Thanks for writing the Hawks off, it happens every year. I got $14 to win the title last year so you are not alone. Just fires us up.

"Thanks for writing the Hawks off, it happens every year. I got $14 to win the title last year so you are not alone. Just fires us up."

It will be a tough season with all the talent in the league, Hawks with no Froling, Kell, Lee or Olbrich will find it tough and yes I found it hard to put them in top 6 but with Tatum's coaching, a potential high-end PG to come and the Harvey/Hickey back court they could still do very well. But I don't see them repeating though. Its always nice to see a "small market" team win it

Fairsy it can't fire you up too much if people write you off every year and it took you 24 years to win your second championship.

JJs still plan to suffocate the opposition on D but now hope they have weapons to perhaps be the most potent offensively in their history. Injury to key players could again prove their achilles heel. Early whispers from practice are their imports are insanely good. Time will tell and some super talented rosters across the league.

KL, last season Sword was a potential DPOY because Doyle apparently said he was a great defender after practice lol

Yeah Mystro, the proof will be in the pudding and you expect the GM to talk up the imports to get the fans excited.

Even in Adelaide, that's a big call to not have Cotton in MVP top 3!

"Even in Adelaide, that's a big call to not have Cotton in MVP top 3!"

I just figure with all the talent/names around him it will be hard to get that many votes. Unless they finish top of the ladder easily then it may happen

Can't wait to watch year 2 of the Karim Lopez show

I agree as a Sixers fan I don't think Cotton will be in the running for MVP, I expect his scoring to come down a fair bit under 20 ppg. Last season in Perth he was in a contract year for the first time in a long time so was going hard to impress and impress the Sixers he did with the biggest contract in NBL history.

Sixers have Trez, Vasiljevic, Humphries, Cheatham and maybe even Flynn Cameron to take points/votes off of Cotton.

On the flip side I noticed OP had Doolittle as the #1 MVP candidate, I think he might not even win the Wildcats team MVP award. I guess it depends how motivated JLA will really be back home but on a big contract. Will we see the 14 & 8 JLA from 23-24 or the 16 & 9 MVP contender JLA from 21-22?

Shaping up as a very competitive season.

"On the flip side I noticed OP had Doolittle as the #1 MVP candidate, I think he might not even win the Wildcats team MVP award. I guess it depends how motivated JLA will really be back home but on a big contract. Will we see the 14 & 8 JLA from 23-24 or the 16 & 9 MVP contender JLA from 21-22?"

I just figure if Perth can land a really good PG they will have a really well-balanced team and can finish top four. Doolittle plays both ends, his scoring should increase and maybe some more attention his way with no Cotton there goes a long way to his chances. I should've had "no specific order" as he is not my top 1 choice (KD would be) but again can see him getting some votes if Perth are there abouts come end of season

Great collection of talking points OP. Enjoyable read.

I agree that it's madness to not even put the Hawks in the top 6 though. Sure, I'm biased, but the Hawks are bringing back as much talent as they could. Days was replaceable and so was Lee to a lesser extent for his 3pt ability. Olbrich a big loss but we're not the first team to lose a star to the NBA. Sam Froling will be back at some stage and is recovering well.

There is a culture that underpins the Hawks that starts with Tatum and it just doesn't exist at the other clubs at that level. You're either a likable coach or you're not. I've followed the league long enough to not be infatuated by the Adelaide roster. I've seen enough all star teams. They don't work, and every season people expect them to work. Maybe the Melb chip year with Landale is an exception but that's with Vickerman at the helm.

Expect Hickey to go to a new level this season and I can't wait to see Mcghee. If he's anything like bogut when he came to the nbl, it will look like a man amongst boys.

Plenty of tantalising storylines to play out. Bring on the season.

NBL 26-What to expect?

With the NBL claiming 4 x $1M deals in season 2025/26, Cotton, Cooks, McVeigh and JLA, I expect that the NBL will retain/return/recruit even better/more quality to the NBL from now on.

How high will that lift our standards?

