PF with the right matchup.

Re NZ, they have apparently picked up a tour of China so at least they wont come into this series completely cold.

wonder who's paying for the Tall Blacks to go to China?
Maybe the Breakers Owners since they pretty much cover everything else.

China would be.

I agree Vart, I think Australia are actually weak on mobile bigs. Bogut, Anderson, Jawai and Baynes are pure Centres who dont have the mobility to mark more mobile PF's.