2021–22 Cairns Taipans season

The 2021–22 Cairns Taipans season will be the 23rd season for the Cairns Taipans in the NBL, and their first under the leadership of their new head coach Adam Forde.

2021–22 Cairns Taipans season
Head Coach Adam Forde
Captain Scott Machado
StadiumCairns Convention Centre, Cairns
NBL results
Ladder7th
Wins1
Losses1
Biggest win7 points
69–62 (vs Tasmania)
Biggest defeat23 points
90–67 (@ Wildcats)
Home Attendance
Highest attendance4,015 (11 December 2021)
Average attendance4,015
Player Records
Efficiency leader Jarrod Kenny
60%
Scoring leader Tahjere McCall
18.0
Rebounding leader Stephen Zimmerman
13.0
Assists leadertwo players
4.0
All statistics correct as of 12 December 2021.

Squad

Signings
Main article: List of 2021–22 NBL season transactions
  • Imports Scott Machado and Cameron Oliver, and Next Star Mojave King had already signed two-season contracts the season prior.[1]
  • After their penultimate game of the 2020–21 season, the Taipans announced that Head Coach Mike Kelly would not be returning for the 2021–22 season.[2]
  • On 25 June, the team option on Jordan Ngatai's contract was taken up by the club. His original contract was a two year contract (with the second year being a team option), having only joined the Taipans at the start of the 2020–21 season.
  • On 26 June, Kouat Noi signed a new two-season contract with the club (the second year being a mutual option).[3] This extends his time in Cairns up to potentially four seasons, having joined the team before the 2019–20 season. Nathan Jawai and the club also took up their mutual option on the second year of his contract, extending his time in Cairns to seven seasons.[4]
  • On 27 June, the final day before free agency began, the Taipans took up the mutual option on the contract of Majok Deng.[5] They also abandoned the option on the contract of Mirko Đerić, instead signing him to a three-year deal (the final year being a mutual option).[6]
  • On 29 June, Adam Forde was announced as the club's new Head Coach, signing on a two-year deal.[7] Forde joined the club as an experienced coach in the NBL, having spent eight years as an assistant coach with the Perth Wildcats, followed by a two-year stint with the Sydney Kings, both as an assistant coach and as a Head Coach.
  • On 13 July, Deng re-signed for three seasons, overriding the mutual option that himself and the club had taken up weeks earlier.[8] The new extension will see Deng remain in Cairns until 2024.
  • On 14 July, King was transferred to the Adelaide 36ers.[9]
  • On 19 July, Keanu Pinder was signed as the club's first new player for the season.[10] He signed on a two-year deal (second-year mutual option).
  • On 24 July, Jarrod Kenny re-signed with the Taipans for the 2021–22 season.[11] This will be Kenny’s fourth season with the Taipans after he joined the club for the 2018–19 season.
  • On 5 August, Sam Gruggen was signed as an Assistant Coach on a two-year deal.[12] Gruggen joined the club after serving as an Assistant Coach for Forde during the 2020–21 season, as well as serving time with the Townsville Crocodiles.
  • On 6 August, Tahjere McCall signed with the Taipans on a one-year deal.[13] McCall joined the Taipans after serving as an injury replacement player with Orléans Loiret Basket and winning the NBA G League championship with the Lakeland Magic.[14][15][16] During his time with the Magic, McCall was voted into the G League's All-Defensive Team.[17]
  • 13 August, Bul Kuol was signed on a two-year deal and filled the final place on the roster.[18] Kuol played College basketball with the California Baptist Lancers and Detroit Mercy Titans before returning to Australia, where he averaged 18.2 points and 4.8 rebounds with the Knox Raiders of the NBL1 South.[19]
  • On 18 August, Kerry Williams was signed as the second Assistant Coach.[20] Williams spent the season prior as the Head Coach of the Cairns Marlins of the NBL1 North, and before that also spent multiple seasons with the Cairns Dolphins of the Queensland Basketball League. Williams also spent five seasons with the Taipans as a player before transitioning into a front office role with the club.
  • On 16 September, the Taipans announced that import Cameron Oliver had been released from the final year of his contract after signing an Exhibit 10 contract with a California based National Basketball Association team, later revealed to be the Los Angeles Lakers.[21][22]
  • On 17 September, Stephen Zimmerman was signed as Oliver's replacement on a one-year deal.[23] Zimmerman signed with the club after winning the Czech National Basketball League with Basketball Nymburk, where he averaged 8.9 points and 7.9 rebounds across 17 minutes per game.[24]
  • On 7 October, Brayden Inger was signed by the Taipans as a development player.[25] He joined the club after competing in the NZNBL with the Southland Sharks.

Roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

2021–22 Cairns Taipans roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.Wt.Age
G 3 Machado, Scott  (I & C) 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 82 kg (181 lb) 31 – (1990-06-08)8 June 1990
G 5 Đerić, Mirko 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 82 kg (181 lb) 26 – (1995-04-17)17 April 1995
G 6 Kenny, Jarrod 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 87 kg (192 lb) 36 – (1985-09-17)17 September 1985
F 9 Inger, Brayden  (DP) 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 95 kg (209 lb) 22 – (1999-03-18)18 March 1999
F 11 Ngatai, Jordan 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 98 kg (216 lb) 28 – (1993-03-07)7 March 1993
F 12 Noi, Kouat 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 24 – (1997-10-29)29 October 1997
F 13 Deng, Majok 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 84 kg (185 lb) 28 – (1993-03-01)1 March 1993
C 15 Jawai, Nathan 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) 140 kg (309 lb) 35 – (1986-10-10)10 October 1986
G 22 McCall, Tahjere (I) 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 86 kg (190 lb) 27 – (1994-08-17)17 August 1994
F 25 Pinder, Keanu 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 26 – (1995-05-28)28 May 1995
C 33 Zimmerman, Stephen (I) 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) 109 kg (240 lb) 25 – (1996-10-09)9 October 1996
F 42 Kuol, Bul 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 24 – (1997-01-10)10 January 1997
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Sam Gruggen
  • Kerry Williams
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Development player
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (I) Import player
  • (SRP) Special Restricted Player
  • (NS) Next Star player
  • Injured
Updated: 14 December 2021

Depth chart
Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Development
C Stephen Zimmerman Nathan Jawai
PF Majok Deng Keanu Pinder
SF Kouat Noi Jordan Ngatai Kuol Bul Brayden Inger
SG Tahjere McCall Mirko Djeric
PG Scott Machado Jarrod Kenny

Pre-season
Main article: 2021–22 NBL pre-season

Ladder
2021-22 NBL pre-season ladder
LadderInformation
Pos.Nat.NamePld.W.L.Last 5StreakHomeAwayForAgainstPts %Win %
1 Illawarra Hawks 2 2 0 2-0 W2 0-0 2-0 213 202 105.45% 100.00%
2 Adelaide 36ers 5 5 0 5-0 W5 2-0 3-0 401 383 104.70% 100.00%
3 Brisbane Bullets 4 3 1 3-1 L1 1-1 2-0 350 327 107.03% 75.00%
4 NZ Breakers 3 2 1 2-1 W2 2-0 0-1 273 273 100.00% 66.67%
5 SEM Phoenix 4 2 2 2-2 W1 1-0 1-2 376 375 100.27% 50.00%
6 Perth Wildcats 5 2 3 2-3 L1 2-1 0-2 433 415 104.34% 40.00%
7 Tasmania JackJumpers (NT) 5 2 3 2-3 W1 1-1 1-2 391 403 97.02% 40.00%
8 Sydney Kings 3 1 2 1-2 L1 1-1 0-1 248 253 98.02% 33.33%
9 Melbourne United (RC) 4 1 3 1-3 L3 1-1 0-2 342 350 97.71% 25.00%
10 Cairns Taipans 5 0 5 0-5 L5 0-3 0-2 394 447 88.14% 0.00%

Total Rounds
2 weeks

Total Games
21 games

Legend
  • (NT) New Team
  • (RC) Reigning Champion
  • Updated: 28 November 2021

NBL Blitz
14 November 2021
15:00
Cairns Taipans 87, Adelaide 36ers 91 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 17–17, 19–25, 20–15, 23–22, Overtime: 8–12
Pts: Deng, Zimmerman 18
Rebs: Zimmerman 11
Asts: Machado 5		 Pts: Johnson 33
Rebs: Bairstow 11
Asts: Dech, McCarron 4
MyState Bank Arena, Hobart
Attendance: 4,500
Referees: not available
16 November 2021
19:30
Cairns Taipans 66, Tasmania JackJumpers 81
Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 22–23, 13–15, 15–22
Pts: Zimmerman 16
Rebs: Zimmerman 11
Asts: Machado 9		 Pts: Adams 15
Rebs: Magette 6
Asts: Magette 4
MyState Bank Arena, Hobart
Attendance: not available
Referees: not available
21 November 2021
13:00
Perth Wildcats 96, Cairns Taipans 87
Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 25–25, 22–24, 24–14
Pts: Law 28
Rebs: Law 12
Asts: Travers 5		 Pts: Jawai 21
Rebs: McCall 13
Asts: Djeric, Machado 7
Ulverstone Sports & Leisure Centre, Ulverstone
Attendance: not available
Referees: Mark Mill, Ruben Woolcock, James Griguol
24 November 2021
17:30
Cairns Taipans 86, Brisbane Bullets 94
Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 27–21, 16–24, 19–24
Pts: McCall 17
Rebs: Pinder 10
Asts: Machado, Noi 5		 Pts: Sobey 27
Rebs: Franks 8
Asts: Sobey 8
Ulverstone Sports & Leisure Centre, Ulverstone
Attendance: not available
Referees: Mark Mill, Craig Copes, Alex McEwan
26 November 2021
17:30
Tasmania JackJumpers 83, Cairns Taipans 68
Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 17–15, 21–17, 23–15
Pts: Magette 26
Rebs: Magnay 9
Asts: Magette 6		 Pts: Noi 12
Rebs: Zimmerman 8
Asts: McCall 5
Elphin Sports Centre, Launceston
Attendance: not available
Referees: Ruben Woolcock, Jacqui Dover, Hugh Starkey

