want to get excited but am nervous about doing so.

i imagine any number of nbl teams sound out a number of aussies about coming home every year. if just putting it out there meant they would come and it was that easy they would have been back long ago.

i guess you always have to ask the question of a guy like newley who is class and we need so badly...

will hold just a touch of hope ( as i always will that one day i will get to see newley in 36ers colours) but will wait til i see anything official before i get carried away. should definately be going after markovic and possibly aron baynes as well.

maybe martys 3 year plan was

save some money

save some money

get newley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

some people on this site will be spewing as adding newley will make any team ( and therefore their coach) look great.

Lots of players in different competitions and grades make coaches look great.

i think you missed the point. im saying there is alot of negative opinion about martys ability to coach in this forum. one can either point to his win-loss record or the manner in which we have lost games or you can point to the cattle we have and the injuries. getting a player of newleys calibre will likely equal wins and be a fast turnaround and it would be hard to gauge how much to attribute the then winning form to coaching. anyway back to the topic at hand....

If this recent footage is anything to go by I think the NBL should do everything it can to get both Newley and indeed this commentator to Australia. I'd take this involuntary howling over the Carfino monotone any day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5C6p9H2GAs

Would be great if true.

Even at current form he would be a good quality NBL player, which the Sixers have been short of for a number of years, but if he rediscovers his jump shot he will be one of the best in the comp.

Newley will probably wait till post Olympics to make a decision on his club future. Would love to see it happen though. I heard Blaze and Kings will be chasing Newley also.

I dont care where he goes, just want him in the NBL.

Does Europe include NZ - If so - as he did not get the King's job, getting Dean Vickerman to come in as a rookie would be a Smart move. The he would be there on the sixer's bench to keep those unruly players quiet and avoid those pesky bench T's that cost games.

But - I know he can coach , but can he play ? There again that would bookend the current coaching staff quite nicely.

Hm - If we do get a strong player line up next year, that really would put the pressure on - that would be good.

Deba George?

I don't think Deba George will play NBL again. The Snakes dropped him for a serious reason.


On topic, every team targets everyone every year anyway. I'd wait for something a bit more concrete like interest, a signature, etc.

That was Clarke on Nine News just then.
Despite the horror season , he and radford ain't going anywhere , but he would like some more offcourt help. " I'll be here to help make this team the best possible."
Signing all Aussies first , before deciding whether to offer Simpson and Warren a spot or not.

Sounds pretty reasonable.

Sign Local before imports doesn't sound like the best way to go. Wouldn't you get the two imports you can afford and then build around them? If the imports were Mee and Brooks, would they not get a gig in Clarke's team until he had signed Helliwell and Croswell first?

Spinner, most teams sign their locals first given that the talent pool is shallower. The exceptions will be re-signings (Lisch, for example) or other particular circumstances.

They might allocate a certain amount of money to a given position, and then get the best option available (wouldn't preclude a Brooks or Mee). Depending on when the seasons overlap, it could be that many imports are unavailable early on. It took Gary Ervin a long time to make his decision last time; the best will often be waiting on deals from European clubs.

Early days, but I do believe Tiger Watcher has been on the money once before. Hopefully he's right and Newley does come home. It would literally be the return of the prodigal son and would be huge for the Sixers.

Short of that, I think Markovic could be a good one to chase. If he could give us solid PG play, that would free up an import slot, which would allow us to go for both Simpson AND Williamson.

I think a big man rotation of DJ, Simpson and Williamson (Helliwell playing spot minutes as required) would be pretty imposing, provided Williamson is as good as many think.

he didnt specifically say newley, although i jumped on him as the obvious candidate.

Its all good Phil, I'm not assuming he means Newley. Just listing Newley as the guy who would be the biggest possible coup for the Sixers.

On the signing all Aussies first thing, that may well be the most likely way it shakes out if import candidates want to keep their options open, but I wouldn't be dogmatically refusing to sign an import early if they are a proven commodity and a good fit.

Ie, if a Wilkinson or a Jackson could be persuaded to come to the Sixers, I'd sign them in an instant and work out what scrubs I can afford to fill out the bench with later!

I think Ubaka and Dorsey played in a grand final
and Cairns said they'd be signing Aussies first , then seeing if you fit or not.

Warren , according to Clarke, is a shooting guard.
Williamson , according to Maher , is an athlete
and Simpson is not.

