Perth Wildcats centre/power forward Matthew Knight has retired from the National Basketball League, effective immediately, bringing to an end a great 236 game career that was ruined by injuries.

His decision to call time on his career has come after a number of head injuries/concussions throughout his career, the most recent happening during training last week which forced him out of the Wildcats Friday night game during Round 5.

He began his career with the West Sydney Razorbacks before making the move west to Perth where he will be remembered as a three time NBL champion.

Stats from his career include:

• 236 games,
• 181 games for the Wildcats including 119 wins,
• 30 Finals games,
• 2009 NBL Most Improved Player,
• 2013 All-NBL First Team,
• 2015 & 2016 All-NBL Second Team,
• 2014, 2016 & 2017 NBL Champion
• Career averages of 11ppg, 7rpg

The Perth Wildcats are yet to make a decision on a replacement for Knight but there are a number of available big men that could be considered including Luke Nevill, Julian Khazzouh and Aleks Maric.

The second of the National Basketball League (NBL – Australia) v National Basketball Association (NBA – US) exhibition games took place this morning as Melbourne United took on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With reigning MVP Russell Westbrook and new acquisitions Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, no one really gave the Australian side a chance. However Melbourne came to play and OKC found themselves in a battle from the start.

To kick things off it was Dave Barlow, Casper Ware, Josh Boone, Casey Prather and Tai Wesley in the starting five for United. OKC rolled out their likely starting five for the NBA season; Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Steven Adams and Andre Roberson.

Throughout a back and forth first half, United was matching it in all stat categories across the board with their much more fancied opponents.
Ware, Prather and Boone (Ware and Boone with previous NBA experience, Prather with NBA Summer League experience) all acclimated to the pace of the game quickly. The other thing in the NBL sides favour is that a number of their Australian players also have NBA and/or international experience. David Andersen has played in the NBA for a number of seasons in the past (and is one of the longest serving Boomers), Dave Barlow has international experience with the Boomers at Olympic Games and Tai Wesley has also represented New Zealand at international level. Not to mention Chris Goulding, who unfortunately isn’t playing, but he has NBA Summer League and international experience.

Aside from a three-four minute stretch to end the first half, where OKC scored nine unanswered points, it was extremely competitive and only a point or two in it.

The score at half time saw OKC with the lead 49-44.

The teams came out with their starting lineups to begin the third quarter and United pulled the margin back to about even with a couple of threes (OKC had a scoring possession as well) to get things underway. United then fell in a love with the three point line for too many consecutive possessions and an and-1 to Andre Roberson and a transition three to Carmelo Anthony had the NBL side calling a timeout to regroup as the game threatened to open up against them.

OKC appeared to be hitting their stride in this quarter, at one point they had United missing eight consecutive shot attempts on their possessions by playing tight defense and forcing bad shots. However, United came back again with some good motion offense that got them looks right at the basket.

At three quarter time it was OKC still in the lead, 70-66.

The fourth quarter began with Josh Boone and Casey Prather making baskets for United to bring the scores back to even as the teams had a number of bench players on court with a couple of starters.

Steven Adams continued to prove a handful down low against the smaller United players, similar to how Rudy Gobert (Utah) was hard to stop for the Sydney Kings last week. Adams outmuscled and outworked the United players on the glass and performed nice, soft hook shots around the basket (along with a couple of dunks) to keep OKC ticking along just in front of the side from Melbourne.

Unbelievably United had two chances to sneak away with a win, after calling a timeout with 15 seconds to go in the game and OKC up by one solitary point, they had a couple of layup opportunities that were both BLOCKED by the OKC defense.

Final score had OKC just beating the NBL side, 86-85.

For Melbourne, what a game! Most people wouldn’t have given them any chance to be in this one and they were not only in it but could have come away with the win.

The stand out performers for both teams – Paul George (OKC) showed off what he’s going to bring to the table at his new team and Casper Ware (Melb) covered a number of stat categories for United, directing traffic and keeping them in the game.

The focus now turns to the Brisbane Bullets playing against the Phoenix Suns in a few days time in the third and final NBL vs NBA exhibition game.

The first of three exhibition games between the National Basketball League (NBL – Australia) and National Basketball Association (NBA – US) hit the court today with the Sydney Kings taking on the Utah Jazz.

The first quarter had the Jazz dominating the Kings, the NBL side clearly struggling to come to terms with the more athletic and faster play from the NBA team.

Utah were getting their hands on the ball at the defensive end with a number of deflections, steals and disruptions to the Kings offensive sets. This was particularly telling with the end of quarter one stats showing that the Kings had turned it over five times to Utah’s zero and Utah turning those Kings turnovers into 11pts.

At the end of one the Jazz led 35 – 16.

The Kings came out more aggressive in the second quarter and took the game to the Jazz. They began pushing the ball up the court faster and were doing a better job of making good decisions with the ball. It also appeared that they had found their rhythm on the court, keeping pace with the Jazz and not allowing the easy buckets that came in the first. In this quarter the turnover stats were flipped around, the Jazz losing it five times to the Kings zero.

Joe Ingles, who would be having a blast playing against a team from home, threw up two extremely nice alley-oop passes to a soaring Rudy Gobert who is the danger for the Kings. They may have two 7ft players on their team but neither of them are proving to be a solid matchup against the Jazz Frenchman.

At the end of the first half the Kings had brought the score back but it was the Jazz leading 58 – 47.

Once the third quarter began it was clear to see that both teams weren’t as energetic as they had been in the previous half of basketball. Both teams missed a number of shots and there was more sloppy passes than earlier in the game. It’s to be expected though, both teams are still finding their way into game fitness.

Gobert made his way upstairs for another big alley-oop dunk, this time off the pass from Rodney Hood. Kings coach Andrew Gaze went deep into his bench in this quarter with Dane Pineau, Sam Daly and Adam Thoseby getting a run while some of the stars got a much needed breather.

Dante Exum, like Ingles playing against a team from home, and Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell look like they will be a lot of fun to watch for Jazz fans this season. Exum showed he is working his way back from injury nicely and should reward Jazz fans this season while Donovan Mitchell could be a steal (if it could be considered that) at pick #13 in the last NBA Draft.

Heading into the final quarter the Jazz extended the lead slightly with the score at 77-60.

The fourth quarter the Jazz ran away with the game and were able to sit the bulk of their regular season roster for most of the final 12 minutes. Of the two teams it was the Kings who blinked first in the tiredness game. Having to battle against the bigger bodies of the Jazz for a full three quarters took much of the energy out of the Kings that was seen in the second quarter.

The Jazz recruits and those fighting for a roster spot, who played in this quarter, showed some great signs on the defensive end. In particular Joel Bolomboy who fought hard on the glass and showed great hustle on both ends.

The Jazz, as mentioned, ran away with the game in this final quarter and the final score read 108-83.

For the Kings, it’s clear that Brad Newley and Kevin Lisch are still the focal points for this team. The Jazz had that scouted and neither player had much free space to do too much damage in todays game. Perry Ellis and Travis Leslie will be good for them with both showing glimpses of whats to come, in the upcoming NBL season, throughout this game. Isaac Humphries also had his moments and if the big 7-footer can find some consistency early into the season then the Kings have a legitimate threat and option down low for this season.

Photo:AP, Rick Bowmer

The National Basketball League (Australia) Blitz has begun – the preseason Tournament that sees all of the teams hit the court in the home stretch of preseason action before the real stuff starts.

We’ve all seen the results from the fan voting thus far and unfortunately it is more about popularity than it is about the displays on the basketball court. If the fans had their way Zaza Pachulia would be the starting centre for the Western Conference, a player averaging 5.6ppg and 5.8rpg.

Going by the fan votes, released for the second time last week, here are the starters (if the fan vote was all that was happening) –

Eastern Conference

LeBron James (1,066,147 votes), Kyrie Irving (971,362), Giannis Antetokounmpo (963,110), Kevin Love (473,328) and Dwyane Wade (514,866)

Western Conference

Stephen Curry (990,390 votes), Kevin Durant (987,479), James Harden (961,685), Russell Westbrook (899,024) and Zaza Pachulia (823, 376)

Now, here’s who I believe should be given the accolade of All-Star starters for the Eastern Conference (Western Conference to follow) and why –

Backcourt:

There are a number of deserving players in these two positions but neither Kyrie Irving or Dwyane Wade would be my top choices to fill them.

DeMar DeRozan has been having an unreal season up in Toronto, currently averaging 28.2ppg, 5.4rpg, 3.7apg and 1.3spg.
He has scored 30 or more points in 19 of the Raptors 39 games, including topping 40pts on three occasions. DeRozan was also the main reason why the Raptors got off to such a good start to the season, he led the league in scoring during the first month and carried the team while Kyle Lowry found his footing in the new season.

Joining DeRozan could be any of John Wall from the Washington Wizards, his teammate Kyle Lowry or, my pick, Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics.

Thomas has been on an absolute tear this season and is averaging 28.2ppg, 2.7rpg, 6.2apg and 0.8spg.
He has scored 30 or more points 11 times this season so far, including a massive 52pt outburst against the Miami Heat. He has done some impressive work in the fourth quarter and clutch situations, he averages about https://www.acheterviagrafr24.com/viagra-pharmacie/ 10ppg in the fourth quarter alone and that is the most for any player since 1996 (NBAstats). That includes a franchise record 29pts in a fourth quarter this season.

Frontcourt:

Again, a number of deserving players but this decision is easier to make than the backcourt starters.

A fairly obvious choice this one, LeBron James will be starting the All Star Game and with averages of 25.8ppg, 7.8rpg, 8.3apg and 1.5spg, rightly so. There’s not really any explanation required here, everyone knows who James is and what he does on the court.

Joining him will be Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, who also has to be a leading contender for the Most Improved Player award come seasons end. He is currently averaging 23.2ppg, 8.7rpg, 5.6apg, 2bpg and 1.8spg – all up on the previous seasons averages by a fair margin. He’s one of the best players to watch, he can handle the ball like a guard but he’s got the height and length of a centre.

Speaking of centre, I’m of the belief that the traditional five positions of basketball should still be recognised in the All-Star starting lineups and a player who plays the centre position should be included. For that reason, Jimmy Butler is unlucky to miss out in my starting lineup but that means that Joel Embiid makes his All Star debut.

With his minutes limited each night so far, he’s averaging only 25.2mpg, he has been dominating the league with averages of 19.6ppg, 7.6rpg, 2apg, 0.8spg and 2.3bpg. He’s also been surprisingly effective from the three point line (34.5%) and has been able to show some quick moves to get by his defender. More importantly he is bringing life back to the Philadelphia 76ers and proving to be very entertaining and a real showman –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAdW9S3qKAw
So my Eastern Conference starting lineup – G: Isaiah Thomas, G: DeMar DeRozan, F: LeBron James, F: Giannis Antetokounmpo and C: Joel Embiid.

Alright this is getting absolutely ridiculous, fans should have absolutely no say in voting for any type of accolade in the NBA.

The NBA All Star Weekend is getting near and the highlight is the All Star Game between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference and fan voting closes in the coming days. Two sets of “results” have been released showing in progress voting numbers for players in the backcourt and frontcourt of each team and they are disappointing to say the least.

There are the votes after the first results and there are a number of players who shouldn’t even be mentioned on any of those lists. The most atrocious of them all is Zaza Pachulia sitting second in the West Frontcourt voting, ahead of players like Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Here are the votes after the second results release and STILL Zaza Pachulia is sitting second in the West Frontcourt voting! Pachulia won’t start the game, after the media and players have their chance at voting but it shouldn’t have even gotten this far!

There are a number of things that the fans have gotten completely wrong and this continues to prove that voting is a popularity contest and not a reflection of which players should actually be bestowed this accolade. Here’s what I think is completely unforgivable, aside from the aforementioned Pachulia, with these results –

• Steph Curry leading all guards for voting – Russell Westbrook and James Harden are the clear top dogs in the league at the guard position,
• Kevin Love, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving all starting for the Eastern Conference (at the moment),
• Eric Gordon, Andre Iguodala, Manu Ginobili and Zach LaVine even being on this list,
• Draymond Green ahead of DeMarcus Cousins,
• Dwyane Wade being second in the East for votes at the guard position,
• Jimmy Butler being fifth in East frontcourt voting.

It’s time to scrap the idea of fan voting actually counting towards anything. Keep it all in house and give it to players who actually deserve to be considered, the fans https://www.acheterviagrafr24.com/prix-viagra/ have proven time and time again that they/we shouldn’t have any bearing on accolades/honours in the NBA. It becomes more about player popularity than it does about talent and the season a player has displayed out on the court.

Crazy, crazy, crazy….

There have been some unbelievable contracts dished out over the first few days of the 2016 NBA Free Agency period, find a rolling list of all the moves below –

Atlanta Hawks

• Kent Bazemore agrees to four year, $70 million deal.
• Dwight Howard agrees to three year, $70.5 million deal.
• Malcolm Delaney agrees to two year deal.
• Jarrett Jack agrees to one year, veterans minimum deal.

Boston Celtics

• Al Horford agrees to four year, $113 million deal.

Brooklyn Nets

• Tyler Johnson agrees to four year, $50 million deal. *Matched by Miami Heat.
• Trevor Booker agrees to two year, $18 million deal.
• Justin Hamilton agrees to two year, $6 million deal.
• Jeremy Lin agrees to three year, $36 million deal.
• Allen Crabbe agrees to four year, $75 million offer sheet. *Matched by Portland Trailblazers.
• Greivis Vasquez agrees to one year deal.

Charlotte Hornets

• Marvin Williams agrees to four year, $54.5 million deal.
• Nicolas Batum agrees to five year, $120 million deal.
• Ram Sessions agrees to two year, $12.5 million deal.
• Roy Hibbert agrees to one year, $5 million deal.
• Brian Roberts agrees to one year, veteran minimum deal.

Chicago Bulls

• Rajon Rondo agrees to two year, $28 million deal.
• Dwyane Wade agrees to two year, $47.5 million deal.
• TRADE Jose Calderon to Los Angeles Lakers to create cap room for Wade.
• TRADE Mike Dunleavy to the Cleveland Cavaliers to create cap room for Wade.

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Richard Jefferson agrees to two year, $5 million deal.
• TRADE Mike Dunleavy is being traded to the Cavaliers to create cap space at Chicago for Dwyane Wade.

Dallas Mavericks

• Harrison Barnes agrees to four year, $95 million deal.
• Dwight Powell agrees to four year, $37 million deal.
• Deron Williams agrees to one year, $10 million deal.
• TRADE a second round Draft pick to the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Bogut.
• Seth Curry agrees to two year, $6 million deal.
• Dirk Nowitzki agrees to two year, $40 million deal.

Denver Nuggets

• Darrell Arthur agrees to three year, $23 million deal.

Detroit Pistons

• Jon Leuer agrees to four year, $42 million deal.
• Andre Drummond agrees to five year, $130 million deal.
• Ish Smith agrees to three year, $18 million deal.
• Boban Marjanovic agrees to three year, $21 million deal.

Golden State Warriors

• Shaun Livingston has his contract guaranteed by the Warriors, $5.8 million.
• Kevin Durant agrees to two year, $54.3 million deal.
• TRADE Andrew Bogut to the Dallas Mavericks for a second round Draft pick.
• Zaza Pachulia agrees to one year, $2.9 million deal.
• David West agrees to one year, veterans minimum deal.
• James Michael McAdoo agrees to one year, league minimum deal.
• Ian Clark agrees to one year deal.

Houston Rockets

• Eric Gordon agrees to four year, $53 million deal.
• Ryan Anderson agrees to four year, $80 million deal.
• Nene agrees to one year, $2.9 million deal.
• James Harden agrees to four year, $118 million deal.

Indiana Pacers

• Al Jefferson agrees to three year, $30 million deal.
• TRADE Jeremy Evans and cash is heading to Indiana from the Dallas Mavericks.

Los Angeles Clippers

• Wesley Johnson agrees to three year, $18 million deal.
• Austin Rivers agrees to three year, $35 million deal.
• Jamal Crawford agrees to three year, $42 million deal.
• Luc Mbah A Moute agrees to two year, $4.5 million deal.
• Marreese Speights agrees to one year, veterans minimum deal.

Los Angeles Lakers

• Luol Deng agrees to four year, $72 million deal.
• Jordan Clarkson agrees to four year, $50 million deal.
• Timofey Mozgov agrees to four year, $64 million deal.
• Tarik Black agrees to two year, $12.85 million deal.
• TRADE Jose Calderon is being traded to the Lakers to create cap space at the Bulls for Dwyane Wade.
• Marcelo Huertas agrees to two year deal.

Memphis Grizzlies

• James Ennis agrees to two year, $6 million deal.
• Mike Conley agrees to five year, $153 million deal.
• Chandler Parsons agrees to four year, $94 million deal.
• Andrew Harrison agrees to three year, $3 million deal.
• Troy Daniels agrees to three year, $10 million deal.

Miami Heat

• Hassan Whiteside agrees to four year, $98 million deal.
• Udonis Haslem agrees to one year, $4 million deal.
• James Johnson agrees to one year, $4 million.
• Wayne Ellington agrees to two year, $12 million deal.
• Derrick Williams agrees to one year, $5 million deal.
• Willie Reed agrees to two year deal.
• Miami matches the offer sheet put forward to Tyler Johnson by the Brooklyn Nets, four years at $50 million.

Milwaukee Bucks

• Matthew Dellavedova agrees to four year, $38 million deal.
• Mirza Teletovic agrees to three year, $30 million deal.

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Cole Aldrich agrees to three year, $22 million deal.
• Brandon Rush agrees to one year, $3.5 million deal.

New Orleans Pelicans

• E’Twaun Moore agrees to four year, $34 million deal.
• Solomon Hill agrees to four year, $52 million deal.
• Tim Frazier agrees to two year, $4.1 million deal.

New York Knicks

• Courtney Lee agrees to four year, $50 million deal.
• Joakim Noah agrees to four year, $72 million deal.
• Brandon Jennings agrees to one year, $5 million deal.
• Lance Thomas agrees to four year, $27 million deal.
• Willy Hernangomez, the 35th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, has reached a multi year deal with the Knicks.
• Mindaugas Kuzminskas agrees to multi year deal.
• Marshall Plumlee agrees to multi year deal.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

• Bismack Biyombo agrees to four year, $72 million deal.
• Jeff Green agrees to one year, $15 million deal.
• Evan Fournier agrees to five year, $85 million deal.
• DJ Augustin agrees to four year, $29 million deal.

Philadelphia 76ers

• Jerryd Bayless agrees to three year, $27 million deal.
• Sergio Rodriguez agrees to one year, $8 million deal.
• Gerald Henderson agrees to two year, $18 million deal.

Phoenix Suns

• Jared Dudley agrees to three year, $30 million deal.
• Leandro Barbosa agrees to two year, $8 million deal.

Portland Trailblazers

• Evan Turner agrees to four year, $70 million deal.
• Portland matches four year, $75 million deal from Brooklyn Nets to Allen Crabbe.
• Meyers Leonard agrees to four year, $41 million deal.
• Festus Ezeli agrees to two year, $14.7 million deal.

Sacramento Kings

• Garrett Temple agrees to three year, $24 million deal.
• Anthony Tolliver agrees to two year, $16 million deal.
• Arron Afflalo agrees to two year, $25 million deal.
• Matt Barnes agrees to two year, $12 million deal.

San Antonio Spurs

• Pau Gasol agrees to two year, $30 million deal.
• TRADE Boris Diaw to the Utah Jazz for the rights to 2015 second round pick, Olivier Hanlan.
• Dewayne Dedmon agrees to two year, $6 million deal.
• Manu Ginobili agrees to one year deal.

Toronto Raptors

• DeMar DeRozan agrees to five year, $139 million deal.
• Jared Sullinger agrees to one year, $6 million deal.

Utah Jazz

• TRADE Trey Burke to Washington for 2021 second round pick.
• Joe Johnson agrees to two year, $22 million deal.
• TRADE the rights to 2015 second round pick, Olivier Hanlan, to the San Antonio Spurs for Boris Diaw.

Washington Wizards

• Andrew Nicholson agrees to four year, $26 million deal.
• TRADE 2021 second round pick to Utah for Trey Burke.
• Ian Mahinmi agrees to four year, $64 million deal.
• Bradley Beal agrees to five year, $128 million deal.
• Tomas Satoransky agrees to three year, $9 million deal.
• Jason Smith agrees to three year, $16 million deal.