To celebrate their National Basketball League championship victory this past week, New Zealand Breakers forward Thomas Abercrombie and Gary Wilkinson jumped out of a plane. Yes, soaring through the air is what Abercrombie does on the court, but sky-diving to mark back-to-back NBL titles is something else.

The National Basketball League has re-negotiated its television contract with Channel Ten / ONE HD. The new deal will see one live game per week shown on Sunday afternoons and a replay match televised at the fairly palatable 9:30pm on Friday nights.

Channel 10, through it's HD station ONE HD, formed a television rights agreement with the NBL at the start of the 2010/11 iiNet Championship season. That contract called for varying levels of coverage over the course of a five year span. 

2011/12 saw calls from many fans for increased live coverage, as ONE invoked a "near-live" clause in the contract to show three games a week around the 10:30pm timeslot. The two parties went back to the table to re-negotiate the terms of the deal going forward and have come together on a schedule that should satisfy a lot more people.

Fans will see live games on Sunday afternoons at 2pm (October to February) and 1pm (March and April). This represents a good opportunity for younger age groups to sit down and watch the game. These games will be shown on TEN, as opposed to ONE -- potentially this will lead to a greater mainstream audience.

The 9:30pm slot on a Friday night (ONE) ensures that those that are late getting home can watch the game, but not so late that it is unwatchable for most audiences. This is a clear improvement on the timeslots of 2011/12. 

All NBL Finals games will also be broadcast on both TEN and ONE under the new deal, with TEN maintaining access to rebroadcast coverage of New Zealand Breakers 14 home games into Australia.

Very interestingly and importantly, the league has resecured digital rights to show games through other means (ie online). 

From the NBL press release:

Justin Milne said that a key component of the new agreement, which will still run the remainder of the original five-year term through until the end of the 2014/15 iiNet NBL Championship season, is the NBL reclaiming the rights to non-TEN produced games for subscription television, IPTV,  on-line and mobile.

“This revised TEN broadcast platform for the next three seasons will see the league’s audience increase substantially and increase fan accessibility to our games,” said Mr. Milne.

“It will have a very positive influence on our brand and further assist our efforts to introduce new fans to the league.  TEN’s audience share is significant and we now have the opportunity to capitalise on that and demonstrate to Australians why we believe that we have the best sports entertainment product in this country.

“Just as importantly, we now have this terrific opportunity to talk to a range of potential suitors with an interest in broadcasting all remaining NBL games across multiple platforms.   So much is changing in this space and this presents us with a very real opportunity to secure new partnerships that will see all NBL games broadcast on some form of platform, whether it be on TEN, pay television, IPTV, online or mobile.

“Not only will this increase coverage and our ability to introduce new fans, but just as importantly, it will provide increased value for league and club sponsors and should raise the interest of potential new sponsors to the league,” Mr. Milne added.

This is bigger than a footnote to the news above regarding live coverage. In this age, with the technologies available for online and mobile broadcasting, re-gaining the rights to rebroadcast footage produced by teams is huge. 

NBL major sponsor, iiNet theoretically has the capabilities to show games online through its Fetch TV service. Exploring possibilities like this will be very exciting for the NBL and its fans.

Overall, this news is a positive step for the league.

Jerai Grant has had an impressive rookie 2011/12 season as an import for the Sydney Kings. At the tender age of 23 years old, the athletic power forward has taken to his first professional gig with aplomb. Sure, there have been times where he has flown a little under the radar, but when he has shone, he has really made an impact. 

Strengths

• Defence. The guy swats shots with reckless abandon. His long arms and leaping ability make for an impressive package. He also has a knack for getting those limbs into loose balls in the paint.
• Dunks. The guy gets up. See video below.
• Hustle. There are times where Grant appears to be the guy out there with the most desire.
• Coachability. Grant comes from a solid basketball pedigree (father: Harvey Grant; uncle: Horace Grant) and appears to take on coaching advice willingly.
• Mid-range jumper. Grant's mid-range jumper, whilst still not perfect, is a decent asset.

Weaknesses

• Post game. To be a true force, Grant needs to develop some serious post moves, allowing him to be a franchise player, rather than just a complementary player to a bigger star post player.
• Consistency. There are times where Grant goes missing on the court, largely when plays are not designed to involve him. This is something that will come with time and with an improved ability to score points independently.

Statistics, in 25 games so far:

11.5ppg (fifth on team), 8.1rpg (second), 1.5bpg (second), 54.9% FG% (first), 0.8spg (second).

The Kings have put together a highlights package of some of Grant's dunks and swats this season. The team are currently seeking to re-sign him for 2012/13.

(all images: Benjamin Parker)

It wasn't pretty

The Sydney Kings may have pulled out the win, by a thread-bare two points, but the style in which the game was played by both teams was not pretty for the most part. The Kings book-ended their performance with 12 and 11 point first and fourth quarters. Any time you score at that mediocre level, you will struggle to win games. 

Fortunately for the Kings, the Crocs failed to crack the 20-point mark in a quarter until the final period. 

Perhaps indicative of the ugly, slugfest that this was, the Kings won the field goal percentage battle 37% to 35%. That says it all.

The foul count also portrayed the scrappyness of the contest, with four Crocs coming within a foul of fouling out, whilst Luke Martin fouled out for the Kings, with fellow top-scorers Julian Khazzouh and Ben Madgen also hitting the four-foul mark.

The Hammer is back

2003 with the Kings' first championship under his belt -- that was the last time Shane Heal appeared officially for the Sydney franchise. He has retired twice since then and seen time both as an NBL coach and player with the South Dragons and Gold Coast Blaze. 

Last night though, Heal returned to the Kingdome on a winning note, despite little preparation time. There was a definite buzz in the air as fans from yesteryear anticipated the impact that their former star would have on the squad which has floundered this season. And it certainly appeared that the new coach's energy had translated into oncourt intensity for the playing group.

In fact, Martin lauded Heal postgame for the way in which he had brought a sense of accountability to the players -- a concept that the coach has stressed in his short time with the team.

Luke Martin celebrated in style

At the not-so-ripe age of 31, Luke Martin represents the old head of the Kings. That is how young this squad is (see my recent article at NBL.com.au about the youthful talent of the Kings). This game against the Crocs represented Martin's 250th in the league and boy did he celebrate with a fine performance.

Martin finished the game with 15 points, five assists and only one turnover, in what coach Heal lauded as a needed performance for a team that has been too turnover-prone in previous games. The third quarter, where Martin piled on nine points and three assists, was where he did his most damage, as the Kings managed a 28-15 period to pull away on the scoreboard.

The veteran point guard represents the Kings' safest ball-handler and best outside shooting option from the point guard slot. No doubt his previous time playing alongside Heal at the Kings and under his tutelage at the Dragons will place him as a trusted presence in Heal's short run at the team's helm.

Where to from here for the Kings?

It will be interesting to see how the Kings respond with a proper week of training under their belts with their new coach. Friday brings the slumping Melbourne Tigers to the Kingdome and Heal will be looking for someone to step up in what he sees as a lack of leadership within the group. 

Whilst captain Khazzouh came up big on the boards (13 rebounds) in this game, as he has all season, he once again was not a huge presence on offence. His 15 points, whilst an equal team-high with Martin and Madgen, came in a less impressive way than we know the MVP candidate is capable of. The fact remains that the big man has not been the same player in the second half of the season as he was earlier in the 2011/12 campaign.

Jerai Grant was even quieter in this game and no doubt Heal will be trying to fire up the import to show what he is truly capable of against the Tigers.

It will be interesting to see how Madgen, Anatoly Bose and Luke Cooper respond to Heal's coaching. Given their gritty style as perimeter players, there will be much that they can learn from the former Olympian who embodied perhaps the most firey perimeter style the Australian game has ever seen. 

Interestingly, it appears that rookie Alex Gynes' hustle has been rewarded by stealing away the minutes previously afforded to import Kevin Ratzsch. Gynes responded with a strong performance against the Crocs.

The team used quite a bit of shot clock most of the night, however Heal does not expect this to be an ongoing issue after an opportunity to run through some offensive sets.

The Sydney Kings have today made public their desire to re-sign star players Julian Khazzouh, Jerai Grant and Anatoly Bose.

The trio lead the team in scoring (along with Aaron Bruce), rebounding and blocked shots. 

Luke Martin, Graeme Dann and Ben Madgen already are signed through the 2012-13 season.

That leaves Bruce, Luke Cooper, Alex Gynes and import Kevin Ratzsch as the players receiving regular playing time who are yet to be approached, at least publicly, about playing with the team next season.

With the Kings hanging by a thread to an NBL Finals chance this season, with every win needed from here on in order to get into the top four, next season is obviously a big focus for the team. No doubt much can be learn from what was not achieved this season.

The Kings media release went on: no comments

Note: Sometimes life gets a bit busy and it takes a while to get things posted. But here it is!

Friday night saw the Perth Wildcats visit the Kingdome in Sydney. The Sydney Kings team that met them was different to that which has appeared in other lacklustre performances earlier in the season, going down by a mere point in what was an impressive encounter.

What did we learn from this game?

Former NBA and FIBA great, Vlade Divac is currently in Australia and today visited the Sydney Kings. A great humanitarian, Divac is spreading the word about his charity "Fondacija Ana i Vlade Divac" which seeks to alleviate the plight of refugees who have lost their homes due to war. You can read more about the foundation at the official website. 

In this video, the former Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets star talks to Sydney Kings GM David Wolf about his time in the NBA, how he felt when he was traded for Kobe Bryant, his late friend Drazen Petrovic and the fact that he will be visiting Andrew Gaze in Melbourne.

More photos from the visit on the Sydney Kings Facebook page.

BONUS: Here is the photo from when I met Vlade at Istanbul airport in 2010, after he had been inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame... he was looking slightly more tired at this point. But he still posed for a photo, poor fella!

• Boti Nagy of the Adelaide Advertiser describes how the Adelaide 36ers killed off their slim Finals hopes in one play:
  
  Import Andrew Warren, who had carved up the Sixers in Cairns' previous 72-67 win in Adelaide, had been well contained to two points when he saw daylight with 3:43 left.
  
  Daniel Johnson and Everard Bartlett rushed at him and fouled as his three-point basket swished, giving him a bonus free throw.
  
  Sixers coach Marty Clarke remonstrated with the officials, only to have his team smacked with a bench technical foul.
  
  That meant an additional two free throws to the Taipans, plus a sideline possession.
  
  Warren calmly potted his bonus free throw, then Jamar Wilson - who killed the 36ers with 25 points and four assists - stepped up to stick two more.
  
  On the additional possession, Aaron Grabau swished a three-point basket at 3:22 left, meaning effectively, in 21 seconds, Cairns had gone from 66-66 to 75-66.
  
  Ball game.
  
  It was an unforgivable moment of ill discipline which leaves the 36ers' season languishing on a 5-12 record and the team currently arguably the worst in the league.
   
• So, somewhat unsurprisngly, Ayinde Ubaka has joined the Wollongong Hawks after his axing by the Melbourne Tigers. Asa Schuster caught up with the new import in the Gong to see what he thinks of his new home and their upcoming matchup with the Tigers:
  
  
  
  As Ubaka tweeted, it's #TimeForTheGong.
  
  
• NBA, International and European basketball legend Vlade Divac visited the Sydney Kings today to pass on some words of wisdom. Check out the pictures here on facebook.
  
   

As mentioned here previously, import guard Ayinde Ubaka has parted ways with the Melbourne Tigers, putting the squad in a tough situation after already losing point guard Patty Mills earlier in the season.

I've written a piece on NBL.com.au which has gone live today, asking where the Tigers head next in this scenario. And today we have some indication of that direction, with the signing of Shane McDonald to a short-term contract to help out at the point. McDonald previously played for the Singapore Slingers and briefly for the Perth Wildcats.

