Thats your opinion Anon!

Congratulations DJ and the club! Was a key signing in my opinion for the future of the club so well done to them for getting it done before FA and well done to DJ for showing faith in this ball club.

Creeky next?

I disagree. I think he will become the best centre in the league by the end of that 3 years.

great news!

Disagree too anon - I think he will be one of the hardest centers to match up against in the coming years if he continues his progress and strength/defensive development.

Great signing and I'm pleased with it.
I hope Mitch Creek is locked in for 3 years also.
I also hope to see Diamon Simpson return.

This kid will be ripping the league apart within 2 years.
This is a massive coup for the club.
What a piece to build around, i am excited

That is a surprise he signed so early. Must have been given a great deal.

Great signing by the Sixers as he is only going to get better.

I wonder if he has a European out clause in the contract

Great signing, i thought we'd be lucky to keep him in the league let alone have him playing for us for 3 years, cos after that and if his development keeps up, he is gone (europe, possibly NBA)

Wow, I expected it to be a long drawn out process from rumors floating around...

Finally some STABILITY, something to build on by locking up our club MVP. Pair him with a strong defensive 4 man and we'll have one of the best front courts in the league - very happy with this signing!

Only 23 with his best years still ahead of him. Fantastic signing.

DJ won't make Europe, nowhere near NBA. I do see him as a good NBL player, but not a great one.

He simply does not know how to play defence either one on one , or in a team rotation. He should by now, Creek does. I don't see Clarke making that happen.

He needs a coach that does not whine to the refs every five minutes, but who simply demands that the players take over the game, and keep control of themselves, just as the coach does.

Great News to hear,now get Creek signed and Simpson too asap,DJ has improved having simpson on his side they are young and work well together.Creek will come of age and show his u18 form within next two years of NBL.

great news...now be interesting to see how much $$$ is left to throw at Simpson or Creek as i don't think we can afford both!

Creek would need a 2 to 3 year back ended deal and Simpsons value would be alot more than it was at the start of the season.

Good signing.. definitely the player you want to build around.

Nice to see him show some faith in the club too (unless it was an offer he couldn't refu$$$e)

People need to understand what this means for us as a club. There is no other player that is up and coming that you would want or more importantly would come to the 36ers. 7 footer with his talent coming out of college is not coming to Australia full stop, Do you think an Import/American 7 footer with his talent would be looking at offers of around 100 K to come to Australia? Much more money i would suggest!
He is a believer in things to come and his coaches.
Some big news to come in the future as well.
Issac please put a wanker filter on your forum! You know who they are.

Very good signing, well done by the club getting it done so quickly after the end of their season.

Great signing, well done to the club for securing DJ so quickly.

Defence and a bit more toughness to deal with opponents physical play are the only thing DJ lacks and with some hard work, there is no reason he can't improve both.

I agree with you Trevor, DJ could be the best centre in the league in years to come. Right now, the only centre I'd consider taking instead of him is Khazzouh and even then it'd be close.

Lets hope those regular SOS bashers on here are willing to post something positive now that something good has happened!

This is an excellent signing, and very well timed.

DJ has areas he can work on to improve his game. And he will. A serious criticism was always levelled at Chris Anstey that his defence (other than shot blocking) was not great and that he was afraid of working in the keyway. Didn't stop him being dual league MVP and taking his team to the grand final three years running.

I would choose DJ, at 23, any day of the week to build a future team around. It would be nice to pair him with a strong defensive minded centre/forward going forward and a playmaking PG with a good drive and dish.

GREAT SIGNING especiaslly so early, great to see him improve each year. now signed Creek up for 3 aswell an we got some real good pieces in place then build around that.

So happy this is stitched up early an not drawn out with rumours from other clubs

Put some D around him and this is a great, long term signing. Shows his confidence in the club. 16 and 7 is a good statistical base to build on if he can add to his offensive options and improve his D.

Totally agree with you XY and almost posted the same comparison to Anstey. He used to get pushed around and was pretty suspect on D as a young player too. DJ has every bit the athleticism Anstey had and I think can be even better offensively. All he needs to show is the same drive for success Anstey had and he will be a dominant NBL player.

