Basketball: Seduced by a great sales pitch

History be damned.

Tall Blacks forward Craig Bradshaw is not interested in the Otago Nuggets' dubious record in the National Basketball League (NBL) during the past six years - he is only interested in the future.

And for the first time in a long time, that future looks brighter.

The Nuggets have not had a Tall Black on their roster since hometown hero Mark Dickel returned to play for the franchise in 2003.

Bradshaw's decision to join the Nuggets is both a massive surprise and a huge coup.

The 27-year-old could have picked any NBL side to play for and they would have begged, borrowed and scraped to make it happen.

So how was it the 2.05m athlete ended up picking a team that has not won a game in the league since April 2008?Well, money had something to do with it, of course.

But it was mostly good luck, impeccable timing and a great sales pitch.

"I had planned on not playing this season because of injuries and I wanted to spend a summer in New Zealand," he explained.

"But Otago emailed me, brought me down for the weekend, showed me a good time and made me a good offer."

Bradshaw, who has played most of his professional basketball overseas and has not played in the NBL since 2003, was going to sit the season out and rest his tired body.

He suffered a stress fracture in his lower leg a couple of seasons ago and needed corrective surgery on his ankle last year.

The injuries took a toll on his body and Bradshaw struggled to find his best form at the world championships in Turkey in September last year.

With his partner, Felicity Kenny, expecting the couple's first child in July, Bradshaw had decided it was the perfect time for a break from the sport.

But the moment he started having his doubts, the Nuggets hit his inbox with speculative email inviting him to discuss a move south from his base in Auckland.

It was a long shot - pun intended - but worth a crack, Basketball Otago chief executive Markham Brown revealed when he spoke to the Otago Daily Times before Christmas.

As it turned out, the timing could not have been better.

"I had pretty much told my agent, `Look I'll give this season a miss.' "About a month later, Otago emailed me and the offer they came up with seemed very good and it allowed me to spend some time in New Zealand."

Bradshaw's surgery was in May and he played for the Tall Blacks at the world championships in September.

In hindsight, his return was premature and he had to restart his rehabilitation at the end of that campaign.

"It is getting stronger each day. I haven't played any basketball since the Tall Blacks' campaign, really, and am pretty excited to start again. I think this rest has been good for me."

The long-suffering Nuggets fans will be hoping Bradshaw can find his best form.

The Nuggets have lost their last 27 league games and the losing streak goes back to April 2008.

The franchise has also had its share of problems off the court, with player indiscretions and management infighting.

And financial struggles got so bad, Basketball Otago decided against entering a team in the 2009 league.

The basketball community rallied around the team and, with sweeping changes to the board, the franchise was back up and running last year.

But its comeback season saw little success - the Nuggets lost all 18 games.

However, they kept a clean slate off the court, which gave major naming sponsor Oceana Gold the confidence to continuing supporting the team.

Bradshaw is well aware of the Nuggets' unflattering record but hopes the franchise has hit rock bottom and is back on the way up.

"I see it as a great opportunity," he explained.

"It is also a great opportunity for me to show the young players what I've learnt and be more of a leader. Everywhere I've played, it has been as the import, so I've played with that kind of pressure my whole career."

Bradshaw is the type of player to mould a team around.

He is a strong rebounder, he can score on the inside and he has a useful outside shooting game.

Now it is up to the management to stick another one or two seasoned players around him and find the right mix of overseas players.