Sydney Kings urged to throw big dollars at Cairns gun to replace NBA-bound star Xavier Cooks
The Sydney Kings will have plenty of money to spend after Xavier Cooks’ move to the NBA – and there is one player the Kings must target.
Basketball
Don't miss out on the headlines from Basketball. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Sydney Kings have been urged to sign free-agent forward Keanu Pinder as a like-for-like replacement for NBA bound star Xavier Cooks.
Potential interest in Pinder comes as Cooks’ career took a giant stride forward on Monday when he agreed to a two-year NBA deal with the Washington Wizards.
This year’s NBL MVP is expected to sign a contract to play out the remainder of the current NBA season, as well as the 2023-24 season.
Cooks’ departure opens the door for the Kings to hit the open market with plenty of money to spend.
Former NBL MVP turned commentator Corey ‘Homicide’ Williams believes Pinder – who has claimed back-to-back NBL most improved player honours with Cairns, is the perfect fit for the Kings.
“There is no way that you don’t have a crack at Keanu,” Williams told News Corp.
“He is a premier local big and if he didn’t get injured this season, he would have been an MVP finalist.
“The way he has evolved – he has literally taken leaps and bounds forward in the past two seasons.”
Pinder is unlikely to remain in Cairns next season as the Taipans can’t afford the big dollars he can now command on the open market.
Europe or Asia are two destinations that could accommodate the forward’s financial demands, but Williams believes the Kings is also a realistic destination next season with Cooks’ departure to the NBA.
“Just give him Cooks’ salary, transfer the contracts over and put Keanu’s signature on it,” he said.
“I think it would be a great look for the Kings. He (Keanu) has proven himself.
“Anybody can do it once, but he has improved. Whether it happens or not is one thing, but they (Sydney) should definitely take a look.”
Cooks, meanwhile, has been told he’ll have to earn his position to secure his long-term future when he joins Washington in the coming weeks.
The Kings’ star is tipped to come off the bench for the Wizards and play a point forward role.
Washington officials are keen to see how Cooks’ athleticism, ability to create plays and his lockdown defence translates to the NBA before making any definitive decisions on his role within the team.
It’s also paramount that the Kings’ forward can fully recover from his current leg injury to maximise his opportunities at the Wizards as the NBA is super competitive and health is key to success.
Washington is currently battling for a playoff spot, sitting 10th in the Eastern conference with a 30-34 win-loss record.
Williams expects Cooks to excel at the Wizards and in the NBA in general, likening the Kings’ forward to Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green – who is also a defensive beast and pinpoint facilitator in transition.
“Xavier is just like Draymond,” he said,
“Can Draymond shoot threes? No, but look how successful he has been. So, we need to forget what Xavier can’t do and look at what he can do.
“He can guard multiple positions, once he rebounds the ball he is pushing the break, he can pass the ball, he is athletic, he defends, he sets screens and he plays hard.
“Any NBA team would love to have a guy with all those intangibles like Cooks.”
Kings CEO Chris Pongrass said the organisation is excited for Cooks – the NBL MVP – to get his well-earned chance in the NBA.
“I speak for the entire Kings family when I say we are thrilled for Xavier to take this next step to the NBA and realise his childhood dream,” Pongrass said.
“It is difficult to properly articulate the impact X has had on this club. His talent, leadership and innate desire to win completely shifted our trajectory these past four seasons.
“It is obvious that he is an NBA talent and belongs among the best players in the world.
“We thank X for his contribution to our club – he will forever be a King.”
Cooks, a Wollongong product, stamped his authority on the NBL by winning the Larry Sengstock Medal as the Grand Final Series MVP last year, leading the Kings to the 21-22 NBL championship over Tasmania.
This season his form has not skipped a beat, with Cooks being named the league’s MVP for the 2022-23 season and leading the Kings to a minor premiership.
Cooks has averaged 16.2 points a game, 7.8 rebounds and 4 assists a game, but his impact on his team goes well beyond his on-court performance.
Cooks becomes the fifth player in the past five seasons to leave Sydney to the NBA – joining Brian Bowen, Andrew Bogut, Jae’Sean Tate and Didi Louzada.
The Kings are currently tied at 1-1 in the NBL championship series against the New Zealand Breakers.
A big crowd is expected for the crucial Game 3 on Friday from 7.30pm (AEDT).
The Kings are confident Cooks will suit up despite playing less than nine minutes in Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Breakers.
Sydney will also be sweating on guard Derrick Walton Jr’s fitness after he only played five minutes against New Zealand due to a thigh injury.
