There won't be a 3rd import now.

Sorry but LoveBroker's not wrong. Can't be wrong. It's LoveBroker.

I heard the words Casper Ware but it was too loud. Was it there they said they've given up on an import?

Kelly needs to leave this club now. Has not worked. Disaster

Johnson-24 in under 25 minutes.

I think this is the worst 36ers team I can remember seeing. I remember Scott Christopherson games and I still think this is worse.
There is no one on this team that can create a shot at all. Every offensive trip they wind the shot clock down to 2, 3 seconds and force up rubbish. They are 2 or steps too slow on every play.
7 of 37 last game from 3 and what 3 of 22 tonight?
Fuck if I rocked up to work in this shit of form I'd be shown the door.

Another ugly game for the worst team in the league.

When you employ Jamie Petty coming off a 9th out of 10 NBL1 season with the most expensive team in the League, your fans know you're not even trying to be competitive.

Terrible, terrible Club

So many attempts and free throws and still lose. Just atrocious shooting.

Haha, LoveBroker me boy. Want me to put down the 36ers club for being a rabble, and yourself for not being in the loop on the Casper situation?

John Casey said that 36ers didn't want to give any money to Russia due to the invasion situation. Casper's contract would be a buyout so impasse. Whether it's fact or Casey's opinion not sure, but he said Sixers won't be getting a third import.

It's standard to have buy clauses in euro contracts.

On the positive side: it was sooo much more fun watching a basketball game at Adelaide Arena. Up close to the action, foot stomping energy and plenty of noise and passion from the stands when the Sixers made a couple of runs. If the Riverbank Arena doesn't get up, I'd really rather move back to the Arena.

Did not go this game, but just through the TV it even felt better. That said the team is shit, normally go to every game but just did not feel its worth giving extra money over to get disappointed when they already have my cash.

Really loved the improved view tonight,
But yeah just so much bad 36er passing... esp DJs one handed javelins at his teammates feet.
Happy to give my cash to the Breakers..they worked hard and have done it tough all season.

Just got home... I was a long hard road...time to put campy on ice..where was Witherspoon.. thank goodness sotto had a fair to reasonable game.. DJ needs support... buckling ... please can you dudes get some shots up and ideally in.. state of shock losing to the sheep farmers from way down south..

Nice to see Besson, Dieng and Sotto all put in decent performances for their teams.
I would say Hugo Besson is gone to the NBA next season but I would love to see Dieng stick around for a second season of development after the draft.

Sotto was best on the court for the Sixers, and I'm not sure anyone outside of the Philippines would have expected that to happen this season.

LB, prepared to concede the doors have closed?

Adelaide were pretty woeful last night and once again just got burnt from the perimeter. They can't get any clean looks offensively and I think there's some negative body language going on.

Breakers are still dangerous and got plenty of talent.

Also, Withers was out?

Vivid o think they said on tv.

I've been on the defence of Mitch McCarron generally, feeling he's a bit misunderstood and what he does doesn't show up on the box score, but I kept a close eye on him last night and was absolutely blown away.

His inability to even pretend he's a threat has somehow taken him from being one of the best players in the comp to being outplayed by his NBL1 back ups.

So often he gets the ball in attacking position and just throws it back out to the top of the key, meaning the 36ers never shift the defense at all. He comes off on balls like they are doing offensive walk throughs and the defense literally plays fake pick and roll coverage on him, keeping the attention on DJ, knowing that Mitch will either look for the roller, or flick it back to the top.

36ers pretty much play hot potato, swinging it from side to side without making the defense even think about guarding them. That's where the offensive issues are coming from, and then in transition, they refuse to attack, again a point that should be McCarron's strengths. So often he races the ball up and you can see all the lanes for him to drive, knowing it will be an easy layup or the defense will have to take a foul, and he stops dead at the 3 point line.

You can see the difference when Dech or Dufelmeir run the point and all of a sudden they get wide open layups off pick and rolls, because the defense isn't use to guarding someone turning the corner off a screen.

I don't know if he's lacking confidence, or doesn't really want to be there, but it was hard to watch.

