Safety-first Policy May Cost Nielsen
Sun Herald
Sunday March 9, 2008
A DISPUTE over an insurance policy could keep one of Australia's best basketballers out of the Olympics.
Key forward Matt Nielsen is locked in a stand-off with Basketball Australia, which has given the Lithuania-based star a deadline of Tuesday night to indicate whether or not he will be available for the Boomers' tilt at their first Olympic medal.The complication centres on Nielsen's apparent fear that if he is injured while playing for the Boomers and his Lithuanian club, Lietuvos Rytas, terminates his contract, he will not be properly insured. The Sun-Herald understands it would be illegal for the club to terminate Nielsen's contract on such a basis. BA chief executive Scott Derwin said his organisation had increased its cover of players for such an event from $200,000 to $300,000 last year.Nevertheless, Nielsen still has concerns. The issue kept him out of the 2006 World Championship and could come back to haunt Australia at Beijing.Derwin said the situation was unique to Nielsen because most other overseas-based players had their own insurance policies. NBA player Andrew Bogut is covered under an arrangement between world governing body FIBA and the NBA."We've told [Nielsen's manager] Grant Cadee that we need to know if Matt will be available," Derwin said. "We want to name the squad in the next 10 days."We want Matt to play. We think he wants to play. We just need to work through this. We've basically said, 'This is our insurance policy, this is what's available. If you're not comfortable with it, you need to make separate arrangements'."Boomers coach Brian Goorjian said he wanted the issue settled."I'm comfortable that BA's going to do everything it possibly can," Goorjian said. "They're trying to come to some sort of an agreement now. My only thing in this is to make sure we go one way or another now. I don't want it to be drawn out. I need to know this thing will be over. If he isn't available then I need to find a replacement."The situation has Goorjian miffed."He's the only one involved in this problem," Goorjian said. "There's no one else dealing with this. Bogut, [David] Andersen, all those guys ... this is a particular situation that applies to him only. In my time with the national team - and this is my fifth year - Matt is the only one we've had a problem with."It's a problem that's lingered for two or three years now. But it's an Olympic year and I need to find out what's happening."Goorjian said he had tried to help fix the impasse but had recently opted to take a step back."I spoke to him up to this point but now I've stepped away," he said. "It's not my place to be involved. I have a friendship and a basketball relationship with Matt. We've talked about the national program and the Olympics. But now it's up to them to sort it out."Nielsen would form a potent force with Bogut if the dispute was settled."We miss him when he's not there," Goorjian said. "He's a leader in the group, he played in Greece [at the Athens Games], he's a very versatile big man and one of our few who play outside of Australia. "He's an automatic selection and you don't want to miss out on those. We want to make sure that he's comfortable being there [in the Boomers] and he feels good about things. Right now, it's not right."MATT NIELSEN* Born: February 3, 1978* Height: 209cm* Position: Forward* 1995: Joins Sydney Kings* 1996: AIS scholarship* 1997: NBL rookie of the year* 1997: Gold medallist with Australian under 23s at world championships* 1998: First selected for Boomers* 1998: Captains under-20s world team* 2003: Wins NBL title with Kings* 2004: Captains the Kings to another title and gains MVP award for season, grand final MVP and place in NBL team* 2004: Plays at Athens Games* 2004: Signs with POAK in Greece* 2005: Leaves for Europe and has lived in Lithuania since
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