Curtley
Years ago
Has the marquee player rule and recruiting/marketing/third party budgets of capital city teams meant hawks n taipans are basically just making up the numbers?
Sbah48
Years ago
They still have talent and can compete.
Their margin of error however is Infinitely smaller when compared to the bigger budget teams.
Such is life in most pro leagues, even the NBA.
As a fan tho, nothing better than a lower budget, small market team taking it to the big boys.
LoveBroker
Years ago
Is this the new 'Can the
MACDUB
Years ago
They can just as easily.
$ doesn't always equal better imports/locals.
But as inferred above they'd need more luck than other teams insofar as finding diamonds in the rough imports-wise.
LoveBroker
Years ago
No Cairns Taipans are not making up numbers.
Mark Beecroft is on record saying the NBL isn't outgrowing the Taipans and that the team can go toe to toe with any team in the NBL.
https://www.cairnspost.com.au/nbl-wont-outgrow-us-cairns-taipans-boss-mark-beecroft/news-story/ca34fb5c940b3010dac6db55d02883b7
This is the non-paywall version.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/nbl-won-t-outgrow-us-taipans-boss
If Mark Beecroft believes he the Taipans can go toe to toe wth Melbourne United I too am a believer.
If any team is making up the numbers it is Sydney Kings and the salary cap numbers
proud
Years ago
Absolutely, I love the mentality of the Hawks this season of getting players with chips on their shoulder (much better than Adelaide's everyone is against us mentality) and I have a really good feeling about them but they still feel one stud away from being truly convincing.
Cairns I think missed their chance with the previous grand final appearances but for them to get a championship I think they need to gamble on getting locals straight from college (think Cam Gliddon and how Taipans take risks but a club like Perth don't take the risk). If they can get some diamond quality locals that other clubs have overlooked and some clutch imports then I like their chances of a title too but I'm not as positive about them as I am Illawarra
PeterJohn
Years ago
How many have they won in the last 10 years? I doubt their chances of winning one in the next 10 will be better than they have been over the last 10 seasons. That would change if one of them gets a cashed up owner who wants to buy a championship and is prepared to lose money building a team over 2-3 seasons.
In the absence of a rich benefactor, Cairns seem the better chance. They always have the 6th man of the travel other teams have to do to play them at home and in the tropics. Especially in the early season, during the buildup to the wet.
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