" Bannan, Deng and Magnay is super imposing and might be the best in the league “
Bahahahaha

Just thought I'd give an update as to depth charts, let me know if any errors

Adelaide
PG: Cotton(I)/Rasmussen
SG: Vasiljevic/I.White/M.Harris
SF: Cameron/Kenyon
PF: Cheatham(I)/M.Manyang(DP)/D.Manyang(DP)
C: Harrell(I)/Humphries/Griscti
Coach: Mike Wells

Brisbane
PG: Adams(I)/Norton/Murray
SG: Freeman-Liberty(I)/McDaniel/Devers(DP)
SF: Ducas
PF: Prather(I)/Smith-Milner/Purchase
C: Harrison/Holt/Bradtke(DP)
Coach: Stu Lash

Cairns
PG: Smith/Adnam
SG: Schofield(I)/Stattmann
SF: McVeigh
PF: Waardenburg/Galloway/Higgins-Titsha
C:
Coach: Adam Forde

Illawarra
PG: Hickey/K.McDowell-White(DP)
SG: Harvey(I)/Grida/Ball
SF: Swaka Lo Buluk/Blanchfield/Narkle(DP)
PF: Bolden/Peatling
C: McGee(I)/H.Froling/Yates(DP)

S.Froling injured

Coach: Justin Tatum

Melbourne
PG: Walker(I)/Ili/Daniels(NS)
SG: Goulding/Krebs/Wilson/Blogg(DP)
SF: Doyle(I)/Machar
PF: Delany/Bowen/Koppens
C: Krslovic

Nicolas Tata NRP

Coach: Dean Vickerman

NZ
PG: PJC(I)/Le’Afa/Britt/McNaught(DP)
SG: Brockington(I)/Davison/Isaac(DP)/Cooper(DP)
SF: Bairstow/Judd(DP)
PF: Lopez(NS)/Darling/Te Rangi
C: Baker(I)/Mennenga/Loe
Coach: Petteri Koponen

Perth
PG: Pepper
SG: Henshall/Russo-Nance
SF: Windler(I)/Dech/Gerovich(DP)
PF: Doolittle(I)Mayen/Kouakou-Heuge(NS)/Wagstaff
C: JLA/Okwera/Huefner(DP)
Coach: John Rillie

SEM
PG: Sobey/Glover
SG: Maldonado(I)/Foxwell
SF: Lewis/Foster(DP)
PF: Bleijenberg(I)/Mitchell
C: Hunter/G.Gak/Aliir/Biggar(DP)
Coach: Josh King

Sydney
PG: Davis(I)/Bruce
SG: Dellavedova/Robertson
SF: Kuol/Noi
PF: Cooks/Leaupepe/Galloway
C: Soares(I)/Malauch/Spurgin(DP)
Coach: Brian Goorjian

Tasmania
PG: Campbell(I)/Ayre/Nunn(DP)
SG: Johnson(I)/Stoddart
SF: Hamilton(I)/Drmic/Marshall
PF: Bannan/Deng/Williamson
C: Magnay/Woodhill(DP)

MacDonald injured

Coach: Scott Roth

I'm liking the look of JJs, cats not so much at this early stage. JJs just look very well balanced. Magnay needs to stay healthy.

Top 6 for me (no order):
Melbourne
Tassie
Perth
Illawarra
Sydney
Cairns

Team summaries:
I personally am pessimistic about South East Melbourne, they don't have a true PG on their roster outside of Foxwell at all.
Maldonado signed as a 6'6 combo guard who will apparently start at the 1 but has never done this in his professional career, Bleijenbergh looks boom/bust and Sobey is a year older.

Breakers need to hit on both of their imports to be a contender, which to be fair they have done in recent years, but their bench is basically a collection of NBL-has beens that no other team wanted. Terrible depth.

Illawarra/Perth are very similar currently IMO, they look good so far but will depend hugely on their import PG's so hard to judge.

Adelaide/Sydney both have bucket loads of talent but not ideal positional fits (Adelaide with no true PG's or wings, Sydney with 2 PG's in Delly and Kendric sharing the backcourt), and will both depend HEAVILY on chemistry and coaching.

Tassie/Brisbane look good on paper but we'll need to see what the new imports look like first, and if Stu Lash is up to it.

Melbourne look very solid and will be top 4 I think, Cairns have a lottt to go even with McVeigh signing, but I'm optimistic.


Just my thoughts!

Looking at SEM I think they will be fine in the guards with Foxwell, Sobey, Glover & Maldonado. All can handle the ball at point & all can shoot.
Lewis will be good & Bleijenberg looks like he can stretch the floor in the 4 & play 3
Hunter a good 5 man in this league but with his back ups in Gak & Aliir I feel it's the same old story as last year in the back up bigs are weak.
Their next import needs to be a back up 5 & play 4 at times & be a rebound machine.Mitchell will be either hit or miss & I don’t see him hitting the court very much

Great post - enjoyable read.

