THE Cairns Taipans board took a gamble and at the minute, they are in the red.
The notion that Aaron Fearne, Cameron Gliddon and Mitch McCarron were as close to a package deal as can be was well known late in the 2017-18 season.
The Taipans board were aware that if they cut off Fearne, their two star players were likely to follow him out the door.
They took that chance and it has come back to bite them on the backside.
The first domino dropped on Tuesday night when Gliddon’s management told the club he would not be returning.
Maybe the captain of the club was not going to come back even if Fearne was rehired but the pair working out at Cairns Basketball together this week suggests otherwise.
The next question is: Will McCarron return?
McCarron, arguably the most promising Australian guard in the NBL, has lost one of his closest mates on the team in Gliddon.
And with no coach locked in for 2018-19 and beyond, what is keeping him in Cairns?
Cairns was not McCarron’s first choice in the first place.
He was on the verge of signing with Townsville before they fell over, prompting his two-year deal with the Snakes.
For the Taipans board, led by Troy Stone and CEO Mark Beecroft, their legacy at the club will hinge on the decision to part ways with Fearne.
Losing a current Australian Boomer and fan favourite in Gliddon is not a positive start.
On Wednesday night, Beecroft said, given the club’s current transitional period, he anticipated there would be subsequent changes to the playing roster, with Gliddon one of them.
Taipans fans, jump on the NBL website and have a look at the free agents out there this off-season.
There are not many better players out there than McCarron and Gliddon.
Reckon a two-year extension for Fearne does not sound too bad now?
