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NOOOO please stay Brett, we need you big time!!! Wow if he were to leave some major recruiting would need to be done by the 36ers!

Its up next maher drops a bombshell on the sixers!!!!!

been offered a bigger offer from the eastern sea board, gold coast mentioned club has to end of march to match it

ok hows this phils fault,

did you not hear the interview he was offered a bigger deal then whats hes currently on ?

fair enough , i dont see this is phil fault though considering mal is now offering the deals not phil, and im sure if maher didnt want to play under phil he would have left several years ago when he was looking at a change

Brett has been great for us and I would hate to see him playing against us, but is he worth any more than $100k? BTW This is only a guesstimate of what I'd pay him - Maybe the Sixers are currently paying him less, maybe not.

The shock is that he wants more money than the club are offering him (and I dare say, more than he's getting this year?) - hard to dispute that after recent form, but not in line with the thoughts that he could carry on longer with a reduced role.

Reality is that a new club coming in means that the existing mass of talent can expect to earn a touch more. Not surprising that teams will look to grab the best that other clubs have.

Could be Cairns that want him, and Mee might be off to Gold Coast? I think I saw a Mee to GC rumour somewhere, along with a Cortez to Cairns suggestion.

i would think hes on more than that dj, but i agree is he worth paying big $$ for him at this point,

also dj , any news on a nbl live 07 :D

Adelaide need to resign Maher. Maher represents more than just another player to be contracted for 2 seasons. The 36ers will lose a mass of fans if he signs elsewhere. Of all the players that have left after success in Adelaide, this would be the toughest pill to swallow. He represents the class that the other areas of the 36ers organization needs to live up to.

Please allow Brett Maher the opportunity to play out his career in Adelaide, as him retiring in other colors would tarnish a superb 36ER career. Pay him his dues, if not for his on court ability alone, think of the pain you will put Sixer fans through by having them 'attempt' to cheer against him next season!!!

could never cheer against him, regardless, without a doubt the heart and sole


but i think isaac somes it up well, with in line with a reduced role

DJ, he would be getting offered more than double that.

Maybe time to launch a "Keep Brett Maher in Adelaide" fund...... All people who want to keep him throw $10 at the fund, 100 people = $1000?????

Or maybe not...........

Let him go...freshen up the place with some new talent next year.

Brett deserves whatever sort of money teams throw at him, he's probably been earning well less then what he deserves in the majority of his time with the club and i would have nothing against him for walking as no player ive ever seen play for the Sixers has put in more heart and effort then Brett has, both on and off the court.

It's close to impossible to see him in a different uniform, but with the decisions the Sixers have been in regards to player personall would it really suprise you if they let him walk?

The best thing Mal could ever deliver apart from a championship is locking up Brett to a deal he deserves so he can finish his career a Sixer.

Great post Unit

Thomo - no news on NBL Live 07, seems to all be removed from the site re other post, but drop a line on the forums and see whats going on, you never now.

As for Maher I'm not getting into what he is on now, merely what I would be offering him for the next few years, offer him a longer contract (till his retirement) as isaac has mentioned in the past with a reasonable salary all the way through and slowly reducing his role/expectations.

But the problem is two-fold.

One, he's still performing. He missed some games through injury, but he has put up some big games.

Two, while Cattalini and CJ and so on have been taking deals elsewhere and raking it in, the most Maher has done is head to Europe briefly.

At what point do you start thinking, my loyalty has cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars - and who profits from that? The club and his reputation - I don't need to put it out there that only one of those things is really going to set up his family and children. Your reputation might sell a book or get you a TV stint, but in Australia it's limited. Meanwhile, these clubs aren't charities.

Big challenge for the club here.

Personally, I grew up in the country and about 10 years ago, I came down to Adelaide with some mates to watch a game at the "Clipsal Powerhouse".

For me, being a guard at my local club, I quickly noticed the talent of the number 5 for the 36ers.

Brett Maher basically brought me back to the Powerhouse ever since, because not only is he a legendary player and he his pure excitement by the way he goes about his game on the court, but when you have a chat to him after the match, he is a great bloke to talk to.

I would love to see the current owner offer him a chance to end his career in Adelaide as I would assume that this would be Brett's preferred option.

