Olgun*

By itself, that's a lot of our woes from last season remediated.

Great news, makes the league even stronger.

As a Perth fan I let out a groan, but of course it's very good for the league to have the best Aussies playing here. Cool to see.

Cotton on around $600-650k a year, Cooks maybe $700k+?

Gotta hand it to Goorj. He knows how to get an owner to open up the wallet!

I wonder how much cash they'll have left. Surely this means Jaylen Adams won't be back unless he takes a significant pay cut.

Sydney will marquee Cooks could see them going with 2 imports depending on what locals they get.

Sydney looking like
/Bruce/Makoi
/Glover
Toohey/Maluach
Cooks
/

Plus Hogg team option.

100% he's in the Boomers now. Really don't like national coaches in local leagues to aid recruitment. Chances are he probably would have signed there, no other local club could afford him, but having a likely promise that if you sign you'll make the Olympic team is dodgy AF.

Whether Hogg is back or not probably depends on whether we go with 2 or 3 imports. If 3 he will be back, if 2 I think we'll go with an import 1 and 2 and hope we resign Hunter.

Sounds like we don't expect Toohey to be back either, unless he's a draft and stash. I'd like Bolden to come back and play under Goorj, but who knows. I think we end up with:

Import (not Adams)/Bruce/Makoi
Import(someone new)/Glover
Local FA(Kuol)/Noi
Cooks/Bolden
Hunter/Bolden

"100% he's in the Boomers now."

I mean, he was anyway. Even if he didn't sign with Syd, who was taking his spot?

I wouldn't say he was 100% in there.
Presumably Landale is an instant re-inclusion, so it's probably going to be someone from the front court making way for him, but I agree that someone probably won't be Cooks.

So good to have him back in the league. I'd love to see him go to battle against brantley again. That match up was epic

So from WC, wasn't it him, Kay, Reath, White and could probably put Ingles and Thybulle as being able to play a bigger role. Landale replaces one of them, it ain't gonna be Reath. So it comes down to Cooks, White and Kay. And also if they go with another bigger body like Magnay or Humphries as insurance for Landale. Kay and White can at least shoot to space floor. So you're saying Cooks was a guarantee when on the world stage he isn't uber athletic or can shoot. It's a Brian special offer, sign with me and get a boomers spot.

Goorj's coaching legacy almost locked in by spending the most money at the yearling sales again.

No way Cooks was a lock for Paris. But the a few of the old Kings guys last time Goorj was there also got a bit of a leg up into the Boomers.

Glen Saville's one season at the Kings was blatant.

Talk was Cooks was on $8ok US a month in Japan so be interesting to know what Kings are having to pay.

Great signing, but as always, depends on value. It might reduce the quality of imports they can sign. If he's easily the highest paid player in the comp, he'll need to play like it.

As for Boomers, Cooks was mostly playing the 5 last time. With Landale back, do we need him? White has a better 3 point shot and more mobile. It's out of Kay and Cooks for the last spot perhaps, unless they go Magnay for insurance options to combat Gobert and Jokic. I really hope Goorj hasn't promised anything 4 months out.

PW. Sav was one. Jason Smith another from memory.

Xavier Cooks' EASL Finals stats

29:45 MIN / 6 PTS (2PM 3-6 50%) / 7 REB / 2 AST / 1 BLK / 3 TOV / 3 PF

EASL is the East Asian Basketball League. Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan, which are lower-level leagues than the NBL, will participate.
Cooks was a poor player in the finals of EASL. The Korean team used sagging defense against him. If it were the NBL he would have gotten a free throw if he had a drive-in, but FIBA Ball didn't give him a free throw.
To put it bluntly, he has no power in FIBA Ball. If he can't hit a 3-pointer, he has to have good paint zone skills, but he can't do either.
That's why I don't think he's a lock for the Paris Olympics. But he's back in Sydney so Goorj will select him.

Cooks's teammate John Mooney's EASL Finals stats

37:35 MIN / 16 PTS (FG 7-14 50%, 3P 0-2, FT 2-4 50%) / 16 REB / 6 AST / 2 STL / 1 BLK / 2 TOV

I currently prefer Landale, Reath, Magnay and White as the Boomers' frontcourt.
However, the problem is White. The stats this season are not good.

Jack White G League Stats
20 G / 27.5 MIN / 9.5 PTS (FG 44%, 3P 36.6%, FT 58.3%) / 6.2 REB / 1.8 AST / 1 STL / 1.1 BLK / 0.75 TOV / 2 PF

Don't worry about G League stats, it's about fit

With Giddey running the offense and being on court most of the time, Cooks shouldn't be a big part of our plans. He can't shoot from outside. Giddey needs shooters around him.

At the last World Cup, I said that White, who has good athletic ability, should be next to Giddey. This is because Giddey did not have good synergy with Kay.

I've been on the White train from the start. Cooks has just got his plane ticket. Wasn’t Bogut on one million a year, surely Cooks isn’t on more.

PW. Sav was one. Jason Smith another from memory.

Jason Smith could really play though.

Smith played his entire career with Goorj. Different to Saville.

Damian Martin was on SEN WA earlier this week saying he had heard the deal was $3.6m over the three years. Not seen that reported anywhere else since so make of that what you will.

Overpaid.

Certainly looks overpaid but time will tell.

....and what's the salary cap meant to be! Jesusssss

He's a marquee, only 150k goes towards the cap.

PW. Sav was one. Jason Smith another from memory.

Will Bogut still be claiming they don't spend more than other teams?

I know Dunkman, but in the context where a cap is like 1.8mil or whatever, for someone to be paid 1.2mil roughly is insane!

If I'm understanding it correctly, Cooks salary is only 150k to the cap, so Cooks balance in pay will be on top of the cap. Basically the kings will be spending around 3 million or perhaps more.

That's right he will basically get the same as the rest of his teammates combined

Officially announced today.

Olgun said Cooks' deal is the biggest in NBL history a 3 year deal for $3.6 million. Kings spending like drunken sailors again.

This is probably notable enough to justify a fresh thread if anyone wants to spark some excitement over the spend!

Better surround him with some shooters otherwise clog the paint and Cooks is useless

Certainly looked that way in Japan, clog and box out. Are teams good enough though.

That spend! Goorj certainly has a signature style (and that's coming from a United fan)

Cooks doesn't become useless because he isn't a go-to guy, he moves very well off the ball, rolling off picks, in transition and into offensive rebound lanes and then finishes well at the basket and makes good passes when the defence collapses, that's how he impacts offensively without a J.

I'm a big fan of the way cooks plays. And he's a competitor. Yes he moves off the ball well but not $1.2m well!

Agree with that! But I guess the Kings figure they have the money and they desperately want the player, so if that's what it takes ...

Yes it'll be up to coaches to work out how to shut down his high quality parts of the game, do that and the 1.2 million will be not good value. I’m not certain it’s going to be that easy though, some b league sides did it well though. He’s still just over 50% free throw shooter, draw him out from the bucket can work as well defensively and offensively. You would still prefer him in your side than against. White v Cook should be a beauty.

I'm hearing kings are moving on from there training team that’s been there for quite awhile now. Goorj mate probably coming in from Sixers, again all rumours and guess work.