Sucks for future tassie team

Best news of the day!

I didn't think he would leave - he loves Melbourne

Perfect way to start a Friday!

Happy hes staying.

flops to much

Aren't Melburnians just Tasmanians going to Sydney?

Great news. Interesting that his previous deal was 2 years straight after the GF MVP and championship, when presumably his value would've been higher

Reading in between the lines of Goulding's comments, I reckon he got significant interest from elsewhere, and it was United's agreeing to a 3rd year that got them over the line. It sounds like there's other personal stuff going on too (maybe kids on the horizon soon, he's nearly 32 and married)

Anyway, happy he's staying on with United

Confirmed: CG, McCarron, Ili, Lual Acuil, White

Rumoured: Brandt, Barlow, Kuany

Prather signed but rumoured he'll be released?

McCarron could be the designated PG if they had the right type of small forward alongside him- - a creative type who can make plays off the dribble and score in one on one situations. I don't think Prather's the right guy.

And by designated PG, this is just a name really, the way United's offense works, you see McCarron and even CG routinely start the offense with the ball in their hands anyway. It's more about having the right mix of players with complementary skill sets.

Depth chart:

Brandt/Lual Acuil/Import big
Import big/Barlow/White
Import wing/McCarron/Kuany
CG/McCarron/Kuany
McCarron/Ili/Import wing

Maybe White takes Kuany minutes at 3 too? Havent seen White, but I doubt either him or Kuany would figure hugely in the rotation anyway

Assuming Brandt signs and they get their imports right.. MU are going to be tough

Re-signing with MU was always a possibility, but I'd say that a 3-year deal, especially for somebody near the end of their career, was unexpected. The simple fact that he got a 3-yer deal indicates there was strong interest from elsewhere.

There was a lot of talk about him being from Tasmania. But if you look into it, from what I can see he left when he was a kid around 8. So you'd have to wonder just how strong those ties are?
And whilst be the inaugural captain of the new franchise might be attractive to some, he's already the Captain at MU. At the end of this contract he'll have been in Melbourne for a decade, so he's probably more interested in building a legacy there.

Goulding will be 32 by the time the season starts so this is probably his last contract.

As we've seen recently with Wesley (and Madgen) once guys get into their 30's, family and personal considerations start to become priority

Like, where is his wife and her family based, where is CG's family based, are they planning on starting a family etc

Someone like CG who's earning significantly more money than Joe Bloggs, can afford to think like this too.

Would he uproot his whole life (where he's been based for all but 1 season in the past decade) to take an extra 50k a year? I'm certain for most people, the answer would be no. Would he uproot his life for an extra 150k a year? For most people, the answer would be yes.

So I guess, this is saying that, depending on his exact circumstances, United may have had a significant advantage in negotiations. So perhaps they offered him significantly less money per year than other teams, and he was happy with that because he gets to stay in Melbourne and has the security of a 3 year deal

CG has such good outside shooting skills that he could be a sharp shooter off the bench until a ripe old age in his late 30's. Think CJ Bruton, John Rillie, Lanard Copeland

Maybe, he'll be 34/35 by that stage and he relies heavily on his athleticism both coming off multiple screens and with a high release on his jump shot. Like we saw with a similar player in Brett Maher once the 'old man' injuries start i.e. hamstrings & calves the whole mechanics of their shot gets thrown out.

Goulding is already clearly on the decline and not the superstar player he was a few years ago that's not a knock just reality the requirement of his services would've been limited (Tassie) and he was able to squeeze an extra year out of United when he usually only signs 2 year deals with them.

In three years time with all the old man injuries to come he will be a shell of the player he once was and would be lucky if there's any interest even from Tassie, why would they need him then?

Yes because of his natural decline, he was even coming off the bench last season at times. Admittedly that was to help better fit in Trimble but you don't do that to a player who is still meant to be a superstar player. Again I'm not putting shit on him I like Goulding but he's not at his peak anymore.

I dare say both Goulding & United are cognisant of where he is at in his career and he was able to get a 3 year contract likely whilst taking a pay cut in the hope he finishes his career there.

Wouldn't say he is declining just yet his scoring was best in four years last season.
He could be similar to Kirk Penney and still have an impact at a later age.

Let's not mention Goulding and Kirk in the same sentence please. A bit of respect...