SEM will be intriguing to watch with their funky selection of imports and game style I would not write them off.

Do not believe there are teams this year that do not have depth, obviously once teams like Cairns (who are now spending compared to previous years and always have legit imports) and Perth round out their rosters.


Adelaide obviously have the big names in Harrell, Cotton, DJV etc will be fun to watch. I actually love what Harrell brings to the league he is fun to watch.

NZ have a solid line up and are consolidating their Kiwi foundations along with some very talented imports.

Illawarra deserve to be in the conversation, have lost some of their championship players but replaced them with a solid lineup including a very handy import big to cover Froling.

MU are MU, Doyle will be a good glue player who Vickerman will get the most of and the rest of the roster will make them competitive.

Sydney have every spot covered with Soares and Davis complimenting Noi, Delly, Galloway and Cooks. Brisbane have recruited strongly and the new coach has the cattle to now show some consistency.

JJs now have what I believe is their most talented lineup, proof will be in the pudding how it all comes together for them.

These conversations are great - means the season is getting close.

There have been some strong contributors depart the league such as Jack White, Pinder, Armstrong & Olbrich. But it feels like the additions of McVey, JLA, Ducas and some very talented imports may position the league as the most talented ever (unlike last year when it felt a bit down on previous years). Most teams look stacked. Adelaide, Brisbane and Cairns will all likely be much improved.
My rankings..
1. Sydney
2. Adelaide
3. Perth
4. Brisbane
5. Illawarra
6. Melbourne
7. Cairns
8. New Zealand
9. Tasmania
10. SE Melbourne

I agree re the amount of talent and depth. BUT each team has some clear weaknesses, in some cases the coach, in others the bench depth.

Because of that, I think I'd rather give levels, where the final order in each is up for grabs and probably depends on injuries.

Sydney
Illawarra
New Zealand
Adelaide

Melbourne
Tasmania
Perth

Brisbane
Phoenix
Cairns

"NBL 26-What to expect?

With the NBL claiming 4 x $1M deals in season 2025/26, Cotton, Cooks, McVeigh and JLA, I expect that the NBL will retain/return/recruit even better/more quality to the NBL from now on.

How high will that lift our standards?"

We are in the middle of an NBL arms race and its good to see - set off by Sydney and Adelaide, and then everyone else had to move to compete. I remember a few years ago paying a player a million dollars for a contract was unthinkable. The league is really starting to grow.

As long as basketball doesn't fall into the same hole that the A League is in, because of dubious financials or sponsors going bust or whatever.

SEM probably bringing in another 4, VB is a two- three in his own words. He's going to be very hard to contain by other two-three in the comp.
Still a long way to even understand the roster make ups, great read though. Perth really relying on Jla at present, I’m not convinced he can play there system of run and gun. I’m normally one to jump the gun but I’ll see what pans out.

Sydney looks the standout on paper.

But overall the NBL keeps getting stronger and stronger. It's great to see marquee Aussies like McVeigh and JLA returning, Next stars coming back with Lewis and Lopez, and long-term NBL imports remaining in the league with Cotton and Doyle.

Like every other year:

- Some imports will be stars and others busts

- 1 or 2 teams will have their seasons ruined by injury, taking them out of legitimate title contention or top 4 contention

- Some coaches will be found out, and teams will underachieve. Wells, Koponen, Rillie still unproven NBL coaches for mine. Lash is brand new. King did brilliantly with SEM but it was only 80% of a season.

Can't wait.

And on the positive side....

- A coach might be installed mid-season and immediately make a huge mark on the league (King last year, Tatum the year before)

- Young Aussie players will take the next step (McVeigh, Pinder, Hickey in recent years....who will it be this year? Galloway? Henshall?)

- Some teams will just click

Adelaide have got the most talent but I'm not convinced Wells can coach nor is an uptempo style best suited to that talent. That kind of talk was pre-Cotton signing so hopefully we intend to utilise his skill set better.

Honestly I could see Cotton voicing his displeasure and Wells getting the arse at some point this season so I've got them top of the ladder on that proviso, there will be someone else coaching the team come playoff time.