I agree re Mitch. At United, he was one of the guys I'd tell my kids to watch as a role model. At Sixers, forget it; it’s like he’s trying to play PG and distribute even when it’s the dumb thing to do.

If that’s what CJ - or higher up the food chain - has told him to do, it’s a poor call.

What was the crowd numbers? Looked low on the telecast.

I think the big difference is that Mitch found himself as the PG for Melbourne, but was already part of a well oiled machine. They stayed with it because it was working. Mitch then found himself as a free agent that could solve the problem of not having to use your PG position on an import, and was obviously highly attractive because of that. But I don't think it ever meant that he necessarily needs to be a PG on a different team, nor was it ever likely it would simply translate. But you got to get a player like him when you can and this issue can be solved with a bit more patience, chemistry etc, or simply sliding him across to the 2 or 3. I think it was a a bit mistaken that people thought they would get the Melbourne version of Mitch so automatically. Like I say, he's a top Australian player you go out of your way to get, and worry about where he fits later. I don't think when you recruit someone like Mitch, that you have to automatically use him as a PG just because it was successful with Melbourne. But then obviously Adelaide put all their PG eggs in the Mitch basket, so there is a reliance on him getting the job done. But this certainly isn't an argument against the recruitment of Mitch, it's just that Adelaide are still learning where best to use him. I still think they need either an import PG to start next to him, or have a spark plug type of the bench.

I was concerned pre season with the minutes Mitch was playing. I think he will just burn out and perhaps there is signs of that already.

I think Adelaide should try Hannahs at the 1 actually.....

What was the crowd numbers? Looked low on the telecast.

I didn't go ,watched it on TV instread, glad I stayed home
Appalling to watch ,no defence .

GK needs to go ,he’s the one paying players cheap wages ,cheap imports ,not keen to get a 3rd and saying we still have a good chance to make finals this year .Honestly like to see a new owner like in Syd kings or Perth Cats where they are willing to spend big ,that’s why they are successful.
GK only had to pay for 8 players the next stars 2 of them are paid by NBL this season and we’ll under budget .....he just put profit before people .People are losing interest with Sixers now and members will leave .

GK at helm ….no finals appearances,looks like our first ever wooden spoon soon.

Observer,
If you think that we are paying cheap wages and the imports are cheap and we're under budget, then you need to stop smoking crack!
And by the way, we’ve won the wooden spoon before as well.

GK has made plenty of mistakes, I don't think you can accuse him of being cheap. Where the money has gone is another matter. Imports have be ordinary the last few years, maybe new regime will target that area.
The team needs some excitement, a high flyer, a scoring machine, someone that you know can make a big shot. Of course you want substance with the style, but even use one import spot on a defensive guy out of college that can bring energy to everyone with hustle and highlight dunks.

GK needs a manager that knows basketball and people skills, JVG wasn't it. IMO Joey would be ideal if they could smoke the piece pipe.

Dunkman,

I think you're right. Pay the bills but let someone else make basketball decisions.

Joey has no admin exeprience, is either hated or loved by players and agents, has the temper a 3 year old and holds grudges for life. If you seriously think he would be ideal I hope you're not in charge of hiring at your workplace.

Nathan Sobey likes Nightwing's post ;)

I like what Joey brings, if everything you say is correct then probably no but they need someone in the position between pay man and team.

https://twitter.com/bennydee80/status/1502615686782525440

Money making Mitch earning his keep

I remember Joey saying in an interview recently that when he first came to the Sixers the team had such little money that after games the players and coaching staff used to go around the Powerhouse and pick up the empty bottles and take them to a recycling depot.

Old mate

You think I'm smoking then you are wrong .

Insider at Sixers told me this ,it’s been evident in last few years.

No success since GK arrived.

Thought GK was going to Crows ,looks like crows didn’t want him .

LB, prepared to concede the doors have closed?

You're insiders are 100% wrong Observer, the team we have on the floor this year is definitely not cheap.

You are definitely correct about the lack of success but the money is being spent, albeit obviously in the wrong direction.

