Sydney
Perth
Melbourne
Illawarra

New Zealand
Cairns
Adelaide
Brisbane

I really hope that the semi finals can go 3 games each as that would have added spice especially with the NSW derby.

My tip is Sydney v Perth Grand final series with Sydney winning 3-2 and gave 5 being a sell out at Qudos Bank Arena

Not sure I'd put Perth above Melbourne....

1. Sydney
2. Melbourne
3. Perth
4. New Zealand
5. Illawarra
6. Adelaide
7. Brisbane
8. Cairns

Sydney
Melbourne
Cairns
NZ

Perth
Brisbane
Townsville
Adelaide
Illawarra

I think the fact that everyone has very different predictions means it'll be a close season which is what we all really want.

I am laughing at the adelaide predictions at the bottom. Happens EVERY year and EVERY year since Joey joined, Adelaide has proven them wrong.

a good culture means much more than people think, and the culture i am referring to is the coaching staff and the playing group, not the admin/CEO - their boardroom antics do not have as much influence on a result as people like to think. This team is always thick as thieves.

"I am laughing at the adelaide predictions at the bottom. Happens EVERY year and EVERY year since Joey joined, Adelaide has proven them wrong."

I'm laughing at you for accepting mediocrity as success.

Melbourne
Perth
Sydney
New Zealand

Adelaide
Illawarra
Brisbane
Cairns

With Adelaide and Illawarra only a game or 2 out of the top 4

Never completely right off Joey or Bevo no matter who is on their roster

NZ should make it imo. Perth isn't at all guaranteed a finals spot. They'll probably make it but if they miss it's no surprise

Mystro, how the hell have i accepted mediocrity? i am referencing the yearly mass prediction of bottom 2 and every single year, they have defied the odds.

Is taking the grand final to game 5 mediocrity? hardly.

I back this team because i back the coach and the culture, maybe this year wont be ours but we certainly wont be bottom 2. That spot goes to poorly coached sides. Joey will always get the best out of every player, does it every year.

Melbourne
Sydney
Perth
New Zealand

Adelaide
Brisbane
Illawarra
Cairns

Here's a prediction it wouldn't surprise me if the Kings sack Gaze midseason and make Bogut player/coach.

Melbourne
Sydney
Perth
Adelaide

NZ
Cairns
Illawarra
Brisbane

but Adelaide was actually rolling with the very best possible line ups.

adelaide - up tempo.... run and gun.... dont stop ...a bittava chance...
...... perth unlikely .............due to the refs......

Melbourne

Perth
Sydney
both will make changes if necessary.

Adelaide and NZ to battle for fourth spot
Illawarra 6th but will be competitive
Brisbane
Cairns.

"Adelaide was actually rolling with the very best possible line ups."

Average minutes for Sixers main players

22 Wiley
18 Johnson
28 Sobey but missed one game
22 Drmic and missed one
23 Moore
21 Deleon

Perth
29 Cotton

W-L Team

20-8 Melbourne
18-10 Sydney
16-12 Perth
16-12 NZ
14-14 Illawarra
12-16 Adelaide
12-16 Brisbane
4-24 Cairns

Preseason stats are meaningless.

Sydney
Perth
Melbourne
Illawarra

Adelaide
Cairns
New Zealand
Brisbane

What's the argument for NZ making the four in a competitive league? Am I forgetting something special about their roster?

Perth and Melbourne look strong. Sydney have talent and should get past early bumps. It's possible that one of Adelaide and Illawarra are not going to fall as dramatically as expected. Who would you bet on NZ to beat out? Or is it lack of faith in ADL/ILL?

All imports are new faces which is regularly risky. Change in coach. Brought in Weeks, Wesley, Majok and Webster. Lost Pledger, Loe, Vukona and Penney. The incoming set are pretty handy, but if you were offering the half-empty view (exaggerated for effect), you'd call Webster a chemistry-killing chucker, Weeks a team-hopping headless chicken, and Majok barely got minutes with Melbourne. (I thought Wesley was critical for United, so will leave him alone!)

White, damo and brandt avg mins? Let's not let facts get in the way of a good story

White, damo and brandt avg mins? Let's not let facts get in the way of a good story

What's the argument for NZ making the four in a competitive league? Am I forgetting something special about their roster?

NZ because of their depth. Great depth.

