I think Gibbo is a MUST retain . Playing fantastic bball this season and plays good D. Depending on Johnson salary i would be if he stays or goes. Good shooter but frustrates me with ball hogging and little D .

FWIW i think we have the team that coul get on a massive roll. Hell we need to !

Yes, Gibson is a must. Would be insane to move him on voluntarily.

I don't think the Playoff dream is over at all....we just have to believe in the team and support them, players AND coaches.

You're dreaming Marcus. It IS over. Belief in something does not make it real.

With Clarke at the helm we will never win enough games to make the finals. He has consistently shown that he doesn't have to knowledge to close out games and use his players to their strengths.

Gruff...

If belief doesn't lift the players, getting boo'ed by your own fans @ home certainly won't either.

Fans just need to stand in unison say they still believe in and trust the club...Top to bottom.

Yeah, keep Gibbo if we can. He's good, he just can't carry our woeful backcourt. Put a good player next to him and we will have a great backcourt.

The players we have are all fine, we just need that one guy who has the quickness and ball-handling to break down good defence and create for others.

Hopefully this Christopherson kid can do this and we might still have a chance at the playoffs. But I have to agree with other comments that grabbing a tried NBL player like Homicide would have been smarter.

Marcus Camby, at first your blind love for Marty was kind of amusing in a childish way, but now it's just getting stupid.

Level with us here...you are Mark Radford aren't you? He's the only guy I know left in SA who still has love for Marty.

I was posting here to plead against 'Sack Marty' threads DURING the game.

Unless Mark had a 3G tablet or smart phone on him, I cannot be him.

Alas, I was too late to stave off 'Sack Marty' threads as there was already one BEFORE the game finished which I thought was uncalled for (even more uncalled for than a 'Sack Marty' thread after the game).

Hog75...also Marty has the support of all the players as well.

That must mean something, musn't it?

If it were a Dwama / Van Gundy or D-Will / Avery Johnson scenario...then yes, I would declare that the situation was untenable.

Relax champ, it was a joke. Of course you're not Mark, although for all the good he does, he may as well be posting here during the game.

Please don't embarrass yourself any further though by declaring ever again that Marty has the support of all the players. FACT: that may be the public face of it, but that's all, and yes I do know.

Think about it - these are not D-Will salaries we're talking here. None of the players is stupid enough to come out publicly and declare they want the coach sacked. These guys can't afford to jeopardise their careers like that.

I'm really confused - you write like an adult, yet some of your opinions are so embarrassingly naive that you surely can't be.

Anon'719...

What causes more Sack Marty discussion, my observation or 'Sack Marty' threads?

Why do people keep mentioning Williams? Has a job AFAIK and not going to play for the money available. Also, given Petrie's back, the import needs to be SG/SF or Weigh has to play 35+ MPG.

Ideally, start Gibson at PG, import at SG. Then Cadee in, Gibson to SG, import spells Weigh at SF, etc.

Gibson is a really nice player. You wouldn't get rid of him. He is a defensive beast.


Personally though, and this is just my opinion, I think the idea of an Import PG/Madgen combination is a lot more fearsome than the Gibson/Cadee combination.

The way I see it, a lot of teams are really able to target Cadee..They pressure him and all he seems to do is just pass around the perimeter. Also, they are aware that he doesn't do much in terms of creating shots etc. that they don't even need to be worried about him.

Last night, he was guarded by Corletto, Bruton and Webster -- 3 defenders who, let's be honest, are really sub-par in terms of lateral quickness. Still, I didn't see Cadee do anything (1/3 FG, 2 points).

To be fair, import plus Madgen is going to cost more too.

My issue with Cadee is that he brings up the ball, then usually doesn't set anything up; it's quickly moved on. Gibson is the one dishing the assists. So, what's his purpose?

For all the Gibson-not-a-PG talk, he started at PG on championship teams at South and Brisbane, right?

Yea next season i want the starting back court to be an import with either Gibson or Madgen, (or both Gibson and Madgen) even if its a cheap import like Gilchrist or Dorsey,

I love Gibson and hope they lock him in before free agency even begins, but would also love Madgen. If given the choice id also take Madgen over Gibson, especially if Gibson looks likely (or even half a risk) to move on anyway and Madgen is ready to comit.

If you let go say Weigh and Crosswell could you fit in Madgen and min salary import to replace them? That way you get both Madgen and Gibson which is the ideal.

How good would a team of (below) be?

Schenscher/Vasiljevic (or who ever)
Johnson/Petrie
Creek/Min salary import (Dorsey)
Madgen/Min salary import (Farley)
Gibson/Cadee

(if points cap is an issue go with one import)

This years roster is good but i reckon that roster is even better.

However from the way Madgen talks in interviews its probably unlikely we will get him to leave the kings, so its probably a non issue as far as chosing between Madgen and Gibson if you cant fit both in.

