As a return to the chair loomed, Hoopla plugged back in, coincidentally on the same day Sydney announced the signing of Xavier Cooks on a multi-year deal.

'Mind boggling' we tweeted, and quite simply it was. Cooks had been in Wollongong for months carrying out his rehab from a torn meniscus with BaiMed and regularly participating in shoot arounds with the Hawks.

This at the very same time the club was on the lookout for a replacement for Aaron Brooks? Somehow he slipped through the net.

It's no knock on Cooks himself. He's a Boomer, a former college standout with genuine NBA ambitions and if the Hawks didn't move heaven and earth to keep him than he's more than entitled to make the best move for himself.

A closer examination of how it came about and the implications of it are something to be discussed at a later date, but it certainly added fuel to what's becoming a fast blazing fire around the NBL and it's 'soft' salary cap.

Instituting a soft cap was a great move from the league. If you look at the level of talent it's allowed (some) clubs to bring to the NBL it's been raging success.

However, it's ongoing legitimacy rests in transparency. The next logical, and necessary, step is making each club's total spend public.

At the very least explain where the mythical 'luxury tax' funds are being spent. The clubs forking it out have as much right to know as anyone.

If it's meant to be used to help out the league's battlers, wouldn't the Cooks situation have been the perfect time to dip into it?

Andrew Bogut has said as much, even taken it a step further in saying players' individual salaries should be public knowledge. Aussies basketball great Shane Heal has hammered the point for the best part of two seasons.

In our own backyard, the NRL has a hard cap it ruthlessly monitors but they've made each clubs' third party payments public knowledge. Chief executive Todd Greenberg knew it was flat-out essential.

So why has the league baulked at something that's common practice in the other pro leagues it's so constantly comparing itself to?

As Mercury sports editor Tim Barrow wrote last week, this publication's attempts to address the issue - among others - with NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger have been repeatedly fobbed off by the league's media types.

It's not a feelgood story but it's a necessary one that is not going away.

Right now it's all just the subject of whispers and innuendo or - in straight talking 36ers coach Joey Wright's case - flat out assertions the Kings are spending $4 million more than it's nearest rivals.

Kings owner Paul Smith has refuted that and also stated on Twitter he'd be more than willing to open the books if it was a league-wide directive.

There's absolutely no suggestion the Kings, or the likes of Perth or Melbourne United, are in any way cheating the cap - the way it's set up they don't need to.

That's perfectly fine. In a league that's going from strength to strength it'd be ridiculous to hamper clubs who have the means and desire to bring big stars to this league, but let's call it what it is.

If teams can afford a luxury Ferrari all power to them - but let's not let them pretend they built it themselves from scratch.

Hawks fans know all about that. When Illawarra reached the grand final series against Perth three seasons ago, they were torn apart by Bryce Cotton who was barely 10 games into his now legendary stint with the Cats.

The club's status as a benchmark franchise long preceded his arrival but - that season - it's a fact he came very late to the party.

If you recall the Cats sacked Jaron Johnson, briefly brought in Andre Imgram, re-hired Johnson after his departure and then re-fired him for Cotton as their season started to slip.

They put that championship down to "culture" but they were playing with means and options the Hawks simply didn't have.

It doesn't de-legitimize that Cats championship - they can't be bought despite what people suggest - but let's not pretend those factors weren't at play.

Perth are always thereabouts, the Hawks will only ever get fleeting chances at a championship. They had one that year and got done by a rival with more expensive tools.

Of course it's what the Hawks, and its fans, sign up for each year. It's professional sport; but please NBL boffins... stop the pretending and frikken act like it.

DO NEW IMPORTS FIT THE BALL?

Well, it's been a saga but the cavalry is finally arriving for the Hawks with Darington Hobson and Billy Preston set to debut for the club on Monday.

Preston - whose signing The Mercury revealed last week as a replacement for Sam Froling - has an interesting back story and is exciting prospect with his size and athleticism.

Hobson is more of a veteran at 32 but has been shooting at a decent clip from long-range and should at least take some of the offensive load off LaMelo Ball when (or if) he returns from a month-long layoff .

Some have questioned whether they're the right pair - Aussie greats Chris Anstey and Shane Heal did as much on the call of the Hawks loss to Brisbane on Saturday.

Would a combo guard have been a better pick up? It remains to be seen but there's a bit to like about to like about both - particularly Preston.

Yes the Hawks front court is already pretty well stocked but not with the mobility and athleticism the Preston brings. He'll be an obvious pick and roll target for LaMelo and a big presence on the defensive end.

The club's plans for Hobson are not as immediately apparent but a swingman is perhaps an astute pickup if Flinn is looking to give the likes of Sunday Dech and Angus Glover more time in the back court.

Fact is it's too little too late when it comes to finals. We'll probably learn more about how and why it took the club so long to bring in replacements but, for now, let's focus on the positives.

HAWKS MAKE RIGHT CALL ON CAPITAL MOVE

Illawarra's decision not to return to Canberra in January was definitely the right move.

It was good idea to explore last season and the Hawks committed in two lengthy visits to the Capital in the lead-up to last year's clash with Cairns that was memorably played in oppressive heat.

It was hoped it would be the start of a longer term plan mirroring that of AFL club Hawthorn in Tasmania and the NRL's Panthers with Bathurst.

Simply put, the money on offer from the ACT government to return this season - in addition to their round five clash with Brisbane - was a significant reduction on last year.

It simply wasn't worth the Hawks while, particularly now they'll face Perth on a Friday night in Wollongong after financially shocking run of Monday night home games.