Who said we lost Schenscher - have not seen him sign anywhere else yet.

Yeh im with BR, although the chances are a bit lower of resigning Schench or burston since the signing of johnson but it could still leave room for schench to be on and alternate between johnson and schench. im probably keeping my hopes up a little but marty clarke is full of surprises

BR, you are right, its possible we are still chasing Schenscher. Boti wrote an article recently that said there is almost nil chance of signing Luke or Burston though. Boti doesn't say why, but I think A might be picking up on the possibility that Johnson came to Adelaide for playing time and wouldn't be happy about coming off the bench behind Schenscher.

I don't know if that is true, but the thought has crossed my mind. Another possibility is that SOS have talked to Luke and he either wants too much money or is still too likely to disappear off to Europe.

I would have thought that SOS would have at least had a serious talk to Luke about returning to the Sixers by now though. I guess we will find out soon enough, but I hope that if the Sixers don't get him, it is because he is off to Europe or something.

He might fit what the Kings are looking for though. They did say they wanted a dominant big man to build around.

Anon, if Schenscher came to Adelaide, it would be Johnson coming off the bench. Not the other way around!

i'm hoping the crocs are after him - we need a big australian!

Doubt he'd be that cheap and will always have aspirations of playing overseas. Maybe his style doesn't fit Clarke's plans? Not sure.

Johnson practicing every day against Schenscher and the development Clarke could provide might also be a factor in his signing

I think it's more important that we have got an under 23 player that will actually play.

the Johnson signing is great if he is a back up, dont like it if he is projected to be the starter and we lose Burston and a chance at Schenscher.

yea i reckon Johnson and Cooper would be of similar points so he could just be coops replacement and fills the U24 spot nicely, could easily get 20mins as back up C/PF.
I personally would like to see them have a crack at Schenscher and Ballinger with Johnson backing them up, i guess it comes down to $$ and if we have enough points to fill the other positions properly

-'Maybe his style doesn't fit Clarke's plans? Not sure.'

The guy two seasons ago averaged 20&10, he is huge drawcard for the Sixers. In that one season with the sixers he was the face of the club(not even by choice) just from the media having an instant attraction to him(which is what the club desperately needs!).

Johnson is 6'11, not much quicker than Schenscher, not a good rebounder and a shocking defender how does this fit into Clarke's plans?

That's it Johnson is only 22, that's why he fits into Clark's plans!

Johnson was scoring very efficiently last season and I'm guessing that the plan might be to unleash him a bit, give him greater opportunities and see if other teams can counter him.

Probably lacks a bit of the D that Burston brings, but Burston wasn't quite threatening to score 20 points each game.

When played more than 20 minutes, Johnson scored in double figures each time bar one (20:13 against Breakers for six points). In games with MPG over 20, he averaged 14.9 PPG.

Schenscher averaged 10 PPG (less than Johnson) in greater minutes. Yes, it was for a stronger team.

A, don't get me wrong - I like Luke, love watching him play and he's a great guy, just looking for explanations for the signings. Clarke isn't primarily concerned with someone being the face of the club, he's building a program and looking to win games. Luke didn't get 20 PPG, he averaged 17 PPG. Last season, I'd guess he had 10 PPG in over 20 MPG. Johnson averaged 15 PPG in games where he got at least 20 MPG (and never more than 30 MPG from memory).

Now, Bevo's plan last year worked. We can say that Perth didn't make use of Luke enough, and Perth fans can claim they don't want him back, but regardless of anyone being the face of anything, the Cats got finals games (revenue, and satisfaction for fans) and they won the championship.

If Clarke's plan is to run with an efficient young centre (in a league where big men are not trendy and where guys like Larry Davidson and Galen Young do enough in the paint for grand final teams) and preserve funds for stronger imports at crucial positions, then are we right to call for him to compromise that plan because Luke is popular with the media and got good numbers under Ninnis?

Johnson would be unlikely to come to Adelaide to play a back-up role. And Burston could get a starting role elsewhere too. I think we'd have to be realistic about who would back up Schensch or Burston in limited minutes and presumably for limited funds. It was Cooper last time, FWIW.

To be fair, there might be limited choices for who to play behind Johnson, but I just wanted to be clear that short of some great fortune, we're comparing Luke/Cooper-type combo not a Luke/DJ combo as Johnson would've just gone to Perth or wherever.

Schenscher (and Burston for that matter) is obviously a far better player at the moment. I'm not sure if the Sixers see DJ as a long term option at 22 years old or what, but given how often players are moving around these days, and the fact that he's from the other side of the country, that would be a bit naive.

