- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The latest whispers in basketball circles are that the NBL’s Sydney Kings are very close to signing Australian NBA star Andrew Bogut.
Due to the NBA lockout, there is every chance the world’s premier basketball competition will have a late start to the season.
In fact, more dire predictions have the entire 2011-12 NBA season being cancelled.
While many fans mistakenly believe that NBA players are striking for more money, that’s not the case at all. The NBA franchise owners have actually locked the players out, as they claim to be losing money due to the size of player contracts.
Considering it’s the owners who offer the contracts, to then claim the players earn too much money is baffling. The situation is beyond bizarre.
The stand-off has meant that players have explored the option of playing overseas while they wait for negotiations between the players and owners to improve.
Most NBA players don’t need the money, they simply love the game and want to keep playing, and many have therefore already signed for clubs in competitions and leagues outside the US.
The highest profile signing to date has been Deron Williams moving to Turkey, though superstars Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant have also expressed a desire to play abroad.
Australia is one country set to benefit from the lockout.
Australian Boomers point guard Patty Mills, who plays with the Portland Trailblazers, has already agreed to play in the NBL with the Melbourne Tigers.
However, it’s the possible signing of Milwaukee Bucks centre Andrew Bogut that could really ignite the 2011 NBL season.
Bogut is fielding offers from the Sydney Kings, Gold Coast Blaze and Adelaide 36ers, however it is believed the Kings are the frontrunners to sign the big man.
“It is obviously a unique market and the Kings are an icon brand here in Sydney, so Sydney’s definitely a huge chance,” Bogut was quoted as saying after meeting with Kings general manager David Wolf.
While Sydney’s media, corporate world and the Kings brand make the Harbour City the ideal destination for Bogut, the truth is, regardless which NBL club snares the 216-centimetre giant, it will provide a real boost for the league.
Still just 26 years of age, Bogut is a legitimate NBA star.
While a number of Australians have played in the NBA, including Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke and Chris Anstey, they have been role players at best.
Bogut, on the other hand, was the number one pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, and is unquestionably the best player on his team.
He was named to the All-NBA Third team last season, making him the third-best centre in the NBA, and ranked with the top players in the world.
While no one doubts the quality and class of Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton, even the most one-eyed football fan would admit that they are in the backend of their careers, while Bogut is just entering his prime.
He’s also a household name globally and if he decides to ply his trade in Australia, it would substantially lift the profile of the NBL.
Bogut has indicated money will not be an issue, as he is not chasing a big contract. His motivation is a genuine desire to grow basketball in Australia, and his presence in the NBL would most certainly do that.
However, basketball fans shouldn’t rejoice just yet.
There is one major obstacle to Bogut signing with an NBL club: his insurance. Whichever team signs Bogut will need to fork out $500,000 to cover his $40 million NBA contract.
The NBL’s financial struggles have been well documented, and not many clubs have spare athletic tape lying around, let alone a lazy half-million dollars.
The Kings, though, along with the Blaze and the 36ers, remain optimistic of securing Bogut’s signature.
If they do, the NBA’s loss will be the NBL’s gain.