The Melbourne Tigers have decided they will not re-sign point guard and current team MVP Corey Williams. The news comes just days after the Tigers appointed former Townsville head coach Trevor Gleeson to a three-year deal.
Williams, who played under Gleeson in 2009, was pushed out from Townsville after his MVP season, by the then-head coach, Gleeson.
Williams led the league in assists (6.1pg) and was the league’s fifth-best scorer with 17.3 each game last season.
The Tigers are looking to replace Williams with a homegrown Aussie point guard.
The Tigers had targeted Blaze PG Adam Gibson, but missed out after the guard decided to re-sign with the Gold Coast.
Another player on the radar is Perth’s Damien Martin, but most league sources believe him to stay with the Wildcats.
The Tigers’ lack of success in the recruiting area will mostly lead them to signing an import guard, with a candidate being MVP Gary Ervin, who is yet to re-sign for season 2012.
The Tigers have no current point guards on the roster and retain the rights to only Cam Tragardh, Daryl Corletto, Tommy Greer, Matt Burston and Bennie Lewis for the 2012 season.
Another question mark for Melbourne is the availability of the exciting young forward Lucas Walker.
Without a big PG signing the Tigers could be in an even worse position than their disappointing 2011 season.
The moves have led to widespread criticism for CEO Seamus McPeake, who already angered fans with the mid-season sacking of long time Tiger Al Westover.
Williams, though, is a possible signing for the Adelaide 36ers and along with Townsville’s Luke Schenscher could give Adelaide the best off-season signings in the league.
More NBL news is expected soon with the free agency period commencing in less than a week.