From our courtside reporter:

The organisation over here is on par with local basketball association standards (lost count how many times I’ve been told to sit down etc) but the games have been awesome.  Watched all 15 pool games in Kayseri where Aus were playing. Back in Istanbul now and went to the first knockout games last night, got Aus and Turkey games tonight (sellout) and got tickets for the next 2 nights which will have US, Arg, Lithuania, Russia, NZ, China, Brazil etc. Hopefully the German fans will lend me their drum again tonight.

The fans that have come over are awesome, Greece vs Spain last night was the best I’ve seen so far, they each took up a section behind the basket right next to each other. No trouble though. Looking forward to a Lithuanian game.

The Aussie fans are mainly family and gf’s of the players, so we’ve been sitting with them, but they’re a bit quiet. We really need some good Australian sporting chants, Aussie Aussie Aussie and D-Fence is getting a bit tiring…

1. For the stat geeks, a take on True Shooting Percentage on the Orlando roster.
2. Karl Malone has deservedly been inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Here’s a question though: who’s better, Tim Duncun or KM?  A Utah fan shares his view, we’d love to hear yours.
3. Reason #735 why more Aussies should be in the NBA…
4. Nancy Lieberman, winner.
   “The only pressure on me is the pressure that’s self-inflicted. I’m used to winning. I’m not really sure I know much about losing, so I expect to be successful and I expect our franchise to be successful. I haven’t spent my life aspiring to be on an NBA bench. My focus has been to change the lives of the people who need me. I’m not going to get into a situation where it’s, “Oh my God, what if we lose?” We are going to be successful and we’re going to win and I’ll tell you how: 20 percent of the NBA are players who have experience in the D-League — guys like J.J. Barea, Chris Andersen, Sundiata Gaines. Look at the coaches who have moved up. Look at the referees who have moved up. So 80 percent of my guys I’m coaching for life. We’re going to make them better men. We’re going to give them great information so they’re better decision-makers. We’re going to build their character and self-esteem. And we’re going to make them better basketball players. Does that translate into our winning a D-League championship? It very well could. But more than anything we’ll coach our guys up.”
5. Steve Adamek is not too hyped about the USA Men’s Team…
6. Excellent Scottie Pippen article.
7. Scottie finally gets the limelight he deserves.
8. Brandon Jennings is focused.
9. Back to Scottie – J.A. Adande’s take.
10. And Sam Smith’s take.
11. Don’t you dare sleep on the D-League.  Next season’s schedule is up, and Matt Hubert has some impressions.
12. Speaking of which, I love eloquent players.  Add this to your list of must-reads.  Another D-League alumni.
13. Just so you know, if you’re in Australia the World Championships will be shown on FOX Sports.
14. A Stern Warning breaks some interesting news – Leroy Loggins to bring back the Brisbane Bullets?
15. Another Scottie article:
    “Pippen, regarded as perhaps the top individual defender in basketball history, also shared his thoughts on the hottest topic of the NBA offseason, LeBron James’ ‘decision’ to sign with the Miami Heat in free agency. ‘You know what? The way it went down, it was a little bit classless,’ said Pippen, not exactly a stranger to controversy himself during his playing days. ‘He’s a great player and we all love him as a player, but you don’t change spots by going on TV and announcing where you’re going as a free agent. I think that really hurt him a little bit, but it’s over and it’s history.”
16. Say it ain’t so TP…
17. Aimless Ballin.  Must Read.
18. Team “B” (see item 5) beats Les Bleus.
19. Ok one last Scottie article.

1. Aleks Maric will be playing for Australia at the World Championships.  Wait, who?
2. Don’t wear a Heats jersey in Cleveland.  Just sayin.
3. Big Yao said he’ll retire after this year.  The Dream Shake analyses what impact he’ll have this next season.
4. We loved Brian Grant’s heart.  Looks like it’s as big as ever.
5. Say you have Kirk Hinrich on your team.  What position would you place him in?  Nice run-through by Truth About It.
6. Thanks for the heads up from one of our readers.  The Wollongong Hawks have just launched their Hawks History site.  Great to see Aussie Hoops slowly getting their pride and passion back.
7. Is Shaq still relevant in the NBA?
   “He is a nomad, a hired bazooka who had to win on his terms. He left the Wild West because a young gunner was encroaching on his territory. When he teamed up with Wade, even though Shaq was the lesser player, he established himself as the center of attention. Even the act of bestowing Wade with his nickname, Flash, indicated who would be running South Beach. If language is the way that man exerts some measure of control over the universe he perceives, there are few stronger acts of control than that of naming. When Wade had outgrown the nickname and become his own man, with a NBA Finals MVP as proof, it was time for Shaq to mosey on down the road.” From Hoopspeak.
8. The Team USA Select Team has been chosen.  (Say Team again.)  This is the Team (sorry) that will be suiting up against Team (not on purpose) USA in anticipation of the World Championships.  Team.
9. Bargnani says he doesn’t feel like he’s at 100% yet.  That’s awesome for Raptor fans.
10. Oh Ron Ron.  Peep this great interview on ESPN.

