We're currently in the early stages of the 2012 NBA Playoffs but for many domestic leagues around the world where the season is over, the focus right now has shifted to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

With that in mind, let's take a brief overview of what is to come in the mens tournament. Since the team rosters -- and even some of the competing teams themselves -- are yet to be finalised, this will be a high level preview of what is to come. As the Olympics approach, we'll get into more detail with predictions and in-depth comparisons.

Format

Firstly, let's examine the format that will be taken on by the tournament. There will be 12 teams involved in the Olympic tournament, with them being split into two groups of six teams.

A round-robin is played in each group initially (ie each team plays each other once), before going on to the knock-out round where the four highest placed teams from each group go on to battle for the medals. In other words, the two worst teams from each group are knocked out, effectively eliminating those teams that are not up to the same standard, but got through due to the nature of the qualification tournaments and regions.

Competing nations

Of the twelve competing nations, only nine have been decided to-date.

• Great Britain will feature in the Olympics, as the host nation, after a long absence from impact in international basketball. With the likes of forwards Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls), Joel Freeland (Unicaja Malaga) and head coach Chris Finch (Houston Rockets), Team GB may surprise some on their home court.
• United States are the clear favourites, as always. Whilst markets for basketball betting at the Olympics are not yet open, as far as I'm aware, there is every likelihood that Team USA will be unbackable. USA qualified for the Olympics via winning the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey. Their team will likely be largely similar to that which won Gold in Turkey and Beijing, with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade (both Miami Heat), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) and Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) making for a formiddable core.
• Tunisia make their way into the Olympics as the winners of the 2011 FIBA Africa Championship after beating traditional African heavyweights Angola in their first ever Championship victory. Whilst Tunisia will likely be present at the Olympics just to make up the numbers, the experience for the likes of 25-year old 7'1" captain Salah Mejri (Antwerp Diamond Giants, Belgium) will be invaluable. 
• Argentina and Brazil are the two entrants to come out of the 2011 FIBA Americas Tournament (held in Argentina in September 2011). Both are stacked with NBA talent and are traditionally strong competitors right down to the medal stages. Argentina in particular won the 2004 Gold Medal, along with the 2008 Bronze and have a very strong history in basketball. Key players for Argentina include Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs), Carlos Delfino (Milwaukee Bucks), Andres Nocioni (Philadelphia 76ers) and Luis Scola (Houston Rockets). Whilst Brazil's success in Olympic and World Championship medals came during the 1940s - 1970s, they do boast Tiago Splitter (San Antonio Spurs), Nene Hilario (Washington Wizards), Leandro Barbosa (Indiana Pacers), Anderson Varejao (Cleveland Cavaliers) in their ranks. However it is uncertain how many of those NBA-experienced players will represent at the Olympics.
• Australia are the representatives from the 2011 FIBA Oceania Championship, after sweeping the three-game series against New Zealand. The disastrous news for the Boomers is that they will be without NBA centre Andrew Bogut, who will be recovering from ankle surgery, however the fine play of San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills is very heartening. Australia is led by San Antonio Spurs assistant coach, Brett Brown and boast a fine array of internationally experienced big men and wing players.
• Spain and France are the two representatives to fight their way out of the 2011 FIBA Europe Championship, in what is always a tough tournament. Spain of course are the main competitors to the USA in recent years, after winning the Gold at the 2006 World Championships and taking out Silver at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers), Rudy Fernandez (Denver Nuggets), Juan Carlos Navarro (Barcelona), Jose Calderon (Toronto Raptors), Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) and Congo-born Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder) will form the core of the Spanish team, whilst star youngster Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves) will miss through injury sustained in NBA play against Team USA's Kobe Bryant. France are led by Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls), Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Nicolas Batum (Portland Trail Blazers) and Boris Diaw (Spurs). Whilst they are stacked with talent, they have yet to win an international major tournament.
• China enter the tournament as the winners of the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship. Whilst they are the power of Asia, they are unlikely to make much noise in London. China is in the unfortunate situation where they have lost superstar Yao Ming to injury, whilst team stars Wang Zhizhi and Liu Wei are aging. They will rely largely on the talents of Yi Jianlian (Dallas Mavericks) and "the Chinese Magic Johnson" Sun Yue (Beijing) for any and all success.
• The three final competing teams in the Olympics will be decided via a qualifying tournament.

Qualifying Tournament

The 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament will be held in Caracas, Venezuela from 2-8 July, 2012. The teams that will compete for the three positions in the Olympics will be:

There are more quality teams in this qualifying tournament than there are available qualifying positions. Russia, basketball-crazy Lithuania, Greece, Puerto Rico and New Zealand are the best shots at progressing.

