NZL - Pledger returns to court looking to help Tall Blacks

AUCKLAND (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - The center position for the New Zealand Tall Black side that will play at this summer's FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain has been a hot topic the past several months, with much of the focus on NBA rookie Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder and whether he intends to play.

The 20-year-old, who surpassed expectations with the Thunder, is an interior presence the Kiwis would like to be able to call upon against the USA, Ukraine, Turkey, the Dominican Republic and Finland in Bilbao's Group C but Adams has indicated he will not be with the team this summer.

The good news for the Kiwis is that the team's established pivot, Alex Pledger, has every expectation of making a full recovery from an operation on his right ankle.

Unless there is a setback, which appears unlikely, he will be with the Tall Blacks in Spain.

The 2.15m center didn't play at all this season with the New Zealand Breakers but doctors have recently given him the green light to resume basketball activities.

Pledger is confident that he can make a positive impact for the Tall Blacks at the World Cup.

"Initially, I might not be in amazing game form, but I'm pretty confident by the time the tournament rolls around I'll be pretty close to where I need to be," he said.

Not having a season of the NBL or the New Zealand domestic league that followed has robbed Pledger of games, yet it has allowed him time to rest his ankle, and his entire body.

Most important of all was to have successful surgery.

He said: "I couldn't really have any setbacks, it had to all go to plan.

"I'm glad that it has. It was a pretty common procedure but a lot of things could go wrong.

"But luckily for me, it all recovered."

In their two games at the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Venezuela, Pledger averaged 8.5 points and 10 rebounds.

In the 2012-13 NBL, he averaged 10.7 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Breakers.

FIBA