Boi ya the man must be injured seeya mate don't let the door kick you in the ass. Time to find a sf scorer pretty sure they have some one on the way already

agreed. He cost us the game. Does anyone know how much he got paid to throw that game?

Too soon to call E and I hope emotion doesn't drive the responses on this post. Step away from the laptop and let some of the disappointment of the loss subside before making calls for further sackings.

He's been reasonably steady all year and had two stand out games but he was always going to play the role of the third - fourth option on offense and he has delivered that (until tonight).

He screwed up in this game but unlike previous imports he will know that and adjust. If he plays like he did tonight for the next 2-3 games then I will agree that he's on thin ice.

Up until tonight he had found a way to contribute even when he wasn't scoring. But tonight was frigging pathetic. That stretch in the fourth was the difference between a win and a loss. He also looked unfit, and really old. Bon voyage Troy.

Big Ads, finally a level head instead or emotional dribble.

Not sure why Bo-ti has been giving it to him so much previously.
I think the pressure was on him to perform.

Just let him relax and play his natural game and he is a very handy player for this team.

Not selfish, can score in many ways.

With Carter, DJ & Ng all showing excellent offensive play and with Holmes getting back to his best I dont think you need another big scorer.

Just need to keep the ball running through the new import and balls more often in the 4th Q!!!

Clearly injured and not up to the pace at the minute. Hard when the best that can be said about your game tonight is you gave Dinger, Rhys and Shannon a sub. Harsh call but if his injury is as bad as it sounds, he could be sent packing. A shame because he's a top bloke but being a good guy isn't enough in professional sport.

Can anyone else remember Adelaide ever cutting both imports mid-year?

E- totally on the money- i called it early- the guy is a CRAP PLAYER!!

It seems to me he knows that his job is on the line and tried to make thinks happen

He has been gradually getting worse and we cannot afford to carry him any longer. He cost us tonights game..........he should have passed it off rather than taking 4 shots in a row with the game on the line.

i must admit after watching it at the pub and sinking a few beers my comments were very emotion based. He has been good but its so disappointing how easily we could have won that. Can anyone explain why balls was subbed off when he was on fire? He was pulling boards down like it was a play off game. Good to see our shooting has picked up with ninja and carter......what can i say that guy week after week proves his worth

Yeah its ugly how people are prone to react on forums after the obvious has just played out on live tv, but all harsh words etc aside, Devries isnt the import the 6ers need. He must be released, this is a performance driven industry, and be it injuries or not, this guy isnt what the team needs. Imagine even throwing a Larry Abney type in this lineup with Shannon, and all of a sudden you have a very hard team to defend. SOS we all know you guys read the forums, sift through the emotion, but relaize he point, Troy Devries isnt up to it, and the season is very much alive after you recruiyed so well with Eddie Shannon...UTILISE HIS SKILLS and compliment him.

Holmes defensive rebound was push first push second and not get called for a foul

Devries was poor in the last quarter tonight, but it is important to remember that the shots he took were a result of Shannon not being able to create a good shot for Ballinger or anyone other teammates down the stretch.

That is understandable because he must have been exhausted, but the ball started with him and he didnt make things happen. Of course, I think that will change when he gets his legs under him.

As for Devries, if that injury isnt coming good and there is a good player available (not a 50/50 proposition like Winder or Tyndale etc) then it would be wise to make a move.

But if there isnt a better player available it would be wise to remember the Sixers just came mighty close to beating the unbeatable and it isnt time to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

"E- totally on the money- i called it early- the guy is a CRAP PLAYER!!"

Nope. He is a quality player. But he is also an injured player and a player who you could certainly claim lost us the game tonight.

I agree that the time is now to make a move if there is a suitable replacement, keeping in mind I'm not usually one of the fickle ones to call for an import's head after one poor game.

Fizzle, Larry Abney would be a horrible fit, just like every other of the thousand power forwards suggested this season. A swingman is needed, and feel free to claim that I am sleeping with this man after defending him for weeks now, but I would be 100% in favour of throwing Freeman in DeVries' place if he becomes available. Only issue there would be outside shooting, and a question mark over Creek's ability to play the two (which I am confident in myself).

Too quick to lay the blame solely on Devries guys. The reason he was taking all those shots was because Shannon gave the ball up - either because he was too tired (as Paul suggests) or because of his lack of knowledge of plays and his team mates preferences. (Not knocking Shannon, he just hasn't had time to settle in yet).

When the ball ended up in the hands of Balls/ Ng/ Holmes in the last couple of mins, they passed up shots and the ball ended up in Devries hands, who rightly felt he needed to make something happen with the shot clock running out.

So he struggled to make shots and it cost us the game, but IF he can get his injury right soon, I think you might see his shooting % go back up with a REAL PG feeding him the ball in positions where he can be successful - ie catch and shoot or a curl to the basket off a screen. Up 'til now, he has been forced to try to beat his man off the dribble all season and its just not his game.

From what I have seen and read, he's struggling. He does put in the effort though. I'd say give it a couple of games and see if he feeds of Shannon and plays how we use to see him play as a shooter. I also think we should still sent people out to look for a replacement for that couple of weeks down the track.

If you honestly think Troy is a crap player, then obviously you dont know basketball.
This guy tries his heart out which is more than I could say for Winder. Troy has heart.
I saw Winder rolling on the floor(and the crowd groaning) yet saw DeVries get hit hard and bounce straight back up.

We all talk about scoring but its a little more than that. Brad Hill made some major flounders last week yet because we won, thats ok isnt it?

DeVries and Carter work well with each other, why? The are great at assists and while dont control the floor, have a presence. Get off his back!

Guys you are all missing the point.
De Vries had been a non factor all game until his horror stretch. I don't know why he was out there??? Ng was out there because he was hot. Hell if you could only get him more open looks? Johnson would have at least made something happen in the paint.
De Vries is a catch and shoot merchant, period. He is not a put it on the floor get to the hoop type. Same goes for Carter.
Ng, Carter (when not handling ball) and DeVries are now one player (Shannon on board). De Vries probably no better than the other two, so might as well get some help up front.
But last night coach should not have had him out there in the clutch where open looks are harder to get without penetration of some kind.

He struggled. His main weapon is his shot and it hasnt worked all season.

But his 'horror stretch' is a figment of people's (A Gaze) imagination. He took three shots late in the last quarter, two of them were with 3 left on the shot clock.

The other he got to the hole but couldnt finish, and maybe you could say he shouldnt have taken that but their offence wasnt getting anything better.

Realistically, late in the game they should have been running pick and rolls/pops with Shannon at the top of the key, not trying to create through ball movement against the intense defence.

Devries did not lose this game for Adelaide.

However, that doesnt change the fact his shot isnt working, and that he can no longer do the things he was doing to compensate for that - create for others, score in the lane - due to his injury.

He is an import, playing a game that we can get from an aussie.

Cut him.

Why was he on the court??
Clarkes combinations were all wrong if a guy who struggled all game was thrown into it to win it 4 them!

Blame the coach!!

Lucky for Balls he didn't miss any in the final minutes because you guys would be asking for his head too.

You must win games but you must also lose games. 2 Points to the gong in the gong most teams would regard that as a win.

Blame the coach for him forcing up layups and missing them?

Disappointing loss in such a winnable game.
The Liz Cambage Spectacular now on ABC TV is cheering me up. - A superbeing from somewhere else.

Except for that early 3, De Vries was clearly down on confidence and things were not going for him.
Shannon was getting into the swing of things in that second half, Ng and Carter were the two hot hands for Sixers. But they both have to be wide open to be effective. Neither can put it on the floor and create their own or a shot for someone else.
De Vries could not get your team over the line, but I don't think in this game he should have even been given the chance.
Now he is in an even bigger hole psychologically.

*sigh*. Yes, he cost us the game with crappy plays at the end. However he's still been a decent contributor for the most part.

I wouldn't call for canning him yet. He just needs to rope it in and not assume we need the import to go off on a tangent. If Balls had been passed the ball instead of such crappy attempts at the lay-in, then everything would have been fine.

Hopefully Clarky can get that into his head.

Put Devries on injury waivers for four weeks,bring in Hugh Greenwood and if Devries fail to deliver after 4 week injury break then keep one import(shannon)and build team around a veteran,the australian guards that sixers have can learn alot from shannon.

He's injured, clearly. WHy play an injured player when Ng can step up, he used to fill in when Brett was injured. Bite the bullet and make him rest, from what i hear (we dont get onehd) ng played well last nite and im sure carter could take some 2 spot while devries recovers. just my opinion.

I agree, why keep harping on about his injury and at the same time continue to play him? Just stand him aside until he recovers because in the meantime while he is on court injured, he is ruining the game. Would have been interesting to see what the result in the Wollongong game would have been had he not hit the court. Surely anyone else in the team having taken his minutes would have contributed more. We did not need much more in that game.


Having said all this, whilst it would have been a bonus to win that game, the 36ers lost it by 2 points to a ladder leading team, away fom home, with an injured import and a brand new one only having stepped off the plane 24 hours earlier. They also outscored Wollongong in 2 or the 4 quarters. There's a lot of positives to be gained from that. Hope it translates to a turnaround for the remainder of the season.

Well I think it would have been a different outcome if Creek was playing. Maybe Devries would not have got so much court time. We did well for a loss and only see upside from this game. Keep Devries and get him healthy he will repay the trust in the finals/ end season.

We now have a good team and can't wait for next game at the dome.

Dont remember DeVries being any good at West Syd. and have not seen him look anything like the shooter he is supposed to be here.
Dont know how finances work with these imports but if going cost a lot of money to replace then rest him or give him sparingly time off the bench.
Hope Creek can put some games together.
Clarke has had team playing competitive b.ball but he has done what Scotty did last year give out of form players crunch time court play trying to get them to show something.
It didnt work with Groves last year or this year with Winder or DeVries

I beg to differ in opinion BTM, Scott's patience evenually showed positive results. I recall Groves found form eventually, I think it was the last game the Sixers played at home last season.