AUS - 'Headbanger' Dellavedova competes at next level

CLEVELAND (NBA) - Australia's Olympic playmaker Matthew Dellavedova wasn't drafted after his senior year at St Mary's College but that hasn't stopped him from chasing his NBA dream.

There is a very good chance he'll be wearing a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey in 2013-14.

The feisty, hard-nosed point guard has been playing every minute in practices and games during the pre-season with the Cavs as if it could be his last with the team, and the sense of urgency hasn't gone unnoticed.

Mike Brown, the coach of the Cavaliers, has used the Boomer a lot with veteran guard Jarrett Jack out of the line-up to rest a sore knee.

"He's played well for us,'' Brown said.

"He's tough. He's smart. He's a leader.

"He's done a nice job taking care of the basketball, especially for a rookie, because he kind of got thrown into the fire a little bit with Jarrett being out.

"He's played major minutes for us and he's done a nice job. I can't ask for much more than that.''

Another NBA coach knows Jack better.

Brett Brown, a former San Antonio Spurs assistant who was put in charge of the Philadelphia 76ers after last season, coached Dellavedova for four summers when he held the reins of the Australia national team.

He cut Dellavedova before the 2010 FIBA World Championship but two years later, Brown not only included him in his Olympic squad but made him the starter.

"Matt Dellavedova, when you start talking about the character and DNA of people, he ticks the right way," Brett Brown said to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

"He's a country Victorian, true Aussie that is a headbanger.

"He plays with reckless abandon. There's a physicality to him and a toughness you fall in love with.

"He at times might not be pretty, he's a little bit Neanderthal in how he goes about his business, but he's for real.

"I loved coaching him and I'm so proud of the opportunity he's taken advantage of with Jarrett Jack out. Matt Dellavedova is a winner.''

Everything is going very fast for the 23-year-old.

Earlier this year, he was playing college basketball.

Then there was the summer league and then the FIBA Oceania Championship.

Dellavedova helped Australia beat New Zealand in both games (The Boomers and Tall Blacks will each be in the 24-team field for next year's FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain).

Ever since, the 1.93m guard has been supremely focused on making it in the NBA, like so many other Australians have done over the years.

Boomers Pat Mills, Aron Baynes (both San Antonio) and Andrew Bogut (Golden State Warriors) are in the league right now.

"Right now I'm just trying to make the roster here. Just short-term right now," Dellavedova said to Basketball Australia.

"I'm just worrying about that right now, just putting everything into that and we'll see how we go."

FIBA