They can take people off the dribble, can go get a bucket both inside and on the perimeter (Grown Man and Webster), they can rebound (Wesley, Long, Delany, Moore, Abercrombie), shooting (Ngatai, Weeks, Abercrombie, Richard, Webster, Long can stretch), they can access each other from both inside and out (Ili can penetrate, Wesley is an outstanding passer), they're athletic. I'm big on them and I think Ngatai will break out. They can defend, Moore is a Draymond Green. Rim protection. They have the package

I should've mentioned the loss of Newbill will hurt though I rated him their best import last season, very underrated player.

Adelaide
Brisbane
Cairns
Illawarra
Melbourne
New Zealand
Perth
Sydney

;-)

1. United- originally had Sydney but Kennedy looks the perfect fit.

2. Sydney- Bogut will keep the ship steady and get the talent on the same page. Wear will go and Bogut might help select a new import.

3. Perth- Strong system. Decent Aussie group and will keep rolling through imports if unhappy.

4. NZ- Deep. Experienced. Long looks good. Ili can step up.

5. Adelaide

6. Illawarra- chips on their shoulders and Bevo is a master coach

7. Brisbane- They look talented enough but....I dumno. Just a vibe I guess. But they just smell like they might underachieve.

8. Cairns - Too many questions on Jawai's health. The two new imports look talented but are young. At least one should struggle but looking at the roster they all need to be pretty good for them to succeed. More roster turnover than most teams but unlike say Illawarra, the coach isn't a proven performer who we know could still get them going.

Hard to tip. I haven't paid much attention to pre season results.

Im a Kings fan, not the usual negative type either, but cannot see them in the Top 2. I am hopeful of a Playoff run. The current mishmash of players is the strangest lot I have seen. I think they missed Kickert a lot at the Blitz, he has been one of the better scorers in the preseason games Ive seen.

Bogut is going to prove a major issue if they don't win the bulk of their games. He has already vented many frustrations in a manner which players normally never would. Not a bad thing (for fans), but not great for team harmony. I'm hoping his preseason is just a slow wind in to the season, but the stats don't suggest there is as much left in the tank as I'd hoped.

Top 3 - Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Middle 3 - Adelaide, Illawarra, NZ
Bottom 2 - Brisbane, Cairns

This is what will go down at the Kings:

1. Kings will get rid of Wear and select 2 new imports.

2. Kings will start losing games.

3. A player will come up with an "injury".

4. Gaze will use the injury as an excuse.

5. Kings won't make the play-offs.

6. Gaze and JVC are given the boot by Quodos.

7. New coach next year: Bevo.

"Sydney don't go past seven players, will struggle if lisch, Newley or Bogut go down for any period of time. Randle will be good, kickett ok,, Wear okand pineau ok, the rest don't look nbl quality, no matter what there resume says."

Are you kidding? Wear can't hit a pond with a rock. Pineau - fumble, turn-over, 3 second violations, soft fouls and one everytime he fouls.

Adnam is a gun scorer who holds a championship ring. Wilson is MVP of SEABL. Deng Deng has shown quality ball, and Bowen has import qualities at 18 years old.

Is there anyone at all besides the delusional Manu who thinks Cairns won't be bottom 2?

Not sure where we will end up (Cairns). Ask me again in February :)

Nah I'm only kidding about top 3. We'll make the eight

Could finish anywhere. Plenty of talent, some quality defenders, but lots of question marks from the coach down.

While Wilson's team may have been 12th, they were only 2 games out of 6th in what was a very tightly contested mid table battle in the league. He was also one of only 3 players on that team that made consistent contributions, and was clearly the best of the three, with the next best likely to play a big role in Cairns.

I think Wilson will surprise some people this season. Kid can play.

There were plenty of times last year, when Adnam came on and gave Melbourne a shot in the arm. A well deserved championship ring.

My only ladder prediction is that South East Melbourne finishes 9th

Melbourne (Goulding raining threes ALL DAMN YEAR, Ware trash talk king)
Perth (2nd after regular season, but win it all, Damo DPOY again)
Illawarra (surprise packets)
NZ (smart, TOUGH, better systems than Sydney)

Sydney (Randle has to carry them for long stretches. Bowen will ball out)
Adelaide (Joey suspended 2 games after sack whacking Aylen)
Brisbane (Cadee goes 1/19 in a big game)
Cairns (Shame for Cairns, but they lack stars)