I would take a naturalising Dusty over him for sure

I'd prefer a Dusty over Holmes myself. But in saying that I could really be under-rating and under-estimating Holmes.

I think a duo of Dusty and Balls is more dangerous and intimitating with there size.

Holmes is a solid player at best. He is unlikely to ever make the Boomers team and has not yet proven to be a "winning" player.
He has the talent and potential and IMO should have done better with the opportunities presented to him at the Dragons.
The question is can he realise his unfulfilled potential? Only time will tell.
Is he worth pursuing at all costs - IMO, no.

I think recruiting Holmes would be great for the team. But if it was upto me i would play him as either a SF/SG.

Any time you can get a starting-calibre Australian player, you take it (or at least strongly consider it). Sure, he didn't dominate this season just been, but do you really think he got enough shots up on that team? Besides that, he was one of the league's best rebounders. Lock him in and you've got a starter wrapped up and an import spot still available to use.

Getting a naturalised Dusty would be good too, but how long would it take, what would it cost, and are either he or Ballinger really suited to SF?

Absolutely he is worth getting. Not setting the world on fire at the Dragons last year is hardly a blight on his game. With two imports trying to get theirs, a playing coach trying to do too much and Ingles doing his best for his future aspirations didn't leave too much for the rest of the guys yet Jacob battled consistently all year.

25 years old.
Great rebounder.
Hometown player.
Fringe national rep.

Sign here please.....................

I agree with LC. He is worth pursuing but not at all costs and it certainly needs to considered who else the Sixers can get for the PF and SF positions, especially considering Ballinger has re-signed for potentially 3 more years. Does Holmes give the Sixers what they need? Does he fill a void?

Isaac, is not getting enough shots really the issue when you shoot 38% from the floor for your career? Yes he got less shots with the Dragons but considering his sub-par offensive ability, I'd say that was sensible.

Skyhigh, Holmes could play SF but he'd be a disaster at SG. He doesn't have great lateral movement and he can't shoot. Considering that rebounding and defending bigger players are his only two true strengths, the further you play him away from the basket the less impact he will have.

Blue Collar, he is a great rebounder but I think he will never get further than being the fringe national player that his is right now. The guy still has massive holes in his game and they haven't been improved to any great extent in his 2 years away from Adelaide.

All fair points, but what are the alternatives? You'd want to add a starting-calibre (or near starter) to the squad plus pick up a decent import to challenge and I can't think of a better Australian player that they could pick up.

SF is the glaring hole in the roster to date as well.

Worth considering that it may not always be the same people offering their opinion (AKA "complaining"). Also, the two prevailing "complaints" here (and saying "prevailing" is a stretch) are that Dusty is better than Jacob, and that Jacob is not worth getting at any cost. Neither is really that ridiculous a suggestion in isolation.

Schenscher is about to have surgery and reports no interest from other NBL teams. What makes you think there's a problem with money when it comes to the club negotiating with him?

If anything, I think the points cap and Ballinger's naturalisation would be more significant issues.

Depends on my financial position.

Plus: Proven performer, draws a crowd.
Minus: Loads of money, no guarantee that he won't make the NBA and leave the team trying to replace him at the last second.

If you think Mal is tightening the purse strings, consider that circumstances may have changed since he bought the team. Sure, there's an argument that someone else, were that the case, might be better suited as owner, but he's the owner and he can play things as he wants. Perth made the semis and took Sydney to three games and I bet they weren't spending a huge amount over the cap. I think the team is on track at this stage.

I would prefer Ingles over Holmes.

No

Issac you are way off the mark with Perth they are plenty over the cap.They do an outstanding job of packaging deals with house land deals etc they are way ahead of us.So you are unfortunately wrong on that one.Also accept that Holmes is here the question on here should be will he draw any more people to the game?Mal doesnt have the money to compete with the top clubs he wants to make money winning is down the line however lets wait and see what investments are made in the playing group.In fact lets see what he invests in the next assistant coach.

#179436, where did you get your info from?

yea i would be very happy with that line up, i also think Hodge would dominate if we can get him back id say he would be a shoe in for top 3 of the MVP race and could play major minutes at any position from PG to SF.
I also think Holmes would be a great pick up and is someone who will probably stick around for the next 5-10 years and give us some great rebounding, solid defense from SF and around 10ppg and just be a solid contributer and could be the next captian after Mahersy, i think players like this are great to have as the top ones like Newley are hard to keep as they often head overseas, where Holmes will likely stick around

I am not confirming or denying Holmes' signing - you will notice that I speak about it very generally on purpose.