I have been wondering who we will retain for next year.

What does our 5 look like?

Import, McCarron, Dech, Johnson, Humphries?

Would love to keep Bairstow as IMO he is our best player though, Johnson is a selfish player.

McCarron has disappointed me. Carries on far too much and as another poster said, he ruins the whole offense every possession.

I really think they may as well just give Hannahs minutes because at least when he's on we look like maybe scoring some points.

I've been impressed with Duffelmeir's improvement lately, 3 weeks ago I thought he was the worst player ever.

The import thing has been an absolute debacle, has this all been a ploy to make the fans think that they were really trying? It has been 3-4 weeks now of the carry on and a well run club gets that done straight away. I mean the only reason an import would have been brought in is for crowd numbers, so have they just said f*** it and not worried? Because crowds are going to get bad now, think we will see numbers similar to Sat night for the rest of the year.

By the way, the lighting of the Powerhouse on TV is embarrassing. NBL1 stuff.
I know people want to return there but wow that arena needs a lot of work to be anywhere near passable in 2022. It was great to sit fairly close to the action for $30, at the AEC $30 gets you pretty far away but I will probably take the cushioned seats, easier accessible facilities and bigger distance between rows than a wooden floor to stomp on.

I'd go for:

C Humphries/Sotto
F Def import/Bairstow or DJ
F Athletic import/Dech
F McCarron/?
F Import/Duffelmeier

Hope for continuity, avoid the revolving door scenario. If DJ is disengaged and doesn’t want to play, put the money to CB and imports.

I would like to further concede that I was also wrong about using the third import slot as a trump card, I forget whether its you KET or Zodiac or another poster, but I concede it was a mustake and you guys were right all along.

When you see the season the Jack Jumpers are putting together with a rag-tag bunch of rejects no one wanted, you see just how little excuse Adelaide actually have for their consistent failings.

But the big difference for me between the two teams is that for the JJs their point guards are point guards, their forwards are forwards, their centre is a centre. Adelaide keeps trying to redesign the wheel, chiefly with Mitch McCarron who is a undersized shooting guard that isnt that great at shooting/ small forward that can distribute a bit - NOT A POINT GUARD.

I held out some small glimmer of hope with Caspar Ware, in that it was an acknowledgement from management that the McCarron idea wasn't working. But to hear they've pulled back from it due to some misplaced moral justification of "not giving money to Russia"? Who do they think runs these teams, Putin himself?

I am pleased to hear the crowd was small the other night. It deserves to be small. This team deserves to play in front of empty crowds the way New Zealand does. They deserve the wooden spoon. I don't hope for small, moral victories from this team because it will just reinforce to management that they're doing something right. They're not. The whole operation is completely cooked and the whole team needs to be ditched.

I am also sick of the whole concepts of using the third import slot as insurance. When has that ever worked? We did that this time and we're not even going to use it when we clearly need it. Can we stop doing that now? Can we just get a FULL TEAM and if we need to cut and replace guys do it as the situation evolves rather than come into the season wilfully shortchanged?

Grant Kelly may have the best intentions and maybe it doesnt all fall on him but there's a point when change is needed and you actually do need to throw the baby out with the bath water and I think that's where the 36ers are at now. The rot is coming straight from the core and it emanates through every decision they make.

LB, fwiw just curious to see where you drew the line.

I never considered CB to be in the place of an import tbh, I thought he was a last minute "screw it why not" last placed signing that came up big time.

If the alternative was a backup SEABL level import, that wouldn't have been useful; if they intended to sign someone with the kind of money they were aiming to pay a Ware or a Hopson, I would have thought that’d have been far better quality than a SEABL level import.

I don’t think coulda woulda shoulda helps in any event. In much the same way as the Crows, the interest in the games is about what they can build (albeit a much much shorter timeline).

What can more time coaching do for CJ? What kind of style can he build towards?

It has been pointed out Adelaide have a ton of lapses in defence, a look of disinterest and disengagement, and they throw the ball around in offence without actually creating any movement or options.

