Sydney looks to fill King-sized void

The Sydney Kings have one of the most complete rosters around the competition, and with one piece left, CEO Chris Pongrass says that they’ll be addressing the one major concern that fans have on this team’s makeup.

“We need size, yes we do,” he laughed, addressing the constant question about the Kings not being big enough.

“It’s something that’s been talked about for some time, and I thought that we didn’t have enough rebounding last year.”

The Kings had the fourth-best average rebound numbers in the competition last season, but were seventh in rebounding differential, a crucial part that cost them in their biggest and most important games.

“I do believe the game has changed, in terms of the need to have a big, lumbering, back-to-the-basket big,” Pongrass admitted.

“But in saying that, I know during the regular season that you’re going to need size, you’re going to need strength ... in times where this is a poor matchup, you’re going to need that big.”

With the rest of their roster locked away, including key off-season recruits in Matthew Dellavedova and Kendric Davis, Pongrass says that they’ll be taking their time in making sure this final piece is the right one.

“We are taking our time,” he said.

“We understand that being patient is important to find the right fit ... we want someone who is a rolling big, a lob threat, rim protection, someone that you can throw the ball in to create something.

“That narrows down the type of player that you’re looking at from a local perspective, predominantly. So whether that’s a local or import, we have got enough time on our side over the next two months to find that person.”

In terms of just when that signing will be, Pongrass wants to reassure fans that it is on the way.

“We’re getting another one. This is not something that we are going to hold and enter the season without,” he said.

“Everyone can rest assured that finding someone with length and size ... you know, a six-foot-eleven guy is probably our priority right now.”