More previews and analysis to come as the Olympic Games approach. The games will be played from 28 July to 12 August, 2012.

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.

These is nothing short of awesome. The current commercial on CCTV (Chinese television) for the 2012 NBA Playoffs features a very cool set of animations. Depicting the team logos of the competing teams, it also shows the star players that will compete for each team, as well as the injured Dwight Howard. Tim Duncan looks like he has used 10 years worth of anti-aging cream. Derrick Rose looks remarkably like Ronnie Brewer. And watching this animation, I could swear that Blake Griffin was Eurasian...  

Other television networks watching this could learn a lot on how to promote the NBA Playoffs.

You may remember the classless way with which Steve Francis entered the NBA in 1999: refusing to play for the Vancouver Grizzlies who drafted him. 

You may also remember the flashy crossover dribbles and dynamic play that made him joint Rookie of the Year with the Houston Rockets, as well as earning him three NBA All-Star Game appearances.

Perhaps you also remember the disappointing end to his career with the New York Knicks, a return to Houston and ultimately a short cameo with the Beijing Ducks in China.

Well, the rap video you are about to watch is more like the start and end of Stevie Franchise's career than the middle part. I entreat you, watch "Finer Things" featuring Steve Francis, through his music label, Mazerati Music...  

Sure, it has all been said before. Drazen Petrovic was an amazing talent -- a superb member of the pioneering group of European players making a mark in the NBA, after stellar international play.

His praises may have been sung here before, but it still concerns me that younger generations of basketball fans will fail to realise what they have missed out on. And every time I watch footage of Petro, my awe re-ignites.

The former Croatian star had a unique ability to put points on the board -- in a hurry. He did it in a way that made the game look fun too. He was one of those guys who slots the ball into the hoop with a sweet mid-range jumper, then follows it up with a dagger three point shot. Just ask Michael Jordan and the Dream Team, against which Petrovic managed to pile up 24 points (a game-high) in a losing Gold Medal game effort at the 1992 Olympic Games. His team may have not won, but Team USA had few answers for the class of the 27-year old shooting guard. (Sure, if the stories are true, MJ, Barkley & Co spent plenty of time on the blackjack tables between games and still managed to win every game, but they were called the Dream Team for a reason).

Whilst Petrovic's early days in the NBA were quiet, where he saw limited minues with the Portland Trail Blazers, a move to the New Jersey Nets saw a bonafide superstar emerge. In his final season in the NBA, before his untimely death in Poland, the Croat averaged 22.3ppg (11th in the league). Despite not being named an All-Star, he did receive the deserved honour of All-NBA Third Team.

There is so much more to the story of Drazen Petrovic. If you are a basketball fan who is unaware of this former star who died in 1993, you need to acquaint yourself with his wikipedia entry and watch his highlights on youtube. In particular, one youtube user "CroPETROForever" comes up with new clips all the time. 

Watch this latest video Drazen Petrovic - Basketball Mozart II and go from there. His prime years were not seen by the basketball world, but the years we did see were of a very high quality.

The Australian Boomers had the news confirmed yesterday that they dreaded was coming: star centre Andrew Bogut will undergo surgery and be unavailable for the 2012 London Olympics. The big man's ankle, which has been recovering from an injury sustained during the NBA season, whilst he was with the Milwaukee Bucks (he has since been traded to the Golden State Warriors), has not healed as quickly as hoped.

Bogut's ankle requires arthroscopic surgery. That will rule him out of recovering in time for the Olympics -- this is the second major tournament in a row where bad luck has beset Bogut, after he was unable to play for the Boomers in the 2010 World Championships of Basketball in Turkey.

The tough news really bites for Boomers head coach Brett Brown, as it means that he is yet to coach Bogut during his run as head coach of the Australian national team. On the other end of the table, Bogut has always declared himself as fully dedicated to the national team and intensely proud of his country. Not being able to play at the Olympics during the peak of his career is painful.

“Three years ago, when I was interviewing for this position, I flew to Dallas when the [Milwaukee] Bucks were playing the [Dallas] Mavericks and I sat down with him and asked him 'in the event that I was offered the Boomers job, what are your playing intentions going forward with the Boomers program?'," said coach Brown. 

“He enthusiastically declared to me that he was 'all in' and with that news I went even more aggressively after the job and tried to become the next Boomers coach. I was offered the job but sadly, three years later, through great misfortune, Andrew’s injuries have prevented him from playing a single Boomers game since I have been the coach. 

