MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy's View from Downunder) - It's that close you can almost smell it, and Basketball Australia (BA) naming the national team for the first FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers on 23 November makes it seem very real.

In case you haven't heard, after a visit to Chinese Taipei on November 24 the Boomers will welcome Japan to Titanium Security Arena in Adelaide on Monday the 27^th.

If you believe BA chief Anthony Moore - and the 6000-plus crowds the Adelaide 36ers have been drawing early in the NBL season suggest there's no reason not to - there will be a loud atmosphere to welcome a new era.

Some areas of concern for coach Andrej Lemanis coming out of that game would have been committing 19 turnovers, and putting Japan to the free-throw line 25 times.

So despite the lopsided game, this week's selection shows Lemanis is not taking Chinese Taipei or Japan lightly, nor is he viewing this as a development opportunity.

Perform now
That tale is told clearly by the inclusion of Rio Olympians Damian Martin and Chris Goulding, who weren't available for the Asia Cup.

Martin will turn 35 during the China 2019 World Cup, and given his much-respected game does rely a significant amount on energy and effort, it's unlikely he'll be in green and gold in two years' time.

That gives a great insight into Lemanis' thinking. He wants players who will drive the culture and trademarks that were so instrumental in the Boomers' Rio success.

He also wants players who are going to play the way he wants now, to ensure the Boomers do qualify without any unnecessary alarms, and through that the coaching staff will be able to assess their suitability for a place in a full-strength side.

When you think about it, if younger point guards like Jason Cadee and Mitch Norton can't outperform Martin, there's probably not a place for them at the World Cup.

Changes
Martin comes in for Norton for this opening qualifying window, but I'm sure Mitch will get opportunities down the track to stake his claim, especially as he can bring some of the skills that have made Damo so valuable to the program.

Goulding replaces Todd Blanchfield and will be looking to make a real impact to stake his claim for China 2019.

The Melbourne United super-scorer was impressive in 2015 and 2016 with his ability to fill a role and up his contribution in the various one-percenters, making him more valuable than I thought he would be without getting a lot of the ball.

But the 29-year-old is capable of more than that on the international stage, and through intelligent use of Lemanis' system to generate good looks he can make a strong case for more responsibility even when the NBA stars return.

As for Blanchfield, he played the fewest minutes of any Boomer in the Asia Cup and never really got his perimeter shot going, so his omission is no great surprise.

That probably hasn't been helped by the situation of his Sydney Kings, with the 26-year-old being played out of position as a power forward and struggling to excel in a new role in a team lacking cohesion.

At his best, Blanchfield is a player who has shown he can fit around other talented players without demanding a lot of the ball, so I would be surprised if we don't see him resurface again before the qualifiers are over.

Smaller ball
The other inclusion is Adelaide's Nathan Sobey, who takes the place of David Andersen, who missed the Asia Cup due to a shoulder injury and is still finding his feet again for Melbourne in the NBL.

The fact Lemanis went with a shooting guard like Sobey rather than a like-for-like replacement big tells us two things.

Firstly Sobey's form has been too good to ignore, his ability to rebound and run, then slash to the basket, finish in style, find a teammate or splash a pull-up triple is something rarely found in an Australian player.

His off-season stint in Greece showed he can be effective in different styles of play too, which is one question mark I had about his superb showing in Adelaide's incredible high-octane system. It's incredible to think just two seasons ago he was anchored to the 36ers' bench.

Secondly the Asia Cup showed the Boomers don't need a lot size to be successful in their new continental home. With Nick Kay, Angus Brandt and Matt Hodgson they can dominate almost any Asian opponent for size, then Daniel Kickert provides finesse and Mitch Creek a mobile change-up.

Given the struggles they had looking after the ball against Japan in August - and sure some of that was first-game rust - it is wise to bring in Martin, Goulding and Sobey who can all sure up that area.

As for the nine players retained, that makes it clear that if you perform well you'll give yourself every chance of staying a Boomer.

Many people wondered why Adam Gibson stayed in the team so long when his NBL form had declined. Simple, he was performing the role Lemanis needed from him.

While there is plenty of NBA talent to come back in, expect someone to emerge from these Qualifiers into the China 2019 and, hopefully, Tokyo 2020 sides.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

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