That is horrible, i hope he has a quick and speedy recovery.

New import will be with the team within 24 hours

Also reported that Hawkins career is over as it is not expected he will be able to play at a comptetative level ever again.

Horrible news for Hawk and also the Blaze - he was a genuine nice guy and crowd favourite who brought all the little things to the team that you need to be a success.

Wonder if they or the Cats would go for Josh Pace? I just want to see if he can cut it at NBL level! Edit: Cats are already trialling Shipp, so maybe not them.

This has been a season for some serious health problems. First Shannon collapsing, now Hawkins suffering a stroke. Lets hope thats the last of it!

Very sad news, i wish him and his family all the best.

Isaac, are you kidding me?
Of course Pace can compete at ANBL Level. He was an integrate Part of leading Syracuse to the NCAA Tournament and a Final Four spot. He was MVP of last year'S NZNBL ahead of guys like Jason Crowe, Pero Cameron, Casey Frank. And all those 3 players are capable ANBL players, therefore i see why you think he cannon cut it.

Orien Greene played in the NBA and has been a mixed bag to date, right? Sometimes the style of the league doesn't fit as well as you think it might. I'd just like to see Pace play in the league first to know for sure.

I understand in a way. Overall I am actually tending to agree with you about Pace. If he came into the NBL, He might actually struggle more than what people think. This is because he has such a bad jump shot, and he relies heavily on getting to the rim. He shot 50 % from the FT Line at Syracuse in each of his four years, and barely attempted a 3 point shot(He has limited range)

At the end of the day, He might really dominate the NBL but smart teams and smart players will tend to play off him and give him that jump shot. Once that happens he has nothing.
He can compete at NBL Level, but I don't think he will dominate like Imports such as Williams and Hinson have.

How did anyone know how Hodge would fit in the NBL. That is a risk that Adelaide has taken. To date, I still don't think we know the answer to that.

I was of the understanding that Pace wanted to stay where he was to have the best shot at an NBA gig........

Pace's agent was eager for him to stay so he could line up the commission. Pace would take a gig if it were offered. That distinction arose after Adelaide had Hodge's signature.

Isaac is right, having played NBA these days or even at a big college does not guarantee an import will make it in our NBL. In fact I would say some of the more enduring and successful imports to have had an impact in the NBL have come from small US college programs. The best example of this is a player from a few years ago who came from a div.2 college and is a legend of the game here. Who is it? None other than Leroy Loggins!

Sad for the Hawk that his time with the Blaze has ended the way it has. His form had dipped over the last month or so though, to the point where I thought he might have been cut and the "sickness" last week was just an excuse. It's a shame for him but might be a blessing for the Blaze and their chances in the finals. I really hope the blaze replace him with an import with a bit of size who can play in close.

They've found their replacement. It's on their website.