Head coach Trevor Gleeson got on the air with SEN Radio's Andy Maher and Andrew Gaze to talk about the situation. He was diplomatic in many respects, as you would imagine, but we could glean the following from what he had to say:

• The decision to sack Ubaka was McPeake's and happened in the locker room after the game, as previously recounted by Ubaka and the press.
• Gleeson indicated that he was happy with the work that Ubaka had done for the club and that he had performed to the best of his ability.
• Gleeson made the point that the decision had been forced upon them and that the team just had to move on and do the best with what they had.
• There is a replacement import in the final stages of negotiations who has won a couple of championships in China. They hope to have him in Australia by the weekend. The player is a friend of former NBL player, Donta Smith. UPDATE: see below, the import is Myron Allen.

UPDATE: The new import has been announced as 6'0" Myron Allen, formerly of the NBA D-League. See video highlights:

Myron Allen: D-League profile.

Here is an interview with Allen about his time in China:

AROUND THE TRAPS is a new segment at A Stern Warning, rounding up interesting Australian basketball news of the moment, predominately NBL. "Around the traps" is a uniquely Aussie phrase, with a double entendre that fits basketball.

• Seamus McPeake reportedly decided that Ayinde Ubaka's time with the Melbourne Tigers was over after the Tigers lost to the Gold Coast Blaze (recap). Ubaka spoke on SEN Radio about what unfolded (listen here). Tigers fan Tim Grimes wrote a frank, open letter to McPeake on where he sees the Tigers organisation heading (read here). 
• Sydney Kings rookie Anatoly Bose has one of the most international, interesting backgrounds in Australian basketball (read here).
• Patty Mills: future Olympics medal winner. “In the US, the question that starts off the conversation is, ‘I didn’t know there were black people in Australia,’” he says. “If I wasn’t there, they wouldn’t know about Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. I love having the opportunity to express my culture, because there’s no one in basketball who can do that but me. Every time I step on court, I represent the indigenous people.” (read here)
• Cam Tragardh: man with the tattoos. "In Cam Tragardh's case, looks are deceiving. Take that massive, demonic-looking tattoo sprawled across his right shoulder. Combined with his slightly ruffled semi-mullet hairdo, Tragardh seems like he'd be more at home in black singlet and jeans, tinkering with a motorbike in his garage." (read here)
• The Wollongong Hawks are in trouble. ''We're really struggling to put four quarters together and our lack of focus is hurting us,'' the 2010 NBL coach of the year, Gordie McLeod said. ''We're getting out-worked on the boards and turning the ball over when we're under pressure. So ball control is definitely an issue. You have to give opposition credit for the disruption they cause and the way they are scouting us, but a lot of it is our decision-making and our execution under pressure. We're too sloppy with the ball.
  ''In the end it's hard enough for us to score without giving teams five to seven extra possessions. So that's hurting us dearly and the only way we can turn that around is to work hard at practice and give some teams a bit of their own medicine.'' (read here)
• The Hawks are re-writing history with their home losing streak. ‘‘From my point of view, I’ve been around long enough to know that it’s not about those kinds of stats and stuff, it’s more about making sure the group is functioning the way we’re meant to,’’ Mat Campbell said.
  ‘‘At the moment we’re just not right there and we’ve been working our tails off for a month to try to rectify it and hopefully our performance on Friday showed signs that we’re starting to fix it.’’ (read here)
• One of the richest young women in Australia is a former flame of ex-NBL player, Damien Ryan (read here).
• CJ Bruton is still the New Zealand Breakers' X-factor (read here).
• Boti Nagy is not happy with the way the Adelaide 36ers are heading, or being coached (read here).
• Former Sydney King, Ben Knight's inclusion on the Maccabi NSW team is pushing the regulations on non-Jewish players (read here).
• Can the Sydney Kings walk that fine line needed to make an NBL Finals berth, with Aaron Bruce out for the season? (read here). Can the Perth Wildcats stop Julian Khazzouh this Friday? (read here)
• Whilst former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson hated the AFL highlights he forced on the team, he loved Luc Longley during his NBA career. Jackson presented Longley with a G'Day USA Award in Los Angeles this past weekend. (read here)

Do you enjoy the format of AROUND THE TRAPS? Provide feedback via the comments section, or on twitter (@ASternWarning).