The fans of Sydney have been waiting. First they waited to get their team back in the NBL. Then they waited throughout a tough 14 game losing streak in 2010/11. Most recently, they've waited through an off-season that seemed to take forever, as they waited to see the regular season return with a newly-invigorated Sydney Kings squad, ready to take a serious shot at a post-season run in 2011/12. 

Part of that wait involved an exciting, nerve-wracking and ultimately unsuccessful shot at securing Milwaukee Bucks star Andrew Bogut to play with the Kings for as long as the NBA lockout continues. 

Now that wait is over. Tonight the fans of Sydney witness the first home game of the 2011/12 NBL season at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, more affectionately known as the Kingdome. The New Zealand Breakers, the reigning champions, are the visitors and they arrive in Sydney as the favourites in the eyes of many. 

The professionalism of the Kings outfit this season is immediately evident. The training facilities and staff at Macquarie University provide the team with strength and conditioning training second to none in the league. The front office has been tailored towards covering all aspects of the team as both a business and a basketball team. 

And perhaps the biggest verification of the Kings' standing as a professional outfit comes with the Bogut stamp of approval. The big man chose the Kings as the place he would most like to play in Australia this season, even if it did not ultimately come to fruition due to insurance issues.

Tonight Bogut is in attendance at the Kingdome, lending his support to the team that he very well could have been part of. When asked why he chose the Kings over all of the league's other suitors, he did not hesitate in nominating the professionalism of the team's management, including David Wolf, as a key to his choice. 

With the NBA lockout looking like it may continue for an indeterminably long period of time, Bogut is working out at his new world-class training facility, "Andrew Bogut Basketball", doing his best to keep in shape with individual work. His unfortunate insurance predicament makes it almost impossible for him to train against other basketball players, for fear of injury. 

When pushed as to whether he is closely following the NBA lockout situation, Bogut is, as always, honest. He understands that the average fan is not interested in the push and shove between "billionaires and millionaires". The fans just want to see games and Bogut is the same. For the most part he has removed himself from the squabbles of the lockout and awaits a resolution before he emotionally invests himself in the situation. 

He looks forward to jumping straight back into training with the Bucks. Until that time comes, he is happy to pursue his Australian business interests (AB Basketball and his car modification company, ABC Customs). He is also happy watching Australian basketball thrive, as he will be tonight sitting courtside as the Kings take on the Breakers.

With the NBL season in its infancy, I've recently launched my second article on the official NBL site, forming the beginnings of my Casual Fan's Guide to the 2011/12 NBL season. 

This week's article focuses on the top five players who are likely to have breakout seasons.

As a bonus, the honourable mention candidates who missed out on the Top 5 list in the article are as follows:

Tom Abercrombie, New Zealand Breakers, F

Why did I exclude the guy that many would proclaim to be the biggest breakout player of all? The reasons are two-fold:

• Watching Abercrombie at the Oceania Qualifying Series for the 2012 Olympics, playing against Australia, I was somewhat disappointed. He went missing for key stretches and did not contribute on the score sheet when the Tall Blacks needed a second fiddle to Kirk Penney. Whether that was a coaching issue or Abercrombie's own play is debatable. I feared that with Penney gone from the Breakers and so much focus placed on young Abercrombie's shoulders, he may struggle at times this season. Well, didn't he allay those fears with his huge Week One performance! His 25 points in the season's first game, against the Gold Coast Blaze, signalled that this Kiwi is on track for a big season.
• My intention with this article was to highlight players that may be unknown, or lesser known at least. Given the hype that has surrounded Abercrombie as a poster-boy of the next NBL generation, I felt that he had stepped beyond this category.

Ben Allen, Townsville Crocodiles, F/C

With injuries to key Crocs big men Russell Hinder (season-ending) and Luke Schenscher (seven weeks) leaving Townsville short-handed up front, the door has been left wide open for the young promising Allen to shine up north this season. In addition, he has reportedly shed a number of kilos in the off-season, making him more agile and presumably improving his fitness. 

However, the pre-season and the first week of the NBL season have failed to show any glimmers of brilliance from the St Mary's College product, with veteran Jacob Holmes being brought in to take most of the minutes that could have been Allen's. Hopefully we will see an upswing from Allen as the season progresses.

Jesse Wagstaff, Perth Wildcats, F

This is one of my favourite players to watch in the NBL. Wagstaff was drafted into the Australian Boomers squad over the off-season and did not fail to impress Head Coach Brett Brown with his nose for the ball and tremendous hustle. As a result, he played big minutes for the Boomers -- something that would ordinarily seem unlikely given the depth of forwards and centres that the Australian program is blessed with.

