Aron Baynes opens up on his NBA hopes and the Brisbane Bullets’ struggles in NBL23
Aron Baynes says he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do in the NBL as he finetunes his body and an NBA return is within reach — but first he has unfinished business in Brisbane.
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Aron Baynes says his sights are still firmly set on rekindling his NBA dream.
Brisbane’s biggest banger believes he is only scratching the surface of what he is capable of as he continues to retrain his body into a finely-tuned basketball machine.
It’s been a little over 16 months since Baynes suffered internal bleeding that was putting pressure on his spinal cord when he was found on a bathroom floor during the Tokyo Olympics.
He’s played 10 games for the Bullets this season and is fifth in the league in rebounds at 8.3 per game, but said, much like his team, he was still yet to reach full fitness.
“I’ve got a lot of room for improvement,” Baynes told News Corp.
“The body, it was out of basketball for a little while, and there’s no substitute for basketball fitness, getting up and down and playing games.
“I know I can get a lot better and that comes with consistency.”
The 36-year-old man mountain said while his focus remained on helping the Bullets recover from a 4-9 start to NBL23, he still has designs on returning to the NBA, where he played 522 games with five franchises and won a title in San Antonio.
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“If I’m not trying to get to the NBA, if I’m not trying to get to the highest level when I’m playing professional sport, then I think there’s something wrong with why I’m playing,” Baynes said.
“I always want to compete against the best and that, right now, is playing in the NBL.
“But if you’re not striving to play against the best, then I think you’re not putting your best foot forward.
“The NBA’s definitely a goal and it will always be a goal as long as I’m playing professionally.”
So have NBA teams been in touch? He’s leaving that in the hands of super agent Daniel Moldovan.
“Fortunately, that’s why I’ve got an agent, I give him the free reign to do whatever he has to do and I just focus on myself and my team. I’ll talk to him in the off-season,” he said.
This deal doesn’t get done without @sammymack06! He is a class act that knew what he wanted for this club and got it done. The Bullets are lucky to have him. https://t.co/2lQAhnhcxL
— Daniel Moldovan (@AgentMoldovan) July 28, 2022
CHANGE AND WHAT’S NEXT IN BRISBANE?
Late last month, the Bullets sacked coach James Duncan and brought in club legend Sam Mackinnon as interim.
Baynes said Duncan’s departure was an unfortunate element of the pressure of pro sport.
“At the end of the day our record’s not what we wanted it to be and that’s the thing with professional sport — at some point they’re going to have to make a change and unfortunately it was the call with JD,” Baynes said.
Moldovan, earlier this year, tweeted Baynes would not be at the Bullets without the work of Mackinnon as general manager.
Mackinnon, on Tuesday, stepped back from the coaching role, but will remain the club’s GM, amid backroom turmoil.
The club is yet to announce a permanent coach, but Baynes gave the Bullets’ great his backing.
“Sam’s got that something extra in terms of he was the best player in the NBL for a few years when he was playing, so it’s always good to have a guy like that on the sideline, on your team in your ear,” he said.
“We’ve all got to learn from him. He sees the game differently to us all.
“He was a super-competitive guy when he was playing and it’s no different the way he has been coaching, so it’s fun to be around.”
SMALL HOOPS WORLD?
Brisbane has been ravaged by injuries throughout the season and took more than a month to replace import Devondrick Walker, who was cut in early November.
But the Bullets’ new man Andrew White III is a face familiar to Baynes.
The pair, in 2017, spent time in training camp together in Boston.
“It’s one of those things where basketball’s a really small world,” he said.
“He has some tools that can really help us.”
The club must now integrate White and get healthy to make an unlikely run to the top six. Baynes, fellow Boomer Nathan Sobey and big man Tyrell Harrison had all returned from injury lay-offs to start the season and now the latter is laid up with a knee injury, while the emerging Tanner Krebs is out with a sore ankle.
“We haven’t been able to have the consistent group that we want out there but, at the time, we’ve got to be better,” Baynes said.
“Halftime of the next game (Wednesday night against Cairns) will be the halfway point of the season and that’s really when you’ve got to start ticking things over.
“It doesn’t matter who’s playing well at the beginning, you want to be playing well at the end.
“We still have enough time to do it, we’ve just got to start putting it into action right now.”
Bullets hoping new import has White stuff
—Michael Randall
Brisbane’s search for a third import is over.
The Bullets have inked former Atlanta forward Andrew White III for the remainder of the season.
The athletic 29-year-old wing brings NBA experience — and plenty of shooting — to the second last-placed Bullets, having spent time in 2018 on a two-way deal with the Hawks.
White banged in a Syracuse-record 109 three-pointers in his senior year and his most-recent professional experience came in the Turkish Division 1 League with Buyukcekmece.
