Cam Oliver & The Sydney Kings To Part Ways: How Has It All Gone Wrong?

Cam Oliver & The Sydney Kings To Part Ways?

After round 6 in the NBL it was very clear that the Sydney Kings camp was under duress after their 0-2 record over the weekend. Speculation surrounding Cam Oliver has now come to the forefront and the question is now being raised, is 'Space Cam' on the move and on his way out of Sydney.

Coming into a fresh NBL25 season and returning to the NBL for the first time in a couple of season, many people were excited to see how Cam Oliver had one, improved his game and two, how he would go in Sydney under one of Australia's best coaches, Brian Goorjian.

Those questions and more have been answer in a very short time and Oliver is speculated to be leaving the Kings before the half way point of the season. Why has this happened and where does the onus lie?

Space Cam Oliver was one of the most exciting NBL players in recent history, his highlights made it all around the globe on SportsCentre and he quickly established himself as a crowd favourite no matter what team you supported. So as you would expect when he re-signed in the NBL this season, many were excited to see what he could do and how his game had improved. After a very short amount of time into the season it is clear that there is a problem with Oliver and head coach Brian Goorjian, what that problem is though is the million dollar question.

Brian Goorjian has elected to start young gun, Keli Leaupepe a move in which has confused many around the league. This hasn't allowed Oliver to establish himself just yet in the Kings lineup and rotation and seems to be taking a toll on Oliver himself. The American import is averaging 21.4 minutes per game which is very low for a player of his calibre, the question though is it fitness problems, lazy defence or the fact that Brian Goorjian and the Kings front office are trying to push Oliver out of the door?

In his limited minutes and opportunity on the court Oliver has still been one of the leagues best players with averages of 13.1 PPG and 5.7 RPG to go with 1 BPG on 47% shooting from the field. When you put his numbers in and adjust them to the Per 36 Number (this means that this is what the player would average in 36 minutes per game, a number in which most star players and imports are playing) Oliver's averages would be 22.1 PPG, 9.6 RPG and 1.5 BPG, reasonable numbers for sure. So why is he not getting the opportunity to do this night in and night out?

All you have to do is look to this past weekend where Oliver had a great game against the Perth Wildcats where he finished with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks in just 23 minutes of play. You would also expect that after a very solid game like that, that Oliver would also get the opportunity to do it all again, but that didn't happen. The shooting-forward would play a total of 16 minutes in the game against the New Zealand Breakers and would finish the game with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block, after being benched for the fourth quarter.

When looking to the past 3 games for the Sydney Kings it's been obvious that Brian Goorjian doesn’t see Cam Oliver in his closing lineup. Oliver has played a combined 5 minutes and 18 second in the last quarters over the past 3 games. It has been reported by a source close to the Kings that Sydney are trying to fade Oliver out of the lineup and forcing him to make the decision on his own accord, so they don’t have to cut him and frustrate his agent Daniel Moldovan who is currently represents majority of the Kings team.

The 28-year-old has reportedly been frustrated with the rotations of Goorjian and he is not the only player within the organisation feeling that way with how the current playing time is being distributed in the team. Many players are having their opportunities cut short and haven’t been allowed the chance to really assert themselves yet in NBL25.

It has been reported that Oliver had met with the Sydney Kings to discuss his future with the team and where they see him fitting in. It was also reported that he has asked to be released from his NBL25 contract as he wishes to return to America. The reasons as to why Oliver wants to be released haven’t been disclosed as of yet but with the news most likely to come out over the coming weeks barring anything drastic, it’s enviable we will find out soon.

All of this could come to a head before we know it and it could be all over in the next couple of weeks. This will be a true shame for everyone involved as Oliver is one of the best talents the NBL has seen. Time will tell, but as each game passes it looks clear that it’s only a matter of time before Cam Oliver and the Sydney Kings part ways.