My money is on Machado

.....and confirmed

Scott Machado to the Taipans.

Solid pickup, plenty of experience and will match up well with the likes of Ware, Cotton, Trimble, Brooks.

Scott Machado

Would this be an upgrade on Trimble? Never seen Machado play, but if he's been NBL level then I would assume so...

Guys a gun, lead the ncaa in assists one year. Great get by Mike Kelly

Machado's success will likely be dictated by who else they sign. He is not a super scorer in the way that Trimble could be but if the Taipans can manage to re-sign Jawai and pai him with a decent 4 those bigs will be the recipient of some quality assists...his real shows him as a guy who sees the floor very very well.

Looks a decent size for an NBL PG too, will get lots of boards, is he a good defender? Great looking signing by Cairns.

Great signing hey dickhead.

Snakes Current Depth Chart

PG - Machado*/Kenny/Djeric
SG - Import*/DKD?
SF - Import*/Noi/
PF - Deng/Krslovic
C - Jawai/Jervis/(Next Star?)

Rumours that Taipans are in talks with Newbill and DKD to bring them back. Would like to see them go for a Import 3 that can play the 4 as well. If going for a next star, I would like to see Jontay Porter end up at the Taipans. Would be good for him to learn under Jawai and Jervis, and adds more youth to our squad, and an extra big. Someone that can run up and down in transition.

Noi will start at the three. Kelly has stated they're targeting a four along with Newbill.

And Djeric is not a point guard.

Targeting an import PF?

I wouldn't have thought Majok Deng signed with Cairns to come off the bench.

Deng at the 3? Probably not a good move defensively, but it means you could go with an undersized hustle import 4 maybe, someone who can switch onto wings on defense.

Anon above, I'm glad someone else knows why I put Djeric at the PG position on the depth chart. But who am I to say anything, Smith is probably a part of the Taipans staff to say consider him a 2 Guard rather than a PG. I personally would like to see Fisher and Jurlina rewarded, for having consistent campaigns in the QBL for the Marlins as well.

Wouldn't mind entertaining the thought of Terrence Jones as an Import PF for the Taipans.

I know this guys name been thrown around a lot on here, but just seems to me they are perfect for Bairstow. I don't see Jawai and Jervis splitting all 40 mins at 5, as well as the fact both are injury prone. So whoever it is, you need a 4-5. Kelly is big on Noi and he will play both 3 and 4 imo.

Personally I would think they could finish the roster with a guy like Bairstow, Jurlina (agree he deserves a chance), then imports at 2&3.

Understand that then looks similar to last year but you would just hope a) you have the right import balance and b) guys like Noi and Deng deliver

When does Deng add 15kgs to become a 4?

The Cairns Taipans have announced their first import of the 2019-20 NBL season, with Cameron Oliver heading to Far North Queensland after a stint in the NBA G-League.
Oliver, a 6'8 big-man, is coming off a season with the Delaware Blue Coats, where he averaged 15.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, with the Taipans seeing him as a player who can play in either frontcourt position.

Kind of an out of the blue signing after everyone expecting it to be Scott Machado! But it sounds like a good signing and hope they do well!

Machado would break the mould as far as usual Taipans imports go, and would be a quality pick up if they get it done. Oliver as well, if he can adjust to the NBL (ie. avoid picking up 3 PFs in the 1st Q by contesting or blocking shots).

If they can bring Newbill back, go with Deng/Oliver at the 3/4 spots, it's an interesting lineup. Deng wasn't as efficient last season, but offensively at least he's a tough cover for just about everyone in the league. I'm still not sure what else he provides outside of long jumpers and threes, but I think he's exactly the type of guy that teams like Cairns should take flyers on. Noi could get the nod over him depending on how pro-ready he is, but Oliver sounds versatile enough to cover the more difficult 3/4 matchups on the other team to mask Deng's weakness on that end.