Midfielder Ono joins Western Sydney Wanderers

Former Japan international Shinji Ono has signed with Western Sydney Wanderers, the Australian club said on its official website on Friday.

The 33-year-old Shimizu S-Pulse midfielder will arrive in Australia on Monday and could be ready for the Wanderers' first ever game in the A-League against Central Coast Mariners at Parramatta Stadium, the club said.

Ono played for Urawa Reds (1998-2001 and 2006-2007), Dutch club Feyenoord (2001-2005) and Bochum of Germany (2007-2010) before moving to S-Pulse.

Ono has been capped 56 times by his country, including playing at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups. He has made 14 league appearances for S-Pulse this season but playing opportunities have been recently decreasing.

Wanderers coach Tony Popovic said he was delighted to have someone of Shinji's talent and experience joining the Wanderers.

"We have been in talks with Shinji and his management for a long time now, we have gone through the process and believe he will add a large amount to our squad across all areas," Popovic said.

"He is an experienced player at all levels and has played on some of the biggest stages in the world, his professionalism at the top level will be good for all to see."

Executive chairman Lyall Gorman said the signing of such a top-class player would be warmly welcomed by the Wanderers Members.

"The signing of Shinji Ono will bring plenty of quality to our team and plenty of excitement to Parramatta Stadium," said Gorman. "This complements our policy of developing Western Sydney products. Shinji's class and professionalism will rub off on all the young players we have."

"The added benefit is the international profile Shinji will bring to the Wanderers and give us another way to connect with fans across western Sydney."

View the original article here

Kings stun Blues on road to open Western Conference semis

Watch the throne: Kings goalie Jonathan Quick deflects a shot by the Blues' Andy McDonald on Saturday in St. Louis. Los Angeles won 3-1 to take a 1-0 lead in their playoff series. AP

ST. LOUIS — Goals from unexpected sources put the Los Angeles Kings in position for another road triumph. Jonathan Quick — no surprise there — made those scores stand up.

Matt Greene scored his first career playoff goal short-handed late in the second period and rookie Slava Voynov also got his first of the playoffs as the Kings beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 in the opener of a Western Conference semifinal series on Saturday night.

"It's definitely a great feeling to be able to chip in and help out a little bit," Greene said. "But we have a lot of work to do."

Quick, who shut out the Blues twice in the regular season, made 28 saves and is 5-1 in the postseason with a 1.55 goals-against average. He was at his best in the first period, charging from the crease to stuff a backhander by B.J. Crombeen and also stopped a wraparound attempt by Patrik Berglund.

"It was a great win," Quick said. "We get to enjoy it for five minutes and then focus on Monday."

Game 2 is Monday night in St. Louis.

The Blues could be without defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who didn't play in the third period after getting his head driven into the boards by Dwight King behind the St. Louis net on the penalty that led to the short-handed goal.

Coach Ken Hitchcock seemed to indicate Pietrangelo had concussion symptoms, but said he couldn't concern himself with that right now.

"I don't want to get into whether he's going to play or not play," Hitchcock said. "Everybody saw the hit. We all know what the injury is. If he's not in, then somebody else gets to jump up.

"I've got bigger issues than replacing Petro. We need much more commitment from our top players."

Dustin Penner added an empty-netter for the Kings, who were 3-0 on the road while taking down the President's Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks in five games in the first round. Los Angeles is the eighth seed in the conference but won the season series 3-1.

"No one gave us a good chance against Vancouver, I don't think," forward Dustin Brown said. "I doubt very few people are giving us a chance against the Blues. It's up to us."

NEW YORK — Chris Kreider is six games into his NHL career and days shy of his 21st birthday.

And yet the Stanley Cup playoffs are anything but overwhelming for the newest New York Rangers forward who has quickly become a hit on Broadway.

Kreider scored the go-ahead goal and then set up Brad Richards' insurance tally 90 seconds later in the third period to lift New York to a 3-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday in the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Kreider, who earlier this month helped Boston College win the NCAA championship, scored the second goal of his NHL career — and these playoffs — and he did it at the perfect time to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead 7:00 into the third.

Both Kreider's goals have been playoff game-winners. He also had the deciding marker in New York's Game 6 victory at Ottawa when the Rangers played the first of two potential elimination games in the first round.

