No W Byrd.

Definitely not. I mean just look at their 2019/20 roster and compare it to all the other teams' 2019/20 rosters and tell me how it is better than 5 of them. It isn't. Even Ray Charles can see that. So obvious. Silly question.

No Manu, no chance

With same roster? No

Next year will be totally different roster though so who knows. Obviously all their efforts should go into resigning Trimble and build around him. No doubt the clubs with unlimited salary cap will circle though and will cost them a lot more then it did this season. Sydney could do with an upgrade on randle lol

As much as they want to brand themselves as a 'rebuilding' team, they are all old. The only young/youngish guys are Trimble, Newbill, Hall and Kuany. Two of those guys are imports.

Jurlina, Krslovic don't seem ready to really grasp an NBL job, so I don't know where their talent will come from unless they buy it. Wigness is the only local. We'll need to rely heavily on the college scene to find a potential Aussie or two whom we can build around. McCarron was a prime candidate

Keep the core, add a few impact pieces, and yes they can.

Depends
If fans keep swallowing the koolaid of Larry's broken promises, and Jezza's gross incompetence, then no, no chance. I would not be surprised if they fold.
Every time we ask the question, "how will the league look with 9 teams?" They solve it by getting rid of one.
Under the terms outlined, big spending teams like Sydney were to be taxed, and the money handed over to the poor clubs. Either the tax is not being paid, or Jezza is blowing it all on Coke * Hookers, because its clear that teams like Cairns and Hawks still don't have a pot to piss in.
Doesn't matter whether you think that's right or wrong, whether it should change or whether pissant regional teams should be left to fend for themselves. Point is that without the money, they can never compete with the bigboys. And its not like the days when you had only one or two teams spending big. Sydney Melbourne and Perth all have massive payrolls, Brisbane and Adelaide are still comfortably outspending the minnows, so its an uphill battle.

The problem with Tremble, is the same Cairns always have. Their imports are here on suck & see contracts. Using this season as a springboard onto bigger & better. Next season he's either going to be in Europe, on a 2-way in the NBA, or playing for a team that can afford to pay him like Adelaide or NZ. Cairns hope is not to resign him, but to find another one.

I too am surprised they haven't tried to develop young returnees. This idea of building a team form cast-offs just isn't good enough.

Let's not forget the fact that Cairns have had several overtime games and 6 losses by 8 or less points. If they win those 3 overtime games (Perth, Sydney and Melbourne) plus 2 of the 6 close losses that is 5 more wins and instead of 3-16, they’re 8-11 and knocking on the playoffs door.

The team definitely needs adjustments and changes but are not as bad as what a lot of people have said!

Of course they can, Jawai is looking younger and fitter than he has for years and he seems to love Coach Kelly so he is a great starting piece and you can build around the team from there.

The issue is how many will be playing for the Bullets next season?

Overall it's still really hard to win in Cairns and with no Townsville in the league, it's by far the most humid trip in the NBL and if you can win say 10 home games and a couple vs wooden spoon team and sneak a few more then 15 wins has them in the conversation

Let's not forget the fact that Cairns have had several overtime games and 6 losses by 8 or less points.

Sobey
Gliddon
McCarron
Weeks
Steindl

All names we had but now have not. Would Norton and Kay have been likely to come here? I think so.

Hope our ability to recruit from college wasn't lost with Fearne. Are thefe any legitimate college kids we can sign next season?

Yeah but we need college kids to become men in the league so our team can have some semblance of direction in the future

Not saying it isn't a somewhat futile scenario, but the best chance of Cairns having players stick around long term is to have them start their careers there and develop there

Nobody's saying you can build team of college kids, just use them as cheap options on your bench.
Teams like Cairns can offer these kids more minutes which is what they need.

But the other problem they face in terms of next year, is SEM. Between them and the powerhouse clubs, any decent talent will be well and truly hoovered.

How long is a piece of string Wendy?

It always annoys me that a team which places bottom has so much negative social media from so many opinionated and subjective fans, essentially!

Only one team can actually win the competition, no one needs to start throwing the bath out with the bath water here, Cairns is a unique place that deserves an NBL team.

As long as the fans support it and sponsors stay on board, the NBL should never allow such a team to fold and people should ignore that rhetoric.

Can they improve and be more competitive next year, of course, it's every team's plan to do so, things happen and plans don't always come off but I for one want the NBL to consolidate and grow, with the Taipans not without them...