NBL MVP LANDS DREAM NBA DEAL
– Matt Logue and Michael Randall
Sydney Kings star Xavier Cooks will join the NBA after the NBL championship series, agreeing to a two-year deal with the Washington Wizards.
Cooks, 27, is expected to sign a deal with the Wizards to play out the remainder of the current NBA season, as well as the 2023-24 season.
The Wizards are currently battling for a playoff spot, sitting 10th in the Eastern conference with a 30-33 win-loss record.
Kings CEO Chris Pongrass said the organisation was excited for the NBL MVP to get his well-earned chance in the NBA.
“I speak for the entire Kings family when I say we are thrilled for Xavier to take this next step to the NBA and realise his childhood dream,” Pongrass said about Cooks, who had Summer League stints with Golden State and Phoenix after going undrafted in 2018.
“It is difficult to properly articulate the impact X has had on this club. His talent, leadership and innate desire to win completely shifted our trajectory these past four seasons.
“It is obvious that he is an NBA talent and belongs among the best players in the world.
“We thank X for his contribution to our club – he will forever be a King.”
Hey @WashWizards fans, you've got a good one 👀#DCAboveAll@SydneyKingspic.twitter.com/aJFmzZUCfi
— NBL (@NBL) March 5, 2023
Kings boss Paul Smith also praised Cooks for making the leap from the NBL to the NBA.
“For four years I have watched Xavier Cooks grow as a player, leader and man,” Smith tweeted.
“It’s the greatest privilege possible to have been part of his journey and his next, incredible step in his career.
“Thank you, Xavier, Sydney and The Gong are proud. Let’s get this Chip.”
Cooks, a Wollongong product, stamped his authority on the NBL by winning the Larry Sengstock Medal as the Grand Final Series MVP last year, leading the Kings to the 21-22 NBL Championship over Tasmania.
This season his form has not skipped a beat, with Cooks being named the league’s MVP for the 2022-23 season and leading the Kings to a minor premiership.
Cooks has averaged 16.2 points a game, 7.8 rebounds and 4 assists a game, but his impact on the team goes well beyond his on-court performance.
Cooks becomes the fifth player in the past five seasons to leave Sydney to the NBA – joining Brian Bowen, Andrew Bogut, Jae’Sean Tate and Didi Louzada.
The Washington Wizards are signing Sydney Kings forward Xavier Cooks – MVP of the National Basketball League in Australia -- to a deal through the 2023-2024 season, his agent Daniel Moldovan of Octagon Sports tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 5, 2023
The Kings are currently tied at 1-1 in the NBL championship series against the New Zealand Breakers.
A big crowd is expected for the crucial Game 3 on Friday from 7.30pm (AEDT).
The Kings are hopeful that Cooks will play despite playing less than nine minutes in Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Breakers.
Sydney will also be sweating on guard Derrick Walton Jr’s fitness after he only played five minutes against New Zealand due to a thigh injury
INJURY-HIT KINGS LEVEL GRAND FINAL SERIES
By Matt Logue and Michael Randall
Don’t rule out the defending champion Sydney Kings just yet.
The Kings kept their NBL title defence alive on Sunday with a remarkably brave 81-74 Game 2 victory over the New Zealand Breakers.
Sydney defied the odds to level the series at 1-all despite losing stars Xavier Cooks (ankle) and Derrick Walton Jr (quad) to injuries at halftime.
Walton Jr lasted less than five minutes while Cooks only played nine minutes as he continued to battle after copping knocks in Game 1.
Sydney could’ve struggled missing its stars, but Kouat Noi and Justin Simon put on a show for the Kings.
Noi came off the bench to drop 20 points while he added four rebounds.
SCROLL DOWN TO READ ABOUT THE WNBL’S NEWLY-CROWNED MVP
Simon was simply sensational for Sydney at both ends of the floor.
The defensive beast amassed six steals with his Inspector Gadget-like arms – one steal short of equalling a NBL grand final series record.
Simon also added 12 points and nine rebounds in one of the finest championship performances.
Kings’ sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic also responded in style following his mixed Game 1 performance.
Vasiljevic finished with 16 points, including four of six from three.
He also had four rebounds and two assists.
Vasiljevic’s shooting display also helped him bury his hoodoo against New Zealand.
The man nicknamed ‘DJ’ averages double-digit scoring against every team in the NBL this season – except the Breakers. His 8.7ppg comes on just 32 per cent shooting from the field and 28.6 per cent from deep.
Thankfully for the Kings, Vasiljevic found his offensive groove to bury the Breakers on Sunday.
Guard Angus Glover also starred, dropping 12 points off the bench to set up a blockbuster Game 3 at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday night from 7.30pm (AEDT).
Sydney’s Game 2 triumph is extra-important given no team has ever come back from a 2-0 series deficit to win the championship.
The Kings still have to defy history to claim back-to-back championships.
The past 14 NBL teams to emerge victorious in game one of the NBL grand final have gone on to win the series — and 25 of the past 26 titles.
In fact, only four teams in league history have managed to turn the tables after dropping game one.
It was a sloppy start to the game from both teams.
The first bucket – via Kings’ sharpshooter Vasiljevic – didn’t drop until almost four minutes into the contest.
Sydney soon settled – and ramped up its defensive pressure compared to Friday’s opening game loss.
The Kings also knocked down triples via Vasiljevic and Noi, to take a commanding 21-9 lead into quarter-time.
Sydney’s fortunes shifted in the second as New Zealand went on an 11-0 run to open the quarter.
The Kings steadied, though, to go to the halftime break with a 34-30 advantage.
Simon took over for Sydney in the third quarter with a defensive masterclass. He made multiple steals for buckets to help the Kings extend their lead to 10 points midway through the third.
Sydney’s surge prompted a frustrated New Zealand coach Mody Maor to blow up at his Breakers players during a timeout.
“What is this softness,” Maor fired.
“You think it is going to be easy. C’mon – work.”
Fortunately, the New Zealanders listened to their coach to surge home in the fourth quarter with a barrage of buckets.
The Breakers got within seven points in the fourth, but the Kings held on to claim one of the most courageous grand final wins in NBL history.
LIKES
SIMON SAYS AND THE UNSUNG HEROES
With stars Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr hampered by injury, Sydney import Justin Simon stole the show. After leading the Kings with 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks in game one, Simon refused to lose game two with a remarkable six steals – five of those coming after halftime – to go with 12 points and nine boards.
Simon is well known as a defensive game changer, but offensive output has been vital for the Kings through the first two games. Ditto Jordy Hunter, who had 15 after halftime in game one and then Kouat Noi, who poured in a team-high 20 points in game two. If Cooks and Walton miss time, it’s efforts like these that will still give the Kings a chance.
WILLIAM McMONEY-WHITE
If you were wondering why New Zealand orchestrator William McDowell-White is the hottest name in NBL free agency, watch game one from start to finish. You’ll see a masterpiece of point guard play that dissected the reigning champs.
McDowell-White produced a near-triple-double – 19 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists – but it was his decision-making and assurance with the ball that set him apart. In game two in Auckland, he struggled as Sydney took hold of the contest.
McDowell-White was restricted to seven points, three rebounds and four assists.
The 24-year-old was worth north of $500k a year before this series, and he’ll still be able to write his own cheque. A JackJumpers’ fan tweeted Crosscourt he’d look good in Ant green and Brisbane, Perth and South East Melbourne are among his suitors – and even Phoenix import Alan Williams is on the recruiting trail. “*S.E. Melbourne, we gotta make sure we specify,” Williams replied to a fan’s call for McDowell-White to land in Melbourne next season. Let the chase begin.
DISLIKES
INJURY CURSE
Twelve days between the last game of the semi final and the first game of the grand final for the FIBA break meant both teams had players sucking in the big ones in game one. The pickle juice was out for a number of players as cramps set in.
Dererk Pardon was hampered for the Breakers and Derrick Walton for the Kings. Walton, particularly, looked seriously sore and didn’t come back on after he went down in the fourth quarter. League MVP Xavier Cooks joined him on the injured list when he tweaked an ankle.
Both Kings travelled to NZ and tried to go in game two, but neither made it past halftime as they were shutdown. You hope neither are seriously injured, because it would rob the series of two of its biggest stars.
KINGS FANS GET CHANCE TO MAKE AMENDS
Bravo to the more than 13,000 fans who packed Qudos Bank Arena for game one on Thursday night. Thumbs down if you were among the troop of Kings fans who marched out on their team early. It wasn’t as if they were getting hammered by 30. NBL commentator Jack Heverin and the GOAT Andrew Gaze noticed the “exodus” of Sydney fans with over a minute to go in the clash and the Kings down nine.
It’s probably game over, but stranger things have happened in basketball. We get there was a bit of rain around and some pop singer was playing over the road but, if this happens again in game three, be a sport and stick around until the final buzzer. Win or lose, grand final games are a rare privilege.
The Kings are expecting an even bigger crowd for Game 3 on Friday – in fact they’ve already outsold the Game 1 crowd – so we’re tipping the fans won’t be leaving early again next week.