Play him at the 4!

Fantastic news, especially since alot of clubs would've been interested. Props go out to the club for not beating around the bush and getting it done ASAP. Quite sure Creek and DJ are good mates as well (played ABL at South together) so hopefully that is another bargaining chip in getting Mitch! Well done Sixers!

Great signing by the Sixers, onwards and upwards

Hey I like Trigger, but he's as suspect on D as DJ.. Not a good fit I'd think.

Khazzouh's hinted he'll entertain offers, imagine that pairing!!

you would assume too that clarke will be there he, Johnson has credited Clarke & Radford with improving him, you would think that Clarke being here may have been part of his reason for staying. or is that too much of an assumption to make.

I think Tragardh would be surplus alongside Johnson (and vice versa).

Outside of extenuating circumstances (e.g., Ballinger signing cheap and having an existing brand in SA, or Helliwell signing cheap and low points), almost every signing from here has to be accompanied by "Is this guy bringing defense to the team?" And I think team defense is just as important as one-on-one defense.

The other challenge is local content. Newley and Ingles will stay overseas. Holmes and Forman are signed. Hill as only just let go. Not sure about Madgen - option? Schenscher has a player option. If Ng is replaced (Bartlett could make a case?), who does that leave?

I wouldn't be getting too excited until we find out how much he is on. Wouldn't be surprised if he's getting so much it screws us from getting Simpson back, and even Creek.

Williamson over Simpson for mine if the Sixers can get it done? Williamson can play inside and out which will only be better for DJ as it will give him more room to operate in the post.Whilst Simpson has been good and I wouldnt be disappointed to have him back I think he is limiting DJ offensively as he can only play in and around the basket and therefore clogs up the key, making them easier to defend. Williamson has the ability to make defences come out and guard him allowing DJ to operate 1 on 1 in the paint where he is practically unguardable or if he is doubled can kick it out to the open man.

Warning to the 36ers:

Don't overpay Creek.

He is a great player, but remember he is just 20 years old.

I wouldn't pay him too much above market price.

I know he has unbelievable potential, but lets keep things in perspective.

If your going to throw 120k at him (like Ive heard some people saying) why not go after someone like Vukona, Bose, Crawford, Delly (try lure him back)

I mean sure they might not get those players, but why not at least try to lure some of these players before making a hastily decision.

good to see u re-signing all the players who brought u back 2 back wooden spoons!!!

Gaze called DJ aussies Dirk Nowitski. Thats big wraps. If he works on his 3 ball maybe he might get a training camp?

I agree Macdub, Creek needs to work on his game especially his shooting but has great potential in the long term but you don't want to be buying a player and paying him what he's worth "if" he becomes the player he should be

Just a thought with Creek: is it worth trying to turn him into a Damien Martin. Martin can't shoot at all, but it doesn't stop him. Creek has pretty good handle, and can definitely defend a 1 or 2 up the court? He passes pretty well too.

Great news. Tall, agile, good ball carrier skills, shooting. ticks a lot of boxes.

In reference to the D around him. Imagine the Sixers team with help D in the form of Vukona's D.

Creek is probably on $60k per season for the last few seasons so I reckon we could get him for about $90k for two seasons. I wouldn't offer him $120k at this stage.

I would like to see the team use Creeks abilities in the post. If he is guarded by a point guard or Shooting guard he will be too athletic and strong. If he has a big on him he has the speed to go past them. Instead we have him wasting away in the corners hoping he hits a 3. Once we start using his strengths then we will start to see his full potential.

Totally agree with you Mystro/ MACDUB, whilst I want to see Creek resigned, he is still a project and we cannot afford to overpay him. Any idea what Abercrombie was on for his first few seasons?

Hopefully Creek will be carefully handled by Sixers management. Ie, make it clear early that there is a roster spot for him and that they see him as a big part of their plans down the road, but also that other marquee signings must take priority over him right now (spec. starting PG, PF & SG spots).