So why was he omitted from the list then? Essentially Wagstaff's biggest weakness is the team he plays for. The Perth Wildcats are one of the deepest squads the league has seen in recent years -- rivalling the New Zealand Breakers championship team of 2010/11. Unless they are unfortunate enough to see injuries hit them, Wagstaff's minutes will be limited below what he would otherwise deserve and this may stop him from making the breakout impact that the guys in the Top 5 list are capable of in their roles as key starters on their respective teams.

So go on and read the article at NBL.com.au and tell me what you think of the first instalment of the Casual Fan's Guide.

The Sydney Kings have just released a statement confirming the situation with Andrew Bogut, in that he will not be playing in the NBL in 2011/12 with the club. The unfortunate situation comes about due to an inability to secure adequate insurance to cover the big man for lost income should he have been injured playing in Australia.

The difficult situation in gaining coverage for Bogut's contract with the Milwaukee Bucks comes about due to both the contract's significant amount in monetary terms, coupled with Bogut's recent injury history. A number of smaller clauses in the insurance coverage were the final hiccups in securing Bogut with the Kings, after he had turned down other potential suitors in the Gold Coast Blaze and Adelaide 36ers.

The official statement from the Sydney Kings is as follows:

Andrew Bogut will not be joining the Sydney Kings for the 2011-2012 NBL season.

Speculation of his pending signing with the team during the NBA lock-out was quashed early on Friday morning (AEST), when is became clear that a suitable insurance policy to cover Andrew Bogut's existing NBA contract could not be sourced.

The disappointment of Bogut not joining the Sydney Kings, is overshadowed by the ability of head coach, Ian 'Moose' Robilliard and his new line-up of players to take to the court to seriously contest the NBL 2011-2012 season.

"Naturally, we are disappointed that Andrew's management could not get the appropriate cover to secure his NBA contract; but the team we are going to put on the court this season is, in my opinion, a phenomenal, committed group willing to work for one another. They will be very exciting to watch," Robilliard said.

The first game against the Melbourne Tigers will take place in Melbourne tonight and will be followed by the first home game against the current competition champions, the New Zealand Breakers, at the Kingdome on Saturday October 15, 2011.

Of course, this news is deeply disappointing to Kings fans and NBL fans alike, as to have a talent of Bogut's magnitude in the league would have been a huge spectacle for Australian basketball. The NBA centre would have been a huge boost to the Kings' chances on the court and would have provided a great opportunity for other players on the team to learn from him.

Despite this, it must be remembered that there is every chance that the NBA Lockout will be resolved relatively soon, limiting the number of games that Bogut would have been able to play in Australia in any case. With the certainty that he will not be joining the team, the core members of the Kings can prepare for the season ahead with solidarity, having already amassed an impressive lineup likely to greatly surpass last season's performance in their return to the league. The likes of starters Julian Khazzouh, Jerai Grant, Ben Madgen, Anatoly Bose and Aaron Bruce form an imposing lineup.

Tonight the Kings take on fellow NBA player Patty Mills (Portland Trail Blazers) as they visit the Melbourne Tigers, in what should be a huge battle. The game is available live on NBL Radio, via NBL.com.au.

Thanks to all of the fans that voted for me, I've just written my first article on the Official NBL website.

This week's focus is on the speed-merchants in the NBL this season, with the likes of Patty Mills, Luke Cooper and Chris Warren likely to make an impact on the tempo of the league. Have a read and tell me what you think!

Article: Welcome to the Speedway

Join the A Stern Warning league in the 2011/12 NBL Dream Team and Tipping Competitions!

The NBL season tips off this Friday evening and that means time is slipping away to get your NBL Dream Team (fantasy team) and Tips in.

It's easy to join and play -- and the best part is, you can compete against other A Stern Warning readers all season long. Both competitions are run via the official NBL site. 

NBL Dream Team

To join the A Stern Warning league in NBL Dream Team, simply go to this link: 

http://dreamteam.nbl.com.au/?p=register&league_code=688487

Alternatively, use the normal Dream Team sign-up process and enter league code 688487 when asked. (Hint: you can be part of more than one league.)

NBL Tipping

To join the A Stern Warning tipping league, simply sign-up for Tipping at:

http://tipping.nbl.com.au/

and enter league code 739963 when asked.

The best part is, there is no cost to enter and there are great prizes to be won. Hey, you don't even need to be in Australia to play, so what better way to get involved with NBL basketball?

Join up now, before the season starts!