House and land deals an area of interest for you, joker? ;)

I can not believe this is even an area of consideration .

Jacob is a very solid player and even more rounded individual who could captain the sixers for 5 + years . Considering he has never relied on athletic prowess or selfishness to further his career it is a no brainer .

I also think he will gradually improve and peak at around 30 . He is a natural leader who has the respect and like of every player in the league . It is not about numbers it is about quality.

Even in a pure basketball sense he is invaluable as he can guard from 3-5 and is an excellent rebounder.

Couldn't agree more with the previous post. We are always fixated on SA talent, which is great when you have a player like Mahrsey who plays like a champ both on and off the court.

I see Jacob as a good player who will give years of loyal service to the club as long as they look after him. BUT.... I dont think he is in the calibre of Brett, and I dont know if he will ever make the Boomers lineup.

I want the best, wherever they are from, and I want to keep them here and pay them what they are worth. I am sick and tired of seeing other clubs poach our players with a fat chequebook because we are too gutless to spend a bit up front, before the results start coming.

I am worried, we got the coach we could afford, and now were gonna get the team we can afford. I can just see the marketing department scratching their little heads trying to figure out HOW are we gonna promote this team? Maybe we could get Budget Rent A Car on board?

Id rather see Mal run the club as a sucessful business so its around for the future. Sure you ca overpay for players to buy a championship but when the money runs out - and it will eventually run out or the owner will get bored - the team is left massively in the shit....ala Brisbane.

As for Holmes - IMO he should be locked in. As isaac said he is a starter who will be around for many years to come. Lock him in and build around him with complimentry imports and other Aussie talent

What signs are there that they're going cheap with the roster? Supposedly paying more than the Dragons offered Holmes. Got one of the best imports in the league under contract in Ballinger. Getting towards an agreement with Hodge (from what was in the paper) and what would likely be very strong demands. Which player have we offered low and missed this off-season?

Isaac, I never said this season.
Didn't we lose Dusty because we offered him less than his final year playing with us? Why couldn't we get Catt back? Why did Jacob and Oscar leave?
Darnell Mee?
David Stiff?

I dont know for a fact, and I'm sure plenty are going to blame Phil S for players leaving, but it seems to me that history will show that we lose out to the big bucks of the eastern states clubs. I can't understand this because if the higher cost of living is taken into account they have to pay even more to make it worthwhile but since the days of Bernie Lewis, when we got pinged for exceeding the salary cap, it seems like nobody would even bother to check up on us now!!

Dusty and Oscar (and probably Jacob) would probably have signed and stayed if the club negotiated rather than delayed negotiations until they had interest from other clubs. Can't speak for Dusty and Jacob, but Oscar didn't leave for money.

Remember that just a couple of years ago, the club had its hands tied by a financial controller. The then chief executive said that they wouldn't be busting the cap under his watch. We're only 1-2 seasons outside of that. 06/07 was somewhat derailed by the aftermath. 07/08 was better and we picked up some decent recruits.

Continuity is as important as big spending in the current climate - a blend of both would be a good approach.

Big spending is a thing of the past for several top NBL teams. They got their championships and with it came financial problems. This coming season is one season where the competition is not really there to spend a lot of money to get a successful team. Unlike 2 years ago for Adelaide, at present Adelaide is one of the the most secure clubs which itself will attract players.

I love lamp

No, I was saying that it was said that Holmes got an offer this season that beat the Dragons' supposedly reduced offer. I don't think that has any bearing on Hodge either, but nice straw man. (I'd also possibly rather have Holmes and a quality import, than no Holmes and a Hodge unlikely to play in the NBL again.)

And I said nothing about the Wildcats either. I've clearly said in the past that they had one of the worst benches in the league in 2007/08. Hunt, Caporn, Robbins, Garlepp - hardly intimidating.

Perth made the semi-finals because they play a tough game and have some quality players. That same 'most pathetic finals format' kept the 36ers out of the eight, so it presents some challenge at least.

All I'm saying is that there's criticism being put up along the lines of the owner going cheap on the roster, and I don't think there's a whole lot of evidence of that so far this off-season. I can only think that it's coming from some sour that Mal didn't want to retain Phil - that's in the past.

Possible that Holmes is set to sign with 36ers by the weekend.

Reported in Melbourne's Herald-Sun today that Holmes will sign with 36ers.

Anon the cats were one win away from being in a GF series against the Tigers


Hardly the sign of a poor team.

How much would the sixers be saving on coaches salaries this year? $100K? Whatever the amount hopefully it well help our recruiting.