As long as a young player feels valued and that they will have a growing role in the team, I think most would be realistic about what they deserve to be paid.

Hopefully Creek is one of those players.

tropical booz we didnt win back to back spoons

great news.

now for a proper point guard. this is a big part of where we fall down as a team.

how is markovic doing in europe? is he any chance of returning or not??

very glad to see johnson signed but we need to make a big step up in who we rotate through those c/ pf positions. im a massive simpson fan and want him back but we cannot have

c-7ft (dj)

pf- 6.8 6.8 (simpson/ balls)

sf rotating to a pf spot sometimes

6.8 weigh 6.7 creek.


just way too big a gap in size for anyone to defend any player in the league with height.

cant defend talls cant defend smalls either, our guards are very weak with herbert the only one and he doesnt offer too much overall.

so we need to bring in a good strong pg, can pass, control and guard. priority #1

priority #2 upgrade on helliwell more height and defense around the block that can actually play back up minutes to dj and our pf.

we have a surplus of 6.7ish guys ( weigh creek balls) weigh and balls are particularly spot up shooters ( although balls can score down low). this hamstrings us a little bit.

Bean, Abercrombie would've probably started on peanuts, even knowing that the Breakers paid well. He was basically shunned over at college and ignored before coming back and developing very quickly. His contract would've improved drastically since then.

Damian Martin's shot improved a couple of years ago (to 49% 3P!) but has dropped back a bit since. 39% FG and under 25% 3P I think.

Another comparison might be Boucher who gets by purely on hustle, confidence, etc. Vukona is also undersized but has that uncanny knack on the boards - I don't know if Creek quite has that.

i dont know. was a champion player but with so long out of the game...

could regain some of that form but i would imagine it would take a fair chunk of the season and just one setback that costs him more than a couple of weeks would likely see his best truly in the past. has been a great player and i hope the nbl is fair in the way they evaluate his ratings. must surely be allowed to be rated as a bench player so we can put a team together and keep him on for impact off the bench as he gets in together.

Good signing and for a good time period for his age. Nice to see the SOS act early on some signings as well with the April early bird deadline so close!

I dont think this would have to do with Clark staying or going or is Clark expecting to stay for 3 more years as well!!
Personnally get a good coach that can motivate DJ more and push him past the bit of arrogance he seems to display now and he will only impress more and more.
I'd like to keep Simpson and have both him and DJ train together for the off season if they can learn a bit of each others game and attitudes (simpson shooting, DJ gaining Simpsons determination) then they will make a great combination in the future.

People keep going on about Williamson but he is unproven. To drop a good player like Simpson for an unknown with the way imports have been lately is a risky idea if Williamson turns out he had it only during Pre-Season.

The reports on Williamson were on what he had done the year before in the VTB United League, which features the best clubs from the old Soviet Union.

He played alongside Jamar Wilson (who led the comp in scoring) and performed at a similar level (17p and 9r). Brad Newley played against him and compared him to former King Chris Williams.

While you never know until they play in the NBL style, given how well he played against some of the best European clubs (33p at 50% and 21r in two games against CSKA Moscow) it was a fair chance he would have been a very good player here.

OOI, he has just signed to play in Venezuela.

BTW, great effort to sign Johnson for three years. My two cents worth on the Simpson v Williamson debate is the Sixers desperately need someone who can guard mobile PFs, especially if Ballinger is re-signed.

If Williamson is that guy and wants to sign again I would look at him. If not, Simpson knows the league and has shown he can be effective in it. But if he is brought back then good defensive perimeter players must be high on the recruiting list.

Yep great signing, and much quicker than I thought. Now get Simpson.

Heard on 7news that Sixers are looking at 2 new imports,if thats going to happen ,it will be rebuilding again,nah i dont want that ,we have done better in 2nd half of the year with this group lost a few close games,we need to retain core of the group and get a quality guard and a fit fresh ballinger resumes will be good.

