The Sydney Kings roster is the envy of the NBL – and that’s just the way they like it
Haters are going to hate, and the Kings are cool with that, warning opposition teams who complain of the Kings’ stacked roster that they are only just getting started.
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Sydney Kings chairman and owner Paul Smith has told rival teams to butt out and focus on their own backyard following claims that the addition of rising wing Xavier Cooks means that the Kings have the championship in the bag.
A week after rival coaches accused the Kings of having a roster over $4 million more than any other team, a frustrated Smith hit back at the franchise’s detractors.
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The addition of Cooks, one of Australia’s best young talents who was part of the Boomers’ World Cup squad before suffering a knee injury, has prompted fans and rival clubs to proclaim the Kings unbeatable.
Smith, though, is fed up with the constant barbs, declaring that Sydney are not the NBL’s highest spenders despite their star-studded roster.
“You are barking up the wrong tree if you just think that we are just throwing money around like drunks – we are not,” Smith fired.
“In fact, I don’t believe that we have the highest salary in the league right now.
Teams, coaches and managers lament the "$4 million" & "4 imports" in relation to the Sydney Kings. But right now, they are the most exciting aspect of #NBL20. There's a reason Xavier Cooks signs with the Kings. It isn't money💰. They have a clear plan for their organisation.
— Seb Greenway (@SebGreenway) November 27, 2019
“People have been critical of us for this and that but we’ve got players who have chosen to take unders.
“People have got to stop dwelling on the fact that we are buying a championship.
“We are building an organisation that can win championships. We are not buying a championship.
“You can’t do that. It is proven that it doesn’t work.
“But get it off your chest everyone, because we are just getting started.
“Haters are going to hate – it is okay.
“My best advice is to go and worry about your own club because we are cool.”
Cooks’ Sydney signing prompted Illawarra general manager Mat Campbell to publicly express his disappointment.
Campbell said the Hawks were hopeful of securing the 24-year-old after completing rehabilitation training with the franchise for the last “six or seven weeks”.
Smith denied that the Kings had stolen Cooks from their fierce rivals.
“There was never any notion from our end that we were stealing anything,” he said.
“It was a very straightforward matter between an agent and our club.
“There was never any suggestion that this was a race to the line.
“It is a non-issue as far as we are concerned.
“We are respectful of Illawarra, as we are of every other club, but we conducted this in good faith with the agent and any suggestion that we’ve swooped in on them is just incorrect.
“That is not our style.”
My next chapter is here and I couldn’t be happier 🙌🙠https://t.co/Cz7T1E4vjo
— Xavier Cooks (@xaviercooks9) November 27, 2019
Smith said Cooks’ two year deal, which includes an NBA-out clause, is all part of Sydney’s long-term plan.
The Kings had to release back-up guard Kuany Kuany to make way for Cooks.
The Ballarat-born talent joins the league-leaders following a stint with French team SIG Strasbourg.
“The continuation of the relationship with Xavier is critical from our end,” he said.
“This was entirely about structuring the roster for next year.
“It is not about supplementing what we have this year. Last time I looked we were 10-1, so I don’t think we are in trouble.
“This wasn’t a desperate mission to find a solution to a problem because we don’t have a problem.
“This is a forward looking decision. Internally we are in discussions about our 2022 roster.