Even for pure entertainment, I’d much rather see the 36ers play run and gun and see what happens. Smyth era was very much that, Clarke era was over structured and too much overthinking, Wright era went back to run and gun, CH season and this season probably went back to overthinking.

Adelaide should see where McCarron fits best - play Withers as a point forward, move Tad to the starting 5, McCarron can be SG or SF. Have Hannahs come off the bench as a spark plug.

See what happens. Maybe they find something that works.

McCarron can still be a Gibson style anchor for Adelaide next season and beyond - they just need the right imports around him.

Logue mentioned 36ers may target Sobey again - not that you can take anything from that, interesting idea nonetheless.

I'd go for:

C Humphries/Sotto
F Def import/Bairstow or DJ
F Athletic import/Dech
F McCarron/?
F Import/Duffelmeier

I am also sick of the whole concepts of using the third import slot as insurance. When has that ever worked?

LB, fwiw just curious to see where you drew the line.

LB, I too would like to see CB brought back but it would obviously mean a pay rise and don't think it's worth bothering with Humphries any longer. I think Nick Kay would be out of the Sixers price range but couldn't hurt to try he would be a very good get but he said recently he intends to come back and play for the Wildcats at some point as he still owns a home there.

Travis Trice was signed by the Hawks in the off-season but refused to get vaxxed so they released him and signed XRM instead.

There really was no 'freed up' Humphries money yes for salary cap purposes maybe but he still has to be paid his money playing or injured.

On Goorj he's in the last year of his contract and tried to get an extension locked in at the end of last season that didn't happen but there will probably be openings for him at SEM and possibly Sydney too. Either way with JVG now gone I suspect the Sixers and CJ might part ways after this season.

Hmm my last post didn't seem to work

I like KET's team, Id be aiming for something like this

C Humphries/Salt/Sotto
F Cam Oliver/Bairstow
F Hopson/Dech
F McCarron/Isaac White
F Casper Ware/Duffelmeier

You could go more a 4/3 like Vic Law instead of a 4/5 like Cam Oliver too, but Oliver gives extra insurance at the big spots if Humphries and/or Bairstow miss games

Id also be happy to keep Maluo and/or Harris as injury replacements/training players to fill in for injuries if they dont get better offers eleswhere.

I would go for a big body like Jack Salt too, also as insurance for injuries to Humphries and he gives us a hustle big who competes hard to give us some paint presence when hes on the floor, if Humphries stays healthy though, probably not huge minutes for him

Not sure if we can afford those guys or guys of that nature, but to compete for the Championship thats the sort of level of team and imports we will need.

Id give Humphries another year, aslong as the doctors are confident he will be healtgy to start the season, as I've said previously Cooks was in a similar position last year injury wise, but yes its a risk and may not work out, but hes young enough and talented enough I would give it a go,

Jonno good team but it is financially unrealistic

Yea Sadly I agree, but we will need similar to that to compete with Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, so if something close to that isnt possible, we probably looking at 4th at best unfortunately.

I think if Finances do prevent that type of team though, Id probably look at perhaps letting Humphries go and still keep the high level imports, the advantage with the imports if they get injured they are more replaceable than top Aussies like Humphries are and you can also hold them more accountable for their performance as they are more replaceable.

So perhaps we go with a line up more like, which wont be as good, but still should be significantly better than this year and competitive with the top 4

C Oliver/Salt/Sotto
F Franks/Bairstow
F Dech/Harris
F McCarron/Isaac White
F Casper Ware/Duffelmeier

Finances aren't the problem, we're overpaying for very average Australian players. Drop Johnson and free up some coin there.

"Finances aren't the problem, we're overpaying for very average Australian players. Drop Johnson and free up some coin there."

Johnson is a 3 x NBL 1st team, 3 x NBL Second team. Hardly average.

Humphries when fit is MVP material, unfortunately he is never fit and looks like he won't get back to that level

Mccarron is very average, correct.

Hypothetical teams IMO aren't even worth discussing. Only 3 players returned from last season's team (DJ, Hump, Dech) and we only have 4 players under contract next season (DJ, Dech, McCarron, Sotto).

