Thats a better option than Perth. They will get 10,000 fans every week now & make the Kings tough. Perth dont need him & dont have the big stadium!!!

Kings have less to loose,
and more to gain from this deal
than the 36ers or the Wildcats.

Sounds resonable, always figured the sixers were a long shot at best. however regardless of anything id rather see him in a sixers uniform. But sydney needs something like this to bring the masses back to basketball.

If it is the Kings, the only disappointing thing from my point of view is that it will sideline Khazzouh a bit as a force in the NBL.

Perth seem to be going with Luke Nevill now.

Which is a good signing for them i think, allows Knight to play PF and gives them a fringe boomer level starting C.

Did the 36ers look at him for the spot they offered Schenscher? I thought he would have been a good 2nd choice, having said that im glad it looks like Johnson is going to be given the starting role and be let loose, which should be exciting as he has some serious game and potential and may end up better than Schenscher and Nevill.

Could Khazzouh play the 4 spot?
Imagine having Khazzouh and Bogut on at the same time.
The rebounding count will be unreal.

From The West:

Bogut is valued as a maximum 10-point player and the Wildcats were told he would be assessed as taking $150,000 in the salary cap regardless of what he was actually paid.

Basketball Australia board member Andrew Gaze said yesterday that Australian clubs would be in competition with clubs worldwide for Bogut's services. However, he believes that the 26-year-old's decision could be swayed by his business interests.

'He's starting up a number of businesses in Australia and he's indicated that [playing here] would be a attractive option for him,' Gaze said. 'That would be to our advantage.'

The NBL have been doing their best to promote Sydney. The best promotion would be the Bogie man in gold and violet

Bogut to the Kings would be amazing from a marketing perspective, he and Khazzouh as twin towers would be hard to stop. Even more intriguing would be opening night - the lightning quick Tigers vs the giant Kings!

Will be interesting to see if Perth can find a way to fit Nevill in.

I imagine Khazzouh would relish the chance to play alongside him and feed off the attention Bogut attracts, instead of being the one doubled regularly. Not to mention the chance to train against one of the best centres in the world every day.

Paul, Perth have the points to fit Neville in (9) don't know about Salary though.

Could the Kings legally or morally double the price of their memberships overnight if this happened?

Also 36ers fans shouldn't worry, Chris Kaman still wants to get a gig outside of the US.

I think some of what has been said about Boguts "Business Interests" has been misunderstood. His family opened a automotive imports business 4 years ago (funded by AB, but run entirely by his Dad). This imports business is based in Melbourne, not Sydney.
AB has made it clear that at the conclusion of his playing career he will own an NBL team, from what I have heard his preference is to be a rival for the Tigers.
IMO if AB does end up playing some NBL games there will be more for the NBL club to take on board than just AB. Bogut is a very astute business guy and would understand that any official link he has to an NBL team would affect the way his profile is seen here in Australia. That is: play for the Kings......3-4 years down the track the Kings start going broke again. Who are they going to ask for help to bail them out? You guessed it.
My guess is that if he does play a few NBL games during the lockout it will be in Perth, or Melbourne. That's right I said Melbourne.
IMO he wouldn't go anywhere with a shakey financial history.

Would it have killed these guys to put their hands up for a job back when teams still had room under both caps? This makes it very awkward for clubs following fan expectations that they'll make a play for players while knowing it will disrupt teams and potentially alienate cut players.

Even though i've historically hated the Kings, i'm liking this

i've heard the same thing - Bogut to Kings...

Wow - Kings would be great with Bogut and there would be just so many pluses for both them and the league.

Make it happen!

As Boti pointed out in today's Tiser - we host the Kings in 2 out of the first 3 games or something? So works out well for us Sixers fans...

Be interesting if he does sign with Sydney, but as previously mentioned, only plays home games unless an appearence fee is payed for him to travel.

With our 2nd and 3rd home games against the Kings, would the club want to pay for him to play at the risk of costing us the win?

I'd love to see him in this league, even if only briefly, and for a team I used to hate. And Sydney would be the best market, strategically speaking, for him to play in, from the NBL's perspective.

Port Adelaide get more fans to their AFL game then most Sydney ARL sides get to their local games.

Sydney people just don't follow sport like the rest of the country does. It doesn't matter who is in their side, the fan base won't improve that much.

Sydney don't mind an event though...and Bogut would be a pretty good ticket seller one would imagine.

Is it just me or do the NBL and others always talk about how important it is for the Kings to be a strong team to help promote the NBL????

And when they were top in the comp it didn't make a difference to TV or marketing!!!

How about we just say Bogut playing for any team will be good for the NBL.

anon, as you probably know Sydney didn't go broke a few years ago because of the Sydney Kings' financial history, it was because a crook ran them into the ground (to a certain degree the same can be said for the Bullets). Now they are back in the league and despite being wooden spooners last season are financially viable by all accounts. I doubt, if given Bogut's business nouse he would turn down playing for the Kings because mr Firepower ran them a while ago. There'd surely be a more detailed reason if he went to play in Perth or Adelaide.

Gday curtley, I don't want to argue. It's just that you and I might define "financially viable" quite differently. I wouldn't consider over 80K in unpaid players salaries few years ago financially viable. When the Kings re-launched, the first thing the organisation should have done is to make good on the debts to players who suffered throught the firepower debaucle. A couple of those players are good mates of mine, and good mates of AB.
A couple of those players were pursued by the "new Kings" when the re-launch was anounced and the players response was simple. "I'd love to come play, just pay me the money you owe me". The answer they were given could only be described as p*ssweak.
I love the Kings, always will. But to quote a line from Vinnie Jones "You owe what you owe".