Retain

Johnson
Creek
Simpson
Weigh
Crosswell
NG
Ballinger
NEW PG IMPORT LIKE LISCH OR WILSON
garlepp or 6.8 player Laing??
guard

Out
warren
herbert
daly

Have a young team with two veterans .

i doubt simpson would want to come back after the way he was treated by the coaching staff which is a great shame. i enjoyed watching him play because he always gave everything he had when he was on court. its great we got johnson for 3 years and would like to see creek signed as well

Just quietly Clark needs to go.
This signing is completely pointless if we still have a coach who cant coach.

What could any other coach get out of someone like Simpson. I pity us next year with this idiot at the helm and DJ trying to defend Simpson

Muzz Buzz we won the wooden spoon twice in the last 3 seasons with 2nd from bottom for the in between season. That is close enough to a 3 peat. tropical booze, I thoroughly agree with you. Lets get back the whole team and coaches and have a mirror image of this season for next season. After all, how much improvement has Clarke made from his 1st year to his 2nd? Looking at DJ's improvement in stats from one year to another under Clarke may make Clarke look good for developing him but with a so much improved DJ in the 2nd year under Clarke, why the wooden spoon? My first thought on this quick and seemingly premature signing of DJ for the next 3 years could only come from offering him big money leaving less for the players who will complete the roster and giving you less buying power in trying to secure a player from another club or overseas. DJ is not the player who is going to turn around the club's fortunes. For all those who talk about DJ having confidence in Adelaide by signing for 3 years, how much confidence do you need when the price is right.

From the words of Leeane Grantham

"DJ is an important element of the team and to have him sign for a further three years shows his faith in the direction of the Club."

Aaaaand the glass is half-empty again...

Can't bring yourself to even say something positive about DJ's signing EC?

So who would YOU sign that WOULD turn around the Sixers fortunes then?

i agree with bk with the treatment given to simpson but have gut feeling that the clark has offered williamson for a place for the following year.

Club re-signs it's 23 year old 7 foot MVP with major upside in strength and defence and it's 'premature'? Hmmmm.......

EC

Hate to sound so pessimistic

Great signing, very happy with it.

EC, how much has DJ been paid?

Obviously too much. Why would he sign otherwise? We're going to have DJ, Weigh, Crosswell and then seven clones of Warbout. Crosswell is also going to run the Twitter feed and MC whenever he's on the bench.

I have it from a pretty good source that Diamon had trouble remembering the Sixers plays. Could have a big bearing on the often stagnant and ineffectual offense as well as his future signing.

Think they all struggle with plays especially remembering last home game 2.5 secs play after time out Bartlett throws ball into nowhere --turnover -- game

That's interesting if true Bake. While I like Simpson and think his physical game complemented DJ's finesse game, this would finally be a rational explanation as to why the coach kept benching him.

I don't think Diamon was alone in failing to run plays effectively on the Sixers though. That is one of many areas we need to see improvement in. I can't remember the last time I saw a Sixers team that was able to execute plays to consistently get its shooters open!

Bake if thats true I think it might be more of an excuse from the coaching team than anything else. Not one player on the team looked like they knew what a play was for the majority of the season. I wonder who Clark would blame for his first horrible season..who was it that couldnt remember the plays before Simpson?

All you hear from Clark is excuses excuses excuses about why he cant coach. If your players cant remember plays what are YOU doing to fix it Clark. Benching the highest scoring player might mean YOU need to change your strategies and plays...but wait once again we never had any sooooo

Isaac, I don't know how much DJ was offered but I don't think it is all bad news based on guesses.

Lets say DJ was on $120k and they offered him $150-$160k for 3 years I think he would have taken that. So lets say it was $160k so that is an extra $40k.

Ballinger was reportedly on $200k and probably will only be offered $100k so that is $100k we have spare. With the $40k extra to DJ that leaves $60k spare.

DJ might have got more in which case it is a Ballinger DJ swap in salaries and therefore wont have a huge effect on the money we have left.

So it is probably $300k (at the most) for DJ + Ballinger leaving $700k for the other players. Weigh probably on $120k so $580k for the other 7 players (1 being a development player = $40k)

6 players with $540k to spend.

