Hoops

A.Gaze-Kings Coach

JVG is back in town so here's hoping.

Hearing Bullets have signed Craig for 2 season, plus other nbl teams signing quality players and nothing coming from the Kings camp, I'm gonna placed my bet at TAB the kings to be the wooden spooners next season.

1997 Vs last year

So if they don't stay around as long who cares.
The game is far more than flash in the pan imports that don't stay. But are somewhat talented.

Perhaps I should single out specific years?. NO cherry picking required. Give me a year to review. Random. No research.

Anon 711. As usual when people harp on about yesteryears quality imports they cherry pick the best of the best from a decade or more and then compare them to todays crop (of one season).

Just going on the last 3 seasons the list of Childress, Randle, Ennis, Lisch, CJ, Wilbekin, Warrick, Ebekwe, Clarke, Young, McRae.

Put any of those guys into an earlier era and they would have dominated even more.

The main difference these days is that for whatever reason the imports don't stay around as long.

Angus. Are you seriously saying that the likes of Grace, Copeland, D Train The Chief, The Chairman, Simmons, and the list goes on are worse than todays imports?

JVG is in the USA atm and I am sure will identify some talent. If he doesn't then I reckon he won't be there long ;)

Hellooooo out there to the Sydney Kings..is anyone home.

Any news on player signing or imports?

Watching Childress in the NBL was a bit like watching Scottie Pippen in the NBA he was just on a different level to the players around him in nearly every facet of the game.

Seriously, I have not seen a better player in the NBl, since I can't remember when. Even on the come-back from injury he CARRIED that team.

On Gaze, you have to ask WHY they would sign Vickerman as an assistant? And why he would take the job?
Vickerman is everything Gaze is not, an experienced, championship winning coach, who served a great "apprenticeship" under Lemanis.
For mine, there must be a clear agreement that Gaze is the front-man and "motivator" whilst Vic is the real coach.

There's no doubt Wrublewski revolutionised Basketball in this country, but even he was quick to admit that on-court success had eluded him. I don't think there was anything wrong with his approach, the NBL should have learnt from him whilst they had the chance. The Kings just weren't lucky during his tenure.

He also made the All-Euroleague second team. The only other NBL import I can think of who was a genuine gun in the Euroleague was Chris Williams (even if I've missed one or two it's a very small group).

Yes, I saw the D-Train, and he'll always be one of my favourite Kings, but be serious buddy.. Back in those days imports would routinely come down the NBL and dominate. The local standard has risen significantly since then, which isn't to diminish what guys did back in those days, it's just to put it in perspective... as anon says above, Childress was a solid NBA player for a number of years, and even back to his college days was an incredibly well rounded basketball talent with good athleticism (compared to typical NBA), NBA-level skills across the board EXCEPT a consistent 3pt shot, which along with the injuries is what stopped him taking that big step forward in the NBA.

Gaze HAS mentioned Chill actually, w hen he was first brought in as coach, saying that he'd love to have him on the team and it was up to him... They'd be stupid to not chase him but equally stupid to not have a back up or other options ready...

Gaze have said nothing about resigning Childress which leaves me to think he's looking to bring in a different import and one can only assume he will come with athletic NBA experience player who is great for crowd entertainment
and marketing.


Lets just hope Childress don't go to another NBL team
because im sure he will have a little extra for the Kings.

Come on Childress was a much better player than D-Train ever was. Aside from the NBL comparison one was a near All-Star level player in the NBA at one point the other never even played in the NBA.

Fantastic. Enjoy the warm fuzzy feelings you got from Childress. When it's all said and done that talent you say he has and I agree was not seen for 2 full seasons. Maybe if he played to that uninjured capacity they wouldn't still be a basketcase.
Did you ever see Dwain McClain play? If so, there is no comparison ever.

I'm with Angus h and fstos

Childress was one of the most talented players to play Nbl.

"I for one don't want to see him back and I expect them toget someone of equal skill or better."


Seriously NFI. Injuries aside Childress was one the best players EVER to grace an NBL court.

Might get someone younger, more durable etc but to get a "better" player.....

Equal skill? No matter what you think of his durability, Childress was one of the most skilled players the league has seen. With the amount being spent on Lisch, I doubt very much any of our imports will be of equal skill or better.

What rubbish. Childress spent 1/2 of his time here injured. So the Kings managed with out him.
I for one don't want to see him back and I expect them toget someone of equal skill or better.

Anon #586344

No Childress in the Kings lineup next season puts more pressure on Khazzou, Cadee, Garlepp to have a standout season and leave a gap in the floor leadership dept.

As great of a players as Gaze was with the Tigers, he
is about top face his biggest basketball challenge coaching the kings.

I should add they've already got Khazzouh under contract and he wouldn't come cheap either so I think the Lisch signing signalled the end of the Childress era.

Anon they just signed Lisch for $300k per which is basically what Childress was on.

