Basketball: Breakers and Cameron part ways

Pero Cameron

Tall Blacks linchpin Pero Cameron has not been offered a new contract with the New Zealand Breakers.

The skipper became a free agent last month and coach Andrej Lemanis said Cameron's pay expectations were "higher" than the club was prepared to offer.

"He asked for a salary that goes with a starting player and I wasn't in a position to offer him that starting spot," Lemanis said.

A basketball source said Cameron was among the top five earners in the ANBL, commanding a salary of about A$175,000 ($188,500) a season.

He averaged 10.5 points and six rebounds over 56 ANBL games.

Lemanis confirmed Cameron, 30, was now looking at overseas offers and they were not in a position to offer him a bench contract either.

The future of fellow forward and Tall Black Dillon Boucher also looks clouded at the Waitakere-based club as Lemanis, who took over from Frank Arsego in March, signalled Boucher's days could be numbered.

"We have Aaron Olson and Mike Chappell starting in front of him [Boucher] in that position and we're trying to fill the front court with Ben Pepper.

"We can't offer Dillon a contract at the moment and he understands that he has to look for options elsewhere."

Despite his popularity and stunning performances on the world stage for the Tall Blacks, the decision to jettison Cameron is not surprising as the 1.98m, 120kg forward has struggled to transfer his international form to the ANBL since the Breakers made their debut in 2003-04.

Lemanis, formerly assistant coach at the Townsville Crocodiles, said Cameron's fitness was also a factor.

"Obviously weight is an issue with Pero and the fitness that goes with that.

"He's not the sort of guy that flies up and down the court and I'm looking to have an up-tempo style of game. I guess his style of game doesn't fit my coaching style."

While acknowledging Cameron's game-winning abilities, which saw him selected in the world All Star team after the 2002 world championships, Lemanis felt Cameron had problems replicating tournament form to the weekly rigours of seasonal play.

After the 2004 Athens Olympics, Cameron was invited to a training camp with NBA champions the Detroit Pistons.

But he failed to stamp his authority on the ANBL as the Breakers claimed the wooden spoon last season with just nine wins from 32 games.

Releasing their highest-paid player also freed up funds which Lemanis said could be spent on one or two players.

He did not expect a backlash from supporters with Cameron's departure.

Fans expecting to see more home-grown players on court could also be disappointed as Lemanis looks to bolster his stocks with more experienced ANBL players.

- NZPA