LV said he can't wait to watch him play, right up until footy starts because he's already chosen AFL over NBL.

Highest paid local - what do you think we're talking? $500k?

I thought all contracts were 50% due to COVID? A million a session on the books is way overs

Melbourne's titles to lose now...

"I thought all contracts were 50% due to COVID?"

There is a sliding scale for existing contracts (eg: any amount over $200K is reduced by 50%) but not for new contracts.

Landale
Barlow
Hopson
Goulding
McCarron

Lual-Acuil
White
McDaniel
Baba
Ili

Depth isn't proven, could be ok but remains to be seen, but jeepers that starting five is good.

Barlow was a shadow of himself last season, all contracts new or old are under the reductions. If Landale is on 500k it's 1 million to the cap.

Melbourne clearly favourites though.

I love this. Young Vic players and country vic no less. Come on Sam you must be next!!

"all contracts new or old are under the reductions."

Reductions, by definition, are for existing contracts. The NBL stipulated that a player with an existing contract could not opt out and then sign a new NBL contract for a greater amount in 2020/21, but this does not cover players who weren't in the league in 2019/20.

If above is true, it's the greatest restriction of trade ever, all contracts are at value amounts less restrictions. Casper Ware and al top earners isn’t copping a 50% reduction for any other player to have no reduction by signing this year.

If Landale getting 500g that’s 1 million to the cap.

"If Landale getting 500g that's 1 million to the cap. "

I'd expect Melbourne to sign him as a marquee local, so only part of his salary would count towards the luxury tax threshold ('cap'). The contribution limit for marquee locals was $150,000 when Bogut signed in 2018, but it'd be higher now. Anyone know what it is?

Wow. Big signing that makes their starting 5 extremely tough. But Barlow must surely age at some point and there is only 1 ball... However, the most likely thing to go wrong for this squad is depth. If Landale and/or Hopson or Goulding go down at the same time they might struggle.

Happy to see a quality player like Landale in the league. Wish it was with Perth but oh well we have Blanchfield, J Bairstow and Kevin White.

Melbourne gotta be favorite for the title.

NZB being away from home for the entire season will make it difficult for them to contend. It will be a long 6 months for their core Aussie/NZ group to be in a hotel or an apartment for that period of time, plus all the travel

"If Landale and/or Hopson or Goulding go down at the same time they might struggle."

Every team would struggle if their 3 best players all got injured at the same time lol

Melbourne done very well in recruiting, definately the team to beat.

"will be a long 6 months for their core Aussie/NZ group to be in a hotel or an apartment for that period of time, plus all the travel"

May not be a negative. When the only thing is basketball they may have even more focus.

Nz will have less travel, Auckland to Perth is longer than Melbourne to Perth. NZ have a very experienced coach who has coached in the euro top leagues, he knows about travel and being on the road. I can't wait for the NZ v Melbourne games and I don’t support either.

Coach can't help players feeling home sick and hating living in hotels for 6 months. The coaches experience didn’t get them to the playoffs last year. Might be a better group (depends on how many pies Lamar has eaten), but this year will be more of a mental challenge. Plus zero home court to speak of

So the reality is that Olgun said it. Meaningless.

Fives:

United:

McCarron
Goulding
Hopson
Barlow
Landale

36ers:

Sloan
Dech
Crocker
DJ
Humphries

Cairns:

Machado
Mojave
Noi
Deng
Oliver

Sydney:

Ware
Louzada
Newley
Cooks
Martin

SEM:

Sykes
Gliddon
Creek
Moore
Pineau

Hawks:

Harvey
Simon
Deng
Froling
Bairstow

Brisbane:

Sobey
Johnson
Drmic
Law
Hodgson

Perth:

Norton
Cotton
Blanchfield
Wagstaff
Mooney

Breakers:

Webster
C. Webster
Patterson
Delany
Iverson



First time in a long time Perth have the weakest roster.

#248 and living out of a suitcase the whole time moron

A two-time championship winning coach?

"Casper Ware and al top earners isn't copping a 50% reduction for any other player to have no reduction by signing this year."

If you didn't have a contract in the league last year, you can't have a reduction!

Who may naturalise.

To be fair norton started most of last year, as far as local pgs go i think he is ready.

I reckon...


United:

McCarron
Goulding
Hopson
Barlow
Landale

36ers:

Sloan
Giddey
Crocker
DJ
Humphries

Cairns:

Machado
Mojave
Noi
Deng
Oliver

Sydney:

Ware
Vasljevic
Louzada
Cooks
Martin

SEM:

Sykes
Gliddon
Terangi
Creek
Moore

Hawks:

Harvey
Simon
Adel
Bairstow
Froling

Brisbane:

Sobey
Drmic
Johnson
Law
Hodgson

Perth:

Norton
Cotton
Blanchfield
ND...
Mooney

Breakers:

TWebster
CWebster
Patterson
Delany
Iverson

I don't think many teams can afford a lineup like that.
I think in another 10 or so years we might see teams that calibre and the salary cap boosted.

Eligible for Rookie of the Year?
Could take home multiple awards, going to be interesting, looking forward to it...

Landale is not eligible for rookie of the year.

Good to see you happy LV.
Makes a change.

Hawks won't be last, isn’t Adel an nba player.

Will be a very even season with last place team probably going 10 to 12 wins.

SEM fourth.
That's very generous.

Barlow fills a solid serviceable role.
Doesn't need to be a star.

Melbourne
New Zealand
Sydney
Perth

Cairns
Hawks
Brisbane
Adelaide
SEM

I don't get how the morons on this page are dumb enough to keep ranking Adelaide so low every year and continually getting it wrong. I mean especially with the roster they have this year that will be a defensive menace for teams under Henry.

Sixers added a guy that played good years in the NBA against John Wall, Westbrook etc, a future star in Giddey who is comparable to Lamelo Ball, Isaac Humphries who is set to be a dominant bigman in the league this year and has all the tools to wreck havoc, a veteran who has years of experience in tougher leagues in Crocker, an agressive defender and improving offensive weapon in Dech and an Energy guy off the bench in Pinder who is a pretty darn good upgrade on Kyei.

Lost:

White
Randle
Griffin
Kyei
Drmic
Froling

Added:

Sloan
Giddey
Pinder
Crocker
Humphries
Dech

They've upgraded... if they click with Henry coaching they'll easily make top 4.

#439 it is too early on a Saturday to be drunk

Come on #439 anything above 6th will be considered a success.

Always slacking off on the Sixers. I remember the year they made the finals series... people had them second to last as always before the season begins. Just shows the absolute spastics that exist on this "hoops.com.au" why is this site even still around? It's embarrasing. Reading the shit that is on here.

You're still reading champ and posting

"Always slacking off on the Sixers" Try the right word if you want to be taken seriously.

Who can pickup Broekhoff?

"It's a reduction relative to the value of the contract, not relative to the previous year's salary."

But without an existing contract it can't be reduced. The idea of the reductions was to save club's money, not cost them more by forcing them to pay extra luxury tax on new contracts.