Happy Birthday Patty

Happy Birthday to Patty Mills who turned 21 years old on Tuesday!


He was caught in the stands watching his two formers teams

The AIS and St Marys go head to head, and was interviewed on the sidelines about all things Patty...

Millions Miles from Mills

Damn.

Things were looking so good.


"You never want to see a player get injured, but it is especially heart-wrenching to see a young man go down on his first day of camp," Portland general manager Kevin Pritchard said.

"We'll do everything we can to help Patty get back on track to realise his NBA future."

After first hearing of his injury in the very first training session for his new team, nothing else was said.

He would miss the entire Summer League and his opportunity to prove all of the teams that passed on him wrong.

I have waited to comment on the tough situation for such a likable guy, until some more facts came through… and I knew they wouldn’t be pretty.

Since then, the silence has been DEAFENING. And now we know why.

It has been reported today…

Patty Mills to miss 4-6 months of action.

Damn.

Reported today in a number of places. This excerpt comes courtesy of SLAMONLINE.COM

The Aussie PG will have his work cut out for him this season if he’s to have any hopes of making an NBA roster:

“Pritchard said doctors inserted a screw to repair the foot and Mills is expected to miss four to six months. That eliminates any chance at a training camp invitation for Mills, but Pritchard refused to address his future with the team. The Blazers selected Mills with their last pick of last month’s draft, No.55 overall. ‘Feel really bad for the kid,’ Pritchard said. ‘He’s a great kid and a high-energy guy who came in looking to really make an impression on us. It was just an unfortunate accident.’”

How quickly things change.

Less than a year ago he was almost the biggest basketball story to come out of the Olympics, heaped with praise from Kobe Bryant and LeBron James to Coach K.

First he missed a chance put his team in the NCAA tournament barely recovering from a broken hand to play out his College career.


Then, last time I wrote it was about his obvious frustration and disappointment at being overlooked by so many teams in the NBA Draft.

That would seem like nothing now, compared with the uphill battle the young man has now to even make the League.

Coincidently his first Summer League game was to be played against the Toronto Raptors and his best friend Nathan Jawai (who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks that very day). He was all set, he was to wear number #8, but of course that never happened.



Back when I first heard about the injury I scribbled down some notes.

- Hopefully not stuck in Europe ala Brad Newley. Was Newley a higher pick even?
- The Curse of Sam Bowie… he’s no Greg Oden, but a blazer struck down with injury nonetheless.

I also pictured the current Poll on my Blog, which I had not updated and was asking ‘where would you like to see Mills play next season’.

The Melbourne Tigers was an option, a joke option, but even before his injury there were rumours that Mills wouldn’t make the Trailblazers roster and would end up over in Europe or playing back Down Under for someone.

Unfortunately, that even seems a long way off at this stage.

As a basketball fan, pinning the hopes of the sport in this nation on his shoulders it’s a big blow.

Perhaps we placed too much pressure on the guy too early. We didn’t cause his injury, but it definitely raised our expectations for him and the almost saviour like aura, that many (including myself) projected onto him.

I knew that the NBA draft is extremely unpredictable. Watching Aussie after Aussie attempt to break into the league, I knew things are never as smooth as you think.

Patty Mills was always going to be borderline first round, but Alpha Magazine obviously didn’t quite understand the situation and in an attempt to sell mags, was asking questions like the one below.


As I sat down to read my first ever purchased copy, I wondered if they understood how far ahead of themselves they were getting when they asked…

Have you considered what you will do with an NBA pay packet?

Patty’s response was a fair one, but I hasten to add that it was probably edited a bit too. I believe he would have been even more humble in his full response, but that isn’t very sexy.

He Said:

"That's a bit too far ahead for me to think. I have no idea what I'll do with it. I won't know until I actually have it in my hands."

We all hope you do someday Patty, we all hope you do!

Patty Mills Drafted. But...

Congrats Patty Mills on being drafted.

But…It’s clear Patty wasn’t happy that he dropped so low in the draft.

But…He actually went to a team where he has a serious chance of getting minutes.

But…Nate Jawai and Brad Newley are prime example’s of what can happen to your career when you are a second round pick. They certainly weren’t welcomed to the league with open arms.

But…Ben Wallace and Gilbert Arenas are prime example’s of what can happen to your career when you feel like you have been underappreciated or ‘dissed’, and drafted below where evvvverrrryone is saying you should have been.

But…Who knows? Let’s hope he makes the team!

Full Steam Ahead For Mills

From ESPN.com

Mills will skip two years for draft

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Patty Mills is prepared to test his talent in the NBA.

The Australian Olympic star and point guard from Saint Mary's College said Monday he will forgo his final two years of college eligibility and keep his name in the NBA draft.

"In my head, I'm 100 percent in," Mills said. "There's a great opportunity for me to play in the NBA this year and I'm trying to make the most of the opportunity."

The 6-foot, 175-pound Mills was among 12 players to work out in two separate sessions Monday for 21 NBA teams at the Golden State Warriors' practice facility. He even campaigned for the Warriors to select him on draft day June 25 so he can stay in the Bay Area.

"It's home away from home for me at the moment," Mills said, wearing navy blue Warriors practice gear and sporting a Golden State towel around his neck.

He said the only way he would return to school would be if enough teams told him before the draft that he should play another college season.

"I haven't heard that as of yet," Mills said.



He is set to leave Wednesday to attend a showcase camp in Italy for European teams, then said he will have workouts with Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee.

This draft is heavy with point guards and Mills knows it.

"If you look at it this year, it gives me more motivation," he said.

He is committed to turning pro even if his stock were to drop to the second round, though he is projected as a late first-rounder.

He saw first hand some of the other top players at his position. Wake Forest's Jeff Teague, Eric Maynor of Virginia Commonwealth and Arkansas' Patrick Beverley also participated in his six-player session Monday. About half of the hour-long workout was devoted to drills and the rest to 3-on-3 play.

"They're all great point guards," said Mills, who turns 21 in August. "It's good to come in here and work out with them to see where I'm at and where they're at as well."

Mills, who averaged career highs of 18.7 points, 4.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals during his sophomore season at Saint Mary's, broke his hand Jan. 29 against Gonzaga but returned for the West Coast Conference tournament and the Gaels' run to the quarterfinals of the NIT.

He had his hand examined four weeks ago and an X-ray showed it's completely healed.

Mills made a name for himself nationally with his standout freshman season and NCAA appearance with Saint Mary's College. But he became internationally known with his performance in the Beijing Games as the lone college player in the field.

Mills scored 20 points in the quarterfinals against the gold-winning U.S. team full of NBA stars. He also had three assists, two steals and no turnovers. U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke took notice.



So did Kobe Bryant, who recently offered Mills some advice.

"I still act like a small kid and get excited," Mills said of talking to Bryant. "He said, 'Look, believe in yourself. You showed it against us in the summer.' ... Obviously my Olympic campaign helped me a lot last summer."




Check out the NBA Draft sites below for updates and Mock Drafts of where Mills may get picked:

Draftexpress.com

NBAdraft.net

Check out my past blogs on Patty and all things Basketball by clicking here and answer my Poll question!

What NBA Team Would You Like To See Mills Play For?