Let's hope that both parties can come to an arrangement and we ALL can continue to see the great No. 5 for the Pura Milk Sixers suit up until he hangs his singlet up for good.

Well put. I think the club needs to financially show some loyalty to him and to the fans wishes. React to what the consumer wants. I believe the majority of 6er fans would die if he went elsewhere, so the club needs to react to that accordingly. He deserves the money/security, and quite frankly is playing better than most big names this season, but as far as the 'Fox experts' go, he has slipped under there radar. Performing better than an Anstey or Dusty or Darnell Mee. All on big salaries, and will be next season too. Pay HIM, he is a winner always has been and will continue to find away. Whether its due to the ridiculous 8 team finals format or not, he is guiding a terrible team to the finals.....again.

yep, although most people were thinking less money/role we have to pay him. He IS the 36ers he is the face and heart of the team for the fans, as well as the media and the lay person. If he goes and does not retire as a 6ers thats the end.

I must admit I would find it hard to support a Maher-less team, other than through retirement.

On court, on box score talent is only a part of what a plyer brings.

Brett IS the 36ers, and every effort should be made to keep him in Adelaide.

Paul Bower doing the contract...peelllease!!!!!! How insulting!

Paul Bell would be handling Maher's side. I think the suggestion was that Potsie was involved in the club's side.

This incident should be the exam at the end of Basketball Club GM 101 - what do you do?

Sixers could not cope with a loss of Maher.

I bet if he goes then the Sixers will get a very crap replacement(even though nobody could replace him)

Maher is priceless. Consistency or not.

Just because he was given a bigger offer doesn't mean the Sixers won't match it.

Boys....i know your gonna hate me

BUT

from a Outsider looking in, i think let him go

You got 2 Young guys, in Brad Hill and Darren Ng who in time could fill the spot left by the aging Veteran in Maher

Adelaide is in a rebuilding Phase.....its not pretty, and i know....Im a Carlton Member.....LOL

But, the Wilcats went thru it, the Lakers, The Cincinnatti Bengals......Every Team i have followed in any form of sport goes thru it

Yes maher has been a great servant of the club, but....if we were all in his shoes, we would think of No.1 and chase the money in our last years

Trust me....as much as i hate to say it.....the Sixers will bounce back

Hopefully not TO DAMN SOON

Nah - let him walk he isnt worth it anymore - let him go up to the new Gold Coast team

;)

no statman, no :D

The fact is, Maher is still one of the best, arguably the best point guard in the league. He's leading the NBL in assists and averages 19 7 5 - very impressive numbers. While he may be slowing down, the fact is that their still aren't any other players in the NBL I would rather see running the sixers. The fact he is the best means he should be able to demand what money he wants.

While injuries are a possibilty, correct recruiting of a back up PG capable of playing 20 mins a game could help reduce maher's minutes down to 30-35 helping to give his body a rest througout the season so he remains fit and healthy.

There really isn't a player that I could see being able to replace Maher, and add to that the fact he is excellent value for the points cap (a 5 due to loyalty). Everything in the sixers power should be done to retain Maher, he is worth every penny

Yes a very hard one but, if you take the emotion out of it, its not that they have not made him an offer, its just a substandard offer to someone else.

For those of us old enough to remember, how did Brett get his start? Answer almost identically to this situation.

The coach at the time had decided not to extend the 36er career of another champion player to bring in a very young and raw Brett Maher, despiter the protestations of the sixer fans.

Result - a great decision.

Brett has at least been offered a contract, if he can do better elsewhere so be it, but clubs have to make sometimes hard decisions based on a range of things including talent, time on court, age, injury concerns, loyalty.

I too hope he doesn't go but understand if he does.

well summed up fiji

Well put Fiji

this is just one step in a negotiation which hopefully will let Brett finish in his home town and hopefully will not cause the club to be hamstrung by allowing it to happen

but if not Im sure the Coast would be a great spot for him to team up with Kendal, and Saville, and Mee....................

Fiji, if you take the emotion out of it, you still have that statline, the near-triple-doubles this season, the clutch shooting and the fact that he is capped at 5 under the points cap.

Then you have his personal brand - not a tainted Warne brand, not an arrogant Heal brand, or a hothead Hewitt brand, but something that has only really come before in Andrew Gaze, IMO - flawless reputation, quality performance every year, single-team loyalty and name recognition.

