Huge night at the Cal McKinnon Court last night as Marion sadly bowed out of the SABASA competition, losing narrowly to the Seaton Shamwows in a super contest last night. OK, we made all that up. Marion lost but we don't know how or why and if anyone wants to fill us in on the detail, feel free. We're too excited about being clean-shaven to be too fussed about how. This is more about the result - Gateway v Seaton for the John Pilley Trophy. Stay tuned for game previews and as for Movember ..... folks, donations can still be made. Help us push on to $400 which on top of the $600 raised in Whyalla, would make it $1000 overall. Thanks again for your support and ..... how good is it to be clean-shaven again?!

Sorry folks. We're out for a couple of days as the website goes under (re)construction. We'll be back on the weekend as we approach the day www.leaguelineup.com/somertonthunder says farewell forever and the transition to Gateway is complete. Back soon.

We're back from a few days' leave and whammo, it's time for a big announcement. The Adelaide 36ers have released guard Craig Winder. We're not surprised. The guy had some huge moments and provided many a highlight reel but his game wasn't suited to the NBL and while we wish him well in the future, the club moves on and reportedly has a new point guard waiting in the wings. We just hope the point guard returns his old Thunder #5 singlet before joining the 36ers. Yes folks, join the dots on that one and it sounds like Cal McKinnon could be returning to Australia sooner than expected. Interesting times ahead, interesting times.

It's two weeks since the Thunder ventured across the gulf to Whyalla and it's taken us that long to get the numbers together from the two games. So with no further adieu because we're practically overdosing on adieu at this stage, here's the numbers from the games. Click on the scoresheet to see the full-size version. Videos of the two matches are, like Christmas, coming soon.

PS. Something trivial but interesting? The combined scores of the two games see the Whyalla Stealers finish with 112 points to the Thunder's ..... 112 points. Go figure. Can't wait for next year's return bout!



UNDER-18s

Whyalla Stealers 51 (A.Nicol 26, M.Gurnett 9, B.Sawford 7, M.Baker 6, K.Ward 3) d Gateway Thunder 42 (J.Horskins 15, Z.Horskins 13, B.Maxwell 6, S.Hateley 3, S.Matear 2, J.Wickstein 2, L.Wallace 1)

1/4: Whyalla 12 v Gateway 11
1/2: Whyalla 12 (24) v Gateway 5 (16)
3/4: Whyalla 4 (28) v Gateway 12 (28)
4/4: Whyalla 23 (51) v Gateway 14 (42)



SENIORS

Gateway Thunder 70 (T.Sleep 17, R.Wickstein 15, J.Smith 13, M.Hill 12, K.Penn 6, B.Smith 4, N.Kyriazis 2, J.Gondolf 1) d Whyalla Stealers 61 (S.Boundy 16, M.Wallace 14, T.Smith 11, G.Colyer 8, W.McLean 6, C.Preiss 4, S.Nowak 2)

1/4: Whyalla 18 v Gateway 16
1/2: Whyalla 15 (33) v Gateway 23 (39)
3/4: Whyalla 17 (50) v Gateway 10 (49)
4/4: Whyalla 11 (61) v Gateway 21 (70)

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

With thanks for your Movember donations (and keep them coming in - the link stays up for another week or two), we thought it was an opportune time to share this clip from the Thunder's charity concert in Whyalla, held immediately after their games against the Whyalla Stealers. From the Thunder's five Mo Bros, we wish you a Merry Christmas ..... and yet another Jib-Jab video. Jib-Jab!

PS. Those wigs have got us thinking of a great idea for Movember next year. Then again, we probably need to come up with a new hairstyle for Terry Sleep. The long hair and headband are so Logan 2006.

With apologies for our tardiness, we want to wish big Mike Reu a Happy Birthday. We found this gem of a photo in the Tassie Times today, with Michael Reu and David Boon sharing a quiet ale at Mike's 44th birthday bash in Devonport back on the 2nd of December. Reu reportedly made a quick dash to the Apple Isle for the occasion - though this remains unconfirmed like almost everything we write on this site - to catch up with the 5-foot Tasmanian in the flared pants, the two having shared many a plane flight at the peak of their volleyball and cricketing careers respectively. Reu, who looks slightly greyer after a short holiday (which is like saying the Pope is slightly more Catholic), will be back on deck for next week's grand final, giving the Thunder a full roster for the big game. From everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, we wish Michael a Happy Birthday and here's to many more in the blue, orange and white.

