Matthew Dellavedova was skeptical at first.Delly had just become a sneaker free-agent after years with Nike, wearing mostly Kobe Bryants signature shoe, so when Peak approached him with an idea to design a signature shoe especially for him, and also an apparel range under the Peak Australia banner, Dellavedova was understandably taken aback, but curious at the same time.I was a bit surprised to start with, but once I talked to [Peak Australia] they explained that Id have a lot of involvement in the development of the shoe, Dellavedova says.The allure of being the first Australian with his own signature basketball shoe appealed to Dellavedova. Sure, Andrew Gaze had a Gaze-branded shoe with Dunlop some years back, but not as an actual signature basketball shoe. When talks progressed to include apparel as well, Dellavedovas signing with the brand became an opportunity too good to pass up.We saw a real opportunity to develop a signature shoe for the Australian market and to promote basketball in Australia, Peak Australia chief executive Greg Bickley told ESPN. The shoe is the cornerstone of the range, but also were developing a running shoe, a casual shoe and a range of apparel under the Delly brand.Designing a shoe to an athletes individual specifications is a painstaking trial-and-error process of sorts. A company will begin with a prototype that the athlete wear-tests, the athlete then gives his feedback on improvements that can be made, along with things they particularly like and dislike. The process goes on for months until the athlete is satisfied with the final product.Dellavedova was hands-on with the Delly 1s development from day one.Peak Australia and Dellavedova went through five or six prototypes until the shoe met the specifications of the Bucks point guard.I had a whole lot of involvement with the shoe, Dellavedova says. I wanted a low-cut shoe that was light and close to the ground because I need to guard all these quick guards that are tough to defend over here [in the NBA]. They [Peak] did a great job with that, and as we went through the process of me testing it we just made minor adjustments.I was very particular about my shoe because thats the most important piece of equipment you wear in basketball.Some final adjustments were needed after Dellavedova saw an increase in his playing time as a starter with Milwaukee. The extra minutes on the floor meant that the Delly 1 required more cushioning to better help protect Dellavedovas feet. Wed developed a shoe which was what he wanted - it was low and fast, close to the ground, and modelled on the type of shoes that hed been wearing for many years, says Bickley. Thats what he wanted.Hes playing a lot more minutes [so] the demands on his shoe have certainly increased. We went into more development with the outsole and the cushioning that he needed because he was really putting a lot more demands on the shoe, so the shoe that hes wearing now is the final prototype that will now go into production.It was a typical cold and blustery late-June Melbourne morning.Darkness still cloaked the city as the sound of the overnight street sweepers had given way to trams taking early morning commuters to work.Matt Hammond, co-owner of Kickz101, one of Australias leading speciality basketball stores. made his way to work a little earlier than normal for a weekday. This was, after all, a big day for not only his store, but for basketball fans in Melbourne. Nestled right in the heart of the citys business district, its not uncommon for kids to be seen lining up outside Kickz101 on Saturday mornings when the latest sneakers are released.Hammond is accustomed to the sneaker drops - hes been handling those for years, but on this day, he had to orchestrate something entirely different. At 10am, Matthew Dellavedova, member of the recently crowned NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers, was scheduled to make an in-store appearance.Hammond arrived at work at 6:30am to a group of about 20-30 kids braving the cold and lining up to be part of the first throng of people to greet Delly when he arrived. Hammond asked the group when they had arrived: 1am, they replied.That was just the beginning.Not long after that the line just started growing, and growing, and growing fairly quickly, Hammond remembers. [Delly was due] in around 10, so I think it was probably around 9 oclock that the line had already gone around the corner, down Collins St and around the corner on Elizabeth St. By the time he arrived around 10, the line had gone down Elizabeth, and snaked all around back up to Little Flinders. It was a pretty huge line. As people were going to work they were asking us, whats going on?Hammond estimates the number of people waiting to see Delly reached between 1,500 to 2,000, including people from country Victoria, Tasmania, and even a girl who had flown in from Cleveland for the event, which speaks to the popularity of the Maryborough product.It became a production line of sorts trying to get as many people in the store to meet-and-greet the Aussie.As Delly is, hes very polite, laid-back sort of guy. He was nice with everyone. Right on 10 we opened the doors and started filing people through, says Hammond. He was there for two hours, and a lot of people didnt get a chance [to meet him] but a lot of people did.Its a great reaction to a guy thats local. Weve had [Melbourne-born NBA star] Kyrie (Irving) at our old location and that was huge - if we had Kyrie out now we would have had a huge crowd [also], but it shows that even for a local player, theres a massive, massive respect. Of course, it helped that he played for Cleveland and had just won a championship. Its a real healthy sign for the guys that play in the NBA that there is a lot of love for them.Walk the streets of Australia and check the feet of anyone whos into sneakers, chances are that rarely will you see a pair of Peak shoes. Peak is still a fledgling company in the basketball sneaker world, but theyre hoping to make a dent in the market similar to what Under Armour did in recent years with Steph Curry. Granted, Dellavedova doesnt possess the global appeal of the two-time MVP of the Golden State Warriors, but he does have homegrown support as a foundation to build on.That support will largely come from the grassroots level, according to Hammond, who believes regional locations will be where Peak targets its marketing of the shoe.I think from talking to the guys at Peak, the [majority of] sales for them will come from the regional stores, he says. Country and regional locations which, for them, they get very limited basketball footwear range, and because Delly is from country Victoria, that market