Tag: Illawarra Hawks

Hawks’ David Andersen says LaMelo Ball grew from NBL experience

Illawarra Hawks veteran David Andersen spoke recently on LaMelo Ball’s up-and-down season with the NBL franchise.

LaMelo Ball’s time in the NBL was a roller coaster of highs and lows. At his best, he notched back-to-back historic triple-doubles in the final two games of his time with Illawarra. But the slow start, inefficiency and season-ending injury all were lowlights on the year as well.

One of the teammates that has spoken out on him this season the most, veteran David Andersen, gave his take on Ball’s up and down season in a recent interview with ESPN.

“I thought defensively and even offensively he was a bit lost at the start, running a team, and then he started to get his feet under him. He looked like he was starting to get rolling and then he had the foot problem and that put a halt to everything, but it was an evolving thing.

“I think it was great for his growth as a player and great for the league to see him out there and throwing up triple-doubles, it was amazing.”

Head coach Matt Flinn spoke about how Ball’s upbringing on the basketball court stunted his growth in many ways, largely in the lack of basic drills he did during his younger years. And Ball had to adjust in many ways to playing with fellow professionals at his level rather than teenagers he is far better than.

It was all a big learning curve that was made worse by a first-year head coach, an increased media spotlight and a franchise that was ill-prepared to handle the Ball experience. But both sides will likely walk away from the experience having learned valuable lessons moving forward.

Illawarra’s David Andersen says Hawks ‘weren’t prepared’ for LaMelo Ball experience

After a tumultuous season, Illawarra veteran David Andersen admitted the Hawks weren’t prepared for the LaMelo Ball experience.

Few professional basketball teams outside of the NBA would have been prepared to handle LaMelo Ball’s arrival and the Illawarra Hawks were not one of them. Despite being one of the founding teams of the league, the Hawks are a small-market organization even by NBL standards.

Add in the financial struggles of the franchise and the dysfunction in the front office and the Hawks were doomed from the get-go. The overwhelming experience of having Ball on the roster led to problems, something David Andersen, one of the veterans on last season’s Illawarra roster.

During an interview with ESPN, Andersen talked about the experience of having Ball as a member of the Hawks this season.

“The Hawks probably weren’t prepared for that and we did suffer a little bit. It was weird because you had ‘Melo’ who was like a rock star and just followed so heavily online and with the social media stuff it made it interesting.”

The initial wave of support and interest from fans, including Barack Obama, after Ball announced that he was joining the Hawks was a sign of what to expect during the short-lived Ball Era. The franchise was put under a microscope that it never had been before and there were cracks that likely led to the team needing to find new ownership after season’s end.

The team never found its footing on the season even after growing acclimated to Ball. For example, despite having the league’s most popular star, after Aaron Brooks’ injury, the Hawks wavered on bringing in a new import player. By the time the team decided on a player after pressure from the NBL, Ball’s season had already come to an end.

In the end, both sides walked away likely wanting more from the experience even if both sides also felt the experience was a positive one.

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LaMelo Ball’s purchase of Illawarra Hawks in serious doubt as NBL moves on

Once something that looked like a done deal, LaMelo Ball’s purchase of the Illawarra Hawks appears to be in most doubt yet.

Once something that was declared a done deal, LaMelo Ball’s purchase of the Illawarra Hawks is facing its most doubt yet.

On Wednesday, the Illawarra Mercury reported that the league was shifting its focus away from the LaMelo Ball-led consortium to other groups, seemingly ending his pursuit of owning the franchise.

This move comes after more and more information has been revealed about the state of the franchise in past days and weeks. Most recently, the state of the franchise’s finances was revealed, painting a particularly grim picture for the future.

While former teammate Aaron Brooks was in support of Ball’s purchase of the team, he was not met with unanimous support. Former NBL commissioner Rick Burton offered some warnings to Ball about buying the franchise while Hawks legend Glen Saville was against the idea.

At one point, the purchase was considered a done deal by Ball’s manager Jermaine Jackson as he told Jonathan Givony the transaction was complete. But Jackson, Ball and the NBL all had to quickly walk back the reports as part of what was deemed a miscommunication. Since then, the possibility of a deal has only grown less and less likely.

