Why Taipans, Edwards is "match made in heaven"

The immediate future of Cairns guard Taran Armstrong is currently up in the air due to potential NBA opportunities, but Taipans head coach Adam Forde says the versatility of new import signing Rob Edwards is what allowed the club to secure the sharpshooting wing this early in the piece.

Edwards has been on Forde’s radar since he was named head coach of the Taipans in 2021, however NBA opportunities with Oklahoma City beckoned for the Arizona State alum.

He represented the Thunder at NBA level twice in the 2021-22 season and has since spent the bulk of his career playing in the G-League.

Forde says the signing of the guard is a “match made in heaven”.

“I think my first year here in Cairns, he was on my shortlist then. We were looking for that combo-type wing with a defensive mindset,” Forde said. “Obviously Tahj (McCall) provided three very serviceable years for us and, at the time for Rob, he was straight out of college and pursuing the NBA.

“He’s now 27 and his best basketball is going to be in the next couple of years and we want to capitalise on that. We have a spot available, he has ambition, and it’s a match made in heaven.”

Forde has been clear on how the Taipans have been supporting young guard Armstrong’s NBA ambitions over the course of this off-season.

The 22-year-old participated in the NBA G-League Elite Camp alongside Breakers Next Star Mantas Rubstavicius, and is set to continue to put his hand up as an NBA Draft prospect.

Although Forde admits, should Armstrong depart, Edwards would not move into a lead guard position, his newest signing will add immense versatility on both ends of the floor regardless of Armstrong’s impending draft status.

“The cool thing about Rob – similar to some of the guards we’ve had in the past – is the ability to defend a number of positions,” Forde continued.

“He’s a big 6’5”, he can pick up full-court and defend the wings, and even some smaller ball fours were also the appeal to getting him in now, to know we can pretty much plug and play him in any position.

“He got glowing references out of OKC and Wisconsin, that was a big thing we wanted to make sure the type of character we’re bringing in is going to be complementary and suits the group we already have.”

Forde also added Armstrong has been clear in his communications around any potential NBA opportunities, however the club is now in a holding pattern until they are aware of their linchpin’s future.

“He’s been great with his communication in terms of keeping us posted and updated, he’s got pro days, he’s got team workouts, the whole draft process – the actual draft itself isn’t until the end of June. We don’t anticipate anything in the medium short-term,” Forde said.

“Now we’re pretty good in a sense of where we’re at with our roster, and the next domino to fall will be the status of Taran. If we know once we get confirmation if we have Taran or he gets the NBA call-up, that will lead into what the final three positions look like.

“We’re looking at having an invite with guys throughout the country on June 18 as like an open trial, or run, which is still in the infancy stages of planning. We connected with a few agents to see with those guys what their plans are and the idea of being able to get some people here that want to capitalise on the opportunity is important.”