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).

Tigers, both the "Melbourne" and "Xinjiang Flying" species, have done an admirable job in recent times of showing us how not to treat your basketball players as employees.

One thing Australia has generally had going for it, as a place to play professional basketball amongst the global options, is the high standard of work conditions. Players usually can expect to get paid on time (Sydney Kings' 2008 disaster not withstanding), enjoy an English-speaking environment, a stable national political culture and are treated professionally by club management. Generally.

Contrastingly, there are numerous work locations for professional players the world around, where the salary may be tantalisingly attractive, but the risks of mistreatment and unprofessionalism are high. Patty Mills experienced one such scenario, in his recent stint with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers.

Mills performed at a high level for the Chinese team, averaging 26.5ppg, 3.8apg. 3.8rpg and 2.3spg across 12 games. The team, which boasts former Phoenix Suns forward Gani Lawal and Chinese star Mengke Bateer, cut Mills unceremoniously via a scathing press release that claimed he was faking a well-documented and medically tested hamstring injury. 

The thing was, few were surprised at the treatment afforded by the Chinese team, who also parted ways with NBA star Kenyon Martin and American coach Bob Donewald late last year. Mills was reportedly offered a contract worth between $1.0m and $1.5m, whilst Martin was on a $2.6m deal. This type of money is what attracts players, allowing them to overlook the conditions in which they play and the lower standard of competition.

On the other hand, Australia's National Basketball League is viewed in a much higher regard and players ply their trade Downunder despite lower salaries, due to the positive factors mentioned above.

For that reason, the reported behaviour by Melbourne Tigers CEO and owner Seamus McPeake is simply "not cool", to put it in the vernacular.  Last night the Tigers' season record fell to 9-9 after a 73-60 home loss to the talented, yet inconsistent Gold Coast Blaze.

McPeake, well-known for his hands-on approach to the club that he purchased in 2002, did not appreciate the loss and saw fit to sack star off-season signing Ayinde Ubaka as a result. Roy Ward of The Age describes what unfolded:

A source close to the team told The Age McPeake stormed into the Tigers’ locker-room and unleashed a tirade on the players before firing Ubaka on the spot.

...

Ubaka confirmed the report last night via a text message but wouldn’t comment further until later today.

But he made it clear he was furious about his axing and the “unprofessional” manner in which it happened.

Ubaka’s sacking was believed to have happened without the knowledge of coach Trevor Gleeson and captain Tommy Greer who were facing a post game press conference.

Ubaka also confirmed his teammates and coaches knew nothing about the move until it had happened.

Ubaka’s sacking would contravene one of the key agreements of Gleeson’s agreement to join the club as he demanded final say on all player movements.

During Gleeson's first press conference with the club both McPeake and Gleeson himself confirmed the coach had final say on his players.

Ubaka's performance this season has been seen by many observers to be below his previous standards with the Cairns Taipans and Gold Coast Blaze. Undoubtedly, there is cause for concern with the Tigers placement on the ladder this season, given pre-season expectations and Ubaka could be seen as partially responsible for the situation. Regardless of this, a post-game, locker-room tirade and firing is not the way to deal with such a scenario. 

A review with coaching staff and the player during the week, where cooler heads can prevail, obviously is the more professional approach in any working environment. However, if reports are to be believed, this is not the first such case of unprofessionalism where McPeake and the Tigers are concerned. As Ward points out:

McPeake was reported to have made a similar move last season where he was said to have threatened to not pay his players due to their poor performance.

McPeake has repeatedly denied those reports.

Former Tigers centre Luke Nevill told The Age last season to “ask Seamus” when Nevill was asked about if McPeake had stormed into the locker-room.

Nevill left the team to take an offer from a Russian club soon after the reported confrontation.

Many also saw the treatment of former Tigers stalwart Daryl Corletto, now flourishing in New Zealand with the Breakers, as lacking class. On more than one off-season occasion, the loyal Corletto was left waiting to be re-signed by the Tigers, with the most recent instance seeing him outsted from the active roster so that the team could accomodate Mills' contract.

Are the Tigers an organisation that players will be rushing to play for? One would have to think that this type of alleged behaviour by their CEO and owner would place question marks in the minds of free agents who have more than one offer on the table.

As for where Ubaka lands next, it will be interesting to see whether he lands with a fourth NBL club.

James Harvey's injury woes continue this season, with the Gold Coast Blaze announcing that he is once again sidelined with calf problems that have troubled him for some weeks. 

Harvey returned to action last week, on the road against the Sydney Kings, scoring 10 points in 22 minutes. However he has only been active for eight of the team's 13 games this season and the continued injury comes as the Blaze face a double this weekend.

According to a release from the Blaze:

Harvey, who has been on a reduced training load all season and has been a week-to-week proposition for most of the season, re-injured his calf during training in Perth on Wednesday and has made the trip home to the Gold Coast.

Scans will reveal the full extent of the injury, and help give a timeline to him returning to the active list.

The injury opens up an opportunity for exciting young Development Player Brendan Teys, who has been very impressive in training and had a fantastic QBL season in 2011.

Teys has joined the playing group in Perth and is set to play in both road games this weekend.

Harvey recently became the first Blaze player to rack up 2,000 points for the club. He is a founding member of the team, who has been a top-notch scorer since his debut in the 1998/99 season with the Perth Wildcats.

However, the Blaze have struggled with consistency this season. Harvey realising this recently echoed his coach's thoughts after the Kings loss, telling the Gold Coast Bulletin:

"I think everyone's sick and tired of hearing about how talented we are," he said. "It's no longer about that, talent doesn't win games.

"On paper, I'm sure if you talk to opposition coaches and players they'd be saying this is the most talented team in the NBL and probably the most talented Blaze side we've had.

"But I think we're all over that now because at the moment our record isn't reflecting that."

News has just been released that Aaron Bruce (Sydney Kings) has broken his tibia, a season-ending injury. The point guard has been in fine, career-best form this season, averaging 13.9ppg and 4.4apg.

With Bruce pushing his way into the consciousness of Australian Boomers selectors and even reportedly NBA scouts, the very rare vertical fracture of his tibia could not come at a worse time.

“I can’t control what has happened but I can control my reaction and I intend to turn this event into a positive and get over the surgery and into in to rehabilitation as quickly as possible,” Aaron said.

“I will also be doing as much as I can to encourage and support the team from the bench during the games and from the sideline during training. It is the absolute least I can do to support the coaching team and the players who have been so supportive of me since I joined the Sydney Kings at the beginning of the season,” he added.

Coach Ian "Moose" Robilliard points out the return of Graeme Dann this week and the need for in-form Luke Cooper, Luke Martin and Kevin Ratzsch to step up as the way to try to cover for Bruce's loss.

Bruce's ability to set up the offence and create outside shots in tough situations has been key for the Sydney Kings this season and his loss will be felt greatly by the team and its fans.

One logical replacement for Bruce may be now-free agent Patty Mills, formerly of the Melbourne Tigers. Whilst Mills has been cut by his Chinese team, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, he may not be available to any other clubs worldwide until after March. It is at that point that the Chinese season finishes and players will be released from contractual obligations, giving them FIBA waivers.

The Tigers have publicly discussed chasing Mills, but it is thought that they would not be able to access him unless one of their players sustained a season-ending injury. On the other hand, other NBL clubs would be able to pursue him, assuming he gets clearance from his Chinese club. Whether that happens, time will tell. Mills was today in Portland, supporting his Portland Trail Blazers at home against the Orlando Magic.

Bruce will undergo surgery tomorrow (Friday), which will be followed by extensive rehabilitation and physiotherapy. The Kings take on the Townsville Crocodiles, on the road, on Saturday (game to be televised on ONE at 10:30pm). 

(image: Benjamin Parker)

This week, my column at the official NBL website focuses on player efficiency and per-minute averages. You can read that article, and all of my other Fan Voice articles, here.

In conjunction with that article, I'm publishing below the Top 20 leaders for most statistical categories, per minute. I will refresh these numbers from week to week. These statistics are correct as at the end of Round 14 of the 2011/12 iiNet NBL Championship.