"I was with Andrew last week when the [San Antonio] Spurs played his [Golden State] Warriors and I have been aware of this unfortunate news for a while. He has always been honest with me. I feel for him. He has experienced some very ordinary luck during my tenure and particularly this time around, where it will prohibit him from playing with his teammates and representing his country at the Olympic Games. I will personally miss the opportunity to coach him. When he is healthy, I believe that he is one of the best three centers in the world, a true ‘game changer’ on many levels,” he said.

So how do the Boomers look without Bogut?

Firstly, they do lack a major piece in the puzzle without him on board. He offers a game-changing defensive presence as a shot-blocker, as well as a premium rebounding ability. His target as an interior offensive player and passing centre makes him a huge cog in the Boomers offence.

On the other hand, the Boomers have unfortunately become used to Bogut not being available of late, thus making the injury slightly easier to adjust for.

In terms of interior players, the Boomers boast veteran captain Matt Nielsen, NBA-experienced David Andersen and Nathan Jawai, young internationals AJ Ogilvy and Aron Baynes and importantly, big, skilled body, Aleks Maric. Whilst the Boomers are severely weakened in terms of medal contention with Bogut out, the low post is one area that they are actually incredibly deep. Even putting to one side the tested big names above, Brown can look to the likes of skilled NBL centre Julian Khazzouh, Los Angeles Lakers draftee Ater Majok and giants Luke Nevill and Luke Schenscher.

Outside of the big man department, Brown will look for scoring input from wing players David Barlow, Joe Ingles, Brad Newley, Mark Worthington and potentially Peter Crawford. There is also a chance that NBL MVP Kevin Lisch (Perth Wildcats import) will be naturalised in time to become a member of the squad. 

In terms of smaller guards, Patty Mills is the clear standout. The speedy 23-year old is currently playing with Brown's San Antonio Spurs and putting in a fine performance so far in limited minutes on a successful squad late in the season. Mills' ability to score with pace will be a big factor in Australia's favour and the team will also rely on him to set the table for his teammates. In addition to Mills, young guard Matthew Dellavedova (NCAA - St Mary's) will be a contender along with NBL guards Adam Gibson and Damian Martin.

This Boomers squad now has the advantage of having played together for a number of years -- something they did not possess previously. In terms of competitive advantages, this may be one of their biggest, despite being spread throughout the world. Mills' offensive ability and pace will be their other big drawcard, along with the deep core of big man talents.

See what Brett Brown has to say about the squad on this video.

Sunday, 22 April, 2012: that was the date we saw a return of the old Ron Artest, and a little less of the man who had been renamed Metta World Peace. The Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder in a key end of regular season match before the playoffs. The Lakers may have won the match in double-overtime, but they may have lost World Peace for part of the Playoffs.

As you'll see in the video below, the incident happened after World Peace had made a fast break dunk. As he was beating his chest in celebration, he suddenly struck out with his elbow, violently hitting Thunder guard James Harden in the ear. Some will claim that the elbow was purely accidental and came in the moment of celebration, but I'm sure most sports betting sites will be giving short odds that Ron Ron will be suspended.

Of course, this is not the first time that World Peace/Artest has courted controversy. Many immediately will point to the "Malice at the Palace" incident in Artest's Indiana Pacer days, where crowd interaction was unfortunately involved. World Peace will tell us that the Detroit episode is in the past, but the reality of this recent situation shows that he can still be a loose cannon, prone to explode at any point. That volatility is also a strength for World Peace, as he intimidates opponents defensively.

Take a look at the video and see what you think:

Will Artest get suspended by the NBA? Almost undoubtedly. Was the elbow (and the failure to turn and check on the welfare of Harden) intentional? You decide.

The 2012 London Olympic Games are mere months away. Once again, the Australian Boomers have a talented squad of internationally experienced stars that will be put together to form a squad that will challenge on the fringes of a medal. 

Head coach Brett Brown, currently serving as Assistant Coach with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA, talks in this video about the talent the team has, their preparations and how he sees the team integrating for the Olympics.

We will go into more detail with previews as the Olympics approach, but briefly, the top names that come into contention for the squad are:

BIGS

Andrew Bogut, David Andersen, Matt Nielsen, Aleks Maric, Aron Baynes, AJ Ogilvy

WINGS

David Barlow, Joe Ingles, Mark Worthington, Brad Newley, Peter Crawford

SMALL GUARDS

Patty Mills, Damian Martin, Adam Gibson, Matthew Dellavedova 

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.

Video: Randy Foye (Los Angeles Clippers) dunks it over one of the NBA's best shot blockers in Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder).