Patrick Mills… in HD..
It's finally happening for the young kid from Australia. Patrick "Patty" Mills has been called up to the Portland Trailblazers tonight against the LA Clippers. With injuries, illness and just plain bad luck, the Blazers' once promising season is slowly turning into a train wreck!
This is a good news story though as Mills has battled his way back from a broken foot to finally try to honor his selection in last June's NBA Draft. We've been keeping an eye on him since the '08 Olympics and wish him all the best.
Mills will wear the number 8 jersey for Portland.
Keep a lookout for that Blazers @ Clippers box score tonight as anyone who can score 38pts on 7-10 3pt shooting while dropping 11 assists is worth a look in ANY game of Basketball. Good luck Patty, it's been a long road... now go out and enjoy it.
Portland Pat…
As previously discussed here at 2soth, Australian Olympic and St Mary's sensation Patrick Mills was trying desperately to make the Portland Trail Blazers roster. With injuries looking like closing his first door to the the NBA, things weren't looking good for the 55th overall pick in the 2009 Draft.
Well, the Patty Mills experiment is now officially alive in Portland. The Blazers surprisingly cut Ime Udoka in choosing Mills.
Let's hope we can see him back in action soon.
Well done Patty.
Mills & BOOM?
With the 55th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Portland Trailblazers selected Australian National Representative, Patrick "Patty" Mills from St Mary's College.
Australian fans rejoiced as a new opportunity to follow an Aussie on the NBA's stage arose.
Patrick Mills dazzled fans and foes of St Mary's alike with his lightning quick speed and his electrifying energy for success. Some of the games he took over were so good, you couldn't look away. Acrobatic shots, incredible passing, strong leadership and most importantly... good, clean, team Basketball.
Unfortunately, Mills injured himself not only in January against Gonzaga, but again recently in his first practice with the Blazers, where he broke his foot. According to the Canberra Times, on October 6th, Mills will have an X-Ray done on his foot and should return to the court at that time. He will then have a mere 21 days to convince the Blazers organisation that he is the man for their final roster spot.
Patty Mills - Destined to play in the NBA?
A guy that brought so much entertainment to the court in College and the Olympics, should get a chance to showcase his talents in the NBA. The biggest hurdle will be the fact the Blazers have plenty of personnel at point guard after acquiring Andre Miller from the Sixers this summer. They already have Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless at their disposal, so making this roster will be tough.
At the end of the day, this young kid has seen a lot of road blocks and has still been able to move onwards and upwards. Here's hoping Patty can make a splash in the NBA soon, either with Portland or against them.