Boomers coach Brian Goorjian says the absence of basketball stars Andrew Bogut and David Andersen until mid-July will hurt the national team’s preparation for the Beijing Games.
Bogut cannot join the Boomers until he has formalised a contract with his NBA club Milwaukee Bucks, while Andersen is taking a break after guiding CSKA Moscow to the Russian Championship last month.
Australia cruised to a 87-68 victory over Iran in Perth yesterday but Goorjian was concerned that Bogut and Andersen, who’ll both meet up with the squad for their July 15-23 camp on the Gold Coast, won’t have enough time to gel with their teammates before the Olympics.
The Boomers depart for China on July 27.
Forward Matt Nielsen played against Iran yesterday but will miss the remaining two games of the series to spend time with family in Perth.
“Our major concern is we don’t have Bogut and Andersen here (and) Nielsen is going away, too,” Goorjian said.
“How do you get everyone on the same page in such a short period of time?
“This style we are playing now – we are flying around everywhere, we are pushing the ball and spreading the court.
“We are a different team with those three guys (playing).
“Do we have enough time to get that group together and get them on the same page when that doesn’t happen till the 12th or 15th or July? That is a major issue.”
Meanwhile, the Olympic dream of guards Damien Ryan and Darnell Mee are over after both were cut from the squad today.
Eighteen players remain in contention for an Olympic berth but only 12 will make the flight to Beijing.
Nathan Jawai, who is in the US chasing his NBA dream, is running out of time to showcase his talents in front of Goorjian and is unlikely to make the final cut.
Jawai has been working out with a number of NBA clubs over the past fortnight but is currently sidelined after suffering a calf injury during a recent training stint with San Antonio.
Goorjian said he was pleased with Australia’s performance against Iran.
David Barlow was a standout with a team-high 19 points, including five of seven from the arc, while naturalised Australian Shawn Redhage was solid in his Boomers debut with 13 points.
“We’ve been so happy with him in the camp,” Goorjian said of Redhage.
“He’s right at home with everybody. Everybody loves playing with him on the court, everyone loves his effort and I was really proud of his performance.
“I think he’s an exciting piece for us so he’s a great addition.”
Build your own ultimate team! Pick your key players and take a shot at big cash prizes every day with Draftstars. For great odds on NBA games every day head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Michael Malone was not a happy man after Denver blew a record lead to lose Game 7, and the series, to the Timberwolves.
The Celtics count success in terms of trophies, not Eastern Conference finals appearances. Boston have now racked up six in the space of seven…
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as Oklahoma overcame a Dallas franchise playoff-record 13 blocks, rallying for a 100-96 victory to even their NBA Western…
As much as fans of the other franchises hate to admit it, there is magic in the NBA air when the New York Knicks…
Corey Williams is being remembered as a one-of-a-kind NBL figure after the former MVP and outspoken commentator lost his fight with cancer. A New…
Sadly, on Thursday the owners of WNBL club the Melbourne Boomers handed back their license which has been transferred to a Geelong-based consortium. The…