Regular season
Main article: 2021–22 NBL regular season

Ladder
2021-22 NBL ladder
LadderInformation
Pos.Nat.NamePld.W.L.Last 5StreakHomeAwayForAgainstPts %Win %
1 SEM Phoenix 3 3 0 3-0 W3 2-0 1-0 278 239 116.32% 100.00%
2 Illawarra Hawks 2 2 0 2-0 W2 0-0 2-0 173 155 111.61% 100.00%
3 Perth Wildcats 3 2 1 2-1 L1 2-1 0-0 269 237 113.50% 66.67%
4 Sydney Kings 2 1 1 1-1 L1 1-1 0-0 171 158 108.23% 50.00%
5 Brisbane Bullets 2 1 1 1-1 W1 0-0 1-1 171 168 101.79% 50.00%
6 Adelaide 36ers 4 2 2 2-2 W2 1-1 1-1 325 331 98.19% 50.00%
7 Cairns Taipans 2 1 1 1-1 W1 1-0 0-1 136 152 89.47% 50.00%
8 Tasmania JackJumpers (NT) 3 1 2 1-2 L2 1-1 0-1 225 226 99.56% 33.33%
9 Melbourne United (RC) 2 0 2 0-2 L2 0-1 0-1 160 173 92.49% 0.00%
10 NZ Breakers 3 0 3 0-3 L3 0-0 0-3 238 282 84.40% 0.00%

Current Round
Round 2
Total Rounds
21
Games per Team
28
Total Games
140

Legend
  • (NT) New Team
  • (RC) Reigning Champion
  • Ladder
    Updated: 12 December 2021

Ladder progression
  • Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top four.
  • Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
  • Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Adelaide 36ers 85
Brisbane Bullets 76
Cairns Taipans 97
Illawarra Hawks 32
Melbourne United 69
New Zealand Breakers 1010
Perth Wildcats 23
South East Melbourne Phoenix 11
Sydney Kings 54
Tasmania JackJumpers 48

Round 1
5 December 2021
15:30
Perth Wildcats 90, Cairns Taipans 67
Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 23–13, 31–20, 20–13
Pts: Cotton 31
Rebs: Travers 14
Asts: Cotton 5		 Pts: Noi 17
Rebs: Zimmerman 14
Asts: Machado 6
RAC Arena, Perth
Attendance: 10,800
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, James Griguol, Mark Grist

Round 2
11 December 2021
19:00
Cairns Taipans 69, Tasmania JackJumpers 62
Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 6–13, 19–6, 22–22
Pts: McCall
Rebs: Zimmerman 12
Asts: McCall 6		 Pts: Magette 19
Rebs: Magette 9
Asts: Magette 5
Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns
Attendance: 4,015
Referees: James Griguol, Alex McEwan, Mark Mill

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6


See also

References
  1. "NBL22 Free Agency Primer | NBL". NBL.com.au. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  2. Bowles, Annabel (1 June 2021). "Mike Kelly's reign over Cairns Taipans comes to an end | Tropic Now - Cairns News". www.tropicnow.com.au. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  3. "The sssssilent star". www.twitter.com. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  4. "Another one..." www.twitter.com. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  5. "MAJOK IS A LOCK". www.twitter.com. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  6. "The Serbian Sniper is heading back to the Snakes". www.twitter.com. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  7. McInerney, Matthew (29 June 2021). "Cairns Taipans sign Adam Forde as new NBL coach". www.couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  8. "DENG FOR THREE!". Twitter.com. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  9. "Mojave King Moves to Adelaide 36ers for NBL22 | NBL". NBL.com.au. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  10. "Taipans Sign Keanu Pinder | NBL". NBL.com.au. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  11. "Kenny returns for his fourth season". Taipans.com. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  12. "Taipans welcome Sam Gruggen". www.Taipans.com. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  13. "Taipans Sign NBA G-League Champion, Tahjere McCall". NBL.com.au. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  14. "NBA G League 2020-21 Draft Results". NBA G League. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  15. "Tahjere McCall joins Orleans". Sportando.com. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  16. "Defense, Ball Movement, and Steak Dinner: The Lakeland Magic Are NBA G League Champions". NBA G League. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  17. "2020-21 All-NBA G League, All-Defensive and All-Rookie Teams". NBA G League. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  18. "Cairns complete roster with Kuol". www.Taipans.com. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  19. "Bul Kuol, Basketball Player". Proballers. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  20. McInerney, Matthew (18 August 2021). "Cairns basketball stalwart Williams locked in as Taipans assistant". CairnsPost.com.au. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  21. "Cam Oliver Released by Taipans to Chase NBA Opportunities | NBL". NBL.com.au. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  22. @Lakers (29 September 2021). "The Lakers have signed Cameron Oliver to an Exhibit-10 training camp contract" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. "Taipans sign Stephen Zimmerman". www.Taipans.com. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  24. "Stephen Zimmerman, Basketball Player". Proballers. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  25. "Taipans sign DP: Brayden Inger". www.Taipans.com. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
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