Ball spent the season on the court with the Hawks, playing 12 games before suffering a season-ending injury. During his dozen games, Ball averaged 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists.

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Illawarra Hawks facing massive debts, encouraged to liquidate assets

The silence over the negotiations between LaMelo Ball and the NBL over the sale of the Illawarra Hawks was broken on Monday.

The possible reasoning behind the NBL’s silence on the sale of the Illawarra Hawks surfaced on Monday with a revealing report on the extent of the financial woes the franchise is facing.

An administrator brought in by the league, Michael Jones, to assess the club’s financial standing released his findings and they are grim for the Hawks. Based on the findings, the debts of the franchise total over $770,000 in money owed to players and staff.

From the report (h/t ABC News):

“The Company has a shortfall of assets over liabilities and therefore cannot meet its obligations to creditors. The Company is therefore insolvent and requires a formal insolvency appointment to deal with their financial position.”

Rumblings of financial issues persisted during the season but the degree to which they existed was not fully known until now. The report noted ongoing losses by the franchise in 2016 with those losses totaling $1.7 million between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

While finances improved in 2019-20, the club still lost $100,000 despite the arrival of LaMelo Ball. Former owner Simon Stratford cited the unexpected injuries to Ball and Aaron Brooks, an increase in staff salaries and COVID-19 impacting future sponsorships as reasons for the struggles.

Nonetheless, it paints a very different picture for the sale of the franchise. Former NBL commissioner Rick Burton estimated the licensee to run an NBL team could cost between one and two million dollars but that was an estimate without the information presented in the new report.

This report likely will lead to a much lower price to purchase the license, assuming the new owners take on the debts attached to the franchise as well. It adds another layer to the ongoing discussions for Ball and his consortium to potentially purchase the franchise.

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LaVar Ball says LaMelo’s deal for Illawarra Hawks ‘is not dead’

Despite a lack of news in recent weeks, LaVar Ball insists LaMelo’s potential deal for the Illawarra Hawks is not dead.

After a flurry of news and reports in the first weekend of the franchise being up for sale, everything has gone quiet around the Illawarra Hawks, the NBL and LaMelo Ball’s consortium. But that delay is not due in part to Ball and his camp. In an interview with AAP’s Peter Mitchell, LaVar Ball talked about the status of the sale of the franchise.

Ball’s father, LaVar Ball, said on Thursday the 18-year-old is “ready, willing and able” to purchase the team.

“We are just waiting to see what they (NBL) say,” LaVar told AAP on Thursday.

Initially, it appeared LaMelo and his consortium had quickly swooped in and bought the franchise days after the NBL took control of the team. But Jermaine Jackson, LaMelo’s manager, jumped the gun on the news as the NBL was still fielding offers.

LaVar noted in the interview that the current COVID-19 situation has delayed matters with regards to the purchase of the team and reiterated the deal is not dead. While the current situation has slowed matters, though, it also means there is no rush from either side on the situation as well.

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Aaron Brooks believes LaMelo Ball will succeed in NBA: ‘He wants to be great’

After spending a season with LaMelo Ball in Australia, Aaron Brooks is a firm believer in LaMelo Ball’s bright future in the NBA.

By his own admission, Aaron Brooks did not expect to either be a teammate of LaMelo Ball’s nor did he expect to enjoy the experience. But Brooks admitted that he was pleasantly surprised by his experience with Ball during their handful of games together with the Illawarra Hawks.

Brooks recently detailed what it was like to be a teammate of Ball’s in an interview with TMZSports.

“Just a regular kid, man. I don’t know how he adapts so well. I know at 18, if I had to go through all that, it’d be kind of overwhelming for me. But I think since he’s been a kid, he’s kind of went through it. It doesn’t phase him at all. It’s kind of a lifestyle for him. He, actually, gets through it very well. Kudos to him and his team and what they’ve been doing.”

While Brooks was surprised by Ball off the court, he also was impressed by his willingness to learn on the court and what type of teammate he was during the season.

“He’s a real good guy. Just a real good teammate. Friendly, easy-going. Still trying to learn. Real wet behind the ears. That’s good to have, as a young guy at 18 years old, somebody that’s ready to learn.”