“Andrew’s ability to play multiple positions will benefit our team and give much needed depth to the roster,” coach Sam Mackinnon said.
“Playing overseas and understanding the requirements to be a pro were considerations when we signed Andrew.”
It’s taken over a month for the Bullets to find a replacement for Devondrick Walker after he was cut on November 5.
After high hopes with the signing of Boomers big man Aron Baynes, the Bullets have faced a number of difficulties in NBL23, culminating in the sacking of James Duncan.
While it hasn’t been officially announced, Mackinnon said on Saturday night he wanted to lead the team for the remainder of the season and the Bullets’ have dropped the interim tag in their press release.
Lual Diing, who was elevated to the main roster on Walker’s departure, will now revert back to a Development Player contract.
Johnson responds to ‘disrespectful’ play
—Matt Logue
Brisbane Bullets import guard Tyler Johnson says he’ll continue to call-out rival players who shoot in the dying seconds of blowout games because he was raised to believe it’s disrespectful.
Johnson caused a stir during the Bullets’ loss to Tasmania last round when he angrily reacted to JackJumpers guard Jack McVeigh shooting a three with 7.2 seconds left in the game.
Tasmania were cruising to victory leading 96-84, but McVeigh shot a three because percentages come into play at the end of the season in a tight competition.
This is common practice in Australia and Europe, but it’s considered disrespectful in America, especially in the NBA.
It’s why a frustrated Johnson approached McVeigh after he shot the three, saying: “That’s bullshit. Just run the game out.”
Thoughts on this altercation at the end of the Bullets v Tassie game on the weekend 🤔#NBL23pic.twitter.com/wjHnJTNM7T
— NBL News (@NBL_News) December 7, 2022
JackJumpers guard Jarrad Weeks rushed to his teammate’s defence, telling Johnson to back off because “This ain’t the NBA brother.”
McVeigh also had the support of the commentary team, which featured Liam Santamaria and league legend Andrew Gaze.
“He thinks it’s disrespectful,” Santamaria said.
“He comes from an environment in the States where you just don’t do that.
“Little does he realise that here percentages are in play, and you play to the final whistle.”
Gaze added: “Absolutely it does and it’s the same in Europe – it is just how it is.”
Johnson, though, maintains that shooting a three in the final seconds of a blowout game isn’t in the spirit of the game.
“That is just how I felt in the moment, and I probably won’t change it if that happened again,” Johnson said.
“I’ll probably react the same way. It’s just a different part of the game and we don’t play for percentage points in America.
“In America that is everybody’s reaction when the game is pretty much over, and you walk in and shoot a three.
“That is considered disrespect.
“They (Tasmania) were explaining the percentage points, but obviously I’m on the losing end of it so I’m going to pissed regardless.
“I still think at that point of the game he could have dribbled it out, but I don’t have a problem with any of those guys on the other team.”
Bullets big man Harry Froling also weighed in on the final second three via Twitter, revealing Tasmania were instructed to hold the ball.
“It was because their coach said dribble it out and yelled hold it,” Froling said.
“No issue with playing to the whistle but we all stopped when he said that. “Then they go on a three on one fast break.”
Johnson is happy to move on from the incident and focus his attention on Saturday’s must-win away clash against Melbourne United at John Cain Arena.
It’s the first time this season that Brisbane will face a full-strength United side, although the Bullets are expecting to welcome back marquee signing Aron Baynes.
United will be desperate to win at home after slipping to second last on the ladder, but Johnson doesn’t think it will make the men from Melbourne more dangerous.
“No, I think they have good players who are able to have good nights,” he said.
“But it’s going to be up to us to make sure that they don’t have one of those good nights.
“I don’t think (their form) makes them more dangerous. They are just a good team also trying to figure it out as well.”
Johnson has experienced a mixed maiden NBL season.
The former NBA guard, who played 273 games for four clubs, hasn’t consistently produced his finest as Brisbane battle to find form.
Johnson is averaging 14.33 points, 3.42 rebounds and 2.83 assists while he is shooting 52 per cent from the field.
He admits the entire Bullets team struggled during its early season losing streak and weren’t in the best position to succeed.
“The way we were playing to start the year, I think everyone was just a little bit frustrated and kind of confused as far as trying to be in spots to be the most useful,” said Johnson, who has scored in double figures in his past five games.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been a guy that just goes out there and jacks up shots.
“It’s important for me to be in the best positioning to best use my skillset.
“That being said there are times when I feel like I could do more, but we’ve had so many things that we’re trying to figure out that sometimes (my form) has gone by the wayside.
“But right now, I feel like I’m in a bit of a rhythm.”
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