"I'm kind of at a loss for words," Kreider said. "I'm just trying to keep my head down and work hard. Whether or not the puck goes in, I'm just trying to play the same role I play every night and be consistent and be defensively reliable."

Kreider got into the Rangers lineup only because fellow rookie Carl Hagelin was suspended for three games when he elbowed Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson in Game 2.

View the original article here

Western Conference up for grabs in compact 66-game season

LOS ANGELES — Before we see what's cookin' in the Spaghetti Western Conference (eight projected playoff teams, in no particular order), it has come to my attention Kim Jong Un isn't quite the NBA freak as publicized. On the other hand, a North Korean source (David Petraeus wishes he had my contacts) reveals he was a big fan of the lockout.

Lakers: "We almost have to be perfect this season," Kobe Bryant said Wednesday night at dinner. "There's little margin for error." His damaged right wrist that supposedly can't get worse with game use/abuse the team medical staff maintains (famous last words), cut that margin. This could get unsightly and unfriendly real fast.

Lamar Odom was donated to the defending champs without receiving so much as a squeaky working part in exchange. There's a conspicuous nonexistence of a bouncy, brainy orchestrator, like, say Chris Paul or Chauncey Billups, to stage-manage Mike Brown's revamped offense (as opposed to clear-it-out-and-let-LeBron-go-one-on-one) and stay in front of dribbling machines.

Andrew Bynum is suspended for the first four games and operates on 25-year-old, four-time surgically repaired knees. Pau Gasol is in a flamin' funk in the wake of nearly being extradited to Houston after contributing decidedly to two titles and three Finals forays in four seasons. And World Peace is finding it Mettaphysically impossible even to shoot as well as Ron Artest did.

It sure looks like management is more interested in decreasing luxury tax debt — saving $17.8 million this season in Odom's case — than winning it all this season, Kobe lamented.

"Hopefully, management knows what it's doing and will provide us with our missing pieces. Hey, I'm just a player. I have no input concerning anything that happens here. In fact, I learned we'd hired our coach from reading it online. . .

"I've never known what's going on. That's why I went public (May 2007) and demanded a trade. When it became obvious to me that management wasn't trying to compete for a championship I felt my only recourse was to embarrass (owner Jerry Buss) into doing it;" hence the hijacking of Gasol from Memphis.

So, how do you think your team is going to do? I asked.

"No, we're going to be perfect," Bryant said. "I have a good feeling about how things are going to turn out."

Clippers: Life has become practically mediocre since I've begun shamelessly selling Personal Seat Licenses on my Paper Clip bandwagon. What's not to swoon over? Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Billups, Caron Butler and a troupe of well-trained supporting actors. Sources say Vinny Del Negro had better get off to a good start; Donald Sterling is poised to bring back Mike Dunleavy . . . and actually pay him this time.

"I'm not concerned about them," Bryant said. "They're tiny."

Mavericks: Most disrespected team coming off a championship ever. Making perfunctory effort (one-year offers) to re-sign Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea, DeShawn Stevenson and (non-contributor-due-to-injury) Butler has a lot to do with it. Owner Mark Cuban recovered splendidly by shoplifting Odom and enlisting Vince Carter and Delonte West. But it's hard to imagine Dirk Nowitzki coming out of this more than a one-Heat wonder with purely a downcast of scorers.

Thunder: Everyone's chic selection to lift Larry O'Brien's hardware. Have made requisite steps deeper into postseason. Being younger, deeper, together longer and more athletic than just about any other outpost is not a detriment in Uncle David's Mad Dash.

Popular opinion advocates Celtics made unspeakable deal giving up Kendrick Perkins. An insider claims a hard-core center isn't all that popular with the coaching staff. Toughness and a block or two doesn't compensate for inferior rebounding and inability to finish a layup.

Russell Westbrook needs to become more of a point, learn to balance the floor and not force his shot. It also wouldn't be a bad idea if he learned how to play off the ball when James Harden is dockside. A freak athlete, Westbrook would be a force in the occupied area. If Serge Ibaka keeps improving, OKC will be tough to beat four times in a seven-game series.

Spurs: I'm guessing matching last season's 61 wins is a crack-pipe dream — even with those AARP discounts. How do they replace George Hill and Antonio McDyess?

Aging star Tim Duncan spent the off-season in San Antonio working out twice a day. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili represented France and Argentina and led their national teams to qualifying berths in the 2012 Olympics.

Grizzlies: Rudy Gay may be the team's superior sharpshooter, but they established a nasty defensive attitude after he got hurt, in large part traced to Shane Battier, Darrell Arthur, Sam Young and Tony Allen. Duplicating those 46 wins and advancing to the second round is not an encore I envision.

The Heat-seeking Battier is gone. Arthur's ruptured right Achilles deactivated him for the season. And a Memphis source divulges the self-absorbed Allen has become unbearable to coach and be around.

Nuggets: As we get further removed from the Carmelo Caper and George Karl's health issues, they become a tougher out. Nene and Aaron Afflalo re-upped. Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson are next in line to get overpaid. And then there's the matter of the Chinese takeout once free agents Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler return to the United States.

Timberwolves: Positioned to take a giant step for (David) ManKahn. The GM added Derrick Williams, Barea, Ricky Rubio, Brad Miller and coach Rick Adelman.

"Rubio is going to benefit playing and learning from Luke Ridnour. Just ask Brandon Jennings how that worked," column contributor Ricky St. Jean accentuates.

Peter Vecsey covers the NBA for the New York Post.

View the original article here

Western Conference squads enjoying success on road

If this season's first 20 games have proven anything, there's no such thing as home sweet home for the Miyazaki Shining Suns. Nor is there a home-court advantage for coach Koto Toyama's team.

Steady play: Shiga Lakestars guard Yu Okada (left), seen driving on Yokohama B-Corsairs guard Masayuki Kabaya on Dec. 16, has helped his club win six of its 10 road games. KAZ NAGATSUKA PHOTO

Miyazaki (9-11) has lost nine of 10 games at home. But the squad is 8-2 outside of its home prefecture.

Whatever the reason, the Shining Suns are a much-improved team, going 9-5 since an 0-6 start.

Interestingly enough, success on the road is quite common for the league's Western Conference teams this season. Of the West's nine clubs, seven have winning records on the road.

Here's a quick rundown: Ryukyu (15-5 overall, 10-2 road), Osaka (13-5, 8-2), Kyoto (13-5, 6-2), Shiga (14-6, 6-4), Fukuoka (13-7, 8-2) and Shimane (12-8, 8-4).

Only four of the East's 10 teams have winning road records through Sunday.

Of course, West teams have feasted on conference foes Oita (4-16) and Takamatsu (0-20), winning 17 of 20 games at the HeatDevils and Five Arrows' home venues.

Miyazaki. a second-year franchise, is currently in seventh place, but has entered the conversation among potential playoff teams by turning things around in recent weeks, including a two-game sweep over the host Sendai 89ers last weekend.

Captain Taishiro Shimizu is one of the league's most consistent players. In addition to his scoring (listed below), the veteran guard is third in the league in minutes played (681), seventh in free-throw shooting accuracy (82.5 percent) and eighth in 3-point shooting (40.9).

Miyazaki forward/center Darryl Dora is No. 10 in rebounds (10.2 per game). Teammate Dexter Lyons, the team's leading scorer at 16.2, is sixth in steals (2.1).

Statistics alone don't pinpoint how the Shining Suns have developed into a solid team as the season has progressed. They lost five of their first six games by nine points or less. Since then, they have played seven games that were decided by single-digit margins, and are 4-3 in those games, including back-to-back wins over the Evessa (82-79 and 70-68 on Nov. 26-27) and an 89-87 triumph over Eastern Conference-leading Akita on Dec. 10.

Top Japanese scorers: Among the league's native players, Toyama's Masashi Joho is the only one to be his team's top scorer at this stage of the season.

Joho is averaging 14.6 points per game, 30th-highest output in the league.

The next 10 Japanese scorers are Shiga's Yu Okada (13.5 ppg, 40th overall), Osaka's Cohey Aoki (13.3, 42nd), Fukuoka's Akitomo Takeno (12.6, 47th), Miyazaki's Shimizu and Ryukyu's Narito Namizato (12.3, 48th), Niigata's Yuichi Ikeda (11.7, 52nd) Iwate's Makoto Sawaguchi (11.3, 56th), Shimane's Tatsuhiro Yokoo (10.2, 61st), Fukuoka's Jun Nakanishi (9.9, 66th) and Takamatsu's Masaaki Suzuki (9.7).

Solid start: Lakestars coach Alan Westover is pleased with his team's overall play this season. After winning the series opener over the Yokohama B-Corsairs last Friday, Westover addressed the team's performance to date.

"We've had some big wins and we've had some disappointing losses," Westover said. "I think we're getting better week to week as the players get more familiar with the system, and with each other — new players, new coaches. So we're probably pretty fortunate where we are.

"One thing I've learned is, every game in the bj-league is a tough game. No easy games. So we just go out there and play our best, and get over and get ready for the next one."

He added: "As a coach, I guess you're never really satisfied. You see areas where you can improve on. So it's just something like a mechanic with a car engine. You always try to fine tune things and get better at certain things."

The Lakestars have one of the league's most balanced scoring attacks. Led by Ray Nixon (17.1 ppg), Shiga has five double-digit scorers, including Josh Peppers (16.2), Dionisio Gomez (13.7), Okada and Julius Ashby (11.1).

Around the league: Asked to give an assessment of Namizato, who earned a spot on the West's All-Star team in his first season in the bj-league, one longtime hoop observer dished out the following insight:

Namizato is "the best new Japanese player in the bj-league. On talent alone might be one of the top 10, but inexperience drops him to top 20. A shooting guard in a point guard's body, trying to learn how and when to play each role."

Six of the league's top 10 passers are Japanese, a good reflection of the growing number of quality Japanese guards. Shimane's Edward Yamamoto is second overall in assists (6.0 per game), Sendai's Takehiko Shimura is fourth (5.1), Oita's Naoto Takushi and Shimizu are tied for seventh (4.5), Iwate's Yoshiaki Yamamoto is ninth (4.4) and Namizato is 10th (4.3). ...

Evessa forward Lynn Washington was handed a one-game suspension after being whistled and ejected for a flagrant foul 2 on Sunday against Akita. Washington will miss this Saturday's game against Sendai.

Did you know?: Three former bj-league players could play their first NBA regular-season game in the coming days: Golden State's Jeremy Tyler (ex-Tokyo Apache forward/center), Zach Andrews of the Los Angeles Lakers (former Niigata Albirex BB post player) and San Antonio Spurs forward Luke Zeller (ex-Shiga Lakestars standout).

Role model: Evessa guard Kevin Tyner had a breakthrough game on Sunday for the Evessa, scoring 21 points and leading the offense against the Happinets in the series finale.

Sendai coach Bob Pierce believes Tyner, a Western Oregon University product, is a good player for Japanese guards to model their games after, noting Tyner's size (183 cm) is quite similar to many of them.

"Japanese guards should be studying his game film," Pierce said Monday. "Same size as many of them. (He has) speed and quickness under control. Great use of fakes, stutter steps and change of pace. Even with the sound off, you can see him talking to his teammates, telling them where to pass, where to cut, who to pick up on defense."

On the move: Forward Reggie Okosa has been released by the Ryukyu Golden Kings, it was announced on Wednesday. The team said the Nigerian-born player is leaving the team due to a family situation.

Okosa was the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.1 points in 20 games.

Elsewhere, forward O'Neal "Trey" Mims, Sendai's leading scorer (19.3 ppg) and rebounder (10.4 rpg), has been released, the team announced Thursday. The 208-cm forward attended Angelo (Texas) State before turning pro.

Upcoming schedule: Chiba plays host to Niigata in a series that begins on Friday. On Christmas Eve, the following matchups are on the docket: Shinshu vs. Yokohama, Saitama vs. Hamamatsu, Shiga vs. Iwate, Kyoto vs. Akita, Osaka vs. Sendai, Fukuoka vs. Shimane, Oita vs. Ryukyu and Miyazaki vs. Takamatsu.

Iwate faces Saitama on Dec. 28-29, while Yokohama takes on visiting Toyama on the same dates.

Gardener gone: The Northern Happinets have released high-scoring guard Michael Gardener. He didn't play last weekend against the visiting Evessa, and Akita issued a news release stating that Gardener was cut after sustained fractured ribs. The team said he'd need a month to recover from the injury.

Some league pundits consider Gardner, who has previously played for Fukuoka, Hamamatsu and Takamatsu, one of the top five all-around guards in league history.

