How did that compare to Dusty Hannahs

Should the players be concerned he's following them? Sounds a bit mentally unstable to me...

He is no Dusty Hannahs and that is a good thing for Adelaide.

https://twitter.com/JMacDonald91/status/1555818354547761155?t=kUNHeI9cpJD-DlcqThAwqg&s=19

Only trying to be funny.

Seems like a fairly legit rumour now.

And it is official. https://twitter.com/NBL_News/status/1555818324407500800/photo/1

A fan boi twitter account is not official

I was hoping Hawks grabbed him as this bloke is a gun.

Prior to the last G League season he seems to have done precisely nothing in college, so lets pump the brakes a bit on this guy. Especially if the Sixers are going to lose Franks!

did not have great stats in summer league
but was +9 in the championship winning Blazers team.
No. 56, left hander.
played 20.5 mins a game, per game ave stats over 4 games is
shooting 30.6% 26.1% 33.1% on attempts 9 5.8 0.8,
1 assist, 0.5 TO, 1.8 PF.
so did the team role thing in summer league.

both parents and both brothers played collegiate, brother Kyle also played G league, so he is from a basketball family.

Interesting having moderate College stats, taking a year off to work on his game, then doing really well in G League

As a Hawks fan I was happy to read those summer league stats, however, that is over a very small sample size. A whole season of G League is more reliable.

That was a hell of a G-League season. You'd like to have a bigger body of work to gain if that's repeatable in different circumstances, but there is no questioning the talent.

It would be a very late signing if he does go, most of the euro league teams have got their teams done and are starting fitness tests and training.

Teams are still making signings.

36ers have effectively announced this on Facebook.

I guess fanboi was right....

C DJ/Sotto/Acouth?
F Import/Galloway/Harris
F Cleveland/Marshall
G Randall/Drmic
G McCarron/Dech

fan boy harsh they're genuine right and been there foe ages

Oh boy.

Sixers have a seriously good squad, they're going to cause teams some problems when that 5 are out.

So what are they looking at?

McCarron/????
Randall/Dech
Cleveland/Drmic
Franks/Harris/Galloway
Johnson/Sotto

McCarron doesn't even need to shoot the ball anymore, he can facilitate and defend..everyone but those 3 imports just need to play a role. They could probably do with signing Acouth to bolster interior defense...

If it gels they should easily contend.

I like the lineup if rumours are wrong and Franks stays! Need one more big man who can rebound and defend. Acuoth might fill the role ok. How about Bairstow? Any indications on what he wants to do?

They won't go for another guard, they will favour that big spot.

I think the Acouth rumours are fairly loud at the moment, so I guess Bairstow too expensive?

Franks might as well change his name to import, those types of rumours have a tendency of being true and only a matter of time before being announced.

I don’t really know much about Randall? How do we expect him to compare with other imports in the league? What’s our expectations of him?

How many times KET? Bairstow is about how his body is not how much money he wants!!!
Cam isn't sure if his body can hold up.

Just watched a highlight video of Randall and I get some Kelly Oubre Jnr vibes from him in the way he plays as a lefty lefty...

They need some insurance at both C and PG in case of injury. Wonder if there is a Next Star in the mix?

Pretty impressive stats. Obviously more than a pure scorer going by his assists average. Rebound averages like that aren't terrible even for a big man so looks to have all round game. Has also been talked up as a two-way player.

Advertiser article suggests Adelaide are confident Franks is not leaving the club. But I guess you take everything you hear with a pinch of salt when it comes to media communication. Hopefully it is true and he is staying on!

There as interesting tweet on his account dated back to the end of last month and says something about agonising over a decision (to paraphrase). Guess we will wait and see.

Deng Acuoth will be the last signing according to rumour.

The @Adelaide36ers have bolstered their backcourt with the addition of the G League's Most Improved Player last season, Craig Randall II

More from the Sixers here: https://t.co/NskjOfby7H pic.twitter.com/XIc2JT3j4x

— The NBL (@NBL) August 7, 2022

How was he G League's most improved when it was his first G League season?

Outlier seasons do happen, eg Hannahs averaged 21ppg one season but 12ppg across his other 3 seasons. So you prefer repeatability.

But on face value this is a great signing. He scores in a variety of ways, a bit of Tyler Harvey about him, flat out shooter but can work towards the hoop with some wily moves and mid range shots. I think he'll do well, more strings to his bow than Hannahs

LV if you knew Hannahs gamestyle vs. Randalls you would see they are two different players... Anyone could tell Hannahs was a dud and one trick pony.

So Adelaide likely line-up

McCarron/Randall^2
Randall^1/Dech
Cleveland/Drmic
Franks/Harris/Galloway
DJ/Sotto/Acouth

I don't think we have seen a team this good all round on paper from Adelaide in a really long time...

Are you able to post the Advertiser article Master Chief?

It's a good line-up. Last time Adelaide had a team that good on paper was 2018 when they made the GF.

"A spokesman told News Corp on Friday there was no truth to the rumours Franks was weighing up turning his back on the Sixers."

Beantown,

Sure. I don't know how to make it look cool? But here's a copy and paste of the article. I've found opening paywall links up in an incognito tab on my laptop tricks it:


Sixers lock in star guard, deny Franks Euro rumours
—Michael Randall

Adelaide has shored up its guard rotation with the addition of scoring machine Craig Randall II.

The 36ers denied speculation prized off-season signing Robert Franks was set to spurn the club for a big-money offer in Europe as they shored up their back court with the 193cm Ohio native.

Randall II is a straght bucket — he is the only player in Long Island Nets history to record back-to-back 40-point games in a G League season that netted him the 2022 Most Improved Player Award. He averaged a princely 26.7 points, 6.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Nets and gave away the goat over the weekend, with eagle-eyed NBL watchers noting he followed the Sixers, Franks, fellow new import Antonius Cleveland and popular commentator Corey 'Homicide' Williams on social media.

The 26-year-old, who last month played in the Portland Trailblazers’ Summer League champion team, joins Sixers star and Boomers captain Mitch McCarron and improved two-way dynamo Sunday Dech in a tough three-guard rotation.

"I’m pumped to be playing for Adelaide this season, coach has told me what I need to bring to the group and I can’t wait for the challenge," Randall II said.

“I want to win, I’ll do anything I need to do to help the team win, that’s what the fans want.”

Franks, who was a dominant force in Brisbane last season, was set to arrive in Adelaide Sunday, but the Sixers said he had been held up by travel delays.

A spokesman told News Corp on Friday there was no truth to the rumours Franks was weighing up turning his back on the Sixers.

Franks has European outs in his contract and it is understood the former Orlando Magic NBA big man has attracted interest.

His departure would be a blow to a Sixers’ side that has produced among the best off-season signing periods in the NBL, with the addition of Randall II, reigning NBL Defensive Player of the Year Cleveland, veteran sharpshooter Anthony Drmic and young big man Kyrin Galloway.

The Covid pandemic delayed the start of Randall II’s professional career — he had nearly two full seasons off once he completed his time at University of Tennessee at Martin, keeping fit with his brother until he tried out with the Nets and secured a G League opportunity. He paid $200 to try out.

Basketball is in Randall II’s blood — his mother was a pro and his father and two brothers all had college careers.


Adelaide 36ers head coach CJ Bruton said Randall II “ticks all the boxes”.

“Craig has a great skillset and is a big guard, something we were definitely looking for in that space,” Bruton said.

“Craig can score the ball, but he also brings that intensity we need on the defensive end and can be a distributor as well.

“He will be a player that will lead by example in his play and professionalism.”

The Sixers will head to the USA to fly the flag for the NBL in two games against NBA clubs, before tipping off their season proper on September 16 against South East Melbourne.

Thanks Master Chief, the incognito trick used to work for me, but then it stopped and I haven't tried accessing the Tiser since!

The team has done a pretty good job recruiting this off-season, so they deserve a bit of luck on Franks. Fingers crossed he stays a Sixer and that Randall backs up his G League performance with a good season for us. If Randall is any good, that will be a very strong backcourt rotation!

