I got promoted the last 2 seasons and being in Div II, my players are not up to scratch. I do have a great C who I'm retraining into a SF, so I'm playing him as a PG most of the season, so no, this season I'm not winning anything. Last year I went unbeaten playing TIE in almost all my games except against harder division rivals.
Regarding PR guys, there's no real hard evidence on how much income each level guy will bring in. I'd just get one with a specialty.
Offence/Defence depends on your players abilities and play style of the opponent. If you have players who can score inside and outside, go for a neutral offence like Push The Ball, if you have great outside scorers, go Motion/Run and Gun. If you have great inside scorers, Look Inside, if you have great passers and inside scorers, play Low Post. You get the deal.. The faster the offence, the lower quality shot, but you'll get more shots per game. If you're playing a good team, you might wanna slow down the offence so he gets less shots in the game, because if you play too fast, he'll get more shots... and might build a big lead..
Defence depends on whether your opponent has a history of playing inside or outside, so check out his recent games. Scout your next opponent.
Mail is always welcome! Post on the Aussie forums, we're glad to help.