Yes, you could probably replace those stats for the money he's asking, but you'd be losing more than that.

Smyth was looking forward to "outside employment" to aid his recruiting - now's the chance to use it. The decision, you'd say, rests with Mal as Smyth, the player's coach, is surely not going to want Maher leaving?

In 1993, Smyth averaged 10.8 PPG, Maher 8.3 PPG. In 1994 (Phil's last year with the 36ers as a player), Smyth averaged 6.6 PPG, Maher 13.3 PPG.

If Maher was averaging 10 PPG, then sure, bring through his successor, but injuries aside this year, he's been as good as nearly any. My rankings after 2006 had him as 9th best in the league.

No argument with your points Isaac, I was merely pointing out he is going downhill. Unlike you I don't have the stats but my guess is they have decreased over the last 3 years.

BUT I too want him to stay.

I also don't think we have anyone at his level in 93/94 to replace him.

Thats not my point - you own a business, unfortunately wages only go so far and employers do sometimes find themselves in positions where an employee values his services (generally because of a competitors offer)going forward higher than you.

Thats life.

I also forgot to mention in my previous post, that lets not forget the club, fans and public of SA in general have been extremely supportive of Brett, the family and the foundation during and after their really hard personal times.

Loyalty is a two sided coin.

You would have to be nuts to let him go! Face it he is still the best non american point guard in the league when fit and only counts a 5. Get a good shooting guard who can play something resembling defence, a reasonable back up point and you will have the best guard combination in Australia. He is the only player we have whom has pride in his performance plays for the team and not just personal stats.

Maher's stats:

04/05 - 19 PPG, 4 RPG, 7 APG
05/06 - 19 PPG, 5 RPG, 7 APG
06/07 - 19 PPG, 5 RPG, 7 APG

(All rounded up/down, but fair to say, fairly consistent.)

During negotiations, he is going to have a lot of things to point at - what they paid Wheeler this year, what guys like CJ and Ere would be getting in Brisbane, where his stats sit relative to other guards, etc.

The 36ers could hit the market and see what they can find, but the point is a tough spot to fill. Filling it with an Australian is even tougher, let alone an Australian capped at 5 points and a local hero.

Happy to admit I'm wrong, and surprised as I would have thought he was low 20's previously.

Not sure that what previous owners paid Wheeler is arguable, but certainly 5 points and you probably need an import to replace him certainly are big in his favour.

I hope sanity prevails and a happy medium can be found.

Forgot to ask Isaac, is someone admitting they were wrong on here a first?

Haha, could be.

I think those suggesting Maher may be winding down have done so based on injury more than anything.

Hmm...i regularly accept I am wrong...too regularly :(

this is quite simply impossible to imagine.

but please explain, we accept that Brett is on the max currently?

Surely he would be offered the max again next year based on the stats?

therefore, no-one can offer more..therefore, why would he leave?

And..fiji..i agree, loyalty is a 2 way street.

Brett is Adelaide, under no circumstances should he be allowed to leave for something as simple as money.

Take away his stats, the emotion of losing such an iconic player and just look at his leadership.
When he is on the court the team is organised, as much as other players have tried to cover for him when he has being injured, its just not the same.
He could score 5 points for a game, but his leadership scores us another 30. Then 10 for his assists!

My parents dont follow basketball but my dad knows who Brett Maher is, he is iconic and should be given a job at Jarvis to help him out some!

but please explain, we accept that Brett is on the max currently?

Surely he would be offered the max again next year based on the stats?

therefore, no-one can offer more..therefore, why would he leave?

point taken Isaac

point taken Isaac, would you consider offering the Ferrari up as a deal sweetner?

Sure, I'll swap my car for Mahersy's if it helps. Actually, I'll swap both of them!

i wonder why this wasnt kept in house?

maybe some leverage to be had on both sides bringing it out in the open.

i fear mahersy will be gone at the end of the season.

all the best brett your a champion in my eyes where ever you do play.

Maybe it was a well planned and very deliberate leak...