will do quite well with the shoe.Popularity with Aussie NBA fans is one thing, but the challenge facing the Delly 1 will be translating that popularity into sales of footwear and apparel. Hammond, who understands the basketball footwear landscape in Australia better than most, feels that the stranglehold established behemoths Nike and adidas have on the market could be the biggest hurdle to overcome for the Delly 1.One thing we are a little wary of is the price ($160 AUD) - its not necessarily a cheap shoe here, says Hammond. The Kyrie 2 is $160 retail [so] were wondering, is the consumer going to come in and buy Dellys shoe just because its Delly, or are they going to weigh up, and go with the Kyrie because it is a Nike and they have the runs on the board?Thats one area to be mindful of, and will people pay that price for a brand thats not necessarily premium here?In saying that, were still confident itll sell quite well.Will sales be the sole barometer the company used to judge the success of the Delly 1, or is resonating with the sneaker consumer just as crucial at this stage of development?I think sales will be [a barometer], says Bickley. Were in the business to make money, but [also] provide a product that is high quality, and give the Australian market a sense of something new, something different.Its definitely gonna sell, adds Hammond. Its not gonna fly out the store like a Kyrie does, or the main signature product from Nike or adidas, but were definitely having people asking us quite regularly about it.Although regional Australia will be the target demographic, Peak have plans to make a global push once the Delly 1 hits retailers. Peak China (where the company headquarters are located) have some very exciting plans for Matthew as an athlete all around the world, says Bickley. His product will be going into countries all around the world. Theyve already got orders from Europe, South America, Asia .... its a massive uplift in his profile.Were excited for what it will mean for him as a Delly brand, but also for Peak to have an athlete of his calibre as a person under their brand. Hes a great ambassador for the brand. Hes the ultimate role model for Australian kids, not just as a basketball player, but as a person.Even now, with the shoe already in production and scheduled for retail release in March or April next year, for a kid from Maryborough, Victoria, its still a little surreal for Dellavedova to grasp that he has his own shoe and apparel range. Its something that he never imagined possible.I never thought that would happen, that thought never really crossed my mind [but] its very cool and I cant wait for them to start getting sold in Australia, he says.Itll be cool to see somebody wearing them up in the local stadium in Maryborough. China Jerseys . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. Stitched Jerseys . 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LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.DETROIT - With Justin Masterson on the mound against a Detroit rookie making his big league debut, this seemed like a good chance for the Cleveland Indians to avoid a sweep. Instead, they lost their seventh game in a row, sliding further behind the Tigers in the AL Central standings. Jose Alvarez pitched six impressive innings in his major league debut, and Don Kelly hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth to help the Tigers to a 4-1 victory over the Indians on Sunday. The three-game sweep gave first-place Detroit a 5 1/2-game lead in the division over Cleveland. "Its a long season. We cant worry about it," said Ryan Raburn, who homered to drive in Clevelands only run. "Were playing as hard as we can. Just not catching any breaks." Alvarez (1-0) was starting because of Anibal Sanchezs shoulder tightness, and he held Cleveland hitless until Raburns fifth-inning homer. The 24-year-old left-hander allowed three hits and a walk and struck out seven. "He pitched a great game," Masterson said. "Especially for his major league debut. ... Kept us off balance." Drew Smyly pitched two innings of relief. Joaquin Benoit finished for his third save. Masterson (8-5) allowed four runs in seven innings. He gave up a walk to Miguel Cabrera and a single to Prince Fielder to start the Detroit sixth. One out later, Kelly lifted a drive over the wall in right field. "I dont even think it was a mistake," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "Just trying to change the eye level, got it down and in. Actually, it wasnt a strike and it got in his swing path. ... Give Kelly credit — a tough pitch to hit." The Tigers have built their division lead behind terrific starting pitching. Sanchez has been perhaps their best pitcher so far, but Detroit skipped the right-handers start Sunday because of tightneess in the back of his throwing shoulder.dddddddddddd Enter Alvarez, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Toledo before the game. He baffled the Indians during the early innings, allowing only a leadoff walk to Mark Reynolds in the second before Raburn — the former Tiger — tied the game at 1 with his seventh homer of the season. The left-handed hitting Kelly brought a .190 average into the game, but Detroit manager Jim Leyland started him against Masterson, who is tough on righties. The move paid off with Kellys third homer of the year, which gave the Tigers a 4-1 lead. "It was a slider down and in, and I was able to put a good swing on it," Kelly said. "I didnt know right away if I got it or not." Detroits bullpen was a bit taxed — and a man short because the Tigers had to add an extra starter for this game. They were able to wrap up this win with Smyly and Benoit while resting closer Jose Valverde. Detroits Alex Avila opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the second. Masterson allowed six hits. He walked three and struck out four. NOTES: Indians closer Chris Perez (sore right shoulder) is expected to throw off a mound Tuesday. Perez and his wife were charged in a complaint filed Friday with misdemeanour drug possession involving just over one-third of a pound of marijuana, police in Ohio said. Their attorney said they would plead not guilty. ... It began raining in the ninth inning, sending many fans back toward the concourse level while Benoit finished the game. ... Clevelands Nick Swisher singled in the sixth to snap an 0-for-26 slide. ... Cleveland starts a three-game set at Texas on Monday night. Scott Kazmir (3-3) will start for the Indians. Detroit opens a three-game series at Kansas City. Doug Fister (5-3) takes the mound for the Tigers against Jeremy Guthrie (6-3) in the opener. 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