I hope and think there might finally be a severing of ties with DJ after he was demoted from the captaincy this season after his threat to go to Japan and the mysterious CH sacking a few days later.

DJ's always said to have been on big coin and re-signs to new 3 year deals every second year always opts out after Year 2 to sign the next 3 year deal. The year on his contract is likely the usual player option and I hope he is given an incentive not to pick that up become a FA and leave.

Sotto could get drafted or even go to Europe or something so probably unlikely he will be back. That would leave McCarron and Dech as definite returns barring a serious injury I would like to see Bairstow come back but he's no doubt going to want a pay rise and will have more offers elsewhere then he had before this season.

Humphries just isn't worth bothering with anymore. In 2 seasons all we've really gotten out of him was the great start to last season which only amounted to the first 1/3 of the season. The other 5/6 of those seasons he's either been out injured or when rarely available a shell of the player he was at the beginning of last season. He was said to be on $400K last season that didn't work out, re-signed to a 1 year deal for this season hopefully taking a significant discount and it's completely blown up in our faces. If you mess up twice you don't try again a third time thinking something will be different.

I have no inside knowledge on Humphries injuries these past couple of years but he doesn't strike me as a 'basketball is life' kind of guy I know he does singing on the side and may have other things too but he's always struck me as the kind of guy that is really only playing pro-ball because he's seven foot and there's big money to be made.

Occasionally you come across some players who refuse to play with niggles they need to be 100% healthy and fit some even refuse to play with painkillers. I suspect Humphries is one of those guys and would explain the mealy-mouthed press release to announce his season-ending 'non-injury'. The press release stated that he didn't feel his body was right and needed time away to get his body right with no mention of how long he would be out for.

Then 7 News broke the story he was out for the season and then the Sixers press release was updated to add he wouldn't be playing again this season and now he's supposedly back home in Sydney. There were questions about his hunger and determination when he played at the Kings too. None of that sits well with me so hopefully we learn from our past mistakes and move on from him.

Bairstow is the one showing some actual ticker even if it's motivated by self-interest to get a better deal here or elsewhere next season. He was only ever signed to be DJ's back up but he's played himself into the starting lineup and probably even been our best player so far this season. If he can avoid a major injury the rest of the way I would really like to see him come back even if it means needing to open the cheque book a bit and using some DJ/Humphries money to get it done.

I am normally a DJ supporter (that is well aware of his deficiencies), but I am not going to die in a ditch to keep him given less and less he looks interested if his shots are not dropping.

If DJ doesn't take his option then we can combine with Casper Ware money to find an import killer.

If we free up IH and DJ money and cannot get commensurate talent like Kay then spend on three upper tier imports and have the likes of McCarron and Dech as mainly supporting cast.

This does will not solve the revolving door as imports come and go.

But so far keeping Australians have not yielded that much of a harvest.

Yeah time for DJ to go imo. I mean, he at least does score points for us but doesn't seem like a team first player at all. Need the defense and hustle of Bairstow over him.

The problem with DJ is he's just not consistent enough anymore offensively to make up for what he gives up on the other end.

DJ was best when he had Creek, Sobey and others to do the dirty work and to step up when things got tough. This season just highlights his deficiencies and bad body language. Can only imagine his whinging on the bench. He'd be good somewhere like Perth or Melbourne where he can just be a scoring big.
Humphries is just too big an if. Would much rather have had Wetzell. Or just go with an import. Just find it interesting that in the past imports were normally the best players. Suddenly local players better and were more sought after, theory that you could surround stud locals with role playing imports. Why not get 3 talented imports and surround them with NBL journeymen.

Cats always have good Australian players to go with their imports, United do well as well. They balance their teams better, always play D first to.

I'm just saying a struggling team can have an instant rebuild. Look at Cairns from a couple years ago with Machado, Oliver and Newbill. Locals were average on average. Why aren't teams trying that model.

Very hard to get three gun imports in the same season, Cairns got lucky, you need a few quality Australian players.

To be fair to Cairns they plucked Machado & Oliver out of the G-League only Newbill had a rep here with the Breakers.