The Adelaide 36ers continued their mid-season rebuild, signing point guard Eddie Shannon to replace the recently departed Craig Winder. Shannon played with retired Boomers' centre Chris Anstey in Russia, with Anstey saying Shannon was a great teammate and a truly top guy to play alongside - a top veteran point guard who will bring out the best in the young 36ers. Also of interest is that he only has one functioning eye. What, you don't believe us? Check this:

"Shannon may be best known because he has been successful despite the fact he has played his entire career, essentially, with one eye. The West Palm Beach native had the last parts of his damaged right eye removed last September and was fitted with a prosthetic eye in September. While playing with some of his seventh-grade friends, Eddie was unintentionally hit in the right eye with a rock, forever altering his vision. Following the accident, he underwent surgery to remove blood clots from his eye, and a year later, had a cataract removed. As an eighth grader, his vision began to blur, and he could only see shadows. Even with limited vision, Eddie went on to star for Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Fla., which led him to be heavily recruited. After accepting a scholarship from the University of Florida four years ago, Eddie has gone on to continually excel on the basketball court, although his vision has gotten progressively worse. This past summer, Eddie lost complete sight in his right eye and began experiencing severe discomfort. After consulting a doctor, he made the decision to have a certain type of surgery, known as an inviceration, which involves removing parts of his eye. Six weeks later, he was fitted with a cosmetic prosthesis that covers his damaged cornea. This season, wearing protective eye goggles, having no vision in his right eye and experiencing little depth perception, the 5'10' Shannon has continued in his role as a starting guard for the Gators. This year, Eddie has become is closing in on becoming the school's all-time leader in assists and steals, and has helped lead the Gators to a Top 25 ranking for the first time in four years and the school's first NCAA Tournament berth since 1995."
The NBL's Darryl Poole is expected to arrive in Adelaide shortly and looks to be an excellent distributor and at 33 years of age, is the perfect age to fill in for the Thunder if we're ever short of players. Meanwhile, he joins a club that is genuinely excited about the future, with Mitch Creek's debut dunk embedded above. If you haven't seen this yet, press play. All we can say is wow. That was his first game?!

With new 36ers' import Eddie Shannon sending us a Facebook message to say "Thank you very much! I'm thankful for the opportunity!", we've added him to the list of our all-time 36ers' imports alongside Hoops Clinic stars Adam Ballinger and Mark Tyndale. Can't wait to get this guy out to a presentation night or Hoops Clinic next year and Eddie, if you're reading this, best of luck as you make the big move to Adelaide and can't wait to see you play either this week or more likely the next.

Meanwhile in the NBL though, everything is going crazy. The Sydney Kings have two new imports in the space of two weeks and it seems that anyone not on the top of the ladder is making wholesale changes to their roster. Townsville meanwhile are making changes to their coaching staff or more accurately, the league shortly will be with Coach Trevor Gleeson expected to be given a holiday for his performance in the 15-second video above. Bumping a referee is never a good idea - whether intentional or otherwise - but doing it seemingly at least partially deliberately maybe (you watch the video and be the judge) after riding the umpires hard to that point in the game makes it an even worse idea. Tribunal is tomorrow but we're thinking he'll get at least a game. Interesting times, interesting times.

Finally, only 5 days until SABASA grand final night. We'll have game previews up on the weekend with a look at the Juniors game at 6.15pm (with three members of the Thunder Academy in action), and a look at the big Thunder v Shamwows A Grade showdown later at 8.45pm. Like the Late Big Kev, we're excited. Well, we're probably more excited than he is now but in respect for the big guy, we won't go there. Back soon, folks.

Australian point guard Patrick Mills had the 4th most minutes played on the Portland team yesterday in their game against the Phoenix Suns, leading the Trailblazers to a 106-99 victory. The Aussie native has struggled to break into the Blazers' rotation but has been seeing more and more action lately, with today the day he officially "really" broke into the league, at one point looking likely to start the game. His final stats:

28 minutes, 56 seconds
4-9 from the field
0-4 from three-point line
1-1 from foul line
2 offensive + 1 defensive = 3 rebounds
7 assists
4 fouls
2 turnovers
9 points

Super stuff. From everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, we congratulate Patty Cakes on yesterday's performance and look forward to many more appearances once Portland realise that their 34-year old point guard Andre Miller isn't going to get any better anytime soon, and that it's time to give the young fellas a go. The same goes for the Thunder, by the way. About time they gave the young fellas ..... oh hang on, they haven't got any. That could be a problem. Back soon, folks.

Sometimes words aren't enough. Sometimes you need the video to tell the full story. Milwaukee d Indiana. On the season, Andrew Bogut's numbers per game are now: 35 minutes, 13 points @ 48%, 12 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls. Vote and vote often for the All-Star game because the big Aussie deserves to be there. That's one heckuva play he made yesterday too. Kind of reminds us of a certain buzzer-beater by the Thunder's J.Smith in this year's SACBA semi-final but we digress. Congratulations to the Bogeyman and here's to many more highlights and wins for the Bucks, our second-favourite team after you-know-who.

