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Former Boomers coach Brian Goorjian does not expect Australia to be in Olympic medal contention in Rio de Janeiro, but he believes they can be a realistic gold medal chance at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.Australian basketball seems set to enter a golden era with 2016 No. 1 Draft pick Ben Simmons and fellow first-round draftee Thon Maker adding to whats already a talented roster featuring NBA championship winners Patrick Mills, Aron Baynes, Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavedova.However, injuries and personal preferences will see a whole host of Australian stars sitting out when Rio gets underway in August.Dante Exum and Simmons will miss the Olympic campaign, as both are electing to concentrate on getting their bodies right for the 2017 NBA season, while Andrew Bogut is recovering from the left knee injury he suffered in the NBA Finals while playing for Golden State Warriors before he was traded to Dallas Mavericks. Bogut expects to be named in Australias 12-man squad for Rio, but uncertainty remains about his fitness for the Games.They are no doubt going to take a step forward from where they have been, and it is a really exciting time now for Australian basketball, Goorjian, who coached the Boomers from 2001 to 2008, told ESPN.The last two Olympics have been similar for the Boomers [quarterfinals]. I think this team will do better, but a gold or silver medal is still another Olympics away.The thing works in cycles and it looks great on paper, but I do think that there is a process in learning to play together.Goorjian also expects the Rio Olympics to act as a send-off for some of Australias senior players.The Boomers 18-man squad features five players over 30 years of age -- David Anderson (36), Damian Martin (31), Bogut (31), Aleks Maric (31) and Brad Newley (30) -- who are all unlikely to be in contention for 2020 Olympic selection.That group thats there now will be in their last Olympics and then youll have Simmons, Maker and Exum in their prime, Goorjian said. When all of those pieces fall into place there will be an opportunity for a gold medal.Goorjian has spent the past eight years working as a basketball coach in China, after stepping down from the Boomers in 2008, and he says that Australias hard work and deserved successes are being noticed in the rest of the world.If youre in Europe or Asia, everyone is well aware of the progress Australia has made and people are scratching their heads asking what they are doing over there, Goorjian said.Four Australians have featured in an NBA Championship-winning roster in the past three years, with San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, and Simmons in June became the third Melbourne-born player in 11 years to be selected with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.Being in China, all of the young players are aware of Australian basketball now and all they talk about is Ben Simmons and Thon Maker.Everybody likes to see what Australia has done because its always punching above its weight. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Online . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. Cheap MLB Jerseys Store . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. http://www.cheapbaseballjerseysfromchina.com/ .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Cheap MLB Jerseys China . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Baseball Jerseys China . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars could be without starting center Brandon Linder against Baltimore on Sunday because of a sprained knee, a potentially huge setback for a team that also could be missing left tackle Kelvin Beachum.Linder tweaked his right knee in practice Wednesday and was still in pain when he arrived at the facility Thursday. Neither Linder nor Beachum practiced Thursday. Beachum remains in the NFLs concussion protocol.Linder, a third-round draft pick from Miami in 2014 and Jacksonvilles best lineman, missed 13 games last seasonn with a torn labrum.dddddddddddd.The Jaguars (0-2) also announced that tight end Ben Koyack has a torn meniscus in his left knee. He might need surgery.The injuries are the latest for Jacksonville, which also could be without defensive end Jared Odrick (triceps), safety Johnathan Cyprien (knee/triceps) and cornerback Prince Amukamara (hamstring).---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '