Apologies Isaac- can you get this into the sixers thread list?

My bad.

I'm in agreement 100%, and I'd like to suggest that because of the tendency not to take the ball to the basket, we are not getting as many free throw attempts as we could be.

It's all well and good to pass the ball around the perimeter and look for open shots, but against good defenses (and I'll admit that while I don't like a lot about "Brian Goorjian defense", it is effective) you simply cannot rely on finding an open jump shot on every offensive posession.

I'd even go so far as to say that this season, we haven't "tested" any of the opposing teams defenses. We seem to work the ball around the perimeter, and in some cases take too long into the shot clock and end up having to rush a shot. I've seen way too many shot clock violations by the Sixers this year.

We need players like Bruce, Hill (who is improving vastly of late), Hodge (of course) and Ballinger to really muscle their way toward the hoop and try to at least get fouled if they can't get the bucket.

Finally I actually agree with you Quagmire. Our defence of the pick and roll is absolutely pathetic!

This has been happening all season long. The coaches get video access to every game. Yet have never changed how to guard the pick and roll! Every player goes under the screen so this must be the coaches decision.

To make things worse we don't even go under the screen correctly. Instead of cutting through our defensive player we go around our defensive player giving the offensive player with the ball even more time to shoot a 3 or even more room to drive. This is NOT acceptable and is more the type of defence social players play.

As a result, every team knows this is our weakness and use's it against us every game. Also this is why I imagine Derrick Low and Jason Smith killed us in the Spirit game with 3's.

I can't believe that this would be so clear on the video's yet NOTHING is being changed!

All the coaches have to do is look how the Dragons played the pick and roll and change our defence to be the same as theirs. The correct thing to do if they are a 3 point or driving threat, is to have our big guy step out to slow the offensive player down whilst still being close enough to the big they are guarding just incase they roll. This then gives the defending guard to catch up to the offensive player with the ball and stop any penetration or 3. Dragon's did this brilliantly.

The fact Nathan Herbert comes on and scores 21 points including 4/5 3's should be considered embarrassing towards the coaching staff. Was this guy not scouted at all!!!??? Bruce and whoever else was guarding him should have been told to spend less concern of him cutting through screens without the ball for a layup and more focus on him NOT getting open 3's!

I have come to the conclusion that Aaron Bruce is the worst starting 5 defender in the whole league! Can anyone tell me of a player that is worse then him in defence? The only defence he offers is putting some pressure on the ball carrier but the ball carrier would never be worried he would steal the ball from them. He gives up so many open 3's, lets players drive easily, is our worst defender on the pick and roll hence why every team is targeting him.

I do not understand why Bruce is starting! Davidson is a better offensive player with a more consistent 3 point shot and will drive strongly and is not worried about getting blocked. He also turns the ball over less as he makes better decisions. Defensively players hate Davidson guarding them, on the other hand Bruce is a defensive liability which players love to attack. This could not be made more clear then in the 3rd quarter, Sixers were down by 10 and start Bruce we then go down by as much as 21 and Davidson comes on and changed the game in my opinion. Davidson helped get us from being 19 down to only 9 down. Bruce will obviously be a better player but at the moment Davidson is still better and more importantly more experienced. I think Bruce has been given way too much credit by everyone. He came here with high raps being straight out of college and on the verge of the Australian team. However, in reality he was quite average at college getting 8ppg and 2apg in 20 minutes in his final year. Also he is miles behind the likes of Mills, CJ, Kendal, Gibson in attempting to get in the Australian team. He will be good in the NBL eventually but for now Davidson should be getting more minutes then him!

I am glad Ninnis went with a 9 player rotation and didn't play Winitana. Our players need more consistent minutes and they will perform much better then. I do like Winitana but currently this is what is best for our team especially with Brad Hill improving all the time!

I still dont like Cooper out there due to his offensive liability. There were times when Hodge would automatically get double teamed and instead of Cooper cutting towards the basket he stood on the opposite end 3 point line where he is no threat at all. Also now that we have 3 players in Hodge, Schenscher and Ballinger that require double teams all the time our players must be made aware of that and should focus on cutting towards the basket. At times I saw players just standing around the 3 point line instead of improvising when the ball was in the post. The only player I saw cut was Hill.

The fact that people are going on about sack Ninnis and/or sack the assistant coaches is an absolute Joke! This team will make the playoffs. We are currently two wins away from being in the top six! This team has had injuries all season as well as a lame duck import. Now we have Hodge. Yes we should have beaten Spirit but it seems that we got complacent based on how talented we are now and let that game slip. We then play the TOP team and almost beat them! Yet people are saying sack the coach!

We know this team can score, so now all the coaches have to do is tighten the defence including perimeter defence (pick and roll defence needs to be a main focus!)! Also better scouting is required we cant have bench players such as Gruber score 19 and Herbert 21 in limited minutes!

I have every confidence with the coaching staff that they will turn this season around. All the pieces are in place. The first of the wins start with a smashing of the Hawks this weekend!

Had to happen eventually.

Also wanted to mention i'm a big fan of Hills ability but he is way to shy out on the court.

I saw him shrug to the coaches when coming off in the first half after missing an open look.... don't shrug an open look mate- your good enough to hit it.

Also when he (and the rest of the guards) take it to the hole he sends up soft stuff instead of using his leaping ability to draw contact and finish.

The sooner the staff can get him trusting his own abilities the better coz he could and should be our starter in the finals.

What I find funny is that everyone is commenting on how good Hill is. I'll give it that the guy can score when he wants to but.........

The guy is a horrible defender. No doubt people were watching as Ingles carved us up for 27. Hill was guarding him a lot (when hodge was not guarding him). Also Hill was the defender that lost site of Herbert on a crucial 3pt score when we were down by 1.

In my own opinion Hill is just like Ng

"Great Scorer but a liability on defence"

I agree totally regarding Bruces defensive capabilities. He gets wiped off way too easily on screens and always goes under them.

I did however notice an adjustment to the defense the sixers played on the high screen in the second half. They had Schensh step out on the shooter, it was inneffective as Gibson blew straight by him to the hoop - but at least it was different....

It's an understatement that Hill has improved offensively this season. However I agree with Unbelievable regarding his defence and also have issue with Hill's jump shot. It's been suggested in other threads that Hill has a great 3 point shot that we're as yet to see in a match and he seems to need to get in for the drive every play he makes.
He needs to round himself out with an accurate longer jump shot to make himself a consistent threat. His brain fades on some offensive plays regarding driving into a bunch of defenders and putting up unrealistic shots is a bit of a worry as well

Agreed Hill is a bad defender but he is getting better. It is not easy for anyone to guard Ingles. Once he gets a consist 3 point shot he will be very hard to guard.

For the record (+/- for the team scores when they were on the court)
Bruce -12
Davidson -5

Countering Ingles is as easy as rotating Davidson on to him.

Davidson usually presses and gets up in the face of players (literally!). Ingles has a case of dropping his shoulder when he takes off and providing someone like Davidson can keep that distance, Ingles will be getting offensive fouls out the rear.

Ingles shot technique seems to need a lot of space too as he has a really wide swinging action when bringing the ball up; someone "quicker" is needed. Bruce is someone you can tailor like this but he needs COACHING to do that.

Plays wise, the Dragons won because of Perimeter shooting and nothing else. You take away 3 open perimeter shots and the game takes a completely different outcome. Would be best to look at a 3-2 Zone (not a 2-3 zone) and get more perimeter defense going. Have Balls and Big Luke take the inside ONLY.

Good point Marty! It would have been worth trying Davidson on him. He would annoy the heck out of him. Sometimes its harder to get a shoot up when there is an annoying fast guard under you.

Also possibly a zone would have been a good idea.

I think one of the best idea's a team can employ as a excellent quick strategy after an opponents time out and they have the ball is to chuck a zone at them. This way any plans they have of getting a quick score or a 3 from the time out will be out the window.

Found myself screaming approx 6 - 7 times in the last quarter and a half " Get the ball to the big man on the screen and roll! You know the big 7 foot guy with red hair, standing all alone".. Hodge and Bruce missed him so many times when they were doubled..Even Brett did at least once.

The mention of Ingles' style of shooting is fine, but regardless, Davidson would give up more than half a foot on Ingles! Not sure how effective that would be.

To clarify- i think you play a screen with both guard and big fronting the screen, then it is up to the rotation to cover the big screener if they roll. The bonus here is that no Dragon big is gonna hurt us from range like their guards did, plus i would rather see Burston of Horvarth forced to put it on the floor or make a pass as oppossed to guards making those plays. Balls is quick enough to get there, as would be Holmes, its just a matter of pressure and D awareness in rotation.

Sorry KingJames, but I don't have the speed reading skills, nor the concentration span, to bother with more than 20 lines of your drivel.

You are an idiot.

Thanks for that Anonymous and how did he go guarding Herbert (21 Points) and Carter (9 Points)?. Or Derrick Low the night before (24 points) and Smith (18 points)? While I didn't see the Spirit game I would imagine he was on Low and Smith most the game. However the Dragons game he gave Herbert lots of open 3's when he got caught up on screens. While Carter continued to drive past him. No one is doubting his effort. Just he needs to work on his defence because currently he sucks at defence, hence why teams are now targeting him.

Not sure when the new week starts for the hoops posting count stats, but I'll chime in for a stand up bashing anyway.
FFS you tech-ball heads, GET A FREAK'N GRIP.
EVERY team, gets EVERY game vid. EVERY team scouts EVERY vid. Do you honestly think that ANY team approaches a 36er game without scouting, & doesn't make adjustments that THEY'VE thought through as maybe bringing us unstuck?
FFS, if only life was as easy as you guys make it out to be.

ahh pretty sure ninnis has spoken about this as a weekness of gibson that he is a poor outside shooter.

Thanks for another random Intelligent post DDFan, NOT!

Who suggested anything about teams not scouting us?

People have pointed out that we have had terrible defence this season and have the right to say that this falls back on the coaches as they haven't made the correct adjustments. The best example is of us getting torched with open 3's and also on pick and rolls. Offensively we were starting to suck but the coaches have made the correct adjustments. They now need to fix the defence and do better scouting.

I think he was speaking about scouting in general, even if he mentioned teams scouting Adelaide.

Might be more about directions from the coaches and/or players following those, rather than scouting alone. Most people remember Herbert running rampant against Adelaide last season anyway.

"he is miles behind the likes of Mills, CJ, Kendal, Gibson in attempting to get in the Australian team."

I agree his D has been shocking of late but he is still ahead of Gibson and Kendall.


DDfan, SERENITY NOW!!!

Im sure the sixers will identify their pathetic d on the screen and roll and fix it within the next game or two. Bruce in my opinion needed this season to be the 2nd guy coming in and learning, you can see he really feels the pressure but no doubt the guy will be an awesome player with more confidence. The dragons went to the pick n roll so much i could'nt believe ninnis did not work it out.