I suspect we'll never know the truth behind this one. No, not the man in a dress because that question's an easy one - he likes wearing it. We're referring to the ongoing love-hate relationship between Julius Hodge and the Adelaide 36ers and of course, the man in a dress who witnessed first-hand Julius' last visit to Adelaide roughly 12 months ago. Julius has been at it again, saying this time that Adelaide have contacted him, asking him to return to play for the club he has so openly scorned on too many occasions. According to the Adelaide Sunday Mail:

"You guys won't believe who just called me to see if I would come back to the NBL," he told his 3200 online followers. Minutes later he answered the alleged offer, saying: "Not a chance ... That was funny. Hope you beat out the Kings and avoid (the) wooden spoon." He also named a club official from the 36ers' previous ownership, who is no longer tied to the current organisation, for having "ruined that relationship long ago".

The Sixers responded with "Absolutely not. Julius is in a fanciful world. We are interested in recruiting quality human beings and quality basketball players. You can quote Chuck Harmison, the NBL commissioner, that Julius Hodge will never play in the NBL again." Ouch.

Hodge yesterday stood by his online post when contacted by the Sunday Mail and said an improbable return to Australia was not on his agenda. "It was a case of `thanks, but no thanks'," Hodge said. "I have no problems with the Adelaide owners there now, but that (playing NBL) doesn't really fit with what I'm doing right now."

We don't know who to believe but it certainly makes for good theatre. Our opinion for what it's worth? We would've been prepared to believe Hodge but when similar things happen at his next club and his next club and his next club and ..... something about mathematics and the part of the fraction that isn't the numerator but keeps appearing in the equation over and over again. Interesting times, interesting times.



PS. It'd be remiss of us not to wish Thunder patriach Barry Smith a Happy 69th Birthday. Coincidentally, he didn't spend his birthday in a dress, nor did he spend his birthday trying foul-line dunks in a game. Did you say foul-line dunk in a game? Seriously, check the above video of Washington's JaVale McGee, our NBA player of the week. Super stuff. Happy Birthday Barry and here's to an uber 70th bash next year.



PPS. OK, we know we haven't had enough NBA videos lately so only one more, we promise. Not only did Barry Smith not spend his birthday in a dress or trying foul-line dunks in a game, he didn't play world's best defence like Toronto's Jose Calderon either. McGee is our player of the week and Calderon? He is nominated for Defensive Player of the Decade. Wow. Good luck getting past that guy!

Look, we know it's professional sport and them's the breaks but we'd hate to be an import in the NBL right now. Short of being named Gary Ervin, your career is on the line. Makes for interesting times though and the Adelaide 36ers today did what they've never done before - they cut their second import in the same season. Troy De Vries, by all reports a top bloke and worth noting he's a born again Christian too, has been sent packing after a series of sub-par performances. To be fair, he's been hampered by a bevy of injuries after a strong start to the season but just couldn't get himself right and with new point guard Eddie Shannon showing good signs last Friday, the club had no choice but to start over. It's an interesting league at the minute, where one player (eg Gary Ervin) can be the difference between mediocrity and sheer brilliantness. OK, not many teams will find a Gary Ervin but they're all willing to give it a go and we wait with the smell of bait on our breath to find out who will replace De Vries. For now, from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, we wish Troy and his family all the best for the future and look forward to a new signing being announced shortly.

(pictured above from left to right: Daniel Smith #9, Joshua Smith #6, Academy Coach James Smith, Hope Smith #8, Jonty Smith #5)

Big night tonight as the SABASA's best teams square off at the Cal McKinnon Court for the right to hold aloft the John Pilley Trophy. But before we preview the A Grade Men game between the Gateway Thunder and Seaton Shamwows, it's worth taking a moment to consider the Under-14 match at 6.15pm.

The Juniors game sees three Thunder Academy graduates (pictured above at their 2010 graduation ceremony) in action, with forward Hope Smith chasing back-to-back titles, whilst guards Daniel and Joshua Smith look to complete their debut season with the ultimate prize. Hope has become somewhat of a Joakim Noah clone, a fan favourite with hair, arms and legs flailing everywhere and often seen leading the defensive second unit. Daniel meanwhile is a strong candidate for the elusive White Knights Rookie of the Year award, having displayed considerable zest and fervour, mixed in with a large amount of sticktoitiveness and enthusiasmness. Think of him as the next Simon Orr-Young, such is his penchance for the hustle play and bad haircuts (go on, check his head tomorrow night if you don't believe us). Joshua finally, remains the only player in the league in padded bike pants and whilst he's still learning the game at just three years of age, his Dennis Rodman-like game antics and tattoos continue to thrill and excite the crowd, making the price of admission a bargain. The Marion White Knights are playing the Arndale Academy and deservedly start favourite with just one loss all year. Expect a tough match but we'll call it early - White Knights by 8 points as Thunder and White Knights coach James Smith starts the evening off with a victory.

On to the late game and if recent history is anything to go by, this should be a crackerjackmasaltwaterjetski. The Thunder have had the Shamwows' measure since losing the final minor round game last season and haven't dropped a game since. Finals however, are a different game and Thunder guard Cal McKinnon sure showed that last season, devouring opposition sides in the semi and grand final before claiming yet another Thunder B&F award. The issue is this: he's not playing any more and with the Thunder unable to secure a replacement guard (Eddie Shannon unfortunately signed with the 36ers instead), they again turn to veteran point guard Nick Kyriazis and ask him to deliver one more time. Fortunately, history has shown the Athens Assassin and lead singer is more than capable and if he can stand up again, the Thunder should get the win. They're loaded at the wing with Gondolf, B.Smith and Bando, whilst J.Smith, Sleep and Reu complete a sizeable frontcourt. Get there early folks and enjoy the festivities of the Juniors' game, then enjoy the local cuisine (eg a bag of red frogs and a Farmers Union Iced Coffee), followed by the Thunder's grand final. We hate to put the mozza on the Thunder but we think they'll get this one by 6 points and with several retirements reportedly on the cards, we sure hope they do. Would be good to end on a high note.

PS. "Who's retiring?" you ask. We don't know. We've heard rumours of at least two players pulling out of Jultopia and the same number predicted to depart the blue, orange and white in the SABASA. But as for who it is, our bothan spies haven't disclosed yet. Be rest assured we'll run the story when we find out though. Interesting times, interesting times.

Big night at the Cal McKinnon Court last night as the Thunder's new mascot threatened to eat Thunder captain Brad Smith before the grand final. What the? Yeah, we thought the same thing but when your bothan spies send you a photo like this, you pretty much just have to publish it and throw it to the fans. So fans, here it is. "Caption This" - best entry on the guestbook wins an all-expenses paid trip to New Orleans to catch up with Thunder guard Cal McKinnon for the second half of his holiday.

Back soon with the game review. Get those entries in!

Super night Monday as the Marion White Knights ground out a solid 44-33 victory over the Arndale Academy in the SABASA's 2010b Second Season Under-14 Juniors Grand Final. Contract provisions prevent us discussing too many of the individual players - excluding of course the Thunder Academy players whose rights we own and may they never forget that - but let's just say that two of the White Knights players really flexed their muscles early, ably assisted by two other players, and the Thunder Academy kids sure played their part too. Arndale meanwhile put up a great fight but it wasn't to be, with Marion proving to be too strong as they claimed their second consecutive premiership. From everyone at leaguelineup.com, we say a big congratulations to the Marion White Knights and especially our Thunder Academy graduates Hope #7, Daniel #9 and Joshua Smith #6 ..... oh, and to first-time premiership coach James Smith too.

Well, they did it. We weren't convinced at the start of the season. Take away a team's best player and one of the best point guards the SABASA and Jultopia have ever seen - hence the court being named after him - and you're going to go backwards. Fortunately for the Thunder, they have a team of handy backups and enter Jultopia veterans Brad Anderson and Nick Kyriazis who quickly had us asking "Cal who?" Deft displays of dexterity, determination and defensive dourness throughout the season meant the Thunder simply went into the grand final with a different lineup to last season, and remained favourite.

They started the GF strong but the Shamwows remained plucky, plucking their way to a 19-all halftime score with a bevy of triples and circus shots from their entertaining point guard and lefty forward (someone please get these guys to Perth next year!). Cue standard half-time speech from Thunder Coach James Smith:

"Guys, we're stronger, faster, dourer, younger, quicker, wiser, older, taller, better, shorter, wider, defter, bigger, smaller than this team. C'mon, let's go. Gimme five minutes of effort and it's ours."

Well, laugh it up as we all do, but it worked again for the 6012th time. The Thunder came out and turned the Phillips-heads defensively, knuckling down and holding the Shamwows scoreless for 8 minutes whilst unveiling their own previously dormant fastbreak game and as Brad Smith completed another "defensive board, send long to Chog, score and foul" play, Seaton called time, realising the game was slipping away with a 12-point deficit. Give the Shamwows credit though - they kept at it but the five minute burst from the blue and orange was too much and as the game meandered to its final 44-31 scoreline, thoughts turned to a retiring pair of players who are rumoured to be hanging up the boots this off-season but more on that story later. For now, from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, congratulations to the Gateway Thunder on their first premiership and here's to many more before arthritis kicks in - actually, it already has so let's rewrite that sentence - before arthritis cripples the team and they turn their attention to Monopoly and Uno.

PS. Apologies for the picture. Regular photographer Gabitron was on deck but we've been unable to upload her pictures. We captured the above shot from stadium CCTV but sadly, the action was too quick for the slow shutter speed on the camera. We await Gabitron's photos with the smell of bait on our breath.

PPS. Happy 38th Birthday to retired Thunder forward Greg Smith. Alas, we don't have any current photos of the retired champion because he hasn't been seen at a Thunder game since colour television was invented. If anyone knows his whereabouts, ask him to come to a game sometime soon. The team would love to see him again and with 244 SABASA games in the bank, we're thinking he should don the #8 for a quickfire six games and get the 250. Interesting times ahead, interesting times.

These happy days are yours and mine, these happy days are yours and mine, happy days. For a second, we thought the Adelaide 36ers had signed Peter Inglis but then we were told it's a different Ron Howard, not Richie Cunningham who ended up marrying his sister (go on, look it up if you don't believe us). Howard, a 6-5 shooting guard, featured in the above NBA D-League video and looks to be a good player. Andrew Bogut talked him up, tweeting "great great signing. He can score. Ask him about me, please look after him!" His arrival in Australia is delayed by immigration paperwork issues with his recently-born daughter but he should be in uniform for next week. If he's even only half decent, Adelaide could put together a playoff run here but alas, with the NBL only playing a final four, you're gonna have to put together some big win numbers to upset New Zealand, Wollongong, Cairns and Perth. Regardless, we're excited to have Ron Howard in Adelaide and despite being unable to Facebook message him like we did with Eddie Shannon (go on, we challenge you to find him on Facebook - there's too many Ron Howards!), we're excited. How quickly things can change. Good times, good times.

PS. If you're not watching the NBL tonight on TV, you're missing out. Super coverage, super games, super contests - seriously folks, the NBL is back. Congratulations to whoever put it back on FTA TV but one thing - change it back to 48 minutes and in a hurry. We shouldn't align ourselves to FIBA. This isn't basketball, it's entertainment. The NBA have it right.

It's been a disappointing summer of cricket so far this year. First we lose a one-day series to Sri Lanka, then we fall behind 0-1 in the Ashes and look likely to implode before the series reaches Sydney. So the question has to be asked: what's wrong with the Australian Cricket Team? Fortunately, we're self-appointed cricket afficionados and we're here to tell ya. It's quite simple and despite Rod Marsh insisting the blame lies with tattoos, he's wrong. It's staring us in the face (or in your case, immediately above this story). Blue and orange. Blue and orange? Say it again. Blue and orange. BLUE AND ORANGE? Since when does an Australian sporting team wear blue and orange?

Kind of reminds us of a conversation between Tony Greig and Bill Lawry where Tony talks about the Australians looking resplendid in their canary yellow. "Canary yellow? That's Australian gold my friend and don't you forget it." We wonder what Bill would make of canary orange. Look, we all know Australia shouldn't have a Union Jack on its flag, regardless of rhyme or reason. Our colours are not the red, blue and white of the UK - we are green and gold (ie not canary yellow). Since Australian Captain Kim Hughes burst into tears on national TV in the 1980s, we've seen the Aussie team wear yellow, gold, light green, dark green and a combination thereof. Then in modern times they've added a horrible light grey to their 20-20 uniforms. But blue and orange? Who thought this up - the Gateway Thunder? Only crazed uniform designers Josh Gondolf and James Smith could've dreamt up something so preposterous and frankly disrespectful to generations of cricketers past. Well folks, we're not standing for it. A pox on the Australian cricket team for whenever they wear their ridiculous blue and orange and now you've read this, may you feel the same confusion and disappointment we feel every time we see them wearing blue and orange caps and shirts at press conferences and training sessions. In fact, we're calling on Mike Hussey, the only Australian player to have shown a resemblance of sticktoitiveness this series, to ditch the outfit and wear the green and gold. Do it Mr Cricket, do it for us. Meanwhile, it's back to more A-Team reruns and wondering how much we resemble Howling Mad Dog Murdoch. Maybe there's something in that.

Derek Herron, aka Jumpman from Western Australia's Jultopia side of the last four years, has certainly been busy in the Jultopia off-season. First he interrupted our evening meal a few weeks ago on Today Tonight (see an excerpt from the story above), then he interrupted pizza tonight on half-time of OneHD's NBL broadcast between Perth and Sydney. Herron and a few buddies have formed a group called How Ridiculous, where they hit crazy basketball shots to raise money for charity. We quote the below article directly from Compassion Australia's website:

In Perth, Western Australia, four Compassion Child Advocates who met through their local church have become overnight YouTube sensations with their amazing basketball antics. The group that calls themselves 'How Ridiculous' has been picked up by various TV networks and radio stations across the country, and their YouTube clip has racked up over 10,000 hits-all in the name of Compassion. Brett Stanford, Derek Herron, Scott Gaunson and Kyle Nebel are members of Life Streams Christian Church, South Perth. Twelve months ago they stumbled across a YouTube clip of a group of guys from the United States generating interest in their basketball skills to promote a charity. And the boys thought, "Why not?" Lengthy practice sessions in various backyards ensued, and before long 'How Ridiculous' emerged. In October 2009 the group began posting clips of their achievements on YouTube.

Brett Stanford, who is a physiotherapist by day, says, "Interest in the clips was slow at first, and then it just began snowballing. Now that the media have picked up on it, we have had interest coming in from everywhere." All four boys have suddenly found themselves balancing between unexpected fame and full-time work and uni assignments. However, they remain focused on their goal: to generate awareness of the impact Compassion is having on the lives of children in poverty around the world. "We love the work of Compassion. We have our own sponsor kids, and we would be really pumped if we could see heaps of other people jump on board and start sponsoring kids as well," Brett says. Compassion supporters around Australia are being called to help spread the word of 'How Ridiculous' ... and likewise encourage child sponsorship through Compassion. By posting their YouTube clip on your Facebook page or sharing it with your friends through email, you are helping create more awareness for Compassion through them. So ... jump on the link and start spreading the word!
Super stuff and whilst we're only moderate fans of Herron and Co (put the kid in a red South Australia jersey and we'd change our minds pretty quick though), we want to send a hearty cheerio to the lads. From everyone at leaguelineup.com, the Thunder and the South Australian Jultopia team, congratulations on your efforts and all the best for whatever it is you're able to achieve and drop us a line any time if you want us to spread the word.

After watching Perth's Jesse Wagstaff roll his ankle last night in a pair of Nike Hyperize ..... and with Christmas around the corner and players logging into Eastbay to look at new boots for next year ..... we had to run a repeat story on the actions of the Detroit Pistons earlier this year. You see, to put it simply, they banned their players from wearing the shoes (click on the above picture for the full story):

Can a basketball shoe be too light? Turns out yes, at least according to Arnie Kander, the Pistons strength and conditioning coach for the past 18 years (via Ball Don’t Lie). After a string of ankle and foot problems with Pistons players. He told the Detroit Free Press about the problem but was too kind to name the problem shoes. We’re not so kind — it’s the Nike Hyperize.

“I’m not going to name the brand of shoe it was, but it has been banned from our locker room and the guys aren’t allowed to wear it,” Kander said. “These shoes had taken most of the support out of the sides and it was a lighter shoe. Most basketball shoes weigh between 1.4 and 1.7 pounds. These shoes were weighing 0.8 pounds, which was way too light as far as side support. Since we’ve banned the shoe, knock on wood, we haven’t had any ankle sprains. Hopefully, the good Lord willing, we won’t have any more and we can finish the season healthy and see what these guys can really do.”

Rip Hamilton stopped, his ankle got better. Same with Ben Gordon. Third year player Will Bynum new better than the nearly two decades of experience for Kander, so he kept wearing them. Until he hurt his ankle again. Then he stopped. Piston players are not alone — three of four Orlando players (Rashard Lewis, Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson) have moved away from the Hyperize, according to Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post). It is a league wide trend. Watch out for the Nike marketing counter campaign in 3…2…1…
So to Thunder players ..... and anyone else reading this ..... don't buy the Hyperize. There's plenty of other shoes on the market but if the Hyperize takes your fancy because it's so incredibly light, perhaps just wear thongs with a pair of socks. From what we've seen and read, would provide the same amount of support.

We have to admit we weren't sure about this one. Surely for once there's a topic we shouldn't go anywhere near. But we gave up long ago the concept of being a basketball website so here we go again, touching (excuse the pun) a subject that we probably should leave alone (again, excuse the pun) and after being emailed by several listeners, we just had to discuss it.

If you've been living on the moon where they don't have very good interweb access but will after the Australian government spend $6012 billion on the new NBN, you've probably missed the story of a number of St Kilda AFL players being photographed nude somewhere along the way, and the pictures being published to someone's Facebook account. The big question being asked is: should you be allowed to publish a picture of someone else without their permission? Clearly in the case of the interweb, once you publish it, it's too late to get it back. In this case, the girl in question published it, was ordered by a court to delete it so she did, then she republished it elsewhere, was ordered to delete it, and on we go with the shenanigans. Sadly though, because of the speed of the interweb (which is interesting because apparently the interweb isn't quick enough in Australia so we're going to mortgage our children's future to make it faster but we digress), the picture/s are out there for everyone to see. Now we're not recommending that you search for them - though it doesn't take much effort - our point is this: who is the guilty party here?

Well, riddle us this. How many photos are out there of us or you in compromising situations? If your answer is "nil" or at worst "not very many", then you understand the dilemma. We're not going to say the players are guilty - that's too simple an answer and the girl is the one who published it, deleted it, published it, deleted it and so on - and has threatened to publish more in the coming days - but the players were there at the time and the pictures lend themselves to the argument that in the least, the players are not innocent.

So a word of advice to our 65,000 members out there in cyberworld. If you're planning on doing something silly, don't take a camera. If you take a camera, don't do something silly. And if you ignore this advice, don't pretend you weren't warned. Is it really that complicated?

PS. Will be interesting to see how St Kilda get themselves out of this one. The pictures aren't good and with more to come - on top of several other illicit allegations relating to the same playing group over the past few years - this isn't good. No-one will win out of this and we leave you with this final thought: nobody ever accused Warren Tredrea of such an incident (or if you like, Nigel Smart). Our point is this - live a clean and simple life and you won't find yourself in these situations.

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We refresh our homepage every seven days and with the above video being run over a week ago, you may have missed this gem of a post-match performance from the Thunder in Whyalla back in November. By popular demand, we're running it again so please stop emailing us asking for a repeat. Here it is - enjoy - and here's hoping the Thunder go on tour sometime soon. We'd sure buy tickets if they did!

Wow. Didn't see this one coming. At 12 noon today, amidst much hype and fanfare of his own making, Thunder and Jultopia guard and reigning D Grade Runner-Up Best & Fairest Kerwin Penn (pictured above in his Jultopia warmup top in Thailand - believe it or not) popped the question to his beloved J'aime. Naturally she said no - wouldn't you? - but he persisted, taking her on a tour of special sites around Adelaide starting with St Clair, Athol Park, Morphett Vale, Starplex, Bowden, Apollo and as the memories mounted up, so did the pressure until she eventually gave in, saying yes in an effort to stop the madness. Sadly J'aime, saying yes means the madness is only just beginning. Regardless, we're excited because a Thunder engagement means a Thunder wedding isn't too far away and you know what weddings mean - more father-son/daughter selections. From everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, congratulations to Kerwin and J'aime on their engagement. Wonderful times, wonderful times.

Two engagements in one day? Unblvbl. Hot on the heels of the Penn engagement just seven-and-a-half hours later at 7.30pm yesterday, Teller Josh Gondolf pulled a rabbit out of a hat by popping the big q to girlfriend and former Thunder photographer Gabi. Gabi, who was released from her Thunder photo gig recently for refusing to hand over photos from the SABASA grand final, was reportedly lost for words - "I'm lost for words," she didn't say because if she did, she wouldn't be lost for words - but managed to regain her composure and with a mumble and grunt (though she might've just been clearing her throat), Josh allegedly went into rapture, taking the answer as yes. There's an old expression in showbiz that once the horse has bolted, there's no catching him and the Gondolf gelding is halfway down the main straight now folks so good luck to Gabi if she ever tells him she didn't actually say yes. Similar to the Penn announcement, we're excited because engagements from people planning US Tour Diaries mean weddings in Las Vegas which mean father-son/daughter selections next year. From everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, congratulations to Josh and Gabi and here's to many more Movembers and bad photos like the one above. Gringo times, gringo times.

We've run this video on Christmas Day for the past three years so why should this year be any different? A solemn reminder that it's not about the start of the story but the end. It's about the cross, it's about my sin, it's about how Jesus came to be born once so we could be born again. Have a wonderful Christmas Day and celebrate all the good things in life but take a moment to remember the real meaning behind Christmas. May God bless you all on this momentous day when we remember Jesus coming to Earth as a baby. Truly amazing times, amazing times.

PS. It'd be remiss of us not to say a Happy Birthday to Jultopia legend and ex-36ers coach Scott Ninnis. From everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, Happy Birthday and here's to seeing you back on court in Jultopia Perth 2011.

Strewth. First we have imports being sent home like illegal asylum seekers - well, at least how they used to be - then we have players falling to injuries courtesy of the Nike Hyperize (see story from a few days ago strongly suggesting you shouldn't under any circumstances buy these shoes), and then we have Ater Majok (pronounced Ah-TARE Mah-jook) signing with the Perth Wildcats for six weeks. Yes folks, six weeks. The former Connecticut forward left the Huskies after a freshman season which saw him start 22 of 26 games and after playing a handful of games for the Boomers, left the US College system to play in Europe where he plans to return shortly. The lithe 6-11 forward was the first Sudanese born player to represent Australia and has also lived in Egypt but that's not the big story here. The big story is he's signed for six weeks. The Wildcats remain gutted in the big man department with starting centre Matt Knight and backup centre Jesse Wagstaff both out Hyperized and who do they sign? Arguably the hottest free agent signing in Australia but only for six weeks. Don't expect Majok to light up scoreboards - like Joshua Smith and Mitch Creek, he's just a kid playing against men - but he will be exciting and will get court time. Certainly looks good for the NBL to continue to attract quality Australian talent back to Australia (see Alex Loughton, Julian Khazzouh, Luke Nevill, Stephen Weigh, Damian Ryan, Ben Allen, Cal McKinnon, Wade Pidock). We'll be back soon with more news on Majok and his six-week hiatus in Australia. Good times, good times but only for six weeks folks, only for six weeks.

Not a day goes by that we don't wonder why we never made the NBA. We can make a layup. Surely that makes us a better player than, say, three quarters of the Washington Wizards' roster. Andray Blatche sure shows how it's done in the above video, drawing rave reviews from everyone at leaguelineup.com and a healthy dose of applause from Kent "Toast" French. Super stuff. But alas, a former Wizard in Gilbert Arenas shows how it's supposed to be done, making a basket that whilst it didn't count in the game, would surely be a match winner in Donkey. Go on, beat this. Good times, good times. Happy Proclamation Day, folks.

BREAKING NEWS: We probably should've sat on this one for a few days because we haven't been able to reach Jonty to confirm it, but the sheer magnitude of the news means we just have to run with it, plus he took up an hour of our One HD viewing today so it seems only appropriate to talk about this now.

Quoting Luke 15:17-20 from The Bible was the perfect introduction by Thunder Academy tyro Jonty Smith, who shocked the basketball world with "The Decision" today and as he read the parable of the prodigal son, we began to understand why he's decided to take his talents to Marion. Frustrated by "what they had" with the close bond amongst siblings Hope, Daniel and Joshua Smith in this year's Marion White Knights premiership team, Jonty declared he wanted to come home and play under Marion's Coach Smith, though this shouldn't be confused as having anything to do with North Carolina's Coach Smith who is a completely different bloke but we'd love to see the two of them go head-to-head in a coaching contest (we know who our money is on - Dean Smith, Schmean Smith - how many Jultopia titles as he won?).

We're sure excited about the news and the fact Jonty made the announcement live on One HD in a special one-hour broadcast about himself but more analysis later. Early reports are that rookie guard Joshua Smith will retire "one and done" and hand the #6 to Jonty (with the above screen grab from the telecast adding further weight to this) but it's all really just speculation at this stage. Back soon folks and to the White Knights, congratulations on the announcement. Judging by the size of his feet alone, this kid will turn out to be something special, though we will miss those red shorts.

Before watching the above video, please remember a few important facts. This guy is a rookie. He was drafted last year but didn't play after having microfracture knee surgery, the type of surgery that has ruined most careers to date. He is in his second month in the toughest basketball league in the world, playing in arguably the worst team the NBA has ever known (with apologies to the Minnesota Timberwolves and no, we won't sink the boot into Toronto and Cleveland who were comprehensively Judased in the off-season). Fact is that this cat can play - flat out play - and he can dunk too. Arguably the most explosive dunker since Shawn Kemp, with Dominique Wilkins probably the only other guy in what is a vary rare and special group. Add to this that the Clippers have won 5 of their last 6 games and maybe, just maybe, the Clippers' curse is over. OK, that's been said plenty of times before so let's not get carried away but for now, just enjoy this Blake Griffin dunkfest. Top 10 dunks after just two months. Wow.

Fantastic news in the last two days, ensuring that 2010 finishes on a high. First we had the safe arrival of Eamon Judd Wellington late on 29 December 2010 to proud parents Todd and Tanya Wellington. The little fella joins his brother and sister in ensuring arch-rival Happy Valley continue on into the next generation, although they don't have any teams in the SABASA at present which could be an obstacle to Eamon's basketball career. Still, there's always room for him at the Gateway Thunder and from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, we wish the Wellingtons a hearty congratulations and well done.

Meanwhile across town about 5 hours later in the wee hours of 30 December 2010, we were blessed with the safe arrival of Hudson Robert Moresi (pictured above with father Rob) to immensely proud parents Rob and Sioux Moresi (we say immensely proud because that happens with the first child - it wears off after a while but don't tell them we said that). Hudson's arrival means the Somerton-Happy Valley rivalry is in safe hands and that we'll always compare him to Eamon Wellington now. How big is he? What size shoes does he wear? Can he count how many times Josh Gondolf has said he won't go to the carnival next year, but ends up going anyway? Who has more hair on their head - Eamon, Hudson or Nick Kyriazis? Does he know the second biggest cat in Africa? Should West Lakes Shopping Centre have boom gates? Which is the best buzzer-beater of all-time: Nathan Gillard, Terry Sleep or James Smith? City Stadium or Adelaide Oval? What is the world's most famous bridge? Is it trash talk if it's in another language and I can't understand what you're saying? Who is Bobby Mugu? So many questions, so many questions but we digress. For now, from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, we wish retired forward Rob Moresi and wife Sioux all the best on this wonderful news and can't wait until the little fella is ready to don the black and gold of the Marion White Knights.

We're not trying to be racialist here. The fact is that the white guy rarely wins because as we all know, white men can't jump. But this cat can and after watching this video from a high school dunk contest, we're thinking we should do the recruiting for the NBL from now on. Sure, most of these guys probably can't shoot or tie their own shoelaces but strewth, they can dunk. That alone is more than half the NBL imports have achieved this year. Take 2 minutes out of your day to watch this. In a word ..... wow. Did you say high school?!