Even if we cant get Madgen id like us to get a good import scorer, I'd go for Ervin (play him as sg) to start in the backcourt with Gibson, and get either Weigh or another aussie (?Brad Hill) to back up sf with what salary/points are left over.

I just dont think Cadee is ready to start in the NBL, to me he is currently a 15-20 min a game back up pg, cant always get minutes based on potential, Creek was better and was playing less,so why should Cadee?

So if we cant get Madgen and keep Gibson, id like to see a line up of'

C Schenscher/Vasiljevic (or who ever we can fit in)

PF Johnson/Petrie

SF Creek/?Weigh (on a cheaper deal) or Hill or whoever we can fit in

SG Import scorer (a combo guard like Ervin)/min salary cheap import athletic sg/sf like Dorsey

PG Gibson/Cadee

To me thats also better than this years team, with just a few tweaks, and fairly realistic with salary/points caps

but as said by many the roster isnt really the issue, but i would make minor tweaks as i have listed above, but the first move should be change coach.

I think many would be happy to keep the exact same roster with a new coach, and most of us hope the coach change happens before the end of this season.

As far as coach, not really sure never been a huge fan of Joyce or Wright, would take either right now, but not sure if i want them for the medium/long term so if going for an nbl experienced coach leaves guys like Smyth, Westover, Gleeson, Stacker,Molloy to me all have many pros and cons, ill go for Molloy, Stacker or Gleeson, maybe a combo of 2 of those guys if that can be done.

Stacker and Molloy are still involved in high level coaching since leaving NBL and Gleeson coached NBL last season, dont think Smyth has done too much high level coaching since leaving the 36ers, as much as i was a fan of his, and not sure what Westover has been upto, but not the biggest fan of his so wouldnt personally pick him.

Who would others pick as next coach and potential rosters for next season?

Even Retaining Gibson and going out and getting Madgen or an Import SG is an upgrade.

Cadee is not up to NBL starter standard IMO, but he does have a future ahead of him.

I don't see Madgen switching from a great club, to the worst club in the league anytime soon.

Madgen has said he'd like to be a one-club player.

I'd favour Gibson over him just because point guards are hard to come by.

Cadee is def worth keeping as he will only get better.

Marcus camby, I agree that belief is a massive part of sport and sport psychology. But mate, if you can't see that the players are not playing for their coach we must be watching different games. There comes a point, especially when winning is a priority when you look at the problem, consider all solutions and ask yourself "am I the only one who can't see what everyone else is talking about?" At this stage I think it's pretty safe to call that we won't be playing play offs. This is very disappointing and I don't say it lightly. But I think we are buggered.

I think Clarke has buy-in from the players, he's just selling them the wrong thing.

While only yesterday ; 'If 36ers don't win on New years eve , then 2013 will be an unlucky year for the coach , marty clarke. ' story on Ch2 TV news .

Guys... you are all speculating about who to bring in and who to give the @ss, and the season is one week after the ALL-STAR break ffs.

And you wonder why the players don't play with fire and passion?

They're probably thinking I'm playing for myself and my contract when they see and hear talk like this.

Not even in the Ozhoops TOWNSVILLE thread do they have this (except for Ben Allen).

Bucketman...Do I believe the playaz are playing for their coach?

I believe they are trying to under VERY difficult circumstances, however it falls over when :

1) They have little confidence that the ball will get to them at the right time / place from other players.

2) They have little confidence that they will get help on D.

3) Their fans want them gone by half way through the season.

Im pretty sure Madgen is contracted next year.

I think Adelaide will get close to the playoffs this year, Sydney and Wollongong will come back to the pack a bit, but it will take a huge effort to pass them with the headstart they have.

The 36ers players I have spoken to have huge belief in what they are doing, which is producing great basketball in patches, so if Christopherson can be the contributor Massingale wasnt the team will pick up quite a few wins in the second half.

I hope so, id love nothing more to see the team get on a run and make the playoffs, just not all that confident it will happen.

Cant see Madgen coming back. Read an article that he said he felt he owed Sydney by taking him on when no one else did and loves it there and the coach.

Madge must love the Heal has the confidence in him to draw plays for him.

He won't repay that by leaving.

Just like Newley and Ingles, the Sixers have probably missed the boat on Madgen too.

I'd love to know why we didn't sign him. I could see he was going to be good a few games into his first season with the Kings.

Did the Sixers just not rate him, or did he want more money than they thought he was worth at the time?

Madgen was paid $10,000 in his 1st year at the Kings and had to rely on handouts from alot of people so he has done extremely well !

Beantown, was already committed to Hill for that year (play similar positions) and didn't really outplay him in the ABL. His numbers there weren't outstanding. Kings didn't have him in their main rotation either initially. Looks bad now, but potentially understandable at the time.

Newley and Ingles however, before they were signed, were a touch more prodigious. Newley especially was considered the next big thing. Ingles exploded on debut, etc.

Hill , Ng and Herbert plus imports had his role covered