Definitely feeling weak at centre, I'm happy with 1-4 think rotations will need a little tweaking but like the make-up of it.

I'm still not sold on Marquee signing Delaney when we signed Cheatham. An import big would make a world of difference. It's by no means a criticism of Delaneys talent but more creating a balanced team.

Very excited to see how the lads go this season though will ride the highs and lows like every other season!

You thinking Abercrombie and rustubvius share time at 3? Or slide delany there for decent periods?

We saw MM pull rupert from the roster come finals last year and I can only see the same happening with our next star this year... if not limited time during regular season

Breakers notes

- Great depth. 2nd unit might include PJC, Delaney, L'Afa, the Lithuanian, Pineau. Gliddon? PJC is my tip for 6MOY

- Good balance in the backcourt- added elite shooter Jessup alongside WMW and PJC who can pick defenses apart with passing and speed. Gliddon wound back the clock at the Blitz with nice shooting, and there will be plenty of open looks as D’s collapse on PJC driving to the hoop, or help across as WMW runs the pick and roll.

My questions:

- Is Pineau/Mathiang the right mix to get the most out of Cheatham? Not a lot of floor spacing within that big man group. Can his 3 point game stand up in the rigours of an NBL season? Will they run small ball (like they did starting Delaney and Cheatam in the last game of the Blitz)?

- Are Mathiang and Pineau good enough at the 5? Compared to Pinder/Sarr, or JLA/Hukporti or Hunter/Bolden the NZ pair looks, on paper, the weakest of the main contenders. Mathiang had great numbers in Israel but 11 games is a small sample size. Based on his season in Illawarra he'll need to step up.

I’m tipping them to make the semi finals at least. A serious contender.

PJC, six man of the year,lol, he's starting at either the one or two. He was mvp of the league in Germany, no mean feat.
Breakers are strong, even the five where Mathiang is good but not that smart, Pineau very good back up and Cheetham playing small ball minutes there.
I don’t think the breakers got to much to worry about, actually a real chance of winning it.

I'm thinking Moar has PJC pegged as a replacement for Barry Brown. He was another accomplished player but came off the bench and starred. PJC is a good option to be THE man in the 2nd unit and they could close games with him too.

The good teams play for team success not egos, it's about balance. Last year Brown averaged 26.5 mins, WMW 29.4.

If they want to keep WMW long term they should start him and build the team around him. Imports should always be seen as complimentary pieces.

Dunkman, for an example consider United last season- XRM was the best player over the first 10 games, but they brought him off the bench once Ili was right. Ili is a long term player, a culture guy, and knows the United system after 5 years

I'm tipping Moar does likewise with WMW and PJC but we'll see

I think they're reloaded well but that import trio they lost from last season was a big part of the their turnaround. They had probably the best imports in the league last season and from what I saw at the Blitz I think this trio is clearly a level below that group. Jessup's a passenger IMO.

So therefore the NZB will need big improvement out of their locals to cover the likely drop in import output and I'm not sure they can make up that gap. Delany's hype never understood the fascination with him other than being a Kiwi but the commentators used to go way too OTT with their "Finn Diesel to the NBA" crap.

The big question mark is Mathiang got himself back into shape last season at the Hawks after two years out injured, wasn't very good for them though, then went and played very well in Israel leading the league in boards & blocks. Since then though with the SSD national team and Blitz games he looks like he's gone back to playing like he did at the Hawks.

Of course they could always start them both, SEM will be running 2 PGS with Browne and Cummings. I wouldn't think it's the best option to run 2 high usage ball guys like that, but thats what everyone said about Harden and Paul and that worked fine. It's an art not science. Will be interesting seeing what happens.

Whether starting or not, WMW and PJC should be seeing 28-30 mins a night and often playing together. It could be the best backcourt in the league, on paper it's definitely up there.

Agree that Mathiang has not shown enough in the NBL style of play so far. He might be the x-factor because the Breakers certainly have the potential to be playing Finals basketball again - Cheatham is quality, Jessup doesn't need to (try to) carry as much offensive load as the Hawks needed him to, Izzy has his moments even if he can be a bit careless/reckless, good mix of vets in Delaney, Abercrombie, and even Gliddon. It's a strong roster top to bottom, just a little soft in the middle.

Agree Angus.Starting or not WMW and PJC will play the majority of minutes together. The BBJ six man thing was a bit of a fantasy. He was normally first and early sub.

But the key difference from last year is the lack of a shooting guard. PJC is a much different player from BBJ. We saw last season when BBJ was out injured our game completely ceased up without the perimeter shooting.

Don't get me wrong, I'm liking the players we've got individually but I think as a roster they'll get figured out pretty quickly. That or our 3s and 5s step up massively. I actually liked the formation with cheatham at 5 during the blitz so that might be part of the answer

Don't sleep on Jessup.

25 years old, played Spain last year and shot 11.6ppg, Leading his team in scoring (although they finished 12-22)

Finished 13th in the league on 3PM (2 per game) and shot 38% from 3.

A strong complement to WMW and PJC who will draw defenses leaving shooters like Jessup open.

Overall it's a different team to last year, there's:

- more shooting (thanks to Jessup) and more ball creativity (PJC compared to Brown who was more a shooter) and more depth

but

-interior defensive presence has been reduced (Pardon is a big loss).

What Cheatham brings, compared to Brantley who was a beast and could play at both ends, will go a long way to determining the Breakers ceiling

The Breakers are stacked and can pile on the points even without their best player WMW. They will play finals.

PJC is an MVP candidate with pure speed that opens up shooters. Brown Jr had his moments, but he was a chucker who often got lucky.

Cheatham will prove to be an upgrade on Brantley because of his ability to finish at the rim.

Delany will improve as he adjusts back to the NBL. Last year after the Blitz people thought Pardon and Brantley may be the first imports cut. Delany will take time, but he is a very good role player in this league that does a little bit of everything.

The Next Star is a wildcard. Sounds like he will be out for awhile and Gliddon turning back the clock with the space PJC creates might block his playing time?

Having said that, the weakness for the Breakers is the 5. At this stage, Pardon / Loe > Mathiang > Pineau.

Mathiang looked lost during the Blitz. He was really disappointing, especially when he was touted as an upgrade. The Breakers need a lot more from him if they want to win the title: rim protection, cleaning the glass, and being a lob option on every roll.

I love Pineau and thought he was consistently underplayed at SEM. But Loe stretched the floor and when he played well the Breakers played well. Loe provides that extra wrinkle to be a difference whereas Pineau is more of the same.

Overall, it should be a positive, winning year for the Breakers. But, not a clear favourite like Perth is.