1. Adelaide
2. Sydney
3. Illawarra
4. Perth
5. Tasmania
6. Melbourne

7. Brisbane
8. SE Melbourne
9. Cairns
10. New Zealand

As far as waaaaaaay too early predictions....

Top 4

Sydney - Stacked with talent. Delly a great leader who will set standards.

United- They've been top 4 in 7 of 8 seasons under Vickerman and probably would've been in 22-23 if not for Ili/Hukporti injuries. Only 4 remaining players, and not flush with talent like Sydney or Adelaide, but they'll do what they usually do.

JJ's - Like United really. Top 4 in 3 of Roth's 4 seasons, with injuries a fair excuse last year. Trust his system and culture. Although losing MacDonald and being forced to run fresh imports 1-3 is a blow

SEM- Just a hunch. I love what they did after King joined. The upside of youthful improvement with Lewis and Foxwell there. Need another import guard and Hunter to stay healthy (and out of foul trouble) but could be the surprise package.

LV that's my problem with SEM though, you said they need an import guard (I agree) but all info coming out of the club is that they are targeting a 4/5 forward to finish. They lack backcourt creation compared to a lot of teams in the league. Guard play is arguably the most important factor in being successful in the NBL, SEM lack that.

Poor decision if true.

Foxwell getting seriously underrated here. Mitchell has been playing in England, most teams not nbl1 standard, he's hardly a starting four man, though as previously said he can shoot but it’s not consistent. Maldonado will play some point and Sobey probably as well. VB will play a lot in the 2-3 spots.
United clearly need a 5 man, solid back court but certainly not convinced on there 4-5 yet.

Great write-up.
Still have Tassie as favourites but losing MacDonald will hurt, plus a bit of player turnaround will see a little bit of adjusting. And the inevitable Magnay health concerns always look.
Adelaide have a top heavy team, not convinced with Wells and the chemistry. And Adelaide being Adelaide, something is bound to happen.
Sydney also has a star lineup, but can see the chemistry working a bit better. But they have Brian who's a senior moment from forgetting lost on way to stadium. But they've got Bogut on standby and can see him taking the reigns.
Yep, will join in writing Hawks off, might have got $14 to win it last year, still be in the red with previous disappointments and doubt you would have put more than 10 bucks on. Overnight lost one of the better frontcourts, can't see Sam Froling returning too early, losing Lee will hurt depth. And McGee is a totally different centre to Bogut as a comparison, Bogut huge basketball IQ, Javales record speaks for itself.
United lose most of their team but still has Goulding and Doyle will be a good addition. But might be biggest drop along with Perth in the standings.
Perth lose a living legend that single handedly won a lot of games for them. Had to pay up to replace him and Pinder, don't think Rillie will be able to rely on a solo performance to get him out of the shit.
Sem might suffer from a bit of a hangover from a very good recovery from a bad start. Losing Hurt will hurt and will Sobey be under control.
Brisbane were hit by injuries and now have an unproven coach, hard to tell how the new regime will fare.
Cairns got some big names and will obviously improve after another injury hit year. Is McVeigh worth the million dollar pricetag though, was improved to be a star, but is he a superstar?
New Zealand is my dark horse, Koponon had them cruising until the ill-fated Taco experiment sent them plummeting. Seem to have the depth and great guard to propel them in the rankings.
So it's pretty wide open with each team having question marks.
And just because there's 4 million dollar players doesn't necessarily mean it's a good thing. Perth overspent big time, Cottons worth it and McVeigh needed that coin to compete with Euro offers (even though he's missing out on those Tassie investment and consultancy goldmines anonmightymouse asserts). But the league has lost just as many star/very good players to other leagues as well.
So just looking forward to how Adelaide and Brian will stuff things up respectively.

Your last sentence is the best part of your very good summary, Phantom.

Don't forget Rillie.

Zodiac. But wasn't it you who suggested the Wells appoinment was the greatest decision the club ever made? Or was that just because it might have lead to Cotton signing? Or maybe that was not you at all? Either way, the irony of that is Bryce becoming distrguntled at the very person he supposedly signed for. Although we know being the highest paid player in the league probably has something to do with it regardless of who is coaching. Let's hope Wells CAN coach because it could be a disaster if not.