2 imports x $120k (I like that number) = $240k

Crosswell maybe $70k

$230k left for 3 players. If we can get Ng and Helliwell cheap then we can get another high profile player.

Anyway these are all guesses but if I am close to being right then the signing of DJ for more money will not have a dramatical effect on the signing of other players

Skud, while I agree with you that the coach needs to get the players to understand the plays, its unfair to characterise what Bake has passed on through an unofficial source as Clarke trying to make excuses.

Unless you happen to know that Bake's source is in fact Clarke himself, then its highly unlikely Clarke or his staff know anything about the above comment.

I think the most important thing to take from Bake's comment (if you are inclined to believe it as I am) is just what he said: that Simpson's inability to remember the playbook may mean we don't bring him back next season.

Personally i would like to see to the 36ers double up some cashish on one import spot.

I am talking a true leader/ bums on seats guy ( Think Julius with out the attitude) That can play as a combo guard.

That means perhaps running an 8 deep roster instead of 10

Great signing, first positive step for the sixers next season. DJ was awarded most improved player, I don't think so?. He allways had the talent & showed it for the tigers when anstey was out but this is the first season the sixers have used him correctly at position and with minutes and he has shown what he can do when allowed!!!. Lets hope the rest of the team matches up.

And Ervin would be on $500k in europe.

I dont think he'd be on that much in Ukraine either. He also wouldnt be nearly as effective in the NBL without so many 40% three point shooters around him like he had at Wollongong.

I don't know how much DJ has been paid but by the super lightening speed that he has put pen to paper for 3 years can only make me suspicious that it might be too much and then we will suffer in making a bid in the near future for a star player. I am happy DJ has re signed. I just hope it was for the right price.

I am not going to say anything more about this topic that may sound pessimistic but to all those who have accused me of it, you need to fulfil a challenge. The challenge is to describe in positive words the feeling of having won a wooden spoon, twice, almost 3 times in just as many years.

thedoctor, the "premature" signing comes from the fact that other clubs are not allowed to talk to him yet. I can only assume he had signed with Adelaide without waiting to see what would be on offer to him from other clubs.

the fact dj didnt wait to see what others teams offered him means he was offered good money, particularly to commit for 3 years. Would be close to 200k a season id say.

I find it amusing that throughout most of last season people were complaining about DJ's talent being wasted by coming off the bench (especially after his explosion after Ballinger went down).

Moving into this season most posters on here seemed to think that the offense needed to start by working through DJ and running from there, given his offensive talent.

Now that he is signed for 3 years (at only 23 years old - plenty of upside/development to come) people are saying that this is a bad or premature signing, I just don't understand the reasoning behind that.

Personally I think re-signing DJ this quickly shows that the club is looking to the future by locking up a talented NBL center who is still yet to hit his peak. Re-signing Creek should be the next target because his ability to play as a SG not only gives us a bit of flexibility, but also helps to lock down a relatively young core (Weigh, DJ, Creek) which we can then fill around with imports and Australian talent.

I would rather deal with a couple of seasons of mediocrity and see the club locking down young talent to grow together and build around, rather than going all out to win now - only to hit a rebuilding phase again in a few years.

Anon, I've already answered that question.

KingJames, I was making fun of EC's pessimism. I don't think they would've overspent and yes, they would be spending some of Ballinger's money essentially.

Isaac forgot to use the sarcasm button again.

There are some posters that you can expect will always be able to find the negative in any positive. Just have to put up with it.

Optimists see the glass as half full, pessimists see the glass as half empty, but smart people just fill the glass up again.

EC - premature for DJ or the club? Two very different things. Not sure why you would want your MVP and league most improved talking to other clubs?

This will really upset a lot of you but have you ever considered that DJ actually likes the Club/Coaches/Adelaide

Nah, that cannot be possible Right!

Ha. Good point ITK.

I find it hard to believe myself, but it has to be considered a possibility.

I feel a whole lot better now 'cause it kinda sounded like he'd rather be playen in finals than in the bottom team..... Seems he's 7 player points now and 9 or 10 points in about a month.