Install the Bypass Paywalls Clean extension for Chrome/add-on for Firefox.

Hard to tell how Randall will be until we see him in action particularly season proper, but I assume he's a starting 5 caliber.

Also assuming Franks stays, and we are seeing a club that has more aggregate talent than any lineup 36ers have had since 2018, agreed.

What I like is they’ve appeared to focus on a really strong core 7-8 guys and there’s most - not all - but most bases covered with a nice balance.

I’m not sure that Acouth, Marshall, Galloway, Harris will get much time in the rotation.

I think Dech, Drmic and a Sotto-1-year-on, will be good bench guys to come in and cause some damage.

Out:

Duffelmeier
Withers
Hannahs
King
Bairstow
Humphries
Jeff Van Groggy

In:

Randall II
Franks
Drmic
Cleveland
Galloway

Have not missed a step this offseason. At present would put them as our biggest threat to stopping us going back-to-back.

"A spokesman told News Corp on Friday there was no truth to the rumours Franks was weighing up turning his back on the Sixers."

I found this a little bit interesting. I just don't think it's necessary to say "turning his back" as if Franks had done something deceitful. There was obviously some truth to the rumour.

What's expected of Galloway?

Wonder if they threw more money at Franks to head off the Euro threat and save looking for a replacement. This is their best window to get some return on DJ, plus the McCarron and Dech contracts.

Who knows how the team will gel or how good Randall will be. But Randall, Cleveland and Franks is a massive upgrade on Hannahs and Withers. Losing Humphries $$ would've helped but it’s great they’ve identified they need three quality imports to compete.
I hope it comes together and we’re a legitimate finals contender.

I dare say Galloway was more of a CJ having an eye for talent signing. I guess low risk but lots of potential upside? Big concern is obviously defence and physicality in the front court.

If they were supposedly serious about rounding out the roster with both a big name local (Baynes, Humphries, etc) and a high quality import (Randall, Trice, Etc), then maybe when they realised they couldn't have both and were left with no alternative, they put the money into keeping Franks, signed the import as planned, and then obviously just needed to find another cheap local big.

I honestly find it hard to believe that Adelaide had the money for people like Baynes or Humphries and an import like Randall (Assuming he's not cheap?), at the same time. So my guess is that they explored a local big as replacement for Franks, but when they missed out, they just upped the money for Franks knowing that they had no local alternative anymore. I know that would mean there is a still an import spot to fill though, but maybe that figured they could slide DJ to the PF and have a Baynes or Humphries start at center, and replace Franks in that way.

Like I say, if they missed out on spending money on a local big, they had no choice but to put that money into something else, which might have been Randall and retaining Franks.

People on here have questioned out clauses as a mistake, but if they have upped their offer to retain someone who is already on big money, I would honestly question that more so. But like you say Isaac, probably not worth the headache at the same time. Franks is a good player, don't get me wrong.

In saying that though, I doubt they'd have the flexibility to mess around if Franks told them he was considering Europe. As in, they'd need to wait until they were sure of his decision for the sake of all parties involved.

I just didn't see how signing Humphries or Baynes AND keeping Franks would work when you consider it would likely send DJ to the bench.

I think people who thought the euro out is a mistake probably don't understand for that level of a player it’s almost essential.

Maybe Perth are lucky enough to not have to do it for cotton, I don’t know, but I don’t think he has interest in leaving outside of some amazing NBA opportunity.

I’m fine with 36ers not going big on another big particularly if that meant getting a good caliber guard import in Randall and/or keeping Franks.

8 player rotation is more than sufficient - yes injuries happen but c’est La vie. We had Harris starting, two meh imports and Humphries out for most of the season and Bairstow out for a bit too and no third import. So if injuries occur, chances are the team would still have more depth than that anyway.

I can’t see 36ers needing to rely much on Galloway/Harris - but if they do, it’d be at the defensive end because of foul trouble/our bigs acting like traffic cones.

I’m hoping we see good fast paced offence making us better at defence.

Maybe Franks was waiting on more money, or maybe he was waiting on something else...

