OH HELL yes
"Helliwell is a limited player but - "
so were a LOT of players over the years in the NBL who were used by their coaches in ways that played to their strengths, and hid their weaknesses, and because of that when they went out of the game they were respected by their peers ( and betters) , and missed by the fans and their team mates.
They often left with championship rings on their fingers that we all knew they both earned and deserved.
Sixers had people like Nash ( stayed too long but) and Rees, Canberra had people like Jamie Kennedy ( a guard who could not dribble)and Dave Nelson ( a centre who could not jump). Tigers had W Giddey, Go to any NBL team roster and there will be one or two skill-limited but big-hearted competitors that stand-out like that over the years.
Our coaches had an opportunity to do this with Wade. Have a bloke who will train and play as hard for 5 minutes a game as for 30, and who his teammates wanted to have on the training track, in the change rooms, on the bench and (occasionally)in the game.
I actually thought very little of Wade until this season, when I saw him actually give a $h!t about playing harder than your talent allowed, just to get the team over the line, not to showboat or to be seen to be "good" but to just be ready to play as hard as he could for whatever time he was given. Toi see his reaction on the bench when one of his team mates got it right was something worth congratulating him for.
As Boti is quoted as having said - .
" Watching him steadily lose all confidence and deteriorate into a trying-to-please dufus was sad to behold."
This was a real tragedy. the jury may well still be out on Clarke's failure/success in attracting and developing young talent , but the obvious demise of Wade's (slim)talents over this season should and will cause veteran players to think again about coming to the 36ers.
Remember both Rob Rose, Darnel Mee and Paul Rees were veteran NBL players when they came to the 36ers, I doubt we will find many players wanting to come here now.
(please forgive the "double post" in separate threads.)