Maher comes out to media letting everyone know he has a big offer from Eastern states to finish out his career.
Public are up in arms that this could happen - we cant lose Maher "He IS Adelaide"
Mal and Maher now appear to sit down and work out a deal which sees him finish out his playing career at the sixers
All the fans see Mal and the NEW Sixers as heros in keeping Maher and the publicity helps to get the clubs reputation back where it was.

Bit of a conspiracy theory I suppose but you never know

Before we all cry Crocodile tears over this (excuse the pun), what if letting Maher go meant we could sign Newley or Ingles? Would we still be upset?

PS. Assume neither makes it to the NBA.

What about a back-ended deal that sees Maher given a coaching job for 3 years after he retires from playing. They could pay him huge dollars as a coach - would avoid any salary cap issues, keep him here as a player and allow the Sixers to chase new talent as well.

Anon, perhaps the new franchise has an exception?

Exactly - Belly is working for Brett's interest, no one else's. That's exactly how it should be. There is no way Belly has been talking to other teams without Brett's consent either.

This is a case of a player heading into twilight years looking to set up his family. I say good on him. The Sixers can choose to keep hime here - the ball is in their court. Maher has merely put the feelers out to see what he is worth on the open market, something has probably has never done in the NBL.

It's common place in the private sector to seek employment elsewhere, take a job offer with a higher salary, then ask your employer to match it. Nothing wrong with that.

Annon 11512

Re Heres a clue, pay the money he is owed that stretches back over several years and get creative in doing a deal and you WILL see him in 36ers colours for the remainder of his career.
I suspect you may be right. I believe lots of people have been short changed over the past few years.

Statman, no this is simply about Maher wanting a good deal.

Anon: "I doubt there was an offer from another team as no team can make any offers while a player is under contract."

Hey, do you also believe that no team is over-spending the cap? Just curious...

BTW, to the critics of Belly - he is an agent. He acts at the request of his client, Brett Maher. To those wondering about timing, you have the same situation as last year where the agent requests negotiations earlier in the season and the club puts it off. The later it is left, the more chance there is of a rival club making their interest known (as has happened).

Added: Also, there have not been any posts by the club in this thread.

In my opinion the sixers should do the following:

Pay Brett what the other team offers, or at least within say 20k. Their would be no benefit for Brett to leave for that small amount. How much would it cost him to relocate, look for or rent another house. He has family here and I am sure that playing for one club your entire career would be some sort of incentive.

Brett has been a FANTASTIC player for the 36ers and has given the club brilliant service. Let's hope he realises how much the club has done for him aswell. They supported the family through tough times and even now have a link to his charity on their website.

Life is a two way street, let's hope both parties come to an agreement & Brett & 36ers both benefit.

Problem is... How many points are Maher?

Too get the same kinf of player we would still have to pay probably maximum and a 10 seeing that they would be new and they wouldn't have the leadership skills either and they wouldn't gel as easily and know the team.

"I think those suggesting Maher may be winding down have done so based on injury more than anything."

That's is what i am thinking, Maher is getting older and playing less games so he is towards the end. I honestly think that Maher (invaluable) is not worth 200K. I know that doesn't make sense in the english language but i am sure long term Sixers supporters like me would know.

Sixers have three choices:

Rebuild, don't sign Maher and get some young players in,
Sign a replacement that has been in the NBL for a while
or
Sign Maher try and get a few new players and have a last crack at the Championship before Maher retires.

If Maher leaves, WHO would be our new captain?

No mention of any of this by Boti today. Strange considering this is probably the biggest story of the last 5 years apart from the sale of the club. What time did Ch 9 run the story? Was it evening news?

No reason for Boti not to run with the story - already out in the open and put there intentionally. Anyone guess why Boti has ignored this?

There has been no proof that any team is spending over the cap!

Statman wants Brett to go to the Gold Coast. Just another reason for him to barrack for them ;-)

Doctor I would say he had met his deadline with the other story & wouldn't have had time to do this justice. But on Thursdays he generally gets his own page so you can be assured he will have plenty to write about by tomorrow.

Isaac said....."last season I believe there was a team that had three players all earning well over the 'franchise player' limit."

What a surprise......really? I wonder who THAT could have been?

By the way....how come you can do quotes properly?

I suppose - this story isn't going to be any different on Thursday.