The disadvantage of Adelaide completing their roster so early was that it gave the rest of the competetion an idea of what they were up against. Do you take a talented but defensively flawed team with a questionable coach like Adelaide or a disciplined defensively capable team with upgraded weapons thrown in like Tasmania. I defineltely feel like Adelaide have set the bar and teams are responding. Maybe McGee was signed to neutralise the threat of Harrell. But now the rosters are finalised or close to it for others and suddenly Adelaide don't look as superior on paper. We know they are not superior "off-paper"-coaching culture, so it does bring them back to the pack a bit. I think we should be optimistic but cautious at the same time knowing how often being declared too talented to fail ends in disaster.

Cairns are finally signing some players and making big moves. Brisbane look much better already. We are probably looking at the most even season in league history? Good.

Yea, definitely feels like Adelaide/Sydney set off an arms race and what seemed like clear top teams on paper suddenly don't look like they're head and shoulders above the rest of the league anymore.

In the end both teams could have repeats of this season where internal strife/chemistry just doesn't hit and other teams who have their act together like Illawarra, SEM and Tassie jump ahead of the pack.

Either way we should be in store for a very entertaining season!

This is about as excited as Ive been for a season, pretty much ever. The only thing that would make it better is if we had some of those fringe NBA guys back home (Travers, Armstrong, Motum, Kay, Ingles, Mills etc)

"Zodiac. But wasn't it you who suggested the Wells appoinment was the greatest decision the club ever made? Or was that just because it might have lead to Cotton signing? Or maybe that was not you at all?"

Yeah it was me and just because I believe a statue of Wells should be erected outside of the AEC for his recruting of Cotton, Cheatham and convincing Trez to come back doesn't mean I think he can coach.

What I saw last season I thought his HC ability was lacking not to mention the issues he had with some players like KD & Humphries. The hiring of two new AC's with NBL experience should hopefully help with that. But I do think Cotton has come here in part, aside from the big money, to try and win a title with our sorry ass club. It would go a long way to him being viewed as the NBL GOAT if he did. He experienced Wells as an AC at the Jazz, HC is a very different gig and if he wanted a change I'm sure his opinion would be listened to.

Master Chief, how can you question Wells as coach. He is American, he knows everything there is to know about basketball!

I still find it interesting that based on a very brief stint when Wells was AC in Utah that Cotton and Cheatham cited it as one of top reasons they signed in Adelaide.
Don't know the guy personally but doesn't give of the aura of someone with amazing charisma or someone that could create a pathway to bigger things.
Never been a HC, and don't think anyone can argue his debut season wasn't without a few hiccups. And assistant coaches that are player coaches tend to be pretty valuable in the NBA to keep the locker room together.
I suppose when Cotton got asked for his reasons for choosing Adelaide it was politer picking out a brief relationship years ago than just saying money or he was sticking it to Rillie.

Fine cotton saw the light in burning brighter in the east. Glimpse last year and now the organic roots of growth are going to bloom fully. Core base been reinforced. Truly this season is the reason to be excited.

Fine cotton saw the light in burning brighter in the east. Glimpse last year and now the organic roots of growth are going to bloom fully. Core base been reinforced. Truly this season is the reason to be excited.

Fine cotton saw the light in burning brighter in the east. Glimpse last year and now the organic roots of growth are going to bloom fully. Core base been reinforced. Truly this season is the reason to be excited.

Crackers65. I know that was sarcasm. But the thing is. There is no doubt Wells is knowledgable. He has spent the best part of 30 years in the NBA for a reason. America is the heartland of the game. His intellectual property would be valuable. I have no doubt he can coach. But it doesn't mean he is the right coach for an NBL club. Wells being capable and not being the right coach for NBL based Adelaide are two different things, and I think that is where Weston is more responsible. But we have seen evidence that Wells is highly capable.

It also depends if we all agree Wells is actually the person most responsible for Cotton arriving. I personally was highly critical towards Weston over the way the club handled the Ninnis firing. But I also think he has not really put a foot wrong in terms of player recruitment. And then this also depends on where the money is actually coming from. Neither Wells or Weston are relevant if Cotton is not the highest paid player in league history.

This is why I am suspect about a so called 'culture reset'. So far they have just shown they can spend the most money. In saying that, the culture doesn't appear to be so bad that existing players have exercised every possible way to leave and it obviously has not deterred free agents.

SEM sign John Brown III. Will be a DPOY-candidate for sure but SEM seriously lacking a bucket-getter/import guard in my opinion.