Hoops

Kyrie Irving confirms Boomer aspirations

Supposed to read: 'That ISN'T very fair though because different countries have different time of residency requirements'

Interesting news...Dontaye Draper is acquiring Croatian citizenship and is going to play for Croatia.

Draper has no links to Croatia whatsoever, except that he played there for like 1 season..

At least Irving was born here if he was going to play.
A Maric went to the AIS, grew up in OZ and won a gold medal with the OZ junior team.

FIBA needs to adress this issue..
They allow 1 naturalised player to play if he has citizenship of that country.
That is very fair though because different countries have different time of residency requirements.
And theres nothing stopping country's govts from simply speeding up the citizenship process just so they can have a better national team.

FIBA should not just impose a time period of their own..e.g. 3 years of residency in that country.
It shouldnt be based on individual countrys nationality law.

Maric suspected that he had the luxury of being able to choose who he played for internationally and his first preference was not Australia. BA advised him otherwise, which Alek accepted, and then subsequently put his best efforts (one should assume) into the Boomers campaign.

To suggest Maric didn't want to play for Australia is not necesarily representing the whole facts, Maric was proud to have the opportunity to play internationally for Australia, just as he would have been proud to play for Serbia had the choice been available to him. To suggest Alek didn't want to play for Australia is misleading.

Irving's situation is, in part, similar to Maric's, however USA Basketball will ultimately determine whether Kyrie can be available to represent Australia. I would suggest however the pride Irving would experience when pulling on a Boomers jersey would be quite different to Alek's.

Guess who brought out Father Irving in 1992 to the Bulleen Boomers in the SEABL?

Brett Brown!

There might be an upside to having Brett as our national coach after all...

Patty Mills can more than hold his own defensively.

I remember Coach K(after that pre-Olympic game against USA) said Mills was the only one he had seen that would defend a player on the ball for the whole 90 feet of the court.

Mills on-ball pressure is relentless.

Andersen is handy defensively (If he couldn't play Defence he wouldn't have played for the NBA teams he has and he def. would not have survived in Europe)

Ingles has improved defensively bigtime. You can't play for Barcelona in the top Euro comp and expect not to become good defensively.

"couldnt defend a blind man on a perving charge!"

Pretty much won this thread with that line right there.

I'm pretty sure all hopes were dashed when he went to Duke and played under team USA's coach and I think he's repped USA as a junior now (I believe but cannot confirm as I can't be assed busting my google out).
lol @ aussieboomers4eva

Wow!

I thought he had no real interest in Australia..perhaps his father (who played here) is persuading him a little bit, but who knows.

Imagine running him at the 2 spot (combo guard spot) along side Patty Mills..it would easily be the fatest backcourt in the World.

Starting 5 at 2012 Olympics could be:

Patrick Mills
Kyrie Irving
Joe Ingles
David Andersen
Andrew Bogut

That would be one hell of a team.
As a kiwi though, I hope we make the Olympics instead.

I would like it if both teams make it (Aus and NZ).

6:02 remaining in the 2nd - Nash has 11 assists !!