Aussie hoops seven looking forward to Rio

After a long, arduous first half of the NBA season, Australia's contingent spent five relaxing days together in California.

There was one surprising topic not mentioned when Patty Mills, Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova and Australia's other NBA players came together in San Diego the past week for a bonding vacation.

They didn't talk about the Boomers' chances of winning a medal at the Rio Olympics.

"It wasn't discussed in San Diego," Mills told AAP on Thursday.

Mills, who came up with the idea of getting Bogut, Dellavedova, Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum and Cameron Bairstow and their wives and girlfriends together during the NBA All-Star break, said the aim of the vacation was to spend quality time away from the basketball court with his Olympic team-mates.

They hired a house in the southern Californian city, soaked up some sun, ate, drank, joked and relaxed their weary bones after enduring the first half of the NBA season.

It was all about building chemistry, not discussing team strategy or hyping each other up about their quest for the Boomers' first medal at an Olympics.

"That was the purpose of the trip, not to really switch our minds on to anything but just hanging out together," Mills said.

"It was just a relaxing weekend.

"We didn't plan too much other than a boat trip.

"Other than that it was just go with the flow."

Mills said with six NBA players - possibly seven if 20-year-old Exum overcomes a knee injury - on the Boomers' roster they are aware they have a great chance of claiming an historic medal.

The players talked about it during last year's Olympic qualifying tournament against New Zealand and throughout the NBA season.

"We feel like we have the best chance Australia has ever had going into something like this, but the conversation is serious," he said.

"We understand what's on the line and what's at stake and we are all on the same page together with that.

"We know what we have to get done."

Asked if team jokester Ingles behaved himself in San Diego, Mills laughed.

"Never does," Mills said.

"No, he was great.

"Him and Dante definitely have a cool little bond there being in Utah together.

"He's definitely the big brother of the two, or the father almost, looking after Dante."


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Source: AAP



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