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The Boomers may have walked away from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games without a medal, but the overall success of the campaign cannot be understated.They entered the Olympic tournament as the No. 11-ranked team in the FIBA standings, but victories against Lithuania (No. 3), France (No. 5) and Serbia (No. 6) should see them move comfortably into the top 10.That success comes on the heels of Ben Simmons and Thon Maker being drafted with the No. 1 and No. 10 picks respectively in the 2016 NBA draft, and hence light has never shone brighter on Australian basketball.Australia currently has eight contracted players for the 2016-17 NBA season, behind only Canada, France and Brazil on the international players list. Include New Zealander Steven Adams -- and its not like Australia doesnt have form in that regard -- and the number rises to No. 9.(Aron Baynes was also born in New Zealand, but hes well and truly Australian having played for the Boomers.)So, of the contracted NBA players from Australia and New Zealand, who is the cream of the crop?1.?Andrew Bogut (Dallas Mavericks)The No. 1 draft pick from 2005, Bogut has tasted, by far, the most success from an Australian standpoint: 2015 NBA champion, 2015 NBA All-Defensive second team, 2010 All-NBA third team, 2006 NBA All-Rookie first team.Having recently been dealt from Golden State Warriors to Dallas Mavericks, Bogut will be a bigger focal point at both ends of the floor and should look to regain the form he possessed in Milwaukee.Career figures: 10.3 points per game, 8.9 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game, 1.6 blocks per game.2.?Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs)He is the quickest Boomers star of all, although Dante Exum may challenge him when healthy, and their go-to player on the international stage. Mills has led the scoring for the Boomers at the past three Olympic Games.His teammates love playing with him; they love his energy and the way he goes about his game.Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is a hard taskmaster but even he has a soft spot for Mills. Boomers assistant coach and former NBA champion Luc Longley interestingly said during the Olympic tournament that Mills was a first-string point guard or 2 man somewhere in the NBA, hes just been in a very deep and talented situation in San Antonio.Career figures: 7.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.6 steals per game.3. Steven Adams (Oklahoma City Thunder)Adams had his coming out party during the 2015-16 NBA playoffs, asserting himself as the Thunders go-to man behind megastars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.With Durant fleeing town, the No. 2 position is open and Adams is primed to become the Robin to Westbrooks Batman off the back of averaging almost a double-double during 18 playoff games.Career figures: 6.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.7 apg, 1.0 bpg.4.?Matthew Dellavedova (Milwaukee Bucks)Dellavedova is taking his championship experience from Cleveland to the youngest side in the league, where hell likely play second fiddle to Michael Carter-Williams but should see much increased average minutes.Off the back of a stellar Olympics campaign, in which he finished with the highest number of assists, Delly will be looking to translate that form into the coming NBA season.Career figures: 5.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.4 apg, 0.5 spg.5. Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)The new Australian poster boy; there hasnt been this much attention placed on a draft pick since a kid named LeBron James.Simmons took home the SEC Freshman of the Year and USBWA National Freshman of the Year awards for 2015-16, while also being named a consensus first-team All-American and first team All-SEC.Taken with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Simmons has the weight of Philly on his shoulders as he is expected to lead them toward salvation.Career figures (college): 19.2 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.9 spg.6. Dante Exum (Utah Jazz)Returning from a significant knee injury, Exum has a new point guard from whom to learn his trade. The Jazz traded away Trey Burke and brought in George Hill to deliver a clear indication to Exum; the future point guard position is in his hands.Having the trust of the team behind him, Exum will be given plenty of opportunity to flourish and should help the Jazz climb the rankings out West.Career figures: 4.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.5 spg.7. Aron Baynes (Detroit Pistons)The Pistons are looking to push up the rankings in the Eastern Conference, and Baynes is looking to make his mark playing behind Andre Drummond in Detroit.The Boomers second-highest scorer and leading rebounder in Rio, the man who looks like he could walk onto the set of Vikings is set to take on a bigger role.His offensive game still needs work, but his defensive intensity and hustle will go a long way in the NBA.Career figures: 6.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.6 bpg.8.?Joe Ingles (Utah Jazz)Ingles went to the NBA as a seasoned player, and he brings a mature head to Utah. Playing behind Joe Johnson, Ingles will never be expected to be the go-to player for the Jazz.He will be a much-needed asset in Utah as long as he can play serviceable minutes and bring a veteran presence to the second unit.Career figures: 4.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.8 spg.9. Thon Maker (Milwaukee Bucks)Maker represents the unknown. He declared for the NBA draft early, and most teams had him likely to be available in the mid-to-late first round. Milwaukee stepped forward to take him at No. 10.Combining height (213cm) with exceptional skills and athleticism, Maker is a star in the making; when schools such Kansas, Kentucky and Indiana throw offers at you, you know youre doing something right.He recorded double-doubles in the NBA summer league, and he can be expected to climb the rankings once he gets more game time under his belt.Career figures: N/AKey questions for the futureBogut retains his place atop the pile, but will he remain there by seasons end? Who will topple him from his perch?Can Simmons prove earlier than expected that he is Australias golden boy?Will Mills or Dellavedova take their Rio form into the NBA? Will a surprise take the reins?The players will have plenty of opportunities to showcase their worth during the 2016-17 NBA season. Who can grab them with both hands? Reggie Jackson Jersey . