Logue Down: Kings NBA hopeful Didi Louzada could stay in Sydney
The Sydney Kings could get a boost to their roster with NBA draftee Didi Louzada in line for a potential second stint in Australia. Read all that and more in the Logue Down.
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Brazilian sensation Didi Louzada could spend another season at the Sydney Kings in 2020-2021.
Louzada has a two-year deal with the Kings, but the longevity of the contract is determined by when the New Orleans Pelicans want him back in the NBA.
The Pelicans own the gun guard’s rights after he was traded there following his selection as the 35th pick by Atlanta in the 2019 draft.
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Pelicans general manager Trajan Landon has a strong relationship with Kings coach Will Weaver after the pair worked alongside each other at the Brooklyn Nets.
It’s why he was more than happy for Louzada to develop in Sydney under Will’s guidance.
New Orleans may still recall Didi for the 2020-2021 NBA season, but a formal decision is yet to be made, opening the door for his potential NBL return and another season in Sydney.
SCOUTS DROP OFF AFTER BALL INJURY
LaMelo Ball’s season-ending foot injury at the Illawarra Hawks has also impacted his ability to meet with potential NBA suitors.
The New York Knicks and other teams cancelled plans to travel to Australia to watch Ball play, when he bruised his right foot bone.
In a recent story for the New York Post, Marc Berman revealed that Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry canned their trips.
The Golden State Warriors were one franchise that decided to fly Down Under to meet with Ball.
The Athletic’s Ethan Strauss reported that Warriors general manager Kirk Lacob made a trip to Australia.
“Ball declared himself done with the NBL season shortly after Lacob made a fact-finding trip to Australia,” Strauss said.
“With Ball, NBA teams will be working off incomplete information, hoping to fill in the gaps through interviews with teammates and coaches.”
Ball will remain in Wollongong until the end of the Hawks’ NBL season before returning to America to start pre-NBA draft workouts.
SIMMONS’ BOOMERS CALL
Expect Ben Simmons to formally announce his commitment to the Australian Boomers’ 2020 Tokyo Olympic campaign, most likely after the current NBA season.
Simmons’s inclusion in the Australian team was considered a foregone conclusion following the appointment of his Philadelphia coach Brett Brown to steer the Boomers. However, we are yet to hear about Ben’s Olympic plans.
It’s understood the lure of Team USA’s big names like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, will prompt Simmons to also play at Tokyo with the best of the best on show.
The Australian guard has stepped up for the 76ers following a finger injury to star big man Joel Embiid.
Simmons became the first player in NBA history to shoot at least 80 per cent from the field and record five steals while posting a 30-point triple-double in a win over Brooklyn this week.
HAWKS UP FOR GRABS
Officials within basketball are closely monitoring the financial situation at the embattled Illawarra Hawks with the view of potentially coming in as owners.
The Hawks’ future is under a cloud after reports emerged owner Simon Stratford had been hit with a show clause notice by the NBL.
The suggested notice revolves around money that Stratford allegedly owes the NBL, which could force the league to take back ownership, or offer it to other buyers.
It’s understood that NBL owner Larry Kestelman is keeping a close eye on the predicament at Illawarra.
Kestelman doesn’t want a return to the league’s dark days when the likes of the Townsville Crocodiles and the Gold Coast club struggled to stay afloat.
It is why he would consider ownership to avoid the NBL’s sole surviving foundation club going under.
This said, the league remains hopeful the financial situation at the Hawks can be resolved.
Stratford offered a “no comment” when contacted by The Daily Telegraph.
GAZE’S GIFT
Andrew Gaze wants to set the record straight.
The Australian basketball legend has received praise this week after social media images emerged of his 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Australian uniform being auctioned off to raise funds for the bushfire appeal.
Only problem, Gaze is no longer the owner of the uniform, after he donated the strip to a charity over 20 years ago.
“So I can’t take too much credit,” Gaze declared.
“About two weeks ago the guy that purchased the uniform contacted me and said he was trying to raise money for the bushfire appeal and he was thinking about selling it.
“I said, ‘no worries’ – it isn’t mine anymore, so you can do whatever you want and I’ll do whatever I can to help. I also told him, good on you for thinking that the uniform still has some value.”
Gaze, though, was happy to confirm that the Australian uniform from ’84 is legitimate.
“You can tell by the short shorts,” he joked.
“I looked at the photo and I’m thinking, ‘how the hell did we ever play in shorts where our balls would have been strangled the whole time. I mean, these shorts were like speedos.”
Before the online auction closed, Gaze’s Australian uniform had attracted over $6000 for the Australian Red Cross Bushfire Appeal.
NATE’S NOT DONE YET
Off-contract veteran Cairns big man Nate Jawai is keen to extend his stellar career for at least another year.
Jawai turns 34 in October but he continues to play solid basketball in a high-flying Taipans side.
The former Toronto and Minnesota centre will wait until the end of the season before commencing talks with Cairns about his future.
Jawai started his NBL career at the Taipans in 2007.
He has gone on to claim the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2008, while he won a championship with Perth in 2016.
Jawai has played all 23 games for Cairns this season, averaging 7.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
NBL HUB BUNKERS DOWN
The NBL’s broadcast hub has copped plenty of criticism this season, but I’m told it is here to stay.
The league made the bold decision to replace courtside commentators with a remote Melbourne-based team in a bunker.
Twitter and social media has been alight with condemnation, pleading with the NBL to, “bring back the stadium commentators”.
Fans believe not having commentators at the match venue makes the call impersonal and lacking colour and insight on the ground.
Despite this, NBL officials plan to keep the NBL broadcast hub for next season and beyond.
IF YOU CAN’T BEAT ‘EM...
Andrew Bogut couldn’t help himself by having a cheeky dig at Perth coach Trevor Gleeson after the Wildcats signed former NBA big man Miles Plumlee.
Gleeson was a vocal critic of Sydney when they signed rising Boomer Xavier Cooks, adding to the Kings’ already loaded line-up.
Bogut was happy to point out Gleeson’s hypocrisy in his recent Daily Telegraph column after Perth added an experienced centre in Plumlee to their star-studded side.
“I definitely had a chuckle when Perth signed Plumlee,” Bogut wrote.
“Why? Because their head coach Gleeson was shouting from the rooftops in regards to our salary cap only a few weeks ago when we signed Cooks.
“Trevor does a great job of the “us against the world’’ gospel out west. There is no doubting it has worked. I just think when any club does their due diligence and signs a player that no other organisation is looking at — kudos to them and their front office to swing that.
“I, for one, won’t knock Perth for figuring out how to sign a former NBA player who was making $12.5 million dollars last season.”
Originally published as Logue Down: Kings NBA hopeful Didi Louzada could stay in Sydney
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