Taipans: Machado eager to link up with Oliver ‘if he comes back’
Taipans point guard Scott Machado is looking forward to playing alongside fellow American import Cameron Oliver in the upcoming NBL season – if the big man returns to Cairns.
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Taipans point guard Scott Machado is looking forward to playing alongside fellow American import Cameron Oliver in the upcoming NBL season – if the big man returns to Cairns.
Oliver was granted permission to return home to the US at the back end of the NBL21 campaign due to complications with his wife’s third pregnancy.
That’s when an NBA opportunity arose.
The athletic big agreed to a 10-day contract with the Houston Rockets and played in the last four games of the season, showing American audiences what he was capable of.
Oliver made a successful impression in his short four-game stint, averaging 10.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 blocks in 21.8 minutes per game.
He also recently played for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Summer League, which gave him another opportunity to get in front of NBA teams and pro scouts.
While Oliver is contracted to Cairns for the upcoming NBL season, after he signed a two-year deal with the Snakes in November 2020, his contract included an NBA opt-out.
Machado, who inked a two-year deal with the Taipans around the same time as Oliver, said he was “definitely” looking forward to linking up with his Taipans teammate again, but was also being realistic about the situation.
“If he comes back, yes, looking very forward to that,” he said.
“And if not, obviously blessings to him and everything that he’s been doing and accomplishing.
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“He’s been playing well over there and I know his dream over there is to stay over there.
“I know what that chase is like and that journey is like, so regardless of what he chooses, he knows he has a home here, but if stays there, I’d be happy too.”
Machado, who has had minor stints at the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers during his basketball career, said Oliver “deserved” it.
“I’m not the one making those choices though, but I do think he deserves it and if he could (make it) there, then praise to him,” he said.
Machado recently returned to the Far North after a stint with Mandurah Magic in the NBL1 West, where he averaged 21.4 points, 7.3 assists and 6.1 rebounds from his 12 appearances.
“It was fun,” he said.
“I knew that if I went home back to the States I’d be playing pick-up basketball and working on my game, so it was a good balance.
“I got to be a little bit of a tourist over there and learn a little bit more about the culture on the west side of Australia, and then also I got to work on my game, get up and down and make sure I’d stayed in shape and kept my form.
“For me it was more about stability, and also knowing that I was coming back to Cairns, it was most important to stay in Australia.”
Machado picked up the NBL1 West’s Golden Hands award, which is determined by adding a player’s assists and steals, then subtracting their turnover count.
“I really don’t know what it completely means but I think anything golden is nice, right?” Machado said.
The honour also had Taipans coach Adam Forde scratching his head.
“I had to look up what that was, but that’s always reassuring that your point guard is doing all the right things in those categories,” he said.
Forde said the Taipans would factor in some rest time for Machado.
“We don’t want him to suffer burnout from going from an NBL season to an NBL1 season to another NBL season,” he said.
Gruggen reunites with ‘pain in the butt’ Djeric
Cairns Taipans assistant coach Sam Gruggen was faced with two familiar faces when he joined the NBL club for his first in-person training sessions since emerging from two weeks’ quarantine at the Pacific Hotel.
Gruggen has followed new Taipans head coach Adam Forde from the Kings for the new campaign.
While Forde has travelled between his home town in Western Australia to organise his move to Cairns, Sydney’s Covid outbreak – and associated border restrictions – meant Gruggen had to go through the two-week quarantine period prior to being allowed into the community in Queensland.
That period ended at the weekend, with Gruggen joining the squad at Tuesday’s training session.
But Forde’s wasn’t the only familiar face for Gruggen at the Taipans – he also shares a deep background with sharpshooter Mirko Djeric.
The duo first crossed paths in Bankstown when Djeric was a 14-year-old.
“He was a great kid, you could always see he had a lot of potential back then,” Gruggen said.
“He was competitive, had a good work ethic, and you could see he had it.
“I coached him for about two or three years there as a junior, we won a national title together for NSW Metro.
“It’s great to see him progress over the years.”
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The pair’s association didn’t end there, with Gruggen on the coaching staff when Djeric was at the Townsville Crocs.
Gruggen said while Djeric had come a long way from those early days on the courts of Bankstown, there were similarities between him as a player then and now.
“He probably didn’t use as many words as he does now – he’s a bit more vocal – but he’s always been a massive competitor, willing to learn, and he just loves the game and loves being around his teammates,” Gruggen said.
“So he kind of hasn’t changed in a sense, but at the same time he’s just matured so much and it’s great working with him again.”
Gruggen said every team needed a larrikin – and that was Djeric at the Taipans.
The three-point specialist gave Gruggen plenty of grief at Tuesday’s training session, sneaking up behind the assistant coach while he was being interviewed by local media.
Gruggen said while Djeric could be a “pain in the butt”, the role of the larrikin was important for the team dynamic.
“You’re in a long season and you’re on the road a lot – you’re in hotels, you’re sticking together for quite a long period of time, whether it be at the airport or travelling – so the fact that they do get along and there’s always a joker in the group is great,” he said.
“You don’t want to have 10 of them, but it’s great that there’s a couple of them.”
He said Djeric’s biggest asset was finding a balance between being a larrikin and being an ultra competitor.
“When he hits the court, it’s a completely different mindset,” Gruggen said.
“He wants to win and he’ll do anything to win, but when he’s off the court it’s great that he has the banter and he’s lighthearted.”
Meanwhile, Taipans point guard Scott Machado has returned to the Far North after a stint with Mandurah Magic in the NBL1 West.
The star import rejoined his Cairns teammates at Tuesday’s session.
Originally published as Taipans: Machado eager to link up with Oliver ‘if he comes back’
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