Does anybody think my idea of a back-ended contract which includes a coaching role is a good idea? Could give Maher the cash he wants and still leave plenty of cap space to chase someone like Stephen Hoare or Boodnikoff.

It's NOT the Gold Coast

the doctor..
Yes, it sounds like a good idea, and with private ownership now, surely this could be possible..

Plus the fact that people will still come to watch a favourite son play/coach..

Bench of Ninnis coach, Maher asst coach sounds promising and has the home grown flavour...

That and obviously Ninnis is good at recruiting, maybe a chance of some more locals coming home to play...

If money was the sole reason for Maher to consider playing elsewhere in the country then he would have changed clubs long before now.Some people accept adequate remuneration if they are happy in their work environment. To this point Brett has been happy to do this.
The public disclosure of the contract negotiation appears as a bargining tool but may also hide some other internal machinations that brett is unhappy with. There has been a fair bit of change within the 36er's this year. I'm guessing, but maybe some of these changes don't sit that well with Brett.

It's a fair bet that the 36er's admin people would be mighty pissed at any public disclosure of disagreement between club and player. So whether or not Maher stays, some goodwill has been lost here.

But I'm sure I saw Brett on Ch. 9 and not the club! Either way, I hope it gets sorted out.

Ch 9 may have then called Maher for comment?

I think Isaac and a couple of other people said it earlier, the biggest factor here is the points system. We lost both Holmes and Foreman who played well above their points rating and to me that hurt the club. To lose Mahersey under the same circumstances would be EXTREMELY disheartening to Sixers fans and to the Club. This is just the same as Andrew Gaze at Melbourne, you let the guy play out his career at the club and somehow you get the deal done! Whether it is through a coaching career after like doc said or even offer him a PR role like they had Mark Davis doing after he retired. Take a tip from Forestville and get him to work in the Rachel Sporn bar after the game at a rate of $10k an hour!!! Give his wife a job of turning off the lights at the Dome every night and pay her $100k to do it!!! It doesn't matter how you do it, you just get it done!
I don't mind what Brett is doing, it's a good bargaining tool and it's a sure way of getting more money, one way or the other.
Brett has been extremely loyal to the Sixers, it's about time it's shown back to him!

By the same token, when have they ever let Maher play for another NBL club? ;)

I just think the majority or the fans would rather overpay brett for a few years than see a club legend, the heart of the 36ers finish at another club. Its more than a player if he goes what does that do for the public image of this team. He needs to stay even if he is overpaid (thought i think his performance over the years warrants the $$$)

One thing i just thought of it would be pretty stuoid for an owner to breach the NBL rules by talking to a contracted player mid season, especially when that player plays for a team "owned" by the NBL chairman.

The same chairman would then be able to dish out a nice juicy fine to the club involved.

Cant see anyone bar Claxton being that dumb and so think that this is all BS from Brett to get the salary up.

Darnell would be a nice replacement though if he did leave.

Brett Maher is and has been the sixers over many years . Heart and Soul . Get it done and see him rightfully play out his career in his home state .

How did most of the crows supporters feel when Ben Hart was marched out ? ? .

Then on the other hand the Brisbane Lions are happy to pay out 900k in backended salary to a three time premiership captain who is not even playing this year .
LOYALTY knows no cost .

Heaps of speculation. Interesting that Boty didn't have anything in the paper - maybe it's because he is writing a book in conjunction with Brett and didn't want to rock the boat.

It's NOT Gold Coast

I hear you Dicko...

Did Brett say anything on talking hoops last night about this situation?

There is no east coast team offering, especially the gold coast. This is just a deliberate attempt to increase his salary. Its all a Bluff.

Why must people assume that Brett isn't happy?
Everyone knows his contract is up at the end of the season so this is part of the normal negotiation cycle. I asked Paul Bell about it last night on Talking Hoops and he said that Brett was happy and that he was asked questions by Channel 9.

..and as I understand, the media will put a slant on their report for their own reasons..even putting questions and answers out of context....believe it or not...(and please don't say I've got my head in the sand...) so just 'cos it was on the news, doesn't mean it's true.
Interestingly, the 36ers have posted on their site and say all negotiations are proceeding as expected....which is pretty much what Paul Bell said last night.

...'doesn't mean it's true...."
I was referring to the "is Maher leaving" slant.