WNBL AWARDS: GEORGE CREDITS DAUGHTER FOR MVP WIN
“M-V-Pearl – that’s my statement.”
With that, the newly-crowned WNBL Most Valuable Player gave all the credit to her gorgeous newborn girl.
Australian Opal Cayla George has capped off the finest year of her career with the WNBL’s highest individual honour, crowned the league’s MVP.
George, 33, led the Opals to World Cup bronze, welcomed a new baby girl Pearl, and franked her WNBL dominance for the Melbourne Boomers with a call up to the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.
“I’m really overwhelmed I’ve been in the league a long time and I’ve tried to stay as consistent as possible in my career,” the Opals star said.
“I was trying to give myself some grace, initially, because I didn’t know how the season was going to go for me because I had a newborn.
“I had to give myself grace and remind myself of that constantly because I’m real tired.”
In taking out the Suzy Batkovic Medal, George was a statistical monster, leading the league in rebounds (over 11 per game), three pointers (nearly three per game), was second in points at nearly 19 a night and top 10 in assists, steals, blocks, three-point and free-throw percentage. The monster 30 points 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Adelaide in round seven was the first triple-double recorded in the WNBL in a decade.
George’s efforts helped the reigning champion Boomers sew up a semi-final berth against cross-town rivals Southside Flyers.
She’ll hope to claim back-to-back WNBL titles before some down time at home in Cairns and her next challenge – a return to the WNBA with Las Vegas.
“I’ll go home for a little bit after the finals and spend some time with my dogs, I’ve got four of them, and then head over there (to Vegas) mid-late April,” she said.
After that – who knows right now.
“I haven’t signed anywhere yet,” she said.
If the Boomers want her back – or any other WNBL team thinks it can swoop, the price just went up.
Adelaide Lightning scooped a trio of awards, with emergent teen Isobel Borlase’s incredible season netting her both the Breakout Player of the Year and Sixth Woman of the Year, while veteran teammate and Opals Opals powerhouse Steph Talbot took home the Defensive Player of the Year.
Townsville finished top of the ladder and will face Perth in the other semi-final series, mentor Shannon Seebohm recognised as Coach of the Year, while Fire point guard Steph Reid claimed the Golden Hands Award — an equation that subtracts a player’s total turnovers from their combined steals and assists, which is then divided by their games played.
LIST OF AWARD WINNERS
• Suzy Batkovic Medal (League MVP): Cayla George (Melbourne Boomers)
• Coach of the Year: Shannon Seebohm (Townsville Fire)
• Betty Watson Breakout Player of the Year: Isobel Borlase (Adelaide Lightning)
• Sixth Woman of the Year: Isobel Borlase (Adelaide Lightning)
• Robyn Maher Defensive Player of the Year: Stephanie Talbot (Adelaide Lightning)
• Golden Hands Award: Stephanie Reid (Townsville Fire)
ALL-WNBL FIRST TEAM
o Cayla George (Melbourne Boomers)
o Sami Whitcomb (Perth Lynx)
o Tianna Hawkins (Townsville Fire)
o Kristy Wallace (Melbourne Boomers)
o Kayla Thornton (Southside Flyers)
All-WNBL Second Team:
o Jade Melbourne (UC Capitals)
o Tiffany Mitchell (Melbourne Boomers)
o Lauren Nicholson (Townsville Fire)
o Steph Talbot (Adelaide Lightning)
o Lauren Scherf (Perth Lynx)
WNBL SEMI-FINALS SCHEDULE
Southside (second) v Melbourne (third)
Game 1: Wednesday, March 8, 7.30pm, State Basetball Centre
Game 2: Saturday, March 11, 7.30pm, Parkville
Game 3 (if required): Wednesday, March 8, 7.30pm, State Basketball Centre
Townsville (first) v Perth (Fourth)
Game 1: Thursday, March 9, 6.30pm, Townsville Entertainement Centre
Game 2: Sunday, March 12, 3.30pm, Bendat Basketball Centre
Game 3 (if required): Thursday, March 9, 6.30pm, Townsville Entertainement Centre
More Coverage
Originally published as Sydney Kings urged to throw big dollars at Cairns gun to replace NBA-bound star Xavier Cooks
Reverse trades! Top SuperCoach target ruled out
The most traded player in SuperCoach NBL this week will miss both games of his team’s round 4 double with injury. Get the latest here plus expert trade advice.
Crosscourt: Gazey’s left-field pick for return of Boomers’ coach
The hunt for the Boomers’ next head coach is heating up, and hoops legend Andrew Gaze has floated a left-field option. We take a closer look at all the contenders, and more in this week’s Crosscourt.