Injuries are unpredictable, so far CG's avoided soft tissue problems and mostly it's been ankles that have bothered him- in 18/19 he was on a rampage before injuring his ankle in Perth, and upon return never quite got his mojo back

19/20 was a great year for him, if he was on a bottom team he could be the number one focal point, but he was sharing the ball with Trimble and Long, and at times Prather too

He doesn't really rely on his athleticism moreso than most players. He's never been super athletic for a guard in the NBL. But he has more range on his jumpshot than anyone else, and this is a valuable skill that will mean he has a role for many years to come (if he wants it) like Bruton, Rillie, Copeland did. Age impacts everyone differently though, so we'll see.

[Yes because of his natural decline, he was even coming off the bench last season at times. Admittedly that was to help better fit in Trimble but you don't do that to a player who is still meant to be a superstar player.]

My recollection is Trimble was benched for Ili late last season, and it was the year before when CG came off the bench late in the year with McCarron starting in the backcourt alongside Casper

It's all about fit.

Back in 2014 (Admittedly when the NBL was a bit weaker) CG was the number 1, 2 and 3 scoring option on the Melbourne Tigers and even shot 50 in a game. In my view, he's every bit still as good as he was then, and in some ways is even more dangerous because he's become more selective and efficient.

You gotta remember CG has been sharing the ball with Casper, Trimble, Prather, DJ Kennedy in recent years. United have been a top 2 team for 3 years in a row (only missing a 3rd GF because they were monumentally screwed by the refs in the 2020 semis)

United have been a top 2 team for 3 years in a row (only missing a 3rd GF because they were monumentally screwed by the refs in the 2020 semis)

I'm surprised CG43 got such a good deal since he's a streaky player. When he's off he is basically a chucker plus he doesn't defend well.

[What a load of BS.

United choked in Game 1]

Learn to read.

It was a best of 3 series.

Yes, United choked in Game 1. Absolutely.

But the refs got Sydney into the Grand Final. Make no mistake about that.

You may want to revisit these threads and read some of the comments

https://www.hoops.com.au/forum/47006-home-cooking/

[watching those games I could have sworn that the referees were under the directive to make this a Sydney-Perth grand final series.]

[the Kings-United game was outrageous.]

[I went into the game wanting Sydney to win, and I was pulling for Melbourne by quarter time because it was so obvious they were getting screwed.]

[I usually don't pin anything on refs. But I am not sure how anyone could watch game 3 and not see clear bias that almost looks intentional. Didn't look too different to the bias in games you see in China.]

[surely no neutral would have enjoyed the reffing of Sydney vs Melbourne?
Plenty of conspiracy theories about LK pulling strings to help Melbourne. He certainly botched the job on Thursday!]

Or the game thread:

https://www.hoops.com.au/forum/46995-united-vs-kings-sf-game-3/

[Refs doing their best to ruin the game early. Trying to help Kings as best as possible.]

[These reffs are an embarrassment]

[Whats with these calls, these are playoffs ffs.]- by some poster named Lovebroker. Not you, was it?

[Refs want Sydney to win]

[Despite the obvious favouritism United doing quite well to be ahead.]

[It's a joke when there are good players stuck on the bench for one team on iffy calls. I'm losing interest.]

[This is a total screw job by the refs. Sydney is terrible just getting a helping hand by the refs.]

And on and on it goes

Thank you for finding all those threads and comments that have little relevance.

United choked Game 1 they should have won, and thrashed Kings in Game 2.

The series should have finished right there.

United opened themselves up to whatever happened in Game 3.

[United choked Game 1 they should have won, and thrashed Kings in Game 2.]

You're right, I said "only missing a 3rd GF because they were monumentally screwed by the refs in the 2020 semis"

It's true the refs weren't the "only" reason. United should've won in 2.

But, after watching and playing basketball for 25 years and seeing very few games where one team was screwed over as egregiously as United was in the deciding game, it's fair to say the refs kept them out of the game. You expect some bias, you don't expect the refs to be completely perfect. But you cant account for that.

You're both right - United did choke, despite prevailing over the biased reffing in Game 1, by inexplicably giving it away via turnovers and bad shot selection in the fourth quarter. It was such a strange game.

At least evil didn't win out in the end.

Such a happy ending.