"No loss losing those imports. Sixers haven't had any decent imports since Farley and Rychart." is that you EC?

You people tend to bitch too much on the imports and expect them to save the crappy team / coach or whatever. We had 2 GOOD (not fantastic, but GOOD) imports but we still finished bottom. See anything?

Imports weren't the issue this season, not compared to the 'coaching staff'. Id snap up Diamon and throw the house at a super star PG... The money Ballinger made last season.

Agree with Kobe.Simpson is the man the Sixers need to keep ,inside player,rebounder,shot blocker and good FG% he was one of sixers best players weekly and its the coaching at fault not players.Yes warren to go,Sign players now before its too late and have a crappy team next season.

I'd like to hold on to Everard Bartlett. I was a little critical when he was brought into the team because it seemed too little to replace how much we had lost in Ballinger and Crosswell. Instead what Bartlett turned out to be is a very serviceable player who plays with focus, heart and passion. He has done enough to keep his place on the team.

Keep Simpson! I'm apathetic to whether or not Warren stays.

If Helliwell goes I would go after someone like Greg Vanderjagt as backup to DJ. As he showed in Townsville earlier this season he offers a lot more than Big Wade did. He can shoot, rebound and his defense isn't bad either.

As for Warren.....we all know that if he was bout 10-15cm taller he would make a perfect SG. He's not so that's life. But the 36ers will need a top PG as Crosswell isn't capable of doing that for 25-30+ minutes a game.

I wasn't a fan of Bartlett either. But he turned things around in the last 6 weeks with a lot of energy and passion. He became a real spark once thrown into the starting 5.

We must keep Diamon Simpson though. Get him locked up please.

Is it just me or did anyone else get the impression from the article that the 36ers will continue with Marty Clarke as coach for 2012-13?

The big fella retired late last week, got it from the horses mouth, so we now have plenty of room, and reason, to find another big man. While I think DJ has turned out well, he isn't a championship centre. Not yet anyway. I reckon we need a legitimate post/centre to become at least a finals threat. And probably a new coach......

If i was Coach

retain
Johnson
Creek
Simpson
Bartlett
Weigh
Ng
Ballinger

Out
Herbert
Helliwell
Warren
Crosswell

What we need
Import SG OR PG-american
Tall Centre-australian

If we get 5 new players it will be rebuilding again for Sixers.if we sign core of players we are young and can build on that.Balls would be oldest player in team.
Another guard

Observer, Crosswell is arleady signed for next season, so far we have Johnson, Crosswell and Weigh signed

Only 1 import for next season.....looks like they are throwing "import" type cash at Newley and 1 other current "Marquee" aussie signing!

They will then sign the import based on which area needs to be filled.

Once the names are revealed i think you'll find it will surprise everyone and all you 36er's fans will be more than happy with Management if they can pull it off!

Not Jawai...could be someone closer to home!

If they pull it off will be massive..i've got word from inside the 6er's camp re this move and i love the fact they are having a red hot crack and moving heaven & earth to put together a good side that will be a fair dinkum top 3 chance.

Newley & Jawai?

Tiger Watcher, so this Marquee Aussie played or is still playing in the NBL this season?

Tiger Watcher, I too am loving the sound of what they are trying to put together. I am excited but sceptical at the same time. I hope they can pull it off and we can go to Sixers games expecting wins again rather than hoping we just put in a good effort!

Closer to home, ignoring Ingles and with Newley already mentioned, can only be Schenscher really? Who else might I be forgetting?

Isaac, after putting together the pieces of who we know they want to sign this Marquee Aussie in my opinion would have to be one that can play C, PF or a bit of both? After that I would assume the import will again be a PG?

Would Schenscher be a wise choice given the emergence of DJ? Who would start?

Clarke will see out his final year for those not up to speed. Good decision by the club if you ask me, gives a bit of stability and faith and obviously the players are happy to play for him.

Ofcourse we have to actually sign the marquee player(s), the mere act of targeting and luring, while a positive step forward no-doubt, is as much value as the 36ers targeting Adam Gibson last off-season.

Signing Schenscher and playing DJ at PF would leave Balls out in the cold yet they have stated they see Balls in their plans?

Didn't Wortho sign a multi-year deal this season with the Blaze?
The suspense is killing us Tiger Watcher. I'm guessing one target is Newley but i'm stumped on the other. I doubt we would get Schenscher back. Are we getting Brad Hill or Aaron Bruce back?

Matt Knight and Damien Martin are both already signed on with Perth next season. Only Free Agents from Wildcats are Nevill, Trueman, Williamson & Hire.

Who do we class as "Marquee" in the NBL, that hasnt already re-signed with their clubs?

Julian Khazzouh.

exactly, apart from Khazzouh who would be uncontracted that you would consider Aussie and Marquee?

Sorry guys can't tell you if he is playing locally or overseas as he is still currently under contract with a longish term deal so legal issues prevent me from saying anything further.

It will come out in the fullness of time and trust me result or not you'll be happy that SOS management had a really big crack at it!!!!

It's within a whisker of getting done pending the other club getting what they want, thats all i know at this stage.

Should know more tonight or call Boti cause he'd know!

Ok, using the cryptic clues. Closer to home was in relation to Jawai, so that could mean anyone playing NBL. Closer to home as in SA leaves only Schenscher, but I don't think it would necessarily impress us if we go after him. We have every year since he left.

Marquee players from each team are Worthington/Gibson, Martin/Redhage, Khazzouh, Crawford, Tragardh, Abercrombie Crosswhite/Loughton, (Wollongong don't really have a marquee non import).
Which of these would impress me that they want after? Martin, Khazzouh, Abercrombie, Crosswhite, Crawford.
Gibson and Worthington we've gone after before (so wouldn't surprise me). Redhage is basically Ballinger, Tragardh is a shorter Johnson, Loughton is a great player, but wouldn't impress me heaps.

Khazzouh would be awesome. Martin would be the point guard we've been after. Abercrombie is a beast and would be hugely impressed if we got him to leave NZ. Crosswhite is that defensive big that would be the perfect mould for Johnson. Crawford is a sort of player you could build a team around.

From TV news , last week , sayen Clarke wasn't going anywhere , kinda gave the impression he was stayen
and 'signing aussies first'

Seems at the end of player contracts , they will be
re-rated player points wise based on the last season
or by other means ' a whiteguy that's played NBA is 10.'

HoldenV8, it certainly seems like Clarke is getting another year. It has to be purely money because Ninnis only got 2 of his 3 years and he did slightly better. As for Warren, do you think it would help if we gave him a pair of shoes with a 10-15cm thick sole?

Tornado, you say the players obviously like playing for Clarke yet all season Clarke's excuses were that the players were not following game plans. Does this sound like players getting enjoyment playing for him?

Isaac, please no Schenscher, that would not be exciting news nor a good move for the 36ers. Especially if Ballinger is resigned. The odds of going most of the next season with 2 major players injured is too close for comfort.

For those who suggest Khazzouh, he is currently playing for Sydney and Adelaide have no right to be talking to him at this stage.

EC, in response to your question: yet all season Clarke's excuses were that the players were not following game plans. Does this sound like players getting enjoyment playing for him?

Did you ever consider that this may be the truth? I do recall the players coming out at times (internet interview with Boti for one) saying it was their fault and they werent running the plays correctly.

I think they do enjoy playing under Clarke, if they didnt why would DJ sign a 3 year deal before testing the market and knowing Clarke would be at the helm again?

yeah i dont see an nbl club releasing a player from his contract so he could sign with us. euro clubs would do that kind of thing.

just want to see some positive news

I thought the rule in the NBL was that a club couldn't start talking to or signing players from other NBL clubs until 2 weeks after the Grand Final series has finished?

EC.....10-15cm shoes have worked well for KISS for nearly 40 years, maybe Chris Warren could give them a go hehehehe.

Tornado, I don't know, I am baffled at all the contradictory version of events that I've heard all season long. DJ signing for 3 years will probably only result in him playing for Clarke for 1 of the 3 years unless Clarke does a complete backflip this coming season and we win the championship. Then the last 2 seasons will have been insignificant......for some.

frak matty neilson would be an awesome pick-up if we could land him.

dj/ neilson/ simpson?

creek/ weigh/ balls?

? / ng / herbert

? / crosswell

pretty good if you add a decent pg

Ok so if Tiger Watcher is right, then Newley is definitely one target. Really hope we get him and would have to think we're a chance, given that he has not been playing a lot for his current team.

Closer to home than Jawai? Last I heard he was back in Australia, so if that is the case, it really does have to be an NBL player doesn't it?

Hope not, because there aren't too many marquee Aussies under contract I'd be that excited about.

It does sound improbable to me that another NBL club would willingly release a player signed on a longish deal to a rival club. If they did they would surely want compensation and I find it hard to believe the Sixers could afford to burn money buying out contracts!

If an NBL player would be pretty happy with Wortho, Martin, Abercrombie, Wagstaff or Bose.

Khazzouh and Crawford don't really fit IMO as we already have DJ and if you assume we're after Newley, it wouldn't make sense to hav Crawford on the same team.

Others:

Matt Knight would of course be an excellent pickup if he could stay healthy, but I'm not too confident of that. I doubt he'd be worth it.

Schenscher - I'm just not sold on big slow centres. I think DJ is better offensively and can be better all-around in the long-run. It would be a waste to tie up the money we would need to get Luke when we already have DJ.

Crosswhite - love what he brings to the Taipans, but has had his last two seasons cut short by injury. Wouldn't risk signing him.

If we are chasing two Euro guys, would love them to pickup Markovic or perhaps Baynes. I think either would solve one of our starting positions nicely.

Barlow I have already said I'm not that keen on as we already have Weigh and don't need another slow swingman. Would prefer Barlow to Weigh, but we don't have that option unfortunately.

Most of the other guys are bigs, so not that interested. Couldn't really see Maric, Ogilvy or Andersen coming back to Oz, or complementing DJ that well for that matter.

I'm gonna guess Newley and Wortho. Wortho because he is one of the few NBL players with longish contracts I could see a team being willing to let go, given he is getting a little older and is being paid a lot of money on a team where I'm not sure he's a great fit.

Wortho would be an interesting one. Maybe Clarke can get the best out of him where Wright's style cant? I guess how good a signing it would be for Adelaide depends on whether the good Wortho turns up and stays around even after a few losses.

Of course, if you have a motivated Newley and Worthington you are a long way towards being a playoff team. They would demand Johnson plays defence too.

Who knows if it will happen but it's fun to speculate about. I just hope for 36ers fans' sakes it isnt like last year's Gibson, Ervin .... rumours and at least one of these comes to fruition.

maybe the plan is to play Barlow at point guard
:)

and Helliwell at SF?

I think Newley is definitely 1 option but I cant figure out who the other one may be? Judging by Boti's comment I think it is someone who has played NBL before and recently but isnt at the moment?

I think the team is shaping up something like this;

C - DJ
PF - Balls
SF - Weigh/Creek
SG - Newley/Ng (will play limited mins)
PG - Crosswell/Bartlett (will switch between the 1&2)

The last player is the other Euro Aussie...I'd say based on the above this other Aussie would be a PG or a PF and the import will fill the other position?

im gonna guess they are targeting neilson for a return. has played nbl, is possible that he is ready to return. someone might say neilson is closer to home ( than a far north queenslander ).

would explain why they let simpson fly home we likely would not keep simpson since we would have to go with one import ( a pg ).

we would be very lucky if we pulled off neilson and newley.

Boti noted a recent memory.....Neilson hasnt played in the NBL for a while but depends on your definition of recent I guess?

If Neilson was to return to the NBL I would hvae thought he would sign with the Kings and Heal?

Kirk Penney is a marquee player who has recently left the NBL, but I would think he would only play for NZ if he returned. Would still love to see him lighting it up for the 36ers though

Maybe we're targeting Newley, John Williamson and getting John Gilchrist back as PG. Gilchrist is currently playing in Europe and I believe was our best import guard since Farley/Hodge.

Well , The Doctor interrupted me, just about then,
sayen ' If it's Matt Nielsen , you're gonna get a little tooo excited , out there , being sucha Nielsen admirer . '

So based on all of the above their Plan A is;

C - DJ
PF - Neilsen/Balls
SF - Weigh/Creek
SG - Newley/Bartlett/Ng
PG - Import/Crosswell

Neilsen and Balls to back up DJ, Ng to play limited minutes and Bartlett to back up PG/SG.

Not a bad line up if thats their plan!

Just a heads up that Nielsen signed a two year deal with BC Khimki in Russia last year, so unless their contracts are as solid as ours over here, I think you guys will be just as unhappy as Kings fans with regards to Nielsen coming back ;)

Wookiee, it has been reported that this player is under contract but the Sixers are working with them to work out a deal.

Therefore, it could well be Neilsen?

Nielsen also signed a two year deal with Olympiakos the year before that!

Tornado: That lineup would be well above 70 points

Nielsen building a house in Perth, south of the river. Due for completion in a few months. Not sure if that info sways any opinions.