Xy I always find that while the optimist and the pessimist at arguing over the glass the opportunist is drinking the water.

He's got plenty of tools but is not a finsihed product. In 2009 he avergaed 2.7pts and 1.9reb. Pretty swift improvement.

I've done a blog on him today, see link below

http://www.36reasons.net/2012/03/player-spotlight-dj.html

That's a point Camel, how many points will he be worth under the cap? Would he really go straight up to 9 or 10?

Just a bit of info. My information did not come from Marty or his assistant

Here , there used to loyalty points , but NBL don't like that anymore.. I can only guess he's somewhere between 7 and 10 player points.. 'cause I cain't understand NBL jargon on this matter.

thedoctor, premature for DJ because if the right thing has been done, he has no idea what other clubs might have offered him. I thought that was pretty obvious because I backed it up with the fact that other clubs would not be allowed to talk to him yet.

Not sure why you would want your MVP and league most improved talking to other clubs?

The last sentence should read "I made no mention whatsoever about wanting him to talk to other clubs"

EC - so signing DJ wasn't premature from the club's point of view?

"My first thought on this quick and seemingly premature signing of DJ for the next 3 years could only come from offering him big money leaving less for the players who will complete the roster and giving you less buying power in trying to secure a player from another club or overseas"

The above certainly gives the impression that you think the club should have looked at other options first.

As far as DJ is concerned, whether signing for the club now or testing the market is a matter for him and his circumstances. I'm just glad that he wanted to stay, and the club was able to secure him.

Your gripe seems to come from the assumption that the club has spent a huge amount of the cap on him. He would demand a decent salary at any other team given the season he has had and his age and potential to improve further. If the Sixers paid market price for him, I'm happy with that.

The comment that the signing leaves less to chase other players is ridiculous. Isn't that the case with every signing in a salary capped league?

Thedoctor, stop using logic. It hurts our brains!!!1

thedoctor
Earlier this month
14:02 1 Mar 12

Reply #352422
re: DJ to test Free Agency

He's entitled to test the waters. Sixers should pay him what he's worth, not a dollar more.

The above certainly gives the impression that you think the club should have looked at other options first.

My .02c
1) Very happy with the signings thus far. Weigh and Crosswell already contracted, DJ our MVP and now it seems they are working on Creek. This is a good young core to build a team around. Must say I agree somewhat with EC though. These contracted players are not a championship winning team in themselves by any means, they are a base from which you can structure a winning team from with better players. As such if we paid too much for DJ (yes I realize his uniqueness as a young Australian 7 footer with talent, I mean way too much), it may prevent us getting the other components necessary for the flag. This has been our problem with Ballinger, especially if injury strikes. Clarky you say you would rather a few seasons of mediocrity by paying more than we should for the young guys for long term success. Normally I woul agree, but these are not normal times. This club cannot afford more years of mediocrity on the back of a decade of it. What is reasonable, 15 years of rebuilding, 20?
2) Besides these 4 players I think people need to make the case for why we should sign others from the team or look for alternatives. Sorry Observer, but saying we can make a silk purse from a cows ear by replacing Warren, Herbert and Daly? Did you not notice we pretty much have 3 spoons in a row? I realise Ng and Helliwell are probably so cheap that you could not get anything better for the coin, but can Ballinger even play anymore? Who knows its been so long and interrupted since he was a force. Simpson and Warren didn't do the business for us this year, so can't believe they can next, so not sorry to see them move on.

EC - my comment in the other thread is consistent with what I've said above. DJ is free to do what ever he wants, whether that be testing the free agent market or committing to the Sixers.

I'm struggling to see what is 'premature' about it - isn't that a matter for him? The fact that he didn't end up testing the market means he is happy with playing here. That includes his development, the coach and his contract - it's a combination of all of those things.

What I said above and in this thread is that the Sixers should pay him market price.

So, now that you have translated your earlier posts, in summary you are saying "happy with the signing, hope they didn't pay too much".

You could have just said that in the first place.