Andy, harsh ... harsh, Andy ... you have met?

Oh yeah, you have ... where?

In your post about Julius Hodge - I can see that.

And in english that means?

That you are being harsh

Perhaps he got shot?

He could be drinking out drinking the poison

He didn't turn up because the Melbourne Tigers have signed him!

Yeah, I went through the player lists yesterday and couldn't find him. Maybe give his agent a call - he may have just not showed up for a perfectly good reason...


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Hmm.

I really hope Hodge makes an nba team so he can laugh at everyone who hates him. i think u all need to grow up and get over it

I agree with ELG!

Maybe they paid him early, so he claimed he hadn't been paid and bailed on them?

Prob the 1st and last time I will ever agree with ELG

he's not going to make tha NBA tho is he

You guys are douchebags sometimes.

He was arguably the best player to ever suit up for the sixers....yes there were issues in the end but the sixers weren't entirely without blame either.

He was too good for the NBL. Period.

I get sick of seeing "he was the best Sixers import & the best ever NBL import". That is a crock. Sure he was the best we have seen in a while but the best ever not even close.

What about for the Sixers - Al Green, Kevin Brooks, Darnell Mee? IMO Hodge wasn't as good as any of these. He was good at one thing and that was penetrating with his sloppy handle.

he was top 2 in the 3 major statistical catagories, name one ever play to be top 2 in assist, points and rebounds at the same time. He is one of the greatest players we have ever had, yeah he acted a little childish in the end but only after being screwed over by Mal. We all forget he did play a few games for free. Wouldnt you be mad if another employer could pay you more for the job you do, and your current employer expects you to take a pay cut? He played to win and put on a great show, I dont care if people here like him or not but he will go down as one of my favourate sixers of all time.

He didn't play for free and wasn't screwed over by Mal. The 36ers had actually paid him ahead of time and Julius was forced to pay them back because he and his agent got confused over the contract/payment dates and threw a tantrum.

Please accept my apologies Isaac, I must of overlooked the fact (unknown to all until now) that you were in there writing the cheques at Sixerland at that point in time.

Well said Millhouse.

Isaac you still seem to be very bitter from the incident. Out of interest Is there any particular reason why you're so bitter about it?

Not bitter at all, just correcting misinformation. ESP, what info are you going on to suggest that I'm wrong? The ever-reliable testimony of the player?!

In his contract, it was stipulated that he was to be paid at the end of each period (fortnight, month, whatever it was). He and his agent (and at one point the club assumed they were correct) wrongly assumed that he was to be paid at the commencement of each period.

So, as an example, let's say he started in March and got paid on March 1. Then again on April 1. Then, if the May 1 payment wasn't made on that day, it wasn't late - instead, it just wasn't a month early like the others. Not showing up as a result is just wrong. The guy claimed he wasn't paid but then had to pay back money? Just don't quite understand the Hodge apologists on this one.

Well i would welcome back Hodge.

A new attitude + agent, I'd be all for bringing his talent here.

FWIW - he was no where to be seen @ UNLV yesterday. Not even in civvies with the Bulls guys or anything.

What evidence do I have?

I'll ask you the same question.

What evidence do you have to the contrary?

Unless you are Hodge, his agent, Mal or Mal's Payroll officer, all you have is speculation and the self serving spin that came from Mal and the Sixers.

So, do you dispute that Hodge paid back money to the club, as was openly reported?

Adelaide closed the book on the Julius Hodge pay dispute saga when the American swingman refunded between $25,000-$35,000 in advanced pay the club had forwarded him.

Hodge returning money to the club to secure his release also flies in the face of claims he was owed pay and supports the contention of club owner Mal Hemmerling the American had been paid in advance before he decided to boycott the 36ers' 106-99 win over Wollongong 10 days ago.

Hodge's agent, Cervando Tejeda a day later demanded Adelaide release Hodge from his contract, alleging his client was missing payments. Hodge's contract with Adelaide did not include an NBA "out clause".

I can't get over you clowns wanting to forgive Hodge just because he could play a bit of ball - although he had no jump shot and clearly no team loyalty.

If you don't want to believe Isaac or the club, then at least listen to what Brett had to say about him. Brett would never slag off on anybody unless it was warranted........or do you now think the best ever Sixer is wrong too?

I never formed an opinion for either side in this saga due to all the he said she said crap that was going on, UNTIL Brett Maher said his piece on it. As said above, Brett has never slagged off at a team mate in that way.

More spin spinner?.... keep spinning, no-one's listening.

What does that even mean ESP? Are you still suggesting the Sixers were in the wrong?

How good a player was he? "One of very few I'd pay to go and see. But he didn't play within team rules.
I told him if you want to make stand over missing pay and not train or play, you can do that. But let us know,rather than just not turning up or turning up late and leaving us not knowing if your coming or not"
Brett said.

( $25 - $30 thousand that'd be USD a month I'd guess)

I am still looking for that basketball court on West Tce in the city where he said that he used to go every night to practice his foul shooting....

i am sure that its there somewhere, he would not have lied in an interview would he ?

No Doctor, I'm suggesting both parties were at fault at different stages of the whole debacle.

I don't believe any of the speculators on here know exactly what transpired.

Did Julius act poorly at stages? yes i believe that.
Did the Sixers act poorly at stages? yes I believe that.

Do I think it is fair to brand him a "dirt bag" and "scum", No I don't.

I think many agree (despite his limited jump shot) that he was one of the most exciting players we have seen in this country.

Ballinger Fan, from memory there are 2, maybe 3 outdoor courts just in behind the High School there on West Tce.

I have watched this debate with interest but seriously ESP, are you really suggesting that that was where Hodge was, practicing his foul shots every night?

Based on the amount of free throws he missed, no i don't believe he was that committed to improving his FT shooting.

I do believe he probably went down to those courts at some point though, how else would he know they were there.

The fact that the courts do exist though defies the vailed suggestion that Julius was lieing. Just another example of unsubstantiated speculation about everything he said / did.

On a final note, if you scroll down this thread, it would seem that there are more posters on here that would prefer to see Julius play again than those who wouldn't.

ESP, I would not want to see Hodge play again in a Sixers singlet - EVER. He played a good game, talked a better game, but was destructive, disruptive, and in two seasons did not in any way improve the Sixers overall performances. His stats padding merely detracted from the rest of the team, as everybody stood around spell-bound about how he was going to own the ball this time down the court.

As for imports, sure he was exciting, but he was a mere shadow of the truly great imports that have played in Australia, including Mark Davis, Al Green, Robert Rose, Lanard Copeland, Butch Hayes, Darnell Mee and Kevin Brooks, to name just a few who have pulled on Sixers singlets at one time in their career or another. That goes for the 'excitement factor', game impact and statistical presence, because all of those players were true giants of the game at the peak of their careers. Anyone who thinks Hodge is the 'best import ever' or even the 'best Sixer import ever' has a very short memory. That is putting aside that he should not even be in consideration for such an accolade given his two half seasons of disharmony.

anybody who suggest Butch Hays is a better import than Hodge is totally tripping balls.

For the record, Bulls fans dont even know why he isnt on the roster...

He was definitely the best we have had here in Adelaide.........Just ask him!

Milhouse

Butch Hays' stats for the Sixers in 1991:

GP 30, FG 54%, FT% 82%, 3G 55%, RPG 4.5, APG 9.0, SPG 2.0, PPG 24.6

That is a pretty solid output. He leads the Sixers all time one year records for best three point shooting percentage, assists made per game and free throws made per game (incidentally, Hodge only makes this list for free throws attempted, but not made, per game, and for turnovers per game).

Butch Hays also had a triple double of 24/17/10 points in the playoffs in 1991, and has two best returns for the Sixers for assists per game of 17 and 16.

Hays' stats are at least as impressive as Hodge's, while Butch managed do all of this without being a complete tosser and while generally getting along with his teammates.

Are you so sure of your position that you still think I am 'tripping balls'?

yeah you are tripping balls. Put Hodge on that 92 team with 4 other players averaging over 16 ppg and Hodge would get 9 ast with his eyes closed. Im not sure what the teams average score per game was in 92 but I bet a lot higher than last years. Hodge Averaged 6 ast a game in a league with only 4 players total averaging over 20 pts. Only 2 other players on his team averaging double figures. He topped the league in scoring and assist while being up there in rebounds steals and blocks. Call him a dickhead all you want but in this era his stats are amazing. If Hodge played in 92 he would have averaged around 35 pts 14 ast and 10 rbs easy. Also he wouldnt be such a choke artist in tight games like the oh so great Hays. And just one more thing explain his 47% from the FT line the season after?

XY, loved watching Butch when he first arrived here. He had a great season in '91 and seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Not sure why, but he seemed to fall away after only a couple of seasons and was moved on? Anything to do with Don Monson's arrival in Adelaide?

Incidentally, my dad and his wife bought Butch's house off him after he got cut by the Sixers - got a good deal apparently!

Always hard to compare players fairly from different eras, but if we want to talk about best Sixers imports, lets not forget Rob Rose, Darnell Mee and Kevin Brooks! Those guys were none too shabby. How about Davis for the first five or six years he was in the league? The guy was a dominant player in his day. Al Green too for his first couple of years.

Hodge was just too much of a rental to ever feel like he was truly a Sixer in my book. Perhaps it could have been different, but he and Mal got their wires crossed and thats all history now. Hopefully Gilchrist will make us forget all about Hodge by mid season! ;-)

p.s. - didn't start this thread at the top, but just noticed the first couple of posts. VERY poor taste by a couple of you guys. Its a shame that things ended badly here with Hodge, but there's no reason to have that kind of reaction. Why get so cut up about a player who was barely here one full season, that you feel you need to call him a scumbag or suggest he's been shot again?

well said Beantown, Id rather remember Hodge for the way he played rather than focus on matters that happened off the court. Not saying I agree with what happened or sticking up for him, just choose to remember the player.

Milhouse, I noticed that error too (if you are looking at the same stats as me in the sidebar). The free throw percentage and three point percentage for the whole team was swapped around. So you are actually looking at his 3P%, which is none too shabby. As far I can make it out, his FT% in 1992 was 77%.

I just don't buy the Hodge = God argument. Hays was a genuine star in his time. You might be able to ignore Hodge's off court attitude, failure to train, self centred antics and style of play, and in the end minimal input into Sixers history, but those are part of the reason why I would put the other Sixers imports I have mentioned well above Hodge. You have questioned Hays' inclusion, which you dismiss out of hand despite my reasoned response (and without dealing with the matters I raised at all), but I notice you didn't question any of the others.

Hodge had some excellent skills, which I certainly am not trying to take away from him, but he had some massive flaws, both on and off the court. I liked him while he was here, but am not sad to see him go, and don't think he will ever be half as good as he believes he is (and tells everyone else).

Knowing what you now know about Hodge, if you still would choose to take Hodge c.2009 over Hays c.1991 as your first choice import, good on you. I personally would take Hays.

Millhouse
"yeah you are tripping balls. Put Hodge on that 92 team with 4 other players averaging over 16 ppg and Hodge would get 9 ast with his eyes closed."

yeah, Hodge would have done that at a ripe old age of 9 years old.

i wouldnt want him back. He pretty much cost us any chance......and we have won nothing with him.
If he had played a full season with us and we had won a championship, then he could be mentioned in the same breathe as other 36ers legends