I guess the Kings should call Wilbekin then, if they can beat Cairns to it?

NBA's loss is NBL's gain...

if starks is cut, does his full salary get paid or he is just paid for the time he has been at the club so far

Scott - just paid for time here. The cut off time for imports to be paid in full hasn't been reached yet

When will that time be reached?

God I hope so....

Wow I was calling for cotter not to be empolyed because what former players said about him about his lack of direction. It's not the right time now because who is out there to replace him? In NSW, Ben knight? BJ Carter? You have to wait till the offseason

Wilbekin to replace Starks and McRae to replace Thornton would shake up the league.

Say what you like about McRae's attitude, which at times is questionable, but at the end of the day the guy can flat out score. Which is a valuable commodity, and a lot more than Thornton is doing!

You would expect that if someone signed a contract with an NBL club that had an NBA out-clause, they would then be bound by that contract if they wanted to come back to the NBL...

Don't think so,because they have to be released from that contract to sign in the NBA. However, clubs could have a separate agreement with a player that they will return if cut, although how binding that would be in the eyes of FIBA if ignored for an offer in a different country I'm not sure.

36ers need to get proactive here too. If the likes of wilbekin head back into the league... the likes of ebe wont be able to help the 6ers cut it. Thos league is getting tougher by the day! Kings will make the biggest splash attempt youd say though...

Not limited to just Wilbekin and McRae (who surely no NBL club would touch?), there's a lot of quality players floating around in the next few weeks.

Wilbekin has an agreement with Cairns that he would return if cut from NBA deal. The mail I just received was that he will be heading back. Not sure as to whom was getting cut, but you would assume it would be Starks.

Exercising an out clause terminates your contract.

Not exactly sure what NZ did with Webster, I assume more of a gentleman's agreement that if he didn't make the NBA he would be welcomed back with open arms on a contract equivalent to his previous one.

You can have a legally binding agreement, but of course it's only binding in the country it's signed I would imagine.

Remember when the Razorbacks had Steve Markovic sign a letter of intent, but when he skipped the country to play in Europe the ruling from FIBA was the agreement wasnt enough to prevent him getting a FIBA clearance to play OS.

I would think Bo McCalebb would be out of the NBL's price range, but he would be a fantastic addition for any team.

Jabari Brown has been waived, and would rather look overseas than go to D League, he said.

I'd like to See Townsville or the Hawks pick up JP Tokoto.

That'll bring some excitement to the league

Ubaka came back for another stint with the Tigers after the infamous change rooms sacking from McPeake.

The second stint was short lived, but from memory he was very out of shape and was only trying to help out the club because he was available on short term notice.

Greg Oden is available too..... why's no one talking about Greg.....................

Greg oden is getting paid 1.2 mil in china this season and has already broken his hand in pre season.

Because he heard that Wortho is a bigger dick than his.

DUNIGAN > Greg Oden.

Supernintendo Chalmers thank you for treating my comment with the contempt it deserved. :)

^ Moran

^ Dunigan

No, that's some one else....

No, I'm someone else.

Chalmers is someone who's always right.

You're very funny Chalmers aren't you?

Ah, my old mate LV :-)

hey anon, if you disagree with something I said, say so.

:-)

Classic! Two anons take the discussion off topic by claiming I take threads off topic.

Pistons released Granger as well. Cmon Sydney, get the former all-star on board!

I'd probably explode if the Sixers cut Ere and signed Granger.
He's my favourite player in the NBA.

Mitch Young is new too.

Ok, so does Wilbekin slotted straight into Cairns lineup at this stage make them automatic playoff bound?


Nothing makes a team automatically playoff bound. Injuries, for one, can derail that plan. Cairns had such a good run with virtually no injuries last year, it went a long way to helping them go as far as they did. It does, of course, make them tough as hell - but nothing is assured.

In the games so far, it doesn't seem like Wortho is adding much to the team game. He's played well in some but he doesn't seem to be meshing well. I'd love to know his +/- for the season.

Lol... Yes, he did. For some reason I thought he went the other way.

Wortho was their MVP in the opening win over Illawarra. He came up with huge plays down the stretch at both ends.

In the other games, he hasn't added much. They already had a decent power forward in Loughton.

The Snakes have great depth, but the loss of Wilbekin has left them without any elite talent. You need elite talent to make top 4 and win playoff games.

Adding him back into the team would make them a lot better. But, the league is much stronger overall so I wouldn't lock them in for top 4. It’s still very early days and other teams may yet make moves. For example for all their troubles, Sydney are only 1-4 and one or two changes could make all the difference.

I'd say Wortho and Trigger have been Cairns best.
If anything Loughton has been the one who's gone missing this year and, before the last outing v Melb, Torrey Craig.

^ Sorry, Gliddon as well..

I think we're putting the sausages before the bowel cancer. Wilbekin ACTUALLY being signed is still wild speculation at this stage, regardless of what the postman has delivered to whom.

Let's set back and see what happens.

In the games so far, it doesn't seem like Wortho is adding much to the team game. He's played well in some but he doesn't seem to be meshing well. I'd love to know his +/- for the season.

Is +/- available on the NBL website? I started scrolling right last Thursday but haven't reached the end yet.

Wilbekin ACTUALLY being signed is still wild speculation at this stage,


The signing may not have happened yet, but it is going to happen now he's been cut from Philly.

And Isaac, Tragardh was used off the bench all season last year as well. I think Fearne has always seen him as an impact guy.

"Is +/- available on the NBL website? I started scrolling right last Thursday but haven't reached the end yet."

HAHAHAHHA that's gold mate

"it is going to happen" - I admire your confidence.

"There is only sign or not signed, no going to" - Yoda

I'd like it to happen, but we will see.

Sausage before the bowel cancer tho!!!

IF Starks goes you always feel bad for imports being cut but at the end of the day it is a business and if Cairns bring in Wilbekin for Starks it is an upgrade and one which should be done if Wilbekin is available.

Do either of them have ancestors from Oceania?

What exactly was the issue with McRae? For mine he was the best SG in the league last season.
I understand there seemed to be several personality type issues at MU, but that seemed to encompass most of the team.

I wouldn't judge McCrae from his stint at United, that whole team and coating staff was a ramble... Talent is all you need to know about, and he has plenty of it.

McRae was very good with United just selfish.

My view from the nosebleed section, on Mcrae:

Pros:

- One of the best flat out scorers in the comp. Could knock down threes, could take his man one on one and draw fouls. Loves running the fast break. Hard to stop- didn't average 20ppg at a decent clip for no reason.

Cons:
- Occasional poor body language. Dropped his bundle when things went wrong.
- Only an average defender.

Another point:
- Poor shot selection. Forced it at times, to the detriment of his team. There's a fine line here- Tigers greats like Copeland and Goulding have been guilty of the same thing- the best streaky scorers all appear to force it at times. So in a sense you take the good with the bad, and hope that the scoring the player provides outweighs the negative effect on the team.

My overall conclusion:
- The cons will hopefully work themselves out with some more coaching. Experience in NBA tryouts has hopefully taught McRae more about discipline, hard work and emotional maturity.
- Is a great scorer, and worth a punt for an NBL team.

- Would significantly improve Townsville (replacing Jett- who has had one excellent game against Sydney but has otherwise been uneventful), Sydney (Replacing Thornton- who has been inefficient through his first 5 games and failed to provide the scoring punch they need in the absence of Childress, and will now need again), or Adelaide (replacing Ebi Ere).

"@Adelaide36ers coach @jwrightseahawks believes @CairnsTaipans will suit @scottiew_5 on Saturday #HardBall #NBL16 "