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Fred Schaus Jersey . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. https://www.cheappistonsonline.com/ . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Bill Laimbeer Jersey . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Don Meineke Jersey . White came in fourth place in the event. He was the two-time defending gold medallist. The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov. Years ago, in my Baseball in American Narratives class at Northwestern, a student handed in a paper about Bernard Malamuds The Natural. His submission featured a spellcheck typo for the ages: My student wrote that the novel ended with Roy Hobbs at bat to clench the pennant for the New York Knights.Clench vs. clinch, one vowel and worlds apart. The Cubs are ahead 3-2 in the National League Championship Series, and as they close in on the World Series, can Section 416 feel confident in a clinching celebration, or are we clenching our jaws, and other body parts, in anxiety about yet another failure?Azz is utterly confident: Any Cubs fan who doesnt know were in the World Series is a liar. As a Cleveland native, perhaps Azz has absorbed some of the confidence Indians fans can flex as the Tribe await their National League opponent.Teach feels the opposite: I seriously cant handle this. How does [Cubs manager] Joe Maddon get anyone to buy into this pressure not exceeding the pleasure nonsense? Im in a constant state of clenching. I cant sleep, I cant take deep breaths, I cant eat. Well, OK, Im eating plenty. But my heart rate is up the whole time, and its unrelated to my sodium intake. Lets just say Im not looking forward to a Game 7. Ill go if it happens, but only because of my extreme fear of missing out. Even if they were to win, I would not enjoy any part of it until the very last out is recorded and reviewed in New York.Perhaps its both clinch and clench. Frank says, If you are asking how it will feel this weekend, the Dodgers have won some big games of their own against long odds, so I would expect some white-knuckle moments between now and Monday morning.If you are asking for a prediction, its clinch. The Cubs have scored 26 runs in five games. If they are going to average more than five runs per game, they are going to be very tough to beat.Franks statistical reasoning recalls, for me, the 1960 World Series between the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates. If total runs decided championships, the Yankees would have won 55-27. They blew out the Pirates three times: 16-3, 10-0 and 12-0. (For an image of how this felt to Bucs fans, see Wilfred Santiagos great graphic novel, 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente.) But the Pirates won four close games: 6-4, 3-2, 5-2 and 10-9, this last on Bill Mazeroskis walk-off home run in the final contest. Sure, the Cubs just laid 10 and eight runs on the Dodgers, but they were shut out the previous two games. That sort of offensive disparity can cause some serious clenching.My own coping strategy: try to think of other things.For example, how much I hate replay. Any rhetoric from Major League Baseball about changing rules for defensive shifts or relief pitchers to speed up the pace is laughable when games are delayed by replay review after replay review after...Still ... I cant help but think about the next game. Can the Cubs beat Dodgers aceClayton Kershaw on Saturday in Game 6? Clinch: Kershaw has had his postseason meltdowns in the past. Clench: Word on the street is that these meltdowns were all against the allegedly sign-stealing Cardinals. Clench: Maybe his back injury earlier in the year has left him fresh for October. Clinch: At least were not facing him in a potential elimination game. He can keep the Dodgers alive, but he cannot kill the Cubs hopes.Maybe it will come down to Game 7, the one Cubs ticket I have ever had that I really hope I donnt get to use.ddddddddddddThink of other things. Nope ... cant.A modest proposal: If -- if -- the Cubs advance, Fox Sports and Major League Baseball should schedule a day game at Wrigley Field. The Cubs home park was long synonymous with baseball in the sunshine, and a 1:20 p.m. World Series first pitch would show some respect for that history. (Scary stat: the Cubs have never won a World Series night game! Also, they have never played one.) Somehow, I suspect that the ratings on Saturday afternoon would suffice for advertisers, and if TV executives are afraid of going up against college football, theyre cowards, fools or idiots. Will more people want to watch Idaho take on Appalachian State, or Rutgers at Minnesota? The historic nature of a World Series game at Wrigley will draw tens of millions of viewers, whenever its scheduled. Hell, make it Friday afternoon so corporate ticket holders have to skip work to sneak out to the ballyard, just like the good old days.Maybe I can try to think of other sports. How are the Bears doing this year? Never mind. Theyre 1-6, and the Cubs television audience was double theirs on Thursday night, an unheard of disparity in a town where everyone, whatever their baseball loyalties, roots for the Bears and against the Packers. Maybe the McCaskeys can sell their NFL franchise to the Ricketts clan.No use: I cant avoid thinking about the ramifications of a Cubs World Series. If -- if -- the Cubs do make it, what happens to the half of Chicago that roots for the White Sox? (Full disclosure: Though I am a born-and-bred North Sider, due to being lucky in love, I spend most weekends on the South Side, home turf to Sox fans, so I have studied their habits from a detached anthropological perspective for some time.) While it may gall them to hear it, Sox fans are divided into three parts: reasonable humans who love the Sox but are OK with the Cubs winning because they too are a Chicago team; those who love the Sox and dont care about the Cubs one way or the other; and the haters, who despise the Cubs even more than they like the Sox. There are bars on Western Avenue in Beverly, or Halsted in Bridgeport, where sporting a Cubs cap or jersey is not a fashion statement -- its an absolute affront.But just as there are North Side Sox fans, there are Sout