A Newley type would obviously fix a lot of problems. With DJ and Weigh our only signed starters so far, I think it's key the other 3 are very good-elite defenders. Weigh and DJ still have a lot of work to do on their defense.

Simpson or a more physical and bigger version would be good, as well as a veteran US point with leadership and D on the top of his attributes list.

I've done a 3 part season review on my blog, check them out here

36reasons.net

Jingles would be easier to get?

Newley would probaly piss Clark off and sit on the bench for 30 minutes of the game.

SOS I want an out clause of my membership if you do not sack Marty Clark.

Newley and Ingles def ain't coming back. Further, if diamon simpson is not re-signed after the great season he had, that shows how crap the 6ers really are when it comes to spotting talent!

Also, dream on about wilkinson or jackson ever joining the 6ers-NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!

Newley? And how exactly will we be able to cover the loss on money he is making now. Ingles also is too expensive.

Wilkinsons college PG team mate (Kris Clark) is playing for MIldura in Big V this season and was second in the nation in his senior year in assists, and holds every passing record for his college, A true point guard, should have a look at him????

Torey Thomas would be worth a look in the PG position if thats what they are looking for.

David Barlow a chance perhaps?

FM, I would say Jingles would be much harder to get than Newley. Last I heard Jingles was doing pretty well and playing for a big club in Barca, whereas Newley hasn't really seemed to get back to his best since the knee injury and is not getting a lot of minutes.

So if Newley is tired of sitting on a bench scrapping for minutes and looking to play a bit more, I could see him coming home for less money.

Tornado, Barlow would have to be a possibility. Would prefer Newley or Markovic though. I just think Barlow and Weigh on the same team would make for a very slow, not very agile lineup.

Eurobasket makes Thomas (27yo) sound like a good fit: "A true pass first PG... outstanding handle... one of the quickest guards in the nation (US)... strong... absolute lockdown defender"

JJ, Kris Clark has good assist numbers for Utah State, but averaging only 5.6 ppg @ 38% as a senior doesn't bode well for his ability to score in the NBL!

Bottom side is irrelevant when this is his home state, his girlfriend and her family (well, most of them usually) are here. Newley has signed with the 36ers before!

6ers should offer Newley 200k of the cap with performance bonuses to get an extra 50k for playoffs etc. Proven performer and would attract cheap quality role players who want to play round him.

absolute lockdown defender at the point!! yes please!!

also, we really need to look for guards that are bigger than 5'11.

its not often a 5'11 60ish kg guy will hold his own against guards in this league. even guys like rhys martin gibson etc are not real tall at 6'1ish but you can see they have that build and strength through the core.

im gonna say, unless they are proven tight defenders in a tough league ( where they actually play defense) then 6'1 + and a bit of meat on those bones is a general rule. they may be able to get away with it in 'no touchies' d-league where they part like the red sea for moses but in the nbl as a general rule ( with its exceptions) those small/ light guys get killed.

Phil, Thomas is only 5'11 but he is strong and quick....would have no problems guarding guys like Martin, Gibson, Jackson etc..

He is experienced and leads a team well and doesnt mind taking it in where the big boys wait.

He is also a great team/club man from all reports.

Obviously though if the Sixers signed Markovic, then they wouldnt opt for an import pg so it is all dependant on what Australian talent they sign?

I'm not saying Thomas should be the import just saying he is one they should look at/consider.

Anon 356675, Newley was actually drafted by the Rockets and advised to play in Europe. At the start of his career why wouldnt he do that and try and keep his NBA dream alive whilst also fattening his wallet - its exactly what he should have done.

However, he is now nearing the latter years of his playing career so may want to play a major role in helping revive the club he grew up watching whilst being around his gf, family and friends?

Anstey did it, so I dont see why it would be far fetched for Newley to do it?

Ingles also said if he was return to the NBL the only coach he would play for would be Marty Clarke and reckons he is a great coach.

I dont think Ingles is an option as he likes it over in Europe and is doing well where he is but maybe Newley etc feels the same and is ready to return home?

Newley has already bought a Sixers singlet with his name on it. He did last season. Unfortunately I bought the same singlet for my grandson.

who cares? first year team had a few good winners, but then we gave those away (bruce, dowdell, holmes). this season we got weigh and he wasnt ready to step up just yet. 2 injuries to major play makers so next season if the NBL brings in relegation, we should qualify for that.