If true the Breakers squad will look like this so far:

WMW / Le'Afa / McNaught (DP)
Import / Gliddon
Import / Abercrombie / Rubštavičius (NS)
Delaney / Cheatham (I) / D.Fotu
Mathiang / Pinneau

Mystro no way cheatham is on the bench can play the 3 and with WMW and Finn being marquee's only 2 import spots

WMW / Le'Afa / McNaught (DP)
Import / Gliddon
Cheatham / Abercrombie / Rubštavičius (NS)
Delaney / D.Fotu
Mathiang / Pineau

and what ever they do with their last local spot

So why is Maor at summer league publicly saying he's looking for two perimeter players?

This is a team that made the GF with the second lowest budget last season.

Maor played Barry Brown Jnr off the bench last year so why wouldn't Cheatham come off the bench for him?

Cheatham hasn't officially been announced so but WMW is the marquee and Finn looks that way as a marquee it will be only two imports

Delaney played 22 minutes a game @ 8.5p, 3.8r and 1.6a, not certain that is marquee levels.

Maybe he just wants home.

Okay i apologise I read Olgun's article
but type of Finn delany should be marquee level though sure those stats look meh. But Finn in this league is a class above and is a marquee level for me at least

WMW is an indigenous Australian (Arrernte) descent and I believe there are concessions in regards to the NBL and their salaries.
See below.

The Indigenous Player Rule encourages clubs to recruit eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players in a bid to increase representation, retain talent and develop genuine pathways to the elite level.
The Indigenous Player Rule encourages clubs to recruit eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players in a bid to increase representation, retain talent and develop genuine pathways to the elite level.
The league will also fund half of the minimum salary for eligible development basketballers.

Two of the six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander basketballers in the NBL, Sydney Kings' Biwali Bayles and Melbourne United’s William Hickey, signed with their respective teams under this rule.

The others are William McDowell-White (New Zealand Breakers), Keanu Pinder (Cairns Taipans), Nate Jawai (Cairns) and Tamuri Wigness (Brisbane Bullets).

NZ may have decided not to use marquee status on Delany so they can have three imports.

Olgun is reporting that Finn Delaney has signed with NZ for 2 years and Jaylen Adams is heading back to Sydney

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS

PG: Mcdowell-White - Leafa - Mcnaught-dp

SG: Import* - Rubstavicius-ns - Gliddon

SF: Delany - Abercrombie
PF: Cheatham* - Fotu

C: Mathiang - Pineau

Statistics are always deceiving in European leagues. But roughly 10 and 5 in 20 or so mpg at a good clip on a team that was the domestic runner up and BCL winner is impressive. Given the Wildcats were offering $$$ I'd say he’s homesick.

The Breakers will get two imports. You need the depth if you want to compete.

Breakers will again be a force. A lot of teams got better this offseason

WMW is an indigenous Australian (Arrernte) descent and I believe there are concessions in regards to the NBL and their salaries.

but type of Finn delany should be marquee level though sure those stats look meh. But Finn in this league is a class above and is a marquee level for me at least

This signing puts the breakers up a notch.

Delany, Mathiang, Pineau is an upgrade on Vodanovich, Loe and Timmins.

Breakers looking like
McDowell-White/Le'afa/McNaught
Import/Rubstavicius/Gliddon
Import/Abercrombie
Delany/Cheatham/Fotu
Mathiang/Pineau

Mathiang is in place of Pardon.

I like the way this breakers roster is coming together although I can't help think that the signing of either delany or cheatham won't eventuate. The two don't appear to fit together. But with either plus a high level SG and reasonable wing they could be a chance to go one better

ESPN are reporting Delaney is a done deal as is Olgun Uluc.
Hooley, Uluc and Santamaria discussed the Delaney signing on their day 5 summer league wrap on the NBL website

Perth throw everything but the kitchen sink at Finn but the lure of coming home was to much

The Breakers have announced the Delaney signing to their membership base.

I don't see Cheatham and Delaney conflicting. But their remaining 2 import signings are really important. It sounds like they're after another Barry Brown or Jeremiah Martin type player and then a Cleveland-level defender. This would then give them a lot of flexibility with their roster to throw different match ups. The only weakness is they won't be getting any perimeter shooting from the 5 spot.

Justin Simon would be a decent fit. I'm waiting to see how Delaney goes, his last season at breakers wasn’t fantastic or while being ok in Germany certainly didn’t dominate.

Would you play either at 3 EssenX? I don't think delany had the mobility or perimeter shooting for 3 but happy to be proven wrong!

No one on that Breakers team played that well that season on the road under Dan Shamir Dunkman.
I'm excited with the roster as it currently stands but EssenX is 100% right on getting the remaining 2x imports right to have any success. especially with how the other teams rosters have improved.
Maor did well last season though so hopefully he can strike Import gold again.

I don't think it's fair to judge any Breakers players on their performance during the COVID seasons.

Justin Simon would be perfect. However, the other import would still need to be a bona fide bucket getter like Brown Jr.

Defensively, Delaney can't be at the 3. Cheatham can easily cover 2-4 defensively. 5 might be pushing things. He's bouncy and rugged, but it'd be tiny ball. I don't think they will play together too much. Delaney will be a pick and pop guy, Cheatham will be a lob guy, and depending on the match up

Delany also isn't the type to dominate. He'll have some big games, but he's more so a guy who excels at running the floor, rebounding, defending ball-screens etc to make his team function. Very good role player.

Completely agree, great role player and his competitiveness is an asset on the floor in itself.

My gut feel is they have shelved the signing of cheatham now and will be going for an elite 2 and good two way 3

If they nail those they'll have good balance both ends of the floor

As much as I rate Justin Simon after the NBL finals, I don't like Simon and Cleatham in the forward spots for this Breakers lineup.

Didn’t see this coming at all. This team is going to be switchable, with Cleatham representative of that. As previously said, I highly doubt Delany and Cleatham play significant minutes together. And given the way Maor wants to start Next Stars, plus Delany reclaiming his starting spot, I’d expect Cleatham to be in the running for sixth man.

A Barry Brown type has to be high on the list for Maor. The last import would need to be a wing with playmaking and perimeter shooting ability. And this is where Breakers fans speak of Levi Randolph the way Wildcats fans speak of Mike Dunigan from back in the day...

Cheetham confirmed. It'll be interesting how he and Delaney fit together.

Delany wouldn't be coming back to come off the bench so...

Yip, that blows my theory

I'm not familiar with cheatham but they must plan on him playing at 3

Positions don't mean that much. Two 3-4s can play alongside each other.

To an extent but if neither are sufficient threat from the perimeter then you end up with the same result as last season where smart defences like the kings learnt to give up the three attempt in order to protect the penetration

There'll be a huge reliance on the SG the way its going as neither PGs are outside shooters

The next two imports will be essentially a SG/Combo Guard who can create and get buckets and a SF for 3 and D. Maor has said they'll be perimeter players but those will be their expected roles.
So I'm not sure why you think Cheatham will be starting at the 3 alongside Delaney at PF Kolzee?

As Basket 91 posted earlier in this thread, NZ will look like:

McDowell-White/Le'afa/McNaught
Import/Rubstavicius/Gliddon
Import/Abercrombie
Delany/Cheatham/Fotu
Mathiang/Pineau

Cheatham is a 6'5" small forward.

I've seen him listed between 196 and 203, probably closer to the former, but he's definitely not purely a small forward. He played on the interior in Euroleague this year, the guy's a beast.

Brantley was only 6'6".

Cheatham will mostly play at the 4 and will give the Breakers a very different look compared to Delaney. Packing the paint was easier with Brantley because the Breakers used him out of a short roll whereas Cheatham will be a rim runner paired with WMW. In some ways, Delaney is replacing Brantley and they'll use him in a similar way while Cheatham is bringing something new to the team.

The other imports will be a proper 3 and a combo guard. Ultimately, Cheatham's success depends on those two selections so that he only does what he does best.

Cheatham is listed as 6'5" everywhere other than in the NZB press release which says he's 6'9" and given the NZB listed Pardon as 6'11" in last year's press release when he's actually 6'8" I think it's safe to say they're either playing silly buggers or have been misled by a couple of agents, might even have the same agent not sure.

Cheetham is a marginal three point shooter, him and Delaney sharing the four with a bit in five spot when going small.

"Cheatham is listed as 6'5" everywhere other than in the NZB press release"

Incorrect:

https://fcbayern.com/basketball/en/news/2022-23/03/zylan-cheatham

https://basketball.eurobasket.com/player/Zylan-Cheatham/333305

https://247sports.com/Player/Zylan-Cheatham-27192/college-157961/

https://www.nbadraft.net/players/zylan-cheatham/

https://arizonasports.com/story/1100318/cheatham-asu-basketball-sdsu-transfer/

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/19233889/arizona-state-lands-san-diego-state-forward-zylan-cheatham

"Cheatham is listed as 6'5" everywhere"

I doubt he's 6’9” but at the same time he’s listed at 6’7” at both San Diego State, ASU, and others. If he is closer to 6’5” he must be incredibly strong and athletic to manage to play the way he does. And these smaller import 4s that are strong and athletic tend to do well in this league, 3 ball or no 3 ball.

You only have to type his name into Google to see 4-5 of the top searches have him listed as 6'5" including Real GM who are usually on the money.

Watching him play as a 4-5 in the Euroleague, he looked in that 6'6-6'7 range compared to opposition bigs. Not that it really matters, he is capable of playing 3-5 in the NBL.

IMO Cheatham is a better player than Delaney. Cheatham is/was a borderline NBA player, and as mentioned by others, Delaney is more of a very good role player.

His All-NBL second team doesn't mean much given how terrible those NZL teams were, with himself and T. Webster just doing whatever they wanted.

But, you've got to consider that they're playing alongside Mathiang in the front court, so Delaney's more-perimeter orientated play style will work better.

So I wouldn't be surprised if they bench Cheatham, which is a shame because Mathiang isn't very good, yet they seem convinced he will be amazing.

Cheatham at the 4 with a stretch 5 would be very very good. Ah well. Too late.

Apologies for spelling his name as Delaney instead of Delany. Oops.

Mathiang averaged a double-double in Israel at the end of the last season and lead the league in rebounds and blocks.

What a lot of people didn't get with Mathiang at the Hawks last season was that he hadn't played pro ball for two years due to serious leg injuries. He was getting better as the season wore on and then did very well in Israel after that.

I was hoping that as he and Cleveland were playing on the same team together in Israel the 36ers might be able to land him but to no avail, I would've preferred him as our starting centre over Humphries.

Mathiang also followed Reath, didn't he? Most local 5s would look bad trying to fill those shoes.

Mathiang will also have WMW feeding him who will make things easier for him offensively.

Mathiang didn't train properly till mid season, he certainly got better after that. His stats in Israel were great, high paying league, was surprised when he returned to nbl. As above, him WMW together if he’s healthy will be dynamite.

Mystro to answer your question it feels like they've overinvested in delany to use as a back up 4... but I could well be wrong. Mody thanked the owners for stretching their budget for him!

I'm not certain Delaney is costing mega dollars, probably just wanted home on reasonably good coin.

I'd think that Mathiang would be the top marquee.

It sounds like they had to beat perth's offers. Agree not likely to be megabucks but better spent on a starting 3 if neither of those two are...

Mathiang, Cheatham and Delany is a pretty good frontcourt punch. They're all going to play starter-level minutes.

I watched a lot of Mathiang and Cheatham tape last night. When you put them alongside WMW, it's lob city.

Delany is more than the sum of his numbers. He cares about the Breakers and there’s real passion for the club you just can’t buy that off the shelf. It’s clear he’s come back to try and win a championship with Maor and then he’s off again.

Maor has said publicly that Delaney initiated the conversation about returning to NZ so I doubt NZ had to match Perth's offer.
I also doubt that a proven local commodity like Finn will be coming off the bench for Maor. I think Cheatham will be used off the bench for impact and as a lob threat.

Maor: "I am extremely appreciative to Matt Walsh, and the ownership group, for making Finn's signing a possibility."

Finn didn't come cheap, nor should he. A very good player who performed well on the BCL stage last season.

If nz have three imports, you are allowed one marquee, the way Mathiang finished last season in Israel I would think he'd get that spot. Delaney while probably still earning good money by nbl standards, doesn’t add up to highest paid. You still have to work in the confines of the salary cap.

I hope not Mystro - cheatham would've swallowed most of brantley's salary so surely will play the majority of minutes rather than impact minutes

I guess we'll find out soon enough!

Can't wait for the SG announcement... gonna be elite I hope

"You still have to work in the confines of the salary cap."

There are no confines of the salary cap, only what the owners are prepared to pay. Maor's quote suggests they've added extra to what they had initially budgeted to get Delany home.

If Cheatham can impact the game positively he will play more minutes and likewise if Delaney can't his minutes will decrease.
Maor used Barry Brown for scoring impact last season and he came off the bench but played starters minutes.

The Breakers are getting their imports cheaper than others. Part of us this is the NBA exposure they can provide through their ownership network and also the Next Stars constantly getting scouted. Another part is that they are very good at developing talent and have excellent facilities. I prefer this approach because good imports don't need to be expensive. Your dollars needs to be spent on good locals.

There is a salary cap and you do have to work within it or you pay the overs tax, even marquee wages are at a set rate to go towards the cap, yes you can pay as much over for a marquee but if you have 3 import players you can only have one,

The more I look at Delany and Cheatham, the more comparable I find their talent level. Both played around 20 minutes a game for a top-tier German league team. Delany was fourth in PPG for Bonn in their Basketball Champions League run (second among regulars), Cheatham was first in PPG for Bayern in the Euroleague (albeit on far fewer games and without a win).

I just find it difficult that the Breakers could start a lineup with no Kiwis in it. And Delany's more likely to start than an older Abercrombie.

Speaking of the talent upgrade, I did a quick minutes calc and we're going from...

NBL23 Starters: Pardon (28) - Brantley (28) - Abercrombie (22) - Rupert (19) - WMW (28)
NBL23 Bench: Brown (27) - Le'afa (24*) - Loe (12) - Vodanovich (12) - Gliddon (X) - Fotu (X) - Timmins (X)

To NBL24 Starters: Mathiang (25) - Delany (25) - Import A (22) - Rubstavicius (18) - WMW (28)
NBL24 Bench: Cheatham (25) - Import B (22) - Le'afa (18) - Abercrombie (15) - Fotu (X) - Pineau (X) - Local A (X)

Didn't think we could upgrade the Breakers talent level for NBL24, but look where we are.

"There is a salary cap and you do have to work within it or you pay the overs tax"

Exactly as I said, there are no confines of the salary cap, only what the owners are prepared to pay.

How many clubs have paid the tax in the last few seasons, so they all work within the cap. Let's see at seasons end how much tax NZ pay, then we will no if they have gone over the budget.