1. Fanhouse is beating the same drum as 3MW in suggesting the NBA is losing a little integrity.
2. The Australian Boomers are evaluating their competition leading up to the Stankovic Continental Cup which will be held in Turkey from 28 August to 12 September.
3. Former Detroit Piston Will Blalock has signed with the Townsville Crocs in Australia’s NBL. 
4. Ex-Memphis Grizzlies guard Juan Carlos Navarro is extatic teamed up with his fellow countryman and ex-Grizzlies team-mate Marc Gasol in preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Championships.
5. It’s interesting that a generation of basketball fans are now seeing the children of the players we grew up watching starting to have an impact on the sport.  The daughters of Antonio Davis & Dee Brown toughed it out in their High School basketball championship game recently. 
6. On the 31st July, someone in the NBA celebrates their 52nd birthday…yep, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.  There’s no denying the effect Cuban has had on the NBA and his blog is also quite interesting on a number of levels, not just about basketball.
7. On NBA rookie news, Xavier Henry still has not agreed to terms with the Memphis Grizzlies.  It’s all feeling a little ‘Jim Jackson’ to us and seems like such a waste given his talent and that the deal proposed by Memphis is the same money overall as a max rookie contract, just part of it Henry would have to earn in performance-based bonuses.  We hope the pressure on the Grizzlies is coming from his agent and not Henry himself.  It’d be a shame to think at that level, a talented player wouldn’t back himself to perform like that.
8. We are continuing to get a laugh out of the Sports Hernia Blog.

1. Celtics vs Lakers in the finals… if you’re a fan of wither team you HAVE to check out the head to heads from this past season: FORUM BLUE & GOLD
2. Truehoop’s awesome Top 10 Possessions of the NBA Playoffs 2010.
3. Players that improved their draft stock these last few weeks.  If you’re organising your fantasy leagues, this is key information for you.
4. Australian Basketball is making a comeback, and so is media coverage, with the rebirth of a once-fallen online magazine.
5. Argentina travels to Australia for a pre-World Championships clash.
6. Indonesian basketball is back!
   “After years of declining interest, the Indonesian Basketball League hopes a new name and a new approach will revamp its fortunes.
   The IBL was relaunched as the National Basketball League on Tuesday, boasting a theme of “New Season, New Hope for Indonesia” for its first season.”
7. Bill Simmons on Lebron’s future.
   “I always thought his ceiling looked like this: Jordan’s DNA crossed with Magic’s DNA crossed with Bo Jackson. Nope. Take the Jordan DNA out. Have to. Jordan was a ruthless mother******. Jordan was a killer. Jordan didn’t care if his teammates despised him. Jordan never, ever, not in a million years, would have allowed his team to quit in the final two minutes of Thursday night’s game the way LeBron did. His teammates feared him, loathed him, revered him and played accordingly. Bird had that same quality. In the second half of his career, so did Magic. Winning meant so much to those guys that their teammates almost didn’t have a choice; they had to follow suit. Or else.”
8. A terrible week for NCAA basketball…
9. Will this be Coach Phil Jackson’s last season?
   “Phoenix guard Steve Nash was conducting a quick post-game interview in a congested hallway when a golf cart, stymied by camera wires and other mobile equipment, tried to get by but had to stop. Nash politely stepped to the side, his small smile turning wide when he saw that the passenger was none other than Lakers coach Phil Jackson. The moment suggested the unwashed multitudes making way for the pope. ”
   From Jack McCallum.
10. Andrew Gaze; Australia’s MJ, NBL and NBA (remember the Spurs?) championship winner, all-around great guy… and posteriser? (Dear dictionary manufacturers, please insert new word.  Thank you.)