Released. Their coach said they "needed a different type of centre".

Would he come back to the NBL.Get rid of Birdman and get Khazzouh.Guaranteed 20/10 each night.

NBDL guys!

Dann is a 6, Martin a 5. Assuming White is a 1, they have 6 points spare after cutting Smith. Might be hard convincing the league that Khazzouh will play for the same amount as Dann, unless they're well under the cap. League might allow it through in the interest of having a stronger team in Sydney though.

They are under the cap.. But don't hold your breath re: Sydney Kings/NBL this year.

Khazzough for Dann would turn the Kings into a title contender.

While it would be awesome to see Jules back in the league and in purple & gold, I really think coming back this soon would be sort of like giving up and admitting defeat, especially seeing as how he sees this as his next few years to make "it"/the cash, and there are plenty of other options over there if he's not right for that team...

Logistically, it would be interesting to see how it would work... If White IS indeed a 1, although for some reason I'm thinking he's a 3? Actually, upon further research, White's 11/12 player ranking is 3pts. I doubt that would have changed, so we'd have a current total of 66pts being used, which means that for Jules to fit, we'd have to cut either White (3) and Martin (5) and have 2 left over for an ex-dev player, or cut anyone but Garlepp, White or Martin...

But again, I doubt he'll come back within the next few years, so it's all just theoretical :)

Graeme Dann is a 6, so you could do a straight swap if the unlikely happened.

I am trying to remember graeme dann doing anything impressive? ... It isnt working!

I challenge anyone here to name any NBL player in the last 10 years that is Graeme Danns height and size that is able to handle the ball as well as him. The reason Graeme Dann doesn't get the kudos he deserves is because he is played in the wrong position.
He is a combo guard, not a power forward.
Graeme Dann could be used far more effectively if Heal understood how to make effective combinations on the floor.
Check out stats like who made the most assists to Khazzouh while he was the kings leading scorer?
Who consistently got more defensive rebounds than Khazzouh?
Heal was a very good scorer when he played, credit where credit is due. But he isn't a coaches wet fart.

LV, the Kings had Khazzouh with a decent PF import and Bose last year and weren't really a contender. Is Henry enough to change that? Crosswhite and Henry, maybe?

Dont compare Grant to Lazare, Darnell would tear him a new one! They have improved a lot at PF, have Henry instead of Cooper, Heal instead of Robilliard, Harvey to compensate for the loss of Bose offensively and, if Khazzouh returned, Crosswhite instead of Iti.

That seems like a decent upgrade to me. Of course, the one minor detail required is Khazzouh actually coming back!! Would love to see it but would be surprised. Let's home homesickness has kicked in!

I agree with GiveDannago. The guy is a very tall Shooting Guard or small forward however due to his size has had to play Powerforward most of the time.

I agree with Paul also that Lazare is a lot better then Grant. The only reason why people think Grant is so good is because they suffer from Import Dunker Syndrome.

I don't think Sydney would be a Title contender even with Khazzouh. They would be fighting for the last playoff spot IMO.

@Isaac - You forget the Moose factor... By all reports, Shane has really changed the training culture at the club (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/basketball/co-captain-ben-madgen-rising-to-kings-challenge/story-fnanosvn-1226494006668) and while we don't have the talent (some would say that Lazare is still an upgrade on Grant, dunks aside, even though Crosswhite is proving a dramatic drop from Jules) that we did last season, if those departed players WERE here this season, they would certainly be working a lot harder and be a LOT better drilled, so they themselves would be better players... With only 6 games and very little training time, Shane got them to 3-3 at the end of last season. Give him a focussed and committed Jules and Bose (not with their heads in the clouds dreaming about Euro-cash!) this season and it would be a different scenario...

I'm not stupid enough to suggest that they're title contenders, but slotting Jules in place of Dann (who although is a REALLY nice bloke, is obviously out of favour with the coach and getting limited minutes anyways) and having a front court of Lazare/Khazzouh/Crosswhite with Garlepp backing up is much more impressive than what we've got now and could actually compete with the bigger teams of Petrie/DJ/Big Red, even moreso against a Scott/Burston combo as well...

Having Henry in there to take the pressure off the inside guys (remember Jules was constantly getting double teamed as he was the only significant option most of the time) can only improve the situation...

Not saying they'd be woeful, but I don't think we've seen a Khazzouh team see a great deal of success, have we? Probably a case of always on the average teams, I guess, but limited proof otherwise.

Another thing that makes me suspicious is that he's never progressed with the Boomers.

Isaac nailed it as per usual. The big issue with Julian has never been his talent, but with his willingness to do whatever it took to get better - and make his teammates better. Yes he's played on bad teams, but has he ever elevated them? That answer is no. He's had Bevo as a coach, he's had NBA instruction - if only briefly - and yet the question remains: will he ever fulfil his enormous potential? If he does come back to Sydney, would Heal be the guy to light the fire under his butt?

If he does come back to Sydney, would Heal be the guy to light the fire under his butt?

I think the difference for Jules would be he wouldnt be the main voice anymore. Crosswhite, Lazare, Henry and Harvey, along with Madgen and Bruce, have all taken ownership over what Heal wants the team to do.

If Khazzouh continued to be lazy he would be called out, and if he wasnt playing defence Heal can go with Lazare and Crosswhite.

Watching Khazzouh's first and only Euroleague game he did some nice things and certainly didnt disgrace himself, but his poor fundamentals were so obvious and I couldnt help but think if only he'd played under Beveridge, Fearne or McLeod the past two years.

Yeah, Moose really didn't do his players any favours, that's for sure... The thought of what sort of player Jules could be if he DID play under Bevo the past two season is REALLY intriguing though...

More outside options for him to pass to when double teamed, a hard worker inside to help draw the attention, better talent in getting it into him and others to begin with, I certainly think it would be a significant improvement for him if he WAS to come back, but if we see him in the NBL in the next couple of seasons, I would REALLY be amazed...

I dont think he would have put up near the numbers he did, but he would have learned how to play complete basketball in a good system and also develop his body more professionally.

That would have held him in much better stead in the Euroleague, but perhaps without the numbers he mightnt have got a gig as an import in the Euroleague?

I hope he doesnt go to the NBA D next unless it's under direction from an NBA club who are interested in developing him. He needs to play under a good coach in a good system to become a man in basketball terms, regardless of what country that's in.

Yeah, to be fair, playing under one of the worst coaches in NBL history for two years has definitely stunted his development. I mean, Jerai Grant, as athletic as he was, was as raw as it gets and was NEVER going to develop under the most laughable coaching combo the league has ever witnessed in Ian Robilliard and Tim Hudson, so Jules has had to deal with that setback. Again, it's all speculation, but the idea of him coming back to Sydney is intriging, especially given he won't necessarily be expected to be 'The Man' this time.

The Polish coach:

"European style of basketball doesn't suit him very well."

FWIW the coach is Lithuanian, but I digress! I think the translation is 'he isnt physically strong and doesnt like playing defence'.

Polish team's coach, I meant. Oops.

Dont worry, I was just being a pedantic idiot.

The big question from that quote from Kestutis, who is quite a high level coach having led Lithuania to a WCs and Olympics, is how much would that put off other Euro teams?

Other Euroleague teams probably wont touch him now, but how far down the Euro tree does that go into regular leagues? Is he limited to the USA, Australia and maybe minor leagues in Europe for a while until that stigma fades?

Get this done Sydney... Holding the number 1 waiver pick in elite league...

Get this done Sydney... Holding the number 1 waiver pick in elite league...

dude what are you on about Greame Dann Sux. I have watched him for close to 10 years and played with him in Juniors he has been the same average player for a decade. Dave Barlow 6 10 can handle the ball like a 1 or a 2 thats someone I can name in the last 10 years Greame Dann wishes he was as good as.


re: Julian K leaves Poland
I challenge anyone here to name any NBL player in the last 10 years that is Graeme Danns height and size that is able to handle the ball as well as him. The reason Graeme Dann doesn't get the kudos he deserves is because he is played in the wrong position.
He is a combo guard, not a power forward.
Graeme Dann could be used far more effectively if Heal understood how to make effective combinations on the floor.
Check out stats like who made the most assists to Khazzouh while he was the kings leading scorer?
Who consistently got more defensive rebounds than Khazzouh?
Heal was a very good scorer when he played, credit where credit is due. But he isn't a coaches wet fart.

He left. Was not cut/axed or sacked.