Perhaps they need to put a competitive side on the floor first and get some gate money.
Perhaps they need to get bums on seats for the first time in a long time. See point 1.

Don;t worry about winning just develop NBA second round picks and next stars but in the meantime the product on the floor is horrible.

So the Hawks are saying 'we have zero hope of ever winning a championship so lets develop young players for other leagues' Great for Hawks fans, lol.

While it would have been great to have had more Fri/Sat games to maximise the LaMelo Factor, historically, the attendance on those nights haven't been overly impressive either... Capacity isn't an issue while they can't average 3500...

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see the Hawks home court become that loud, messy stadium that away teams dread, but it's just not happening... Hopefully they can capitalise on that big win last round...

Great to see them making the most of the NBA connections, building that personal relationship with teams is key, especially if the NBL could be bringing in more draft 'n stash players...

Aaron Brooks is old and not to mention finished.
Dave Andersen is old and practically finished.
Todd Blanchfield is overrated and shoots more bricks than buckets these days.

"The WEC only fits 4000 people in it. 3000 people on a Monday is a great attendance, have to stop thinking we have a stadium as big as Melb or Perth.
The league needs to give us more Friday and Saturday games, go look at the fixture and tell me how many home Fri/Sat games we have in Wollongong, then compare to the Monday games."

So because your fans don't give a shit and can't be bothered rocking up to a Monday night game, you think the league should reward this, by taking away games from bigger venues.

Reality, you wrote, "Don;t worry about winning just develop NBA second round picks and next stars but in the meantime the product on the floor is horrible."

1. If you're really into our game, you'll be ok with that direction. You have the rest of the league to appreciate and you can choose to ignore or criticise the Hawks direction.

2. If you are not into our game (a casual watcher/fan) you'll love the flair and talent that LaMelo and others will regularly be displaying if the Hawks strategy works well. So will every other teams' fans ....no real threat from the Hawks but what a great night of basketb. So the whole of the NBL will benefit.

3. We will get great exposure in the US and, more importantly, the NBA as the Hawks/NBL have already proven. The US doesn't really give a fig for a team called Illawarra Hawks. They want to see "their" kids playing in this Aussie league everyone is raving about.

4. If you're an Illawarra fan, and into our game too, then I agree, you have a right to feel disappointed with your team's direction. Only solution I can offer is to change your team or change your expectations from your current team. Sometimes, neither is easy.

NB. The Hawks are placing themselves very advantageously for their own future, I think. As they currently operate, it seems that they are one of the less financial teams and will remain so for foreseeable future. As the saying goes, if you keep doing the same thing you'll always get the same results. So, Hawks are trying something different. If they are successful at selling their club for the development and maturation of NBA future stars, they have secured their program well into the future. Of course, other teams will join in (if it's successful) but the Hawks will have the jump on the others.

Now, here's my own problem with all the above. Are the Hawks good enough to live up to the offer or are they finding benefit in their great good-fortune in getting LaMelo. He is exceptional in his role. I don't mean as a player, I mean as a "Next Star" player. Gets to play huge minutes, stands high in his team and the league on all positive stats on a losing team, is a high draft prospect and, what a fa(ther)mily? R.J. and DiDi are great too but with their teams' rosters, are not getting the same raps.

Are the Hawks riding LaMelo's success wrongly?

Hopefully their time in the USA begins with somebody actually explaining the game of Basketball to them, including the different positions and roles of each.

Then maybe a geography lesson?
"See, these are all the different States in the USA. This is where Imports come from."

Thanks for your reply Anon.

Townsville situation does look similar! This (Hawks = Development) may be /have been the answer. At least, it's different (doing the same gets same results etc).

PS. I am not a Hawks supporter, if anything, a Bullets fan. Really want to be one (Bullets fan) but ....? Just love the league and want it to succeed. I even see so much good by the much-criticised actions of Sydney Kings & Melb United.

"We want to be known as a club for Developing Young Players"

WTF?

So far they have done a shit job with Naar, Grida, Glover, and Poziglou.

They can't claim any credit for Dech or Ball. (Except for giving them the opportunity, which is not the same thing at all.)

So what he's effectively saying is:
"We want to known as the club that can't afford decent players."

Well Congratulations, you're already there.