D2.0
Years ago

Wildcats changes for next season?

Thought I'd get this in before the focus turns completely to the MU v 6s GF, and the inevitable off-season lull.

Naturally I have no real insight into what the Cats will do, and won't have a clue until they announce it, but It's always fund to speculate.

Lets start with the imports.
I think the pattern is clear and set with the 2 & 3 spots. They'll go for a combo and a (s)wingman. I reckon they would keep Cotton and Tokyto if they could, but as always those guys will be chasing bigger dreams in the mean time, however I think they will continue to look for similar players.

Cooke & McKay were supposed to fill similar roles, but has that requirement changed post Knight? Cats have looked undersized against some teams this season.
I think it's a given that they will go for a front-court player, but will they stick with the athletic 4/5 type, or try for a genuine big. I wouldn't mind seeing an older guy who maybe split playing time with Brandt.

On to the locals:
Brandt is contracted, and just needs a bit more support inside. Unless he got a really lucrative offer elsewhere, he'll stay.

I don't know whether Walker is contracted, but I think both parties would have to be happy with his season. Only way I'd see him leaving would be if they secured a massive local talent from somewhere.

Wagstaff continues to play a valuable role off the bench, but he is slowing down. People speculate about retirement, but he's contracted and I see no reason for that to change.

Hire is out of contract, and despite being Vice-Captain, a loyal stalwart, and the resident "character" I wonder if patience will finally run out. His defensive effort is unquestionable, but offensively he's become a liability. They used him as a 3 and even a 2 in recent seasons, not a good fit, but he also can't dominate inside. As somebody quipped, he's a stretch-4 that can't actually stretch.

This isn't the salary and points constrained league of but a few years ago. The Cats need to bolster their front court, and if there is local talent available they need to go for it. Maybe that means that one of this trio is squeezed out?

Steindl is probably worth persisting with, but only one of he and DKD, who after a year as a TP and 2 regular seasons, just hasn't come along.

Talk about "depth", and whatever your definition the one place they are sorely lacking is the backcourt. Kenny was a great pickup at the time, but now he and Damo are two years older. Attempts to find. Finding a young PG or combo could become a priority.

Topic #42716 | Report this topic


Anonymous  
Years ago

Sixers wont make it. Guaranteed.

Reply #672859 | Report this post


J  
Years ago

They don't need tokoto back, if anything he has confirmed why they went for devondrick walker before him

Reply #672870 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

You forgot someone...

Reply #672873 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Could they target Emmett Naar from St Mary's who graduates this year and is second in the whole NCAAD1 in assists.

Reply #672874 | Report this post


Benno  
Years ago

@Anonymous narr doubt it.

Sydney kings

Reply #672875 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

How the F Gleeson isn't mentioned in the changes is beyond me. Astounding.

Reply #672876 | Report this post


Hogwash  
Years ago

Wonder what might have been with Devondrick Walker.
Kenny, Hire and DKD all need to go.

Reply #672877 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

If you put Brandt to the bench give them a dominant 5 and start Wagstaff with Waxy or similar from the bench they would have been 5. The mistake was Cooke, no fault of his own, just a poor fit by the team.

Reply #672878 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Troy G has done nothing. Just a warm body filling up the CEO position.

Reply #672879 | Report this post


Bill  
Years ago

we need to get the WA blokes home! Gliddon and Johnson :)

Reply #672880 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"Troy G has done nothing. Just a warm body filling up the CEO position."

It sure seems that way yeah

Reply #672881 | Report this post


koberulz  
Years ago

What should he have been doing that he hasn't done?

If Johnson hadn't failed that drug test last season I don't think he would've been let go either.

Reply #672883 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Import C/Brandt
DJ/Wagstaff
Import SF/Stiendl/Hire or Walker
Import SG/Gliddon
Damo/Kenny

Brandt, Wagstaff, Steindl, Kenny and Damo all contracted already.

DJ has had enough of Joey & Gliddon has had enough of Fearne.

Defensive Import C to start next to DJ and let Brandt come of the bench in close to starters minutes anyway, with DJ and hopefully two scoring imports in the swing positions his minutes would be more effective out of their way.

Gliddon similarly to come of bench but with aging Damo will play close to starters minutes anyway.

Decision to be made whether to keep Hire or Walker.

Reply #672912 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

I'd be going after McCarron before Gliddon.

Reply #672913 | Report this post


TimberBall  
Years ago

Hire needs to retire but will hopefully remain around the club in a marketing role.
I think Cotton will stay as his big pay day overseas seems to have passed (hence why he came here after summer league)
Tokoto and Cooke can go IMO.
Gliddon and DJ to Perth, I hope.
Cats need a young PG who will get minutes, so therefore will also need to off load Gleeson

Reply #672925 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

We should look at Sam McDaniel out of ULM Warhawks. He is from Adelaide but at 6'6 with range and rebounding would be a good Aussie to have on our roster for a while

Reply #672929 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

I would still much rather Gleeson than Joey "I won 1 championship more than 10 years ago with Mark Bradtke as 10th man" Wright

Reply #672984 | Report this post


TimberBall  
Years ago

Wouldn't mind if Gleeson stayed, but, he needs to embrace a building of youth talent next year or we will fall off a cliff very quickly when Damo, Greg, Jesse, Knight (already gone)retire and Kenny, JPT, Walker, Cotton have all moved on.

Reply #672990 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

That isn't happening. He will ride out the end of the contract and leave the 'Cats with nothing left. Should rebuild NOW not wait another year or two when the inevitable happens. Also get a real GM.

Reply #673005 | Report this post


Hogwash  
Years ago

I didn't realize Kenny was contracted.
I wouldn't mind seeing something like this:
Martin, Gliddon, Kenny
Import/Cotton, Steindl
Import, ??
DJ, Wagstaff
Import, Brandt

Gliddon would get minutes across both guard spots. Kenny still effective in short spurts.
Go after a rookie or young free agent for back up spot .

Reply #673006 | Report this post


D2.0  
Years ago

With the NBL, "building for the future" is much more short-term and in the interim is more about building consistency and stability. Its not like say the AFL where you need to draft kids still in highschool, and hope that in 4 years time they have the goods.

Like anyone else, Wildcats have DPs and training players, but the talent pool is limited. DPs are either guys who (for whatever reason) missed out on college, or are back from college with a year or so of eligibility and not many other options. TPs are by definition guys who can't even get a bench spot elsewhere.

That said, it maybe not be a bad time to look for the next PG. As someone mentioned above Kenny is contracted but he and Damo aint getting any younger. You'd think if they had a young gun pushing for minutes, they'd be happy for JK to retire at the end of next season.

Reply #673034 | Report this post


Matt  
Years ago

Keanu Pinder is in his senior year at Arizona....is he worth a look? Interested to hear from anyone who has seen him play.

Also interested to hear if Majok Majok is contracted. Would be a nice front court addition and help ease the loss of Knight.

Reply #673158 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Import/Damo/

Import/Kenny

Import/Clint

DJ

Jervis/Brandt

Reply #673161 | Report this post


D2.0  
Years ago

Would be great to have another Indigenous player on the team. Not sure if his surname would be a help or a hindrance.

But, and I don't follow college ball, his stats are rather ordinary. Looks to be a DP prospect at best (and has already been part of their junior program."

Reply #673163 | Report this post


Udog  
Years ago

The Wildcats Steve Bradbury impersonation last year may have lead to some higher expectations this year I think. The money and the facilities should be able to entice some decent players for them next year though.

Reply #673171 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

Last year was far from a Steve Bradbury for anyone who was actually paying attention.
When you look at the outs & ins from that team it's pretty obvious why it has gone down a level.

Reply #673172 | Report this post


Udog  
Years ago

They only squeeked in the final 4 last year after picking up cotton late. The rest of the season was like the end of this one.

Reply #673173 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Agreed Luuuc. Losing Prather and Knight is pretty massive.

Reply #673174 | Report this post


Train  
Years ago

Cats will need to spend above the cap next year and attract players of the like of Gliddon, Mccarron, Kay or DJ over. Damo and Wags will be playing a lesser role in 2019/20 and likely on much less money so the spend wouldn't be so bad in that year.

If they don't throw whatever they need to at those players, they will be snapped up on 3 year deals with other clubs and they are going to be in serious problems for the next few years.

Damo/Gliddon/Kenny
Cotton/Gliddon/Mccarron
Mccarron/Import#2
DJ/Wagstaff
Brandt/Import#3

Reply #673175 | Report this post


Train  
Years ago

@Luuc - The problem was even worse when they lost Devondrick Walker, somebody they recruited knowing he could hit the 3, spread the floor and take the heat of Cotton. Tokoto has been great for the team but the skill set he has was not exactly what they needed.

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curious  
Years ago

Train. Are you seriously suggesting the Wildcaps are under the salary cap?
Why will Damo and Wagstaff be on lesser money? Do you know what their contracts are?

Reply #673179 | Report this post


Train  
Years ago

@curious - I got no idea what their cap situation is this year but its likely they are spending above the cap. Perhaps I should of stated "A lot more over the cap next year".

Damo will be just north of 35 by the time his contract is renewed, its probable that he will play a lesser role and his salary will reflect that. Similar situation with Wagstaff, granted it wont be to the extent as he is a couple of years younger.

No, I don't know what their contacts are, but i doubt players at that age will command similar coin or playing time at that age.

Reply #673181 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

i think they could be under or at the cap as they have most of the team from the old points system. Thats the reason they are where they are, their owner is not prepared to put the coin in that Melb/Sydney management are to fill teams full of talent.

Reply #673185 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

They only squeeked in the final 4 last year after picking up cotton late. The rest of the season was like the end of this one.


Udog, yes, they only squeaked into the 4, but they did so as a strong team that was in form. The reasons they only just scraped in were injuries and the whole Johnson-Ingram-Johnson fiasco, but once they had sorted their shit out, added Cotton, got Brandt going, and then got Prather healthy again, they were the best team in the comp.
I get that it looks like Cotton = title to people outside Perth who weren't following closely, but there more to it than that.

That really should be obvious by now, considering we've still got Cotton yet we don't look anything like the team that crushed the end of last season.

Reply #673188 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

The problem was even worse when they lost Devondrick Walker, somebody they recruited knowing he could hit the 3, spread the floor and take the heat of Cotton. Tokoto has been great for the team but the skill set he has was not exactly what they needed.

Quite true, Train.
Then someone thought they could have their cake and eat it too by bringing in Steindl, inexplicably forgetting that Knight was a damn good player who you can't just replace with nobody.

Steindl has been a massive fail. And that's not really his fault. We know he can play. But this current team doesn't know how to make him effective. So the front court that used to be our strong foundation is now a weakness, and we don't have the perimeter game to compensate for it.

Reply #673189 | Report this post


koberulz  
Years ago

But we have Cooke Jr!

Reply #673196 | Report this post


D2.0  
Years ago

Tokoto has been a great find IMHO, and early on (when Damo & co were hitting their 3's) he looked like exactly what we need.

Trev's game plan has always relied upon the B-team playing serious minutes and at least coming close to holding their own. Start of the season they were doing that, right up until Knight got injured again.

The first problem is that without Knight, Brandt and Cooke just weren't up to the job. Then you've got Hire getting progressively worse as a scorer, Steindl bombing, and DKD just polishing the bench.

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Proud  
Years ago

Would anyone be surprised if Wildcats made a big money play for Bogut?

I know he is great mates with Damo but if they got him then he won't bring extra fans to the games as Perth Arena is already too bloody small (stupid WA government).

Why would Gliddon want to go from captain and starter to coming off the bench and not a leader? I'd love to see him but they have to offer him more than playing at home.

I think we definitely need to sign some DPs that can excite and make us positive about the future like Bragg did when he first came into the team and his pace in getting to the rim got the crowd excited... too much at a Perth Wildcats game feels old hat (minus seeing Tokoto's incredible athleticism).

DJ would be a great signing but would they try and get Motum first?

Reply #673200 | Report this post


curious  
Years ago

Please sign Motum.
Train Damo and others have current contracts. I doubt they would volunteer to take a pay cut. Equally Damo is nowhere near as effective. Maybe move him on, yes pay him out and use that large amount of money he would be getting to recruit a better player for the longer term.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

I think Martin will be on the bench next season. His tank has been empty for the last 3rd of the season. So if cats are looking for new guard, he will have the lure of starting five

Reply #673208 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

The current GM of the cats needs to go as well at the end of a season. Lacking forsight in not assembling a decent team or doing anything to renew Australia's oldest roster.

Reply #673209 | Report this post


Train  
Years ago

@Curios - I never said they should take a pay cut under their existing contract. Damo, Wagstaff and Kenny have one year left on their existing contracts. My point is that if they spent big on signing players like DJ, Gliddon or Mccarron they would be way over the cap in 2018/19 as Martin, Wagstaff were still probably getting paid well. The 2019/20 wouldn't be so much over the cap as Damo and Wagstaff would play lesser roles and command less coin.

Reply #673216 | Report this post


D2.0  
Years ago

Damo is playing injured, nothing wrong with his tank.

But yes, I think putting another genuine talent into that backcourt rotation should be a priority.

Be interested to see if Bogut ever does come home to the NBL, but surely if he did he'd be highly sort to front a new Melbourne team.
I can't see NBL money being a deciding factor for him.

Reply #673472 | Report this post




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