KEY POINTS:
Craig Bradshaw is delighted to be back in black, but wouldn't say no to a rest.
Bradshaw joined his Tall Blacks colleagues for the first time since last year to make a cameo appearance off the bench in their 95-78 second test victory over Venezuela on Sunday.
He is assured of more court time tonight when New Zealand strive to complete a 3-0 series whitewash - and it is a case of the more time the better, for both player and team.
New coach Nenad Vucinic has introduced significant changes to the Tall Blacks' tactics, and the squad, minus Bradshaw, spent three weeks bedding those down prior to the series.
Not surprisingly, the 2.05m forward found himself at sea on offence as he struggled to interpret his teammates' intentions in the final quarter on Sunday, something he knows only time will put right.
After the first of two training sessions yesterday, Bradshaw, 24 this week, was confident he had made some headway in understanding Vucinic's game charts.
"There is a lot of stuff to learn," said Bradshaw, who is back home for the first time since missing the NBA draft in the United States after completing his college commitments with Winthrop University in South Carolina.
He was chuffed to don the national colours in front of family and friends in the capital, even if it came just seven hours after a long flight from the US.
Despite that, he wants to be allowed a rest to ensure he is at his peak for the Tall Blacks' 2008 Olympic qualifying series against Australia, starting in Melbourne on August 20.
He stepped off the plane on Sunday fresh from playing the NBA summer league for the Atlanta Hawks, and his earlier US college career meant he had had little chance to pause for breath since he left the Tall Blacks last year.
Bradshaw originally said he wanted to be excused from New Zealand's trip to China this week for the Boris Stankovic Cup, which takes in five matches, before they head to Europe for series against Latvia and Croatia.
Conscious that time is of the essence, he now hopes to miss only part of the tournament in China.
"I just feel like my body needs a rest. I actually feel fine but I know it's going to hit me somewhere down the line and I don't want it to be during the Australian series," said Bradshaw, who expects to hear within a fortnight whether his summer league stint as a free agent has aroused the interest of any NBA scouts.
"It's not me trying to be big headed as if I'm too good to go to China, it's a matter of me saying I'd be of more benefit to the team if I had a rest. I'd be more fresh come the Australian series."
Bradshaw had yet to raise the matter with Vucinic, but it would be a surprise if the coach agreed to those wishes, based on captain Pero Cameron's response.
"We'd all like a break, or two or three, but it's a professional game and time is not something we have on our side. I think he [Bradshaw] understands that," said Cameron.
Meanwhile, Vucinic is looking for better execution tonight as the world No 12 Tall Blacks look to again put world No 21 Venezuela away.
New Zealand coughed up too many turnovers for his liking in the second test, and he also wants a lift in intensity for the entire 40 minutes.
Guard Paul Henare sat out the first training session yesterday as management lightened his workload due to a knee injury.
He carried the problem throughout the domestic season and it flared again a couple of weeks ago.
Henare played just 14 minutes in the second international, with Kirk Penney and Lindsay Tait doing the lion's share of work as newcomer Mike Fitchett was eased in.
- NZPA