When you look at the interviews from Summer League
[ Franks - 'this coming NBL season will be championship or bust'
Cleveland – ‘oh he said that….. ‘ ]
And the rumoured reasons why he left Brisbane [ possibly unhappy about the conditioning of another import ]
My guess is that Franks was waiting to see who the third import is going to be.

When you look at the clubs recent history of recruiting, you can hardly blame him.

And for those who missed the recent Hoopla CJ interview, CJ said the only one on that 36ers list of potential recruits he was talking to was Bairstow.

Ballin Fan, I don't think a player can or should have the power to sign a contract, and then the commitment of that contract is subject to the factors you describe. Especially after signing so early in the off season. I don't think Franks would be in a position to demand more money after already signing a contract at the going rate or above of what NBL clubs can offer. Any extra money would likely be an incentive from the club. I doubt they'd be matching Euro League offers anyway? So it's not like Franks is breaking even by staying.

But if you mean that a European offer was the excuse he needed to leave, then yeah I guess it's possible but not entirely logical when you consider he signed to a team in the very early stages of constructing a roster, and that roster has only improved.

""A spokesman told News Corp on Friday there was no truth to the rumours Franks was weighing up turning his back on the Sixers.""

Sounds more like wishful thinking to me. He didn't arrive on the day he was supposed to due to 'travel delays', the delay being he re-routed his travel plans. I think he's gone. 36ers are trying to save face until they have a replacement.

"Out:

Duffelmeier
Withers
Hannahs
King
Bairstow
Humphries
Jeff Van Groggy

In:

Randall II
Franks
Drmic
Cleveland
Galloway

Have not missed a step this offseason. At present would put them as our biggest threat to stopping us going back-to-back."

It's amazing what can be achieved when you change the head making the decisions. JVG was known for his all-sizzle, no-steak signings (Hannahs being the 'best 3 point shooter not in the NBA' HA!) and then scowering junkyards for everything else. Proven imports who've played against decent competition and aren't just a one-trick pony (shooting threes without D) is always the recipe for success in the NBL - period. An Australian core is nice and everything but the imports will be the ones who make the difference nine times out of ten, unless you have a Jock Landale. This time, Adelaide appears to have it right.

-

On the Deng Acouth rumours - why? I am not sure what hole he fills for us. I would be more inclined to spend the same money on Nate Jawai. Yeah, he's old. But he can clog the paint and be a defensive deterrent still while guys like Johnson and Franks chuck it up from outside. He still has value as a huge body and it takes a five minute brisk hike to map his circumference if you're trying to get into rebounding position.

Me,

But why would Adelaide feel like they need to safe face? If Franks IS gone (no one knows), then I don't feel like Adelaide have done anything wrong.

Well one of your biggest signings running off is a little embarrassing I would have thought.

Came across this article. Only dated yesterday, but not sure when interview took place, but could be further reinforcement Franks is not leaving?

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/aug/08/roller-coaster-pro-career-has-taken-washington-sta/

Can CJ please ensure that we run plays for Randall?

Don't let it be like Hannahs where we give him the ball (stand back) and expect to create or give him the ball with 5 seconds left.

Hannahs is not blameless but often he was not put in great situations to succeed either.

Lovebroker, I wondered last season if the lack of plays might have been because CJ joined the team so late and they didn't have time to set up anything very complex? Hopefully with a full pre-season and all the players on deck, CJ is able to get his team executing on both ends, including running some plays for Randall.

ME, while its amusing to imagine players "taking a hike" around Jawai's enormous girth, I couldn't deal with watching him out there for the Sixers. He has all the mobility of a boulder out there these days!

Hopefully Sotto improves enough defensively this season that we won't need Acuoth/ whoever it is to play a lot of minutes anyway.

Perthworld, thanks for the tip on the anti-paywall extension. Have tried a couple of different ones with mixed results so far, but at least I know a work-around of sorts exists now.

Lovebroker, I wondered last season if the lack of plays might have been because CJ joined the team so late and they didn't have time to set up anything very complex?

Agreed. For a supposed great shooter why did they never run him off staggered screens etc to try and get him space on catch and shoot looks? At least on paper this year, the team looks much more optimistic.