Another example of these lower teams being unable to compete financially?

Not just the lower, seems the strong are eating their own too!!

A new team entering the league was always going to see a spike in player prices as the same size pool of players is in demand by a greater number of teams.

Teams in regional centers will probably always struggle to get the level of corporate support that bigger cities hope to get, which was a reason for the salary cap. Now with the "soft" cap the teams that choose to spend over the cap with subsidise the teams that can't afford to do that. This still means the smaller teams will be spending less and so will struggle to beat the big teams, but every now and then they will have success which is what makes sport interesting.

At this point we can only hope LK and his team are keeping an eye on how the free agency is playing out so they can step in to prevent reckless spending from destroying teams. I assume he is a successful business man for a reason and so would be doing everything he can to keep this league growing as a business.

"Another example of these lower teams being unable to compete financially?"

I don't think I understand this comment. Cairns would have offered Bruce a fair contract, if BNE want to overpay for him that's their business.

Without knowing the $$$ involved, I'd tend to agree. Bruce had a nice little run there at one point, but I'd imagine he's coming in as the backup PG and so you would imagine the money involved wouldn't be overly extravagant.

I think you answered your own question Wilson Sting. Cairns I assume would have liked to retain Bruce but couldn't compete financially against Brisbane for his signature.

Angus....probably not overly extravagant but more than Cairns could offer - that's the point.

Whilst this signing doesn't necessarily make Brisbane a stronger outfit, it makes Cairns a potentially weaker one.

More than they were willing to pay is not the same as more than they can afford. It's not necessarily a bad thing letting a guy walk if you think he's asking for more than he's worth to you.

""Cairns would have offered Bruce a fair contract, if BNE want to overpay for him that's their business””

According to a post on here a couple of weeeks ago, it seemed Bruce (and Burston) had not been offered contracts at that point as the Taipans were waiting to see what the salary cap and import rules were going to be. If that is the case and if Brisbane made an offer to Bruce before the Taipans did, then the Taipans have handled this poorly IMO. Bruce is a very good player and has been a key part of the Taipans the last couple of seasons and attempts should have been made to lock him in as soon as the season was over (even if only verbally), particularly with an extra team coming into the competition and with extra money likely to be flying around.

Technicality Angus....let's make it more than they can pay then - just for arguments sake?!

But it's not always the same thing. They may feel Bruce is worth no more than a certain price because they can fill his role with another player for what they were offering him, or less, and will happily let Brisbane over pay him based on that late season tear he went on.

I believe Bruce was offered "All that they could afford" to pay him. This doesn't mean he wasn't required, just that their budget didn't stretch far enough. He's definitely worth more than whatever he was paid this season,but did they offer him a better deal? The guy carried Starks for weeks and was super popular with the home crowd.

The first thing that comes to mind is that with Gibson signed and now Bruce, does that wipe out the chance of Rhys Martin returning home ?

Also if Brisbane get Jervis as rumoured on Ten news Perth then the Wildcats could do worse than Burston as a big coming off the bench, he's played far better than people give him credit for the past few seasons and I'd certainly welcome him back.

I agree with AngusH, Bruce has a certain value and I suspect BNE have overpaid him, so good luck to Bruce and good luck to BNE and smart move by CNS to stay within budget.

I'd rather CNS field a team for the next 50 years then spend to keep up with the Jones's and fold after this season.

Winning championships is not everything, having a team week in, week out is more important than a flash in the pan.

yeah I'm with you on this Sting.

it'll be a damn shame if we lose Brucey but life is short and you gotta get paaaaaaaaaid while you can.

Winning championships is not everything??? If you don't play to win then why play at all?

It shouldn't be everything, no. Thinking that winning the championship is everything is what leads to the 76ers throwing 3 seasons down the drain in the hopes of lucking out and landing the next LeBron or Durant.

From a team perspective, putting a competitive unit on the court, attracting fan support, and being part of a strong league are things you play for, in the hope that it eventually makes you a contender.

As a fan I've enjoyed watching the Kings the last couple of years despite the lack of success on the court. Championships are awesome, but they aren't everything.

That was certainly the Dragons' philosophy, Watto.

Winning indeed IS everything!

Winning at all costs ISN'T!

It's a shame to see Shaun go, but that's all part of the business.

I've heard the Weeks thing, but question whether it's the right move. He looked best for the Hawks in transition where he could use his speed to his advantage, but that advantage may well be lost in Fearne's slow half-court sets. Is it a case of Fearne (once again) trying to fit a square peg in a round hole?

I think Agent 97 is an underrated on-ball defender, too. Could do far worse to replace Bruce IMO, I've been singing his praises ever since the Kings-LSU exhibition last offseason - wish he was still in Sydney.