Anonymous
Years ago

Jawai leaning towards returning to Perth

Just heard on Perth local radio news bulletin (Nova) that jawai was learning towards returning. Any other sources to confirm this?

Topic #39413 | Report this topic


Watto  
Years ago

It's in the West Australian today. It'll be great to have him back.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/31681139/nate-jawai-could-be-ready-to-commit-to-new-wildcats-deal/

Reply #587854 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

I just hope Jawai return to the NBL next season in shape
any injury free.

Reply #587865 | Report this post


Watto  
Years ago

He says he's 100% now after taking some time off. With a full pre-season he should be better than he was last year.

I think the biggest thing he brings to the team is that he forces oppositions to double him. Even when he's not 100% fit he can still demand that kind of attention. When the cats were hitting their outside shots they were almost unstoppable because of that.

Reply #587869 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

If he is fit they will be very good. If he is fat, and they pay him top dollar, they will find other teams have started to match their roster talent and he could become a hinderance. Probably a gamble id be willing to take, that he has got his cardio motoring and he finally has decided to put the damn fork down. Previous health issues aside, he is fat, or atleast was last season and the excuses need to stop. I wish him the best, absolute beast if he can lock in and be a pro.

Reply #587871 | Report this post


Dazz  
Years ago

Like everything, I guess we'll wait and see, but I'd be happy if he returns. Gives us a solid starting front court, with plenty of backup on the bench, and import slots to burn.

I love his refreshing honesty too: "I'm in no rush, I'll look at the offer and if I like it I'll sign, and if not I'll look at my options."

Reply #587885 | Report this post


proud  
Years ago

If he signs for Perth then I think the Wildcats should chase hard after Clint Steindl as Jawai's passing and ability to draw the double team will help Steindl and I think they will both help the Wildcats

Reply #587946 | Report this post


Todd  
Years ago

Regardless if Jawai stays or goes, the Cats should be targeting Steindl.

Reply #587949 | Report this post


paul  
Years ago

If Jawai's already leaning one way it's hard to see him going in a different direction.

Reply #587950 | Report this post


RMQ  
Years ago

Paul, i believe that is called inertia?

Reply #587956 | Report this post


GTS  
Years ago

Strong rumour in town today is saying he has signed with Taipans

Reply #588291 | Report this post


kingpodge  
Years ago

I'll believe it when I see Corea Corea start their million dollar renovations.

Reply #588293 | Report this post


Dazz  
Years ago

Anything,s possible, but I doubt it.
He's already said he's waiting on an offer from Perth.
Can't see Cairns beating Perth's offer, and based on past behaviour I can't see Nate truning his back on Perth until he's considered their offer.

Reply #588307 | Report this post


paul  
Years ago

I doubt Cairns would have to beat Perth's offer, if he wants to go home enough he'll be playing for the Taipans. Would be a great story if he does and put Cairns squarely into championship contention.

Reply #588318 | Report this post


Dazz  
Years ago

I don't know Nate personally, and have nothing to judge this on other than what I have read.
Last season he supposedly made an early commitment to the Cats in the event he returned to Australia. He chose to stick with the commitment despite being chased by other clubs.
Hence when he says that he would like to stay with Perth, is waiting on their offer, and will accept if its good enough, I tend to take him at face value.

Reply #588323 | Report this post


Ricky  
Years ago

Easy, just bring his family to Perth, then move back after a few championships and career is over.

Reply #588356 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

Liam Santamaria ‏@liam_santa ·
Sources: Former @PerthWildcats big man Nathan Jawai has signed with the @CairnsTaipans.

Reply #588368 | Report this post


james  
Years ago

Good for Nate. He goes back to play infront of his family and friends. For Perth I guess this means they need to sign a legit 5 with their import slot.Not sure if the Motum rumors were ever legit but signing him makes sense now.

Reply #588371 | Report this post


Daz68  
Years ago

I think Bairstow would be a better signing or both :)

Reply #588373 | Report this post


Dazz  
Years ago

Disappointing if true, but just goes to show that anything can happen.
I'd love to know the full story.
Was the Cats's offer just not good enough to overcome the lure of going home?

Perth really need to get on their bike and start hunting down some imports.

Reply #588374 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Disappointing to lose him as a Cats fan but I think this is great for the league as a whole to have stars spread throughout the league and especially a tight budget team like Cairns

Reply #588376 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

^ I agree.

Assuming it is even true, but yeah I would have nothing but best wishes for Big Nate if he chooses to return to his original club and be closer to home.
And it's great news that he's feeling healthy again as well. (although scary too, as a Wildcats fan)

Reply #588380 | Report this post


GTS  
Years ago

2 year contract with some out clauses is what I heard . Should be an announcement very soon from Taipans

Reply #588381 | Report this post


Wilson Sting  
Years ago

Makes Burston a pretty good backup centre option for another team now, there's no room left for him at Cairns (unfortunately).

Reply #588383 | Report this post


AngusH  
Years ago

Great pickup for Cairns if true. I think Perth will most certainly splash on a big name inside now - import or Bairstow.

Reply #588384 | Report this post


Wookiee  
Years ago

Agree that it's great if Nate goes back to his original club. Just goes to show that money isn't everything as no doubt there would have been larger offers on the table no doubt...

With his (potential) and McCarron's signings it shows that Fearney is doing a good job of staying in touch with players and obviously has a solid environment set up that players who could probably get more cash elsewhere have bought into there...

Reply #588385 | Report this post


kingpodge  
Years ago

Sting - Burston has been training with the team (facebook pic the other week) so I'm just assuming he's staying. There is space for him with the expanded roster slots.


Glad Nate's coming home, great for him to play where it all started in front of friends and family, great for fans to see him play again in orange, and (given the issues happening in the Cape at the moment) potentially great for the ATSI community.

Reply #588398 | Report this post


Master Chief  
Years ago

Good for the talent spread of the league. Good job Taipans.

Reply #588403 | Report this post


Dazz  
Years ago

Its kinda weird. Wildcats won the championship, and made all the right noises about keeping the team together...
Nate & Jervis were big parts of that win.
Brandt for Jervis is probably an ok swap.
But Nate leaves a big a hole. It shouldn't be too hard to find someone who's a better defensive option, but getting somebody who can so consistently draw the double will be difficult.

Cats have appeared very relaxed in their off-season, everything is "wait & see." Not sure how that's working out for them.

Reply #588408 | Report this post


Thunder Jam  
Years ago

Purely for foul trouble,most teams number 11 should be a big. Burston will be that big for Cairns.

Reply #588411 | Report this post


RMQ  
Years ago

Dazz - Cat's made big noises about keeping the team together to present a strong image to the public. The reason they made those statements is because the situation of the team not being the same this season were very high.

Reply #588414 | Report this post


GTS  
Years ago

KingPodge I better start looking for the DAs for Corea Coreas new extensions hey lol

Reply #588416 | Report this post


kingpodge  
Years ago

hahaha GTS I think they might just build it on the Aquis site!

Reply #588423 | Report this post


GTS  
Years ago

lol nice one KP
Well 7 local news have officially announced it on tv tonight

Reply #588428 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

This is just my hunch but I think the cats weren't willing to shell out the big bucks. Not saying cairns offered more, but it was probably close enough that her decided to go back home.

If you read the quotes in the article of the opening post, it seems clear money is the issue. Marvin says cats will do anything to bring him back "within reason". Jawai says of course he'd like to be back, its a great club etc "if he's happy with what they come up with".

I think jawai is most impactful with a team like Perth who have enough to "carry" him through the regular season and then he repays three favour by being a difference maker as he was in the grand final. This is the best formula for him whilst his fitness is enough of a concern that he'd can't dominate all the time, only in short bursts

Reply #588431 | Report this post


Zodiac  
Years ago

I think jawai is most impactful with a team like Perth who have enough to "carry" him through the regular season and then he repays three favour by being a difference maker as he was in the grand final. This is the best formula for him whilst his fitness is enough of a concern that he'd can't dominate all the time, only in short bursts


I agree I'm no Wildcats fan but that was the perfect situation for him. Let us be honest here Jawai is no star player anymore he's too overweight and is just a role player now. He got paid very good money last season, only averaged 10 & 4 and played on a championship team.

Now in Cairns a lot more is going to be expected of him both on court and off, probably not going to make the playoffs and no doubt taking a pay cut.

Probably knows under Fearne he won't have to work as hard though.

Reply #588433 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Cats have appeared very relaxed in their off-season, everything is "wait & see." Not sure how that's working out for them.
If they had this lineup for Adelaide fans, there'd be incessant complaining. But Perth have still got one of the best bigs, one of the best point guards and a great forward in Wagstaff. Kenny is a good backup guard and while I don't know if Brandt is great, he can surely play Jervis' role.

They could start Wagstaff, add two imports and have a great starting five. And given the money/success behind the club, you'd be confident that they could spend up on the imports or even just bring back the two they had. Three imports gives huge flexibility if needed.

They could retain Hire and two imports and be instantly competitive. Get Holt and three imports even?

Redhage wasn't being used a great deal and Jawai is a big spend for the return IMO. They could be considering Hire-alternatives like Coenraad or Walker. They could be talking to Childress. Or Warrick might be a bench impact to replace Jawai.

Reply #588435 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

"Jawai is a big spend for the return IMO"

That's a fair call, but at the same time, he was the x-factor that got us the title IMO.
The gap between his best & his worst is probably the biggest of any player in the league. He can be unstoppable, and he can also be a foul-prone turnover machine, all within the space of 20 minutes.
Perth had the luxury of not needing to rely on him too much.

If you look at $$$ vs. production for the season, I'm guessing Nate was not great value at all. But if he is a little healthier this time around and can be well utilised he could be great for the Taipans.

Reply #588438 | Report this post


Kingpodge  
Years ago

wont have to work as hard under Fearne??? Fearne's going to kick his ass. He aint coming here for an easy ride....

Reply #588442 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

How's their roster looking?

Cairns looked a little slow last year, but Jawai is a good fit for a slow, bump and grind team.

He just needs to get fit enough and smart enough to consistently play 28-30 minutes and then he'll be one of the most valuable players in the competition.

Reply #588457 | Report this post


LV  
Years ago

^me

Reply #588458 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Luuuc, they would've been paying him double what the MVP got paid. You could give 10+ players a hefty payrise and get more consistent game-winning output. A streaky shooter playing sparse minutes can be a game-breaker too. Or an intense hustle guy.

Great to keep him in the league though and spread the talent around. Hopefully he fires up the Cairns crowd as much as he did in Perth.

Reply #588471 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

I dunno, Isaac. Is giving 10 players a pay rise really going to make them much better over the course of a season? I would doubt it.
The way the Cats landed Nate last season was certainly not by strategic recruiting, and there were plenty of question marks (including from me) about whether the front court was where we should be adding the talent after Greenwood up & left, but I don't think it's doing him justice to compare him to a budget streaky shooter in the way he can impact games.

Anyway at the end of the day he was not so dominant & consistent as to kill me that the Cats have lost his services, but he's still a serious x-factor and I expect the Taipans to benefit a lot from having him there.
My big concern now is that this is a 3 year contract. Nate seems like a guy who needs to stay motivated, and I don't know that the comfort of a 3 year deal is good in that regard.

Reply #588473 | Report this post


Bear  
Years ago

Nate is a big family & friends kind of guy, so if he is home in Cairns with heaps of loved ones around him he will be happy and motivated, don't worry too much about that...

Reply #588474 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Luuuc, sorry, my wording was poor. I meant that there are 10+ players in the league that you could give big payrises to ($50-100k+), still be cheaper than Jawai as a Wildcat and have a more consistent impact.

I'm talking about Lisch, Ogilvy, Penney, Jackson and so on.

Reply #588526 | Report this post


paul  
Years ago

Isaac, I don't think there was another player in the league who changed opposition defensive strategies as much as Jawai. To go with that he had the vision and passing ability to punish those plans if they got them wrong. He made his teammates and his team better, which means he was an incredibly valuable piece.

Was he overpaid in comparison to the league? Maybe, but it's not really all that relevant when he was a key piece in a championship team, he did the job that was needed, even if he didn't live up to expectations of fans who didn't understand what he would bring.

Reply #588540 | Report this post




You need to be a registered user to post from this location. Register here.



Close ads
Little Streaks - The fun and interactive good-habits app designed especially for kids.
Serio: Tourism photography and videography

Advertise on Hoops to a very focused, local and sports-keen audience. Email for rates and options.

Recent Posts



.


An Australian basketball forum covering NBL, WNBL, ABL, Juniors plus NBA, WNBA, NZ, Europe, etc | Forum time is: 3:14 am, Fri 29 Mar 2024 | Posts: 968,026 | Last 7 days: 754