Basketball On The Internet.

THE Kings have signed 201cm import Damion James to replace injured forward Josh Childress, effectively pulling a "rabbit out of a hat", for those of you who were here yesterday.

James was a 2010 NBA draft choice of the Atlanta Hawks at #24 and has spent four seasons in The Show with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs.

In France, he played for Le Mans Sarthe Basket in the EuroChallenge and the LNB Pro A
League, previously playing in the NBA D-League with the Texas Legends, where new Crocs import Omar Samhan also plied his trade.

James is expected to debut tomorrow night against the Breakers in New Zealand, Childress out with a broken finger on his left hand.

SCOTTIE Pippen has been there and now Matt Burston has suffered a similar fate, forced to miss a game due to a migraine.

A lot of people confuse a migraine with a bad headache but that's the least of it, other symptoms including vision loss, hand and even tongue numbness, dizziness, ugh - it's a crap place to find yourself.

As a fellow sufferer, it must have been awful in that moment Burston felt the first symptom - usually some vision impairment - and knew what was to follow.

SCOTTIE PIPPEN: OK, an ear itch is NOT a migraine symptom.

The Taipans battled gamely in Wollongong despite his late withdrawal, but Illawarra had too many guns and eventually ran out 97-82 winner.

Rhys Martin's return really has added something special to the Hawks who are rolling now.

Stevie Weigh had a purple patch for Cairns who have another day to find a solution to this Illawarra dilemma.

The fact is, Illawarra virtually has this season-series wrapped up, leading it 2-1 and +18 on points differential. That means the Taipans must win just to make it 2-2, but then by 19 or more to overcome the negative points spread.

That won't happen, meaning it looks as if one of last season's grand finalists now is out of the hunt.

IF new 211cm import Omar Samhan plays tonight for Townsville, those hovering over whether to go with the Crocs against Adelaide need to wrestle with whether his presence will buoy his new team or unsettle its recently-found new rhythm? I'm sticking with the 36ers, for now. But it's not my most confident of bets.

BUT in Perth, the Wildcats will be looking to make a statement against United. Melbourne started the season full of swag but as Chris Goulding hit a brief rough patch, so too did United. He seems to be out of it but that underlying self-belief Melbourne previously had is definitely not as convincing. Perth should win.

Last night: ILLAWARRA HAWKS 97 (Penney 24, Ogilvy 19, Coenraad 17, Lisch 16, Martin 10; Ogilvy 9 rebs; Martin 5 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 82 (Starks 19, Weigh 17, Gliddon 13, Worthington 10; Loughton 9 rebs; Worthington 3 assts) at The Sandpit, WIN Entertainment Centre.

Online

Omar's race: http://bit.ly/1RFFIYb