After spending the season with him, even if an abbreviated one, Brooks expects big things from Ball in the future.

“I know he has a lot more improving to do. I know that he’s going to be good because he wants to be good. He wants to be great. I’m just excited for him to get started and hopefully, he lands into a good place that helps him development.”

Brooks certainly has seen and been around enough NBA players young and old to have a well-informed take on how talented Ball is and whether he can make it in the NBA. Brooks spent 10 seasons in the NBA and played with some talented teams in that span, mainly in Houston.

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Aaron Brooks voices support of LaMelo Ball buying Illawarra Hawks: ‘It’s a good business deal’

LaMelo Ball’s pursuit of the Illawarra Hawks has a prominent backer in the form of past teammate Aaron Brooks.

While there have been multiple people directly associated with the Illawarra Hawks and the NBL speak out against the potential of LaMelo Ball buying the franchise, one prominent figure from last season’s team recently backed Ball.

Former Hawks teammate Aaron Brooks, who was the team’s veteran leader before going down with an injury early in the season that ruled him out for the year, voiced his support of Ball buying the franchise in an interview with TMZSports.

“One, it’s a good business deal. The NBL is doing a great job of growing the league and it’s an up-and-coming league. And I think that team is destined for success. That city is hungry for success. Kudos to him for making that big boss move and trying to purchase the team early. Young guys should follow suit. I think it’s just great. It’s a great opportunity for him to invest into a league that is that good.”

Ball’s pursuit of purchasing the Hawks has seen pushback from both a former NBL commissioner and a former player for Illawarra. Both had reservations of different kinds for Ball ranging from how economically beneficial purchasing the club may be to how committed Ball would be.

But no other owner could bring the international recognition that Ball could. And few could offer the potential financial backing Ball could should he have even a semi-successful NBA career of his own.

It’s a calculated risk that Ball, his consortium and the league will have to weigh together before a final decision is made.

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Report: LaMelo Ball, RJ Hampton earned $500,000 for season in NBL

LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton were two of the highest-paid players in the 2019-20 NBL season as part of the Next Stars program.

LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton’s decision to take part in the Next Stars program in the NBL had multiple benefits for the prospects. On top of allowing the players to develop their skillsets as a professional in an environment without classes or tests or the responsibilities that go along with being a student-athlete, the NBL also offered a financial incentive that the NCAA (legally) doesn’t.

During Monday’s episode of The Hoop Collective podcast with Brian Windhorst, DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony offered new details as to what the contracts for Ball and Hampton looked like for the NBL.

“They will end up netting around $500,000 after they get (incentives). It’s the same thing with Jalen Green. It’s incentivized. He has to play a certain amount of games, he has to make a certain amount of appearances, he has to conduct their life skills part of the program. So, I think (the NBA) looked at what happened in the NBL and LaMelo Ball, his last game was Nov. 30. He had two triple-doubles then he had this mysterious foot injury, shut it down and didn’t play another game the rest of the season. That was a big hit for the NBL.”

This is the first reported figure for Ball and Hampton’s deals with the NBL. The only relatively certainty was that the league outbid the NBA’s G League Select Contract. Prior to the recent changes, the G League Select Contract was $125,000 last season.

The $500,000 contracts for Ball and Hampton are huge figures relative to the rest of the NBL. The salary cap for last season in the NBL was $1.43 million, meaning Ball and Hampton theoretically made up one-third of their team’s salary cap. However, their salaries do not count toward the cap as the league pays their salaries.

Still, it puts into perspective how big their salaries are. For more context, one of the league’s top players, Bryce Cotton, earned $600,000 for the 2017-18 season and was the highest-paid player in the league. While it’s a few years in the past, it again gives an idea of how large Ball and Hampton’s salaries were.

Aaron Brooks on Illawarra teammate LaMelo Ball: I expected him to be a Kardashian

Illawarra Hawks teammate Aaron Brooks admitted to his preconceived notion being wrong about LaMelo Ball before playing with him.

One of the benefits of LaMelo Ball’s time in Australia with the Illawarra Hawks was the valuable experience of playing with fellow professionals. Having one or more mentors, particularly at Ball’s age, can prove vital in the development of prospects.

But one specific player stood out above the rest as a great potential mentor for Ball. Aaron Brooks, a long-time former point guard in the NBA, signed with the Hawks before Ball. While he only played half a season in Illawarra before suffering a torn Achilles, it was more than enough time for Brooks to admit he was wrong about his idea of what Ball was.

In an interview with TMZ, Brooks admitted that his preconceived notion of Ball led to him not wanting to be teammates with the 18-year old.

“I signed with Illawarra before I even knew he was going to be there. I know it came out the opposite way. For me, when I found out he was going to be there, I was like ‘Look, I don’t want to go through that.’ I come from the old school of being with Dikembe Mutombo and Rafer Alston and Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. Now I’m playing with 18-year old, Kardashian kid. That’s what I was kind of (thinking)…I was like ‘Alright, I just want to play basketball.’”

However, Ball quickly endeared himself not just to Brooks but to the team as a whole. His low-profile personality and work ethic left a lasting mark on Brooks, who admitted to being wrong about the youngest Ball sibling.

“What surprised me is he was just like a real cool kid. I would have never known he had that many followers (on social media) unless we went out because he was just one of the guys. He had a roommate just like everybody else. He traveled with the team like everybody else. He was just one of the regular guys. When I said we needed to go get some extra work in, he was ready to go get some extra work in. When we had extra running to do, he did extra running. At 18, when I say there’s guy that got drafted in Houston and they were rookies and they were 21 and had less accolades than him and were bigger assholes, for him to be the way he was was surprising to me. Just a good kid, man.”

Ball’s work ethic is something that Hawks head coach Matt Flinn noted quickly on after having Ball join the team. And, similar to Brooks, Flinn seemed surprised by Ball given what the narrative surrounding him is.

Still, though, many see Ball as a Kardashian-esque figure with a ton of popularity and a work ethic that doesn’t match. It’ll be another narrative he’ll likely have to break once entering the league as Ball continues to disprove the Kardashian-based notion.

Illawarra Hawks legend Glen Saville says LaMelo Ball buying franchise is not the right move

While the general public has viewed the move positively, Illawarra legend Glen Saville is not in support of LaMelo Ball buying the franchise.

LaMelo Ball has been met with both encouragement and push back with his pursuit of purchasing the Illawarra Hawks franchise. While the sentiment in the general public has been positive, those close to the league and the franchise have pushed against the idea.

Recently, former league commissioner Rick Burton warned Ball about the pitfalls of buying into the NBL. He isn’t the only one associated with the league that isn’t high on the idea of Ball being apart of it.

Illawarra Hawks legend Glen Saville, regarded as one of the franchise’s greatest players ever, is also not throwing his support behind a Ball-led consortium. In an interview with the Illawarra Mercury, Saville was asked if Ball buying the franchise was the right move for the Hawks.

“For me personally, I don’t think so. It’s just my opinion. I don’t know what’s going on with that whole situation, I’m just taking in what everyone else is taking in through the media. It was great when he came into our competition, it did a lot for the crowds, it did a lot for our local community, but at the end of the day, he left the club without the club and the players even knowing about it after being injured for more than half the season.

If he was that interested in being involved in our club, why would he just jump on a plane and head back to US without actually telling anyone he was leaving?”

Saville also raised other valid points, most notably in the fact that Ball himself still has not spoken on the matter. The only comments from his camp came from his manager Jermaine Jackson and not from Ball himself. Saville also noted that, as an outsider, Ball doesn’t have a grasp on what the franchise means to the community.

“It’s great from a media perspective that it came out in the papers that he wanted to buy the team and he wanted to be involved in it but I don’t think he totally understands the legacy that is involved with Illawarra, me having been involved in it for 25 years.

There’s other fans and people that have been involved a lot longer than that, there’s long legacy and a long history with this club. I’m not sure he understands it.”

Saville played over 500 games for the Hawks and captained the franchise to its lone NBL title in 2001, winning Grand Final MVP as well. After his retirement, the franchise retired his jersey, one of only five jerseys to hang in the rafters for the Hawks.

All that means there are few people who know what’s best for the Hawks more than Saville. His questions raised are legitimate and they’re ones Ball will have to answer both with words and with his actions should he take over the franchise.

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