Hard to say till the last couple of spots are snapped up. They have probably gained some ground with the addition of Crawford and Wilson but gone massively down if DJ doesnt come back. Last impoert spot could determine which side is better of the 2 years.

Any news on dj didn't suit for bearcats on Saturday hope not injured with him team clear upgraded

My initial reaction is a fair downgrade. Not a Wilson fan, and the loss of DJ is a big hole but as mentioned we will have to wait for that 2nd import to really know.

Ervin to Wilson is a downgrade. (Arguably?)
Cadee to Crawford is a breakeven short term, downgrade long term.
Losing Johnson is a huge downgrade. Import to replace.
Carter/Frye were handy players, but fairly replaceable.
So, this new import would have to be a league MVP caliber of player for us to be anywhere near a breakeven from last season.

Yeah its going to be tough to match last years team if DJ goes, because that forces us to use our second import on a big man. As we all know, it's going to be virtually impossible to get an import big as good as DJ on NBL money, so we're almost certainly a far worse team just on that basis.

What really compounds this is the loss of both Ervin AND Cadee, because that takes away the number one reason for our success last year: speed!

So not feeling as good about the upcoming season as I was about the last one, but I'll do my bit and buy my season tickets still.

Since DJ's replacement is not yet known, my considerations will exclude that fact that he is gone.

This team is an upgrade from last year.

Wilson is better than Ervin because Wilson plays with control and is a much better floor general. His scoring may not be as much as Ervin but the Sixers have scoring power for him to create for.

Crawford may not be the knock down shooter he once was but that does not mean he can be left alone, and you can't just be there in time for the catch because he can elevate for the shot. Teams will have to respect Crawford which gives even more space for the likes of Wilson and Petrie to operate.

Teys will be another year more experienced so we can expect more from him. I honestly think he will bypass Creek in value to the team sooner than later.

Montreal would be an upgrade on Frye.

Marcus, I don't think Wilson is an upgrade over Ervin. Sure, he might play with more control, but we also need a PG who can actually beat his man most of the time so he can create for others.

Who else on this current Sixers roster is going to create his own offence consistently? Basically no-one.

Ervin was far from perfect last year, but he could make things happen with his speed and his outside shot has definitely improved. It might be that he and Joey didn't get along, so I'm not saying we should've gone for Ervin. I do wish Joey had found a more dynamic, scoring PG though.

If we want to contend for the title like we did last year, we have to have at least one player who can break down the Wildcats defence and I just don't see where we're going to get one unless DJ comes back.

A starting lineup of Wilson, Gibson, Teys, Petrie and import C is slow and has average shooting and ability to score at the rim. Unless that import C is a gun, the defence will be okay, but that's about it.

I'm pretty sure I read on another thread that we don't have enough points left to sign both an import and a 9-10 point Aussie, so it'd have to be Nevill or a 2nd import, not both.

I'm hoping for a break out year from Creek too, as I think we are going to need it if we want to contend again.

I could see Teys improving a little just from being given more looks in the offence and perhaps learning a couple more tricks, but I don't think it'll be a massive difference from last season to this.

Too many intangibles at the moment to tell whether or not this team will be better than last seasons.

Will all come down to team chemistry, coaching and improvement from guys like Creek & Teys.

With that said, I dont see us finishing any higher than 4th....some teams have improved a lot more than we have.

The Wilson-Ervin change will be a big testing point. I think Ervin was the sort of person who would give you better performances, but only erratically. Wilson gives you greater consistency.

He's also less likely to knee someone in the crotch, which may be a positive or negative depending on your outlook ;)

Think New Zealand and Townsville will be better than last year.
For Adelaide it comes down to the development of Creek and how good the 2nd import is as I think Wilson will be better than last year in Cairns as Joeys system suits him.

I will be watching with interest to see whether Creek develops faster with Wilson now distributing the ball

I think Wollongong may have improved. If they get Ervin back and a half-decent second import, that could make them dangerous.

In Adelaide, comes down to DJ's replacement. I think Wilson might suit them better but I don't think we saw guys like Petrie and Gibson scoring as much as they could, mