In this morning's Advertiser Hill has been signed to a 2 year deal, with a third year option, all subject to him passing a medical test.

Paul Bauer has said that they are trying to get all the younger guys signed to multi-year contracts. We're very happy to have Brad back in the fold.

Hmm...with the right coaching and some sensible game time, he could have a similar year to Ng last year in terms of improvement and contribution...

Good pick up - always thought he was mis-managed here after a good half-season when he came in to help with an injured Maher.

What would his points be? If based on stats/minutes he would have to be a 2 or 3?

Keefy, that's what I get for not buying the paper! I'll update the topic title.

Given that he'd never really got an opportunity at South, I wondered if getting him would be the right move, but given the statline for Waverley, I think it could be worth a try.

Great pick up at 2 points. Will he remain on 2 points for the full 3 years with us?

Im just loving the fact that we are stacking our team up with good young SA talent!

Good to see, and hopefully will generate some true ownership of the team by SA fans.

Pretty happy with this signing as long as his injury is ok. Hill always struck me as a very talented player and was able to pull off some moves with his great athleticism that made me go "wow". He should only get better in the next few seasons as long as he is 100% healthy.

Nice to see Scotty and the coaching staff bringing back some of the South Aussie boys.

I love this signing, think Brad should never have been allowed to leave! but just to play devils advocate, is there potential for this to be a silly move for Ninnis with Brad's dad being an Assistant. You only have to look at Gold Coast with the Joyce's and Cairns with the Black's to see that this isnt always the best situation. Different i know with Richard only being an assistant, but when push comes to shove whos name will get whispered in Ninnis ear to get some PT.
Having said this i think Richard is very credible and would hope he would not have the rose colored glasses these other coaches do, but could cause a tough situation at some point in time.

Thoughts?

Brad surely would deserve the minutes. A much better player than Joyce.

Article up on 6ers website now

http://www.adelaide36ers.com/36ers/media/news/406/

Question, I agree. Love the fact it is a South Australian coming home but makes it too awkward for Ninny to make decisions on Brad objectively. I watch this coaching partnership with interest.

Isaac - Was there no other photos you could have used in the player profiles for Brad? Those Dragons ones are laughable.

Lil' BBall worthy when it wasnt confirmed? I thought the scoop on signing the coach maybe, but......

Ball was added once it was confirmed. For topics, balls go to notable posts (signings, etc) and I don't count on the leaderboard, nor to topics actually.

Skip, until they all get their team shots done, yeah. Best alternatives we have are action shots.

Brad Hill is fully fit. He was added to the Dragons 12 man roster by the end of last season. He is jumping out of his skin down here in Melbourne. He looks sharp and raring to go.

Team is shaping up nicely. I like this signing even if its just to get another SA boy home. Next target for the year after, Ingles. Davidson, Maher, Hill, Holmes, Ballinger, Cooper.

Looking good. Crowd can than get behind SA not just the 36ers. Any chance of getting seebolm and kersten back. Keep an eye out for McMath after the AIS as well.

Good Signing, loved his imput in that year when Brett was injured, can see him developing into a great replacement for the Mahster.

Come on Tangles, you may be getting a tad ahead of yourself with McMath. To be honest I think he's a little overrated. Has done nothing considerable up at the instituteto date, so we will have to wait and see. Says he's going to college and then the NBA, so according to him we will be waiting awhile!
On Brad, it's good to have another local kid back. But to be honest, I remember people on her screaming for his blood when he was playing here saying that he wasn't up to NBL standard. Since been injured and not played a whole lot of ball in the past couple of years either. I think signing him to a one year deal would have been sensible just to gather a better indication as to where he is at. He's not going to have the impact of an Ingles or a Newley, so people shouldn't expect that from him. Has a lot of talent and hopefully now he's a little older he will be a worthy addition.
As someone else noted, will be interesting to see how his old man being AC will impact on his court time! Will we be asking for Richard's sacking half way through the year because Brad's getting too much court time???

Kersten's under contract.

As for Burdon, I thought Hill might play SF and leave a guard spot for Burdon? If not, continuing with his current form, Burdon might be too good to ignore regardless of them doubling up with SGs?

Also, realistically, can you get much better for 2 of our 68 cap points?

Hill can play as a swingman, { SF or BG, wing depending on the offence } and Erik is pure guard, off or point. Also Erik is in great form at the moment, and has proven that he is one of the better local backcourt defenders.

Great to hear Hill is fit, and would like to see him given another chance in another system that could suit him more, {the old match up zone - a complex defence that favours the vets} was clearly not for him, or his athleticism.

Both Hill and Erik are great points value by the sounds. Still would like to know what is happening with Big Luke though.....

Good signing!

I think this is a positive move, but it could be risky. Hill clearly struggled in his last season with us (prior to injury) under the old regime. Then after his recovery (or partial recovery) he didn't get any substantial chance in the cellar dweller Dragons.

I would love to see him get back to where he can cash in on some of the potential he showed in his first half season with the Sixers. Let's just hope he can repay the faith in him by Ninnis to give him another shot.

I think this is a negative move in the highest order. Hill is not the answer, he is the problem. The same problem that sees the 36ers continually sign players with an injury history. I would have thought that after the level of injuries last season, they wouldn't be touching anyone risky with a 30 foot pole. It seems a leopard never changes its spots no matter who the coach is, but perhaps the assistant coach has enough influence. To add to that, he was not impressive before his injury. This is 2 points that could have gone to someone more game worthy from the ABA. I'm truly disappointed because I am hanging out to hear news of some decent players being signed, bar Ballinger and Holmes. The others are still contracted. The 36ers have done very little so far this off season while other clubs are actively pursuing the best. Before anyone decides to sling some mud in my direction, just compare our team so far compared to the Tigers, The Wildcats and Dragons. Even the Bullets roster of players still hanging out to hear what is happening with their club looks better than ours. It will be interesting to see who else will sign with Adelaide. Hodge would strenghten the team tremendously, but there is no certainty that he will come. Schenscher is not a certainty of either signing or performing. There is still nothing definite that the 36ers will be competitive.

EC, my first reaction was the same as your's, but Isaac's question above is right on the money: can you get much better for 2 cap points? I can't imagine they would be breaking the bank for him either. He is coming off a serious injury, but so was Wheeler a couple of years back and he was twice Hill's age, 3-4 times the cap points, and much more money.

Hill backing up Holmes at the 3 is a good combo. Ballinger, Maher, Cooper, Davidson, Holmes, Hill, Burdon, Schenscher (?), Dodman, plus an import swingman is not a bad lineup and I would have thought leaves some room to add another import mid season when Ballinger naturalises.

I think a good signing. Moreover I've been bitching for 3-4 years on this forum about our inability to keep young SA talent on this team, so it would be hypocritical for me to say anything other than "well done" Adelaide for bringing these two (Hill and Holmes) home.

Oh, and no Dench.

EC, my first reaction was the same as your's, but Isaac's question above is right on the money: can you get much better for 2 cap points? I can't imagine they would be breaking the bank for him either. He is coming off a serious injury, but so was Wheeler a couple of years back and he was twice Hill's age, 3-4 times the cap points, and much more money.

Hill backing up Holmes at the 3 is a good combo. Ballinger, Maher, Cooper, Davidson, Holmes, Hill, Burdon, Schenscher (?), Dodman, plus an import swingman is not a bad lineup and I would have thought leaves some room to add another import mid season when Ballinger naturalises.

I think a good signing. Moreover I've been bitching for 3-4 years on this forum about our inability to keep young SA talent on this team, so it would be hypocritical for me to say anything other than "well done" Adelaide for bringing these two (Hill and Holmes) home.

Oh, and no Dench.

Mutley, you can cut into your points allowance by signing 5 2 point players that are not that impressive and then what do you have? 10 points used up and 5 players that are not impressive. Since Hill's injury, he has hardly played. He has only been signed because his father is the assistant coach. I doubt Adelaide would have looked at him otherwise.

Dench is in their thinking.

EC, that's incorrect and it shows your lack of knowledge. He would've been considered because he's local, is low in points, contributed well for his age in the past despite not getting along with the coach at all, and he's just put up a near triple-double in the Big V (alongside Chris Cameron, Darren Smith and Liam Santamaria).

Playing for his dad might present a challenge or might've proved advantageous to his selection, but "I doubt Adelaide would have looked at him otherwise" - give me a break.

Who in the ABL outside of Burdon is going to be better at PG, SG, or SF? I can't really think of anyone.

You speak of Perth (who have four starters and that's about it so far), Melbourne (no better than last year, yet), and Brisbane (no proof they'll hold onto even half their team at this stage).

Further, in my opinion, here are this season's notable free agents:

- Mark Worthington (massively overpriced, likely to go to Europe at some point)
- CJ Bruton (do we need him considering we have Davidson and Maher, and he seems to follow money before loyalty?)
- Sam Mackinnon (see your point about players with history of injury)
- Luke Schenscher (36ers already deep in discussions with him)
- Jacob Holmes (already got him)
- Adam Gibson (nothing to say the 36ers aren't trying to get him)
- Mika Vukona (8 points for a rebounder off the bench?)

Slim pickings after that. There are all of three players on that list I'd target - one we've got, another we've almost got, and a third is at least under consideration.

And they haven't signed five two-point players. They've signed one! What's the point in ranting about signing five?! Saving points on a back-up spot allows you to spend more on another player. Given coaches often rotate eight or so players, you're better off having more points to spend on your main rotation anyway.

Who else do you think they should be trying to get? Go and have a look at the free agent list and the points list and get back to me.

Isaac, my problem is the mentality of a lot of people that South Australians should come home or priority given to South Australian recruits. Why, if there is better interstate? I don't know that there is but priority has to be given to recruiting decent players regardless of where they come from. At NBL level, loyalty comes second to winning championships. I want to see the 36ers contending for the championship, not made up of a whole lot of South Australians who can't get the job done simply because it was the decent thing to do. Also the Big V does not compare to the NBL and is not a real indication of how well he will do at NBL level. Burdon posts better numbers than that for North Adelaide and yet he is not a powerhouse player in the NBL. Can anyone honestly say that Hill's father being the assistant coach did not influence this decision. On one other note, this is not proven but I think its fair to be cautious about. The circumstances around the injury Hill received is one that could and probably has scarred him mentally and always at the back of his mind when playing in future. Particularly because of his young age. This sort of cautiousness could lead to a restraint on his game. This may not be such a problem in the Big V where he is not up against as many big men, but in the NBL he is. Not saying anything definite about whether this is a good pick up or not, just saying I am disappointed. Its a risky pick up and after the last 2 years, I would have thought the club would be more careful. 2 points on one player is not much but when you are one point short to pick up another, then the 2 points matter.

If you don't know that there are better non-SA'ians, then don't whinge about us signing one! The club clearly said that there was a focus on retaining SA talent, but not at the expensive of superior talent from elsewhere. Go and have a look in the ABL and on the points list at existing NBL players and find me a better two point free agent! Seriously, it's slim pickings.

Who's comparing Big V to the NBL? Big V is stronger than the ABL and referencing stats in that comp is demonstrating that Hill is fit and playing well.

If you still have a near triple double in the Big V, I'd say your attitude hasn't really been impacted.

Finally, you've gone from saying shaving points isn't great (five two point players, ra ra ra) to now saying that we could've saved a point by getting a one point player! Who?!

Burdon (and maybe Zorich) are the only real options I can see and what's not to say that either is not already being considered for a position? You could also look at Reardon (probably a similar player to Hill) but, unlike Hill, he's untested at NBL level.

You're talking in what-ifs - what if his father influences things, what if his attitude post-injury has changed, what if he gets injured again (can hardly say he has a history of injury when the lone major injury came as a result of being whacked by someone else), what if there is some better unnamed player for 1 point? I'm talking facts - he's played NBL before, he showed promise, he comes cheap on the points scale, and he appears to have recovered from injury enough to perform in a Big V game.

I reckon he can be a bit reckless and definitely has room to improve, but for a two-point spend, this is probably the best impact-player we could get.

EC

The points cap this year is 68. That is not a lot of points when you look at the ludicrously high rating system for current players. We presently have signed:

Maher (5)
Ballinger (10)
Davidson (8)
Cooper (8)
Holmes (8)
Hill (2)

= 41 points for 6 players

Add an import and you get 51 points for seven players. That leaves 17 points for three players. Go to this website:
http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=player-rankings

And pick three players of your choice from the list (your marquee players) for 17 points. It should be interesting.

Now, remove Hill's 2 points and start the process again. 19 points to sign four players.

And then please try and tell me that Hill, even if injured, is not a bargain given that he has NBL experience, including a period of time where he appeared to have good potential.

Given the truly horrendous overrating of player points, what do you suggest the Sixers do?

Good value pick up yes, but why sign him for 3 years? More prudent for a one year see how you go deal, and then extend if all goes well.

I believe the deal was for one year, with the option of making it a 3 year gig, pending medicals?


Also really looking forward to seeing Burdon take it to the next level with the confidence from the end of last season's play in the NBL carrying over to his ABA form. Hopefully gets a bit more of a run under Ninnis..

An advantage of a three year deal is that they can lock in that two point value. When Ballinger naturalises and we need to stack the team, having a contributor rated a just two points will be invaluable. (Melbourne were able to stack their side over the last three years mostly because DMac and Corletto were locked in at low ratings.) The option gives us that while the single year guaranteed probably protects them against any problems re injury.

DB5, Eze Burdon may be the loser out of this signing. He is IMO a better player than Brad Hill, better defensively, a better shooter and smarter. All attributes that will work against him when the positions/minutes get handed out and father/son relations are involved. The saving grace for Eze is if they decide to run Brad at the 3, a decision fraught with danger though as he cannot defend consistently.....yet. Up to Scott to be strong here and do things HIS way. I would get a 3 man import (yes Hodge can run the 3 but if unavailable go shopping) and have Brad back him up. Run Davidson at the point with Zorich coming in behind, Mahersy at the 2 with Burdon behind and then import with Brad behind. Real easy to coach this group with the associated benefit of the hustle that the youth brings.

With a SF import, where are you going to play Holmes? Off the bench to back up Ballinger? Pretty sure that's not what he'd have in mind!

I think you will find that Brad has NOT been signed because of his father being here.
Far from it. I believe that Richard wasn't pushing for him to come back, but the contrary, as he knew what the reaction would be if he was signed. (eg - only pursued because of his old man etc.)

Is Zorich still on the Dragons' books?

cheers wwi, hopefully this is not the case, as I have been watching Burdon since U20's and thought he always had the game to take it to NBL level..

Time will tell.

Also not real sure on all of this Father/Son heckling..None of us know if this is the actual reason that we re signed Hill, please don't turn it into a Son of Joyce thing all year people....Give Brad a chance, we know he has game.

Ahhh Holmes, good point Isaac. So he runs at the 3 with Brad behind him or are they looking at the 4 for Jacob for this year? I would still get a combo import though who can cover the 2/3 spots easily and at a pinch the 4 for limited minutes (Hodge could do this)and run Ballinger at the 5. Cooper is NOT a starter and deserves backup minutes. May be a little small for this year but when Ballinger naturalises next year go get a monster to fill the 5, Ballinger back to 4, Holmes to 3, Combo import (Maher has retired), Davidson at point. All subject to points of course!

Holmes 3, Ballinger 4, Schenscher 5.

Cooper to back up Schensch, Hill to backup SG/SF and whoever else to cover for Ballinger.

That'd be the plan.

Isaac, I said nothing about a better 1 point player. I was making the point that having spent 2 points on him may leave you with 5 points when trying to chase a 6 point player. It may be only 2 points, but you need to get good use out of them. I am not convinced this will be the case. Brad started well when he first joined the 36ers but up until his injury, his game actually declined. This suggested to me that he was not NBL calibre. He may improve now, but that is the case with anyone. I still don't see what made him the best value 2 points spent.

Signing an 8 point Holmes also might leave you short - big deal. You go for impact relative to cost (price and points) and they have. Hill struggled when forced to play outside of his position by a coach he never seemed to enjoy playing for. He played less minutes each season he was in Adelaide due to the rotation. Worth another shot.

I still don't see what made him the best value 2 points spent.

I've heard a runour of another announcment tommorow. Anyone else closer to the club heard this? Isaac?

I'd say there's something in the works, but I haven't heard about an actual announcement.