Tough enough restarting an NBL club in difficult times, let alone having to put up money to cover for the mistakes of what was clearly a fraud at the time. Yes, they could voluntarily make those payments, but I don't blame them for not doing so.

I think at one point, Aaron Bruce had a bit of an issue with a past 36ers administration over perceived money owed.

I got the impression last year that the Kings were as much about finding players keen to suit up for them and do the hard work as anything. Yes, it got them the spoon, but the majority of players (e.g., not Ryan) gave their all and you could tell the local fans appreciated that.

Well in that case there's probably only 10 sporting clubs in Australia that are financially viable, this is because they historically have a huge number of paying fans or they are propped up by a company that is so large it is happy to cover any losses.

Gday again curtley, you are probably right about there being only 10 or so sporting clubs like that. I think most of them would be AFL and NRL clubs.
No malice intended at all, but would you play for a team who didn't pay your mates wages?
I for one wouldn't. I doubt if AB will either.
AB could play anywhere he wanted in the world, if he comes here to play it will be to spend time with family and friends. Did you know he bailed out some of the Sydney Spirit players that were not being paid?
Have a look at AB's past history, as a young junior he really didn't get the opportunities he deserved because of club/coach politics. He looks after those that looked after his best interests. AB would play ABL for Bevo in Tassie before going to a club that ripped off his mates.

anon
different business run by different people you can not relate the two.
in the next few days your last comment will make you look quite foolish

Gday Muzz
Maybe, but I don't care about looking foolish because admittedly I'm a bit of a fool. Like I said earlier, I love the Kings.
I just don't think AB will go there. Maybe this whole thing (the NBA lock out, Patty Mills signing with the Tigers, AB coming to play NBL) is a scheme cooked up by the NBL in order to create this intense Melbourne- Sydney rivalry in order to increase the basketball audiences and keep the league in the black.
As for the "different businesses run by different people, can't relate the two" comment, I call for a video umpire decision. Because it smells like Bullsh*t.
If my band plays at your wedding and you only pay 2 of the 4 of us, then 3 years later you get re-married and I hear you are looking for a band again do you say "Sorry mate, new wife can't be responsible for the old wifes debt" or do you say "terribly sorry mate, let's work something out"
My question is "What is the right thing to do?"
Pay the man.

WOW

Wow!

I'd dare say personnel wise, the Sydney Kings of 2011 have more in common with the 1992 team than the 2004 team.

But yes, provided he hold grudges against organisations rather than individuals then he won't play with the Kings.

anon, that is such an awful comparison. Bogut is not an idiot and would surely be aware of the reason Kings players struggled to get paid.

This club is a different entity. Different money behind it, different people. Also realise that if Bogut does want to play in the NBL, no team can deliver the potential publicity, market, etc that Sydney can. A minor beef with a fraudster from the past could have a weak impact if he's being petty, but he may have no other choice.

How about, Brisbane "Bogut All Stars" Bullets.
Get it done, no deactiving players needed!

But seriously, I have been reading that it is likely the NBA season will actually start on schedule and the gap between the owners and players really isnt as significant as the media is making it out to be.

If so, haha at Melbourne, and whoever signs Bogut.

anon,

It is more like this.

A guy named Sydney King books someone for a band for a wedding. Only 2 out of 5 get paid. Sydney goes bankrupt cause he is dodgey.

This other guy named Sydney King books the same band for a wedding. This is a different Sydney King and isnt related to the other Sydney King. Why would the band not do the gig?

From the interview a coupla years ago in MEL
while waiting for insurance to kick in on his new Bucks contract, he won't train uninsured.
So, if this is $80-$100k per game for insurance,
then he won't train.
He spoke about the muscle car biz he's doing with his dad.
But, sounds more likely NBA will start 01nov11.

that was the weirdest analogy I have ever read in my entire life, almost made my brain hurt ??????

if there is a wedding band in the forest, and there is no one there to hear them, do they make a sound at all?

What if they play in another forest, that is a different forest, but looks the same as the first? Any sound then?

ab4e, depends on whether the first forest paid only 2 of the 4 band members. Duh.

So will Bogut sign up with the Kings or not?

Round 1 coud see Mills and Bogut on court at once...

Being a Sixers fan, but a Kings member (I actually get to go to games this way) i'd love to see Bogut in a Kings uniform.

I thought the Kings did quite well last season, in terms of attendences and the like, given it was their first season back and they lost 14 straight games. There was always 4000 odd people at the games (the last game of the year topped 8000 people which was probably the biggest crowd in the NBL last season). I know they did give tickets away, but if they're going to build a supporters base they need to get people through the doors to see the games. I would expect they'd do similar this season to try and get some more season ticket holders, then start upping prices (or making it more attractive to be a season ticket holder - last season it would have been cheaper for me to buy a ticket each week than be a season ticket holder).

And as previously mentioned, Sydney loves an event. Bogut in a Kings uniform on opening night would certaintly classify as an event and probably a sell out. Now it'll just take the kings finding someone to cover his insurance and we're away.

Someone's suggested to me that they may have found help with the insurance, but not 100% confident yet.

Be interesting if he does sign with Sydney, but as previously mentioned, only plays home games unless an appearence fee is payed for him to travel.


pay an appearance fee to have your opposition bring their best player lol
stuff that, they want him, they can pay for him

What are the chances that Bogut makes and announcement at the Sydney boomers game this weekend.

Pretty sure that Bogut (or at least his camp) was quoted as saying a decision wouldn't be made until very early October?

Yep - quoted as saying would make a decision on 1 October. Sydney's first game is against Melbourne on 7 October.

Brandon Jennings is actually declaring serious interest in following Bogey to Australia.

No that would be a serious coup!