NBL21 Round 1 preview: Taipans, Hawks and 36ers to double up in opening round
A FIVE-game opening round which features seven of the nine teams was eventually indicative of what became of the 2020 season. Just when it looked like 2021 was going to be a better version on its predecessor, the global pandemic reared its head once again, and the National Basketball League (NBL) was forced to make […]
NBL21 season previews: Cairns Taipans
AFTER a successful season which saw the Cains Taipans snake their way up the ladder, the North Queensland team is ready to build on that stepping stone and go all the way in NBL21. The Taipans finished third on the NBL20 ladder, but were knocked out by Perth Wildcats in the semi-finals. Prior to that, […]
NBL Classic Contest: Game winner in Elimination Finals
NOTHING would be better than to see some National Basketball League (NBL) action and while Draft Central cannot magically start a new season, we can take fans back to some of the greatest games that the NBL has to offer. In today’s Classic Contest, we look back at one of those games. A contest that […]
NBL Free Agency update: 36ers, Bullets and Taipans
IN the first of a three-part series this week, Draft Central looks at the Adelaide 36ers, Brisbane Bullets and Cairns Taipans Free Agency moves thus far ahead of the delayed 2020/21 National Basketball League (NBL) season. ADELAIDE 36ERS: Adelaide is certainly undergoing a change after a tough end to the season saw coach Conner Henry […]
Young Guns in the NBL: Cameron Oliver
IF you had to pick one player under 25 to be a bona fide superstar in the National Basketball League (NBL), not based just on natural talent or an impressive rookie year, but based on what they are producing right now and their projection, Cameron Oliver would definitely be up there. What Oliver has accomplished […]
NBL Free Agency – May: How each team stands after contract opt-outs
LAST month the National Basketball League (NBL) announced it would need to reduce player payments across the board, slashing contracts by up to 50 per cent and reducing the maximum amount of imports to two per club. This had a ripple effect on the clubs and we take a look at who has fared best […]
Draft Central’s NBL 2020 Top 10 #2: Scott Machado
THIS season’s main facilitator and the second Cairns Taipans player in Draft Central’s top 10, Scott Machado takes out second spot on the countdown after an impressive 2019/20 campaign. His journey goes all the way back prior to the season’s opening tip, following the signing of Cameron Oliver to bolster the Taipans’ frontcourt. Mike Kelly […]
Draft Central’s NBL 2020 Top 10: Seeds 10-6
FOLLOWING an incredible season in the National Basketball League (NBL), Draft Central has compiled a list of ten exemplary individuals that performed at an elite level consistently throughout the 20 rounds of NBL20. Here are the first half of our selections, with the final five still to come. 10. Will Magnay It is rather rare […]
2019/20 NBL season review: Cairns Taipans
PRIOR to the start of the 2020 season, the Taipans had finished either last, or one position above that in their previous two campaigns. Cairns would also accumulate an abysmal 6-22 record in their 2018-19 season, six wins lower than Illawarra who finished seventh. Given this, not many would have guessed how much of a […]
Wildcats charm Taipans, look for fourth title in five years
PERTH Wildcats’ remarkable post-season run continued in the third and defining semi-final clash against Cairns Taipans. Whilst last year’s wooden spooners had improved out of sight in 2019/20, it was the class and home court advantage of the Wildcats that saw them get home 93-82 and book yet another National Basketball League (NBL) Grand Final […]