I highly doubt they intend to spend $600k on just two players and then fill out the other 9 spots for $500k total.

Uh, weren't Sydney not even part of the league for the best part of said decade?

Has anyone heard if Childress coming back to the Kings? If
I was Gaze he would of been the #1 priority.

anon 263 was college and all the boomers teams shuffle ,shuffle, shuffle?

He sacked an import the other day. Did Gaze select that guy? If so that's clearly nor a good start.

The teams he's coached at Big V level, and now at SEABL have both been significantly less talented that the teams that they've been playing against. I don't think he's been given much chance to show whether he's a good coach or not. I don't expect that situation will be replicated in Sydney, so it should provide a more accurate picture as to whether or not he has what it takes.

Mind you, I expect that if he does have success in Sydney, Vickerman will be given most of the credit anyway!

"Well no, actually, for the best part of a decade, if not longer, the Kings were the big money makers in this league with exactly this approach. "

Uh, weren't Sydney not even part of the league for the best part of said decade?

How talented is his seabl team???

That makes a big difference in wins/losses regardless of who the coach is.

All those different systems? Like... Shuffle, shuffle & more shuffle?

Yeah all the experience is translated into all of those wins in the Seabl.Never heard so much piffle.

What makes you assume he doesn't have a good basketball brain?
As a player he seemed to.
My expectations are not high for him purely because I wonder if his heart is in this but at the same time I would not write him off either. As a player he was a huge success despite being a below average athlete. He understands the game.

Wherearethey....what a load of garbage! Hard work helps but it's a basketball brain that makes a good coach.

gaze was successful under a number of coaches and different systems. He had to work hard from his junior days throughout his career. My experience has been that players who worked hard to be successful transform into better coaches than the athletically gifted players who just turned up and were champions without really understanding why.

I think he will bring hard work and effort to the Kings + a lot of smarts. I think he is being under estimated and will be a success.

I'm not sure about strategy but I think he would be more of a motivator type coach and will really ask his team to take the game on... Can't imagine you'll get a Kings team not beating the shot clock as he'll have them all throwing them up... Oh crap they signed Garlepp again didn't they.

I think everything that Andrew learns during SEABL will be important and the rest he will learn whilst around his assistants and talking to his Dad

Certainly when the Kings had responsible owners they all made profits.
The likes of the David Koch's of the world are there for the wrong reasons and when money is asked for Koch as an owner was MIA.
Since then the decline of the Kings is a shame.
As a long time Kings supporter I see nothing that A Gaze has to offer in terms of coaching ability. I am sure he was hired for profile and the marketing ability.
Lanard was a former employee of the Vic based college of Basketball Academy and was a miserable fail there. No reason the assume anything has changed.
If the Kings were smart Vickerman should have been hired in the first instance.
That will cost them down the track undoubtedly.
Relocation costs, rental in Sydney will be massive. Enough to fund a team for a season at least.
IMO poor decision making from a group that are supposed to be smart.

"The Kings have shown once again despite the new owners that its all about Marketing in Sydney first then pray the team can win some games in the process. Its a shame because is been tried previously and turned out to be a disaster!"

Well no, actually, for the best part of a decade, if not longer, the Kings were the big money makers in this league with exactly this approach. At the time it was being reported Wrublewski was making league record profits every year with this formula.

A Gaze coaching will be from a text book, Vickerman and Lindsey Gaze. SEABL level is far from NBL level and Gaze
will findout that immediately.

Lanard is only there as support to gaze when things go wrong. I give Gaze 1 year and he will be back to Mel with Lanard following.

The Kings have shown once again despite the new owners that its all about Marketing in Sydney first then pray the team can win some games in the process. Its a shame because is been tried previously and turned out to be a disaster!

Has anyone heard a word from Childress about returning?

I find it amusing that people think A Gaze can coach.
I would expect his media profile and personality will work in Sydney and make no mistake he is a smooth talker and would be good for drawing sponsorship in. leave the expert coaching to Vickerman and exclude Lanard too.

I just find it amusing that he said the league needed to shut down and then a year into it he's now coaching a team in that league.

How much do you think wade, lebron and bosh sacrificed so they could build a decent team?

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Done deals: LeBron, Bosh and Wade sign six-year contracts


Posted Jul 9 2010 11:53PM

MIAMI (AP) -- Done deal. LeBron James and Chris Bosh are members of the Miami Heat.

The Heat completed sign-and-trade deals with Cleveland and Toronto on Friday night for their two newest superstars. The Heat sent two future first-round and two second-round picks to the Cavaliers for James, while packaging two first-round picks to the Raptors for Bosh.

James, Bosh and Dwyane Wade all signed six-year contracts Friday night, each leaving millions of dollars on the table in order to provide the Heat flexibility to build a championship roster. They could have made $16.6 million apiece this season, but took less money - none would say how much less - to get the deals done.