Hoops

Can Illawarra win with Rhys Martin at PG?

Happy with that if true. Obviously would have liked someone better but Ellis fits a gap in the current lineup and the option to bring an import in later is a handy thing to have up your sleeve.

Maric out, Cody Ellis in, according to Boti.

That's probably a better balance anyway for the Hawks.

Webster and Abercrombie are the two best shooters in the NBL from outside.

Lisch had a great season how many years ago, it was around the same time Penney did? Then the world moved on and everyone else improved, especially Webster.

When you look at the matchups as Mystro has comparing each player as all round players he is 100% correct. BUT assuming Bevo runs systems to get shooters open the rankings change to the complete polar opposite in 3 of the positions. Penney & Forman are probably the two best 3 point shooters in the NBL.

So it will be a battle of systems and with 4 of the 5 starters on the Hawks all good to great shooters and their 5 man very capable and needing double coverage it's a matchup that teams will find very difficult to handle on any given night.

IF the last guy for the Hawks is decent then they go 8 deep and only need a few minutes from Demos/White.

Comparing Vukona and Forman are like comparing chalk and cheese... Their games are completely different and add very different things to their team... Vukon ahas as much chance of nailing outside shots as Forman has of getting offensive rebounds...

Pledgers recent injury lay off has allowed you to forget actually how handy he is at both ends of the floor.
His footwork is still suspect yes, his jump shot and free throws are not nor is his ability to finish at the rim or defend. Add his experience in Championship games (4x titles) and Internationals and you have one of the best Centres in this league.

What in your opinion makes AJ a better player than Alex?

you might want to read again or lay off the Vodka

Jackson > Martin
Webster = Lisch
Abercrombie > Penney (we are talking both ends of the floor kids)
Vukona > Foreman
Pledger = Ogilvy

NZ's bench > Hawk's bench

I think he will need to be more of a facilitator this season to keep this talented squad so if he can sacrifice his own shot a bit and knock down open shots then he atleast deserves to be in the conversation

Perimeter D and lateral quickness will definitely be the concern, particularly if Maric is to replace an athletic perimeter import.

How much can Bevo infuse that full-court energy into ALL of these guys? We will see!

Yes. One of the better generals in the league. This year he has more talent to play with than any previous seasons. Don't forget that Lisch can also spend plenty of time with the ball in his hands.

The main question with the current Hawks line up is whether they can defend well enough and match teams on the boards so they can get the "W"s when they are not shootin' the shit out of it.

AJ will help address their previous rebounding deficiencies but I still feel they need a top class mid sized stopper to go up against the top notch 4 and 3 men in the league.

If Illawarra has any problems, Rhys Martin will unlikely be one of them. A solid, smart player.