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I’m going to be playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season!
I officially made the team after the final cuts were done on Friday.
I felt confident that I had a good chance of making the team but it was still a restless night of sleep on Thursday night.
After I found out I gave Mum and Dad a call.
It was 5:30 in the morning so I think they might have been half asleep but were still very excited.
The group of guys that were trying to make the team during training camp and the pre-season were in a separate locker room from the guys who were already on the team.
It was a good reminder that we still had work to do to make the roster.
On Friday after training, Henri Sims and I shared a laugh about how we can now move over to the real locker room.
It has been a busy few days getting a car and apartment organised as well as a few interviews for radio and newspapers in Australia.
People have asked if I have had time to let it sink in but we have our first game of the season at home vs Brooklyn on Wednesday so we are busy at practice getting prepared.
After our game in Cincinnati vs Washington on Wednesday, I got to catch up with a couple of Bendigo’s own, Joel and Adam Selwood.
It was great to hear about their trip; it sounded like they had almost seen half the sports teams in America!
An interesting part of talking to elite athletes in other sports is hearing about their training techniques, how they watch video on games and their recovery methods. I used to play a lot of basketball with Scott Selwood for Bendigo and Generals in U/12’s and U/14’s, he was always hard at it then, just like he is now with West Coast.
I played one tournament with Joel at the Club Championships in Shepparton, he was a pretty good athlete back then too.
Although I’m really excited to make the team, I know it’s only a good start.
A great piece of advice that a few people have told me is that, “the only thing harder than making the NBA, is staying in the NBA.”
The only thing harder than making the NBA, is staying in the NBA
It’s a great opportunity to learn and I have to keep working hard to make the most of it.
@lynchp0908: how do you balance fitness, diet, and mental prep? - Right now, it has been really busy with training and hours on the court, it’s important to make sure you balance out court work with proper recovery - stretching, foam rolling, ice baths and massage.
Diet wise I eat pretty well - I just got a blender so I am having some healthy fruit and vegetable smoothies.
One thing I do for mental prep is watch game tape - I have a few songs to get me going in the morning if I’m feeling a bit tired or if I need to relax.
If anyone would like to hear about anything in particular, you can tweet to me @matthewdelly. Thanks everyone for the support! Have a great week!