Basketball: Cameron prepared to make impact

New Zealand star Pero Cameron has heard the whispers.

Just a month after the Breakers' dream debut in the ANBL, casual observers are wondering out loud if New Zealand sport has another Football Kingz on its hands.

The basketballers have at least achieved what soccer's whipping boys and league's ground-breaking Warriors could not do before them - win their first game in the Australian league.

But five straight losses have followed that historic 111-110 triumph over the visiting Adelaide 36ers on October 1.

Breakers coach Jeff Green remains adamant the franchise will not only reach the playoffs but is capable of winning the league at its first attempt.

But if it took the Warriors seven turbulent years to reach the NRL playoffs, and ridicule is all the Kingz have earned in four and a bit seasons across the Tasman, why will the Breakers be any different?

Cameron hopes to provide an answer when he makes his long-awaited debut in the first leg of the Breakers' double-header against the Cairns Taipans in Wellington tonight.

The inspirational Tall Blacks captain has been sidelined for seven weeks after rupturing the medial ligament in his left knee during September's unsuccessful three-test series against Australia.

With Australian centre Ben Melmeth also missing the past four games with a badly-bruised thigh, the Breakers have been left seriously undersized.

But Cameron refuses to hide his young team-mates' shortcomings.

"If we lost our two point guards, Paul Henare and Lindsay Tait, it would be pretty traumatic.

"But you don't go in feeling sorry for yourself just because you've lost your seven-footer and a guy like myself. You've got to find a way. You're going to have disruptions, but good teams deal with disruptions along the way and get better."

Cameron has warned it will be a "month or two" before he can make a significant impact. And Melmeth won't be back until the November 22 home game against the West Sydney Razorbacks.

Cameron's long-term goal is another Northern Hemisphere season, though he is eyeing a stint in Europe rather than another term at the Chester Jets, the team he led to all four major British titles in the 2001-02 season.

But the 29-year-old's immediate focus is to contribute tonight and tomorrow, at North Shore Events Centre, against a Cairns team boasting Tall Black team-mate Tony Rampton.

The Breakers are out to avenge a 84-73 loss to the Taipans on October 3 when United States imports Marcus Timmons and Melvin Thomas contributed 21 points and 15 points and 10 rebounds, respectively.

Cameron's rebounding, passing and long-range shooting, even in short bursts, will be crucial.

"Our backs are against the wall and it's tough. But it's good for us and we accept the challenge ... there's still 27 [regular season] games to go and we will turn the corner."

- NZPA