That said, there are a variety of opinions about the reason behind Gardener's departure from the team.

A sampling of sources' remarks:

*"Mike's ribs are fine," said one player who's been in the league since 2005. "Him and coach didn't see eye to see so ... (he was released)."

*Added one Eastern Conference insider: "(Akita coach Kazuo) Nakamura complained about him the first time around at Hamamatsu (in 2008-09). I'm surprised he tried again, not too surprised it didn't work."

*Another observer, however, told this newspaper: "Gardener has told (one player) that ribs were broken, yet Nakamura still wanted him to play."

Gardener averaged 19.4 ppg in 16 games for Akita, scoring 20 or more points nine times, including a season-high 31 on Dec. 10 against Miyazaki. The 30-year-old dished out 5.5 assists per game.

Update from Iwate: The expansion Big Bulls have won four of their last six games, sweeping Takamatsu and Iwate before losing back-to-back games to host Fukuoka last weekend.

Now, coach Vlasios Vlaikidis' club has four games in a six-day span, beginning with a trip to face Shiga (Saturday and Sunday), followed by a Wednesday-Thursday series against visiting Saitama. This busy stretch will be good for the team, the coach said, giving his charges a challenge to make adjustments and play despite fatigue or physical ailments.

"It's a very interesting league," Vlaikidis said by phone from Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday. "There's a lot of good players, really. The level is very good."

Though the first-year franchise is 5-15 and in last place in the 10-team Eastern Conference, Vlaikidis hasn't lost sight of the team's primary goal.

"We try to do our best all the time," he said. "And at the end of the season we will see what we have to change, where, etc."

"We've had some really good moments," the coach said, referring to stretches of games, "but we need to do this for longer periods of time. We need to improve the quality of our play. This comes with time."

Vlaikidis said forward Thomas Kennedy, Iwate's leading scorer (18.6 ppg), and Shawn Malloy (13.1 ppg and the league's No. 3 rebounder at 10.9 boards per game), have been strong, consistent performers who have adapted quckly to the bj-league and life in Japan.

On the other hand, forward Sean Coleman (8.6 ppg) and forward/center Matthew Smith (1.8 ppg and more than 10 minutes in only six of his 19 games) have made less of an impact on the court.

Do the Big Bulls plan to make any roster moves?

"We will see," Vlaikidis said.

As the league's youngest player last season, rookie guard Sawaguchi came off the bench and had a mostly secondary role for the then-expansion Akita Northern Happinets under Pierce.

This season, Sawaguchi has played major minutes (526) as a key reserve. He played 593 minutes in 48 games in 2010-11 and averaged 5.3 ppg.

"His role is totally different. Here he has a main role," Vlaikidis said. "He's growing up. He's tried to accept this role as best as he can."

Like other players, Sawaguchi, now 20, will encounter ups and downs during the long 52-game season. He had consecutive 3-point games against the Rizing, but can learn from his struggles.

"I'm very satisfied with him," Vlaikidis said. "He won't always play at the same level all season, but ... he's one of the 10 best Japanese scorers in the league."

Guard Yoshiaki Yamamoto leads the team in assists and is scoring 9.6 ppg. He had a season-high 29-point output against Toyama on Nov. 6 and has scored in double digits in five of the past seven games. This has demonstrated to Vlaikidis that Yamamoto "can play good, quality basketball."

As the captain, Yamamoto, 29, is a leading figure on the team and his maturation can help him set the tone for the team's future success. Vlaikidis said he expects Yamamoto to grow in confidence and be more productive in 2012-13.

Forward Hayato Kantake, who has had nine-, 12-, 13- and seven-point efforts over the past four games, is gaining confidence as he plays in this system, the coach said.

Weekly accolade: Shimane power forward Reggie Golson, who had a triple-double in Sunday's victory over Oita, is the Lawson/Ponta Player of the Week, the league announced on Wednesday.

Golson had 12 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in the series-closing, 23-point win on Sunday. He had 12 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal in a 20-point win a day earlier.

A product of Southeast Missouri State, Golson is averaging 13.7 points per game in his second season with the Susanoo Magic.

Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report.

Do you have a story idea about the bj-league? Send an email to edward.odeven@japantimes.co.jp

View the original article here