So if DJ stays for 10 years and develops into the star he could be then great pick up! But if we're only talking about 2010/11 then I'd much rather have Schensch or Burston. As people have mentioned, DJ is one of the worst defensive C's in the league and a very average rebounder as well. Doesn't complement Balls too well. Actually, a combo with Rolan Roberts would probably be more effective.

Anon, the only place I've seen it mentioned that Johnson came to the Sixers to start was ME suggesting that MIGHT be the reason Schensch or Burston, in Boti's words, have almost nil chance of playing for the Sixers. I don't think there has been any official comment from the club that Johnson has been brought here to start.

IF Schenscher does come here, I don't think many people would expect Johnson to start over him. At this point, Schenscher is a far better all around player. Johnson still has to prove he can play defence and rebound well enough to play 30+ mins as a starter in the NBL. I think there is a good chance he will, but it will probably take a couple of years. In contrast, Luke is capable of being the best centre in the league next season.

i think isaac's theory is right.
get players who can put scoreboard pressure on teams,draw fouls on teams and offensively attack and break down teams.
lets face it,at the five spot in this league you dont have to be a great defender.

Would be silly to sign another immobile centre, if you play them at the same time they will be murdered defensively, so you basically have two 20 minute players.

Much better to get someone who can guard other mobile centres or exploit slower centres, and then some frontcourt insurance ie: Johnson as centre, Ballinger as 4/5, import who can play 3/4, and Mottram-type as a backup in case of injury/foul trouble.

Agreed, i can't believe people are thinking that Johnson would be a starting centre for the Sixers.

From what I heard today Ballinger is in talks with the Sixers and with Johnson could be quite a good program to build around. Doubt we can get Bg Red or keep Burston. Wouldn't be surprised if Newley's name pops up from Europe.

You would imagine Newley would stay in Europe, but after 3 excellent seasons there if there still isnt any interest from the NBA he may want to come home, at least for a few years.

That would be great.

once again I have to say I like DJ's game. I think you guys don't have to worry about his rebounds. He's the kind of player where as long as he get his minutes and points, the rest will come for me (so rebounds will come).

I do agree with his defense not quite up to par yet. however, not many young center come into the game with good D. I think it will come to him over time.

Yep, I agree 100% LA Boy, he is well worth investing minutes in. He will give plenty and his mistakes will be valuable learning for both him and the team as he improves over his time with the Sixers

It will be nice to see a young centre with a big upside come to the sixers for a change. Watching Bradtke, Rogers and to a lesser extent Wheeler, all excel after starting in Adelaide still grates.

Johnson impressed me hugely last season and I hope he can build on that and become a household name. Surely Karma has to look after Adelaide at some point.

Schenscher is talented but I can't help think Europe and the NBA is where he wants to be the next 3-4 years. At that point Johnson might have developed to the point where he too is looking abroad. It would be handy to have Big Red replace Johnson at that time.

DJ IS a true centre, not a PF, and defense is hardly Luke's strong point either. A combo of Balls/DJ is better and more mobile defensively than DJ/Schensch.

IMO Luke is out of the question now. Get a solid defender to back up DJ (Trueman anyone?) and use the points/money on a gun PG and swingman.

you guys seem to really rate Schenscher, I do not at all. Dj was a good signing for the Sixers and if you can retain Ballinger you should be in the hunt next season

bevo used big luke perfectly last season.

when luke came into the league,there was certainly a lot of pressure on the gaurds etc to give him the ball a lot.

he does not seal out very well or finish very well.

best left to his own devices and given the ball after good rotations in offence.

all in all, a big wage for a role player type game!!

dj has good upside and with a 'player developing' new coach and minutes should prove to be a great signing.

Schenscher about $100,000 more than Johnson.
( I'd guess )
Not that we won't spend the cap.

Cant take too much from Luke's performance in HSH, the intensity and defence is considerably below NBL standard.

I have always been a fan of DJ after having seen him play for the Tigers in the Big V competition.

I totally agree with both LA Boy and Paul's comments. Huge upside to DJ's game and I think he is ready to break out given the chance,

mystro- I'm with you. I don't like Schenscher's game as a 7'2" guy. DJ has softer hands and more finesse IMO. not to mention his tremendous athletic ability, off memory he's got a 35"+ vertical!

Another reason I like DJ is because over the last year he has really developed a dunking game. so if you put it with that shot of his...

Johnson with Helliwell - maybe not.
I thought they may have gone up to say 72points for this season.
Dodman - .. not quite there - might've been handy had he been kept.

Id like to see Neil Mottram as a back up. He would add muscle, intensity and aggression. Don't know what he is doing or if he is on the radar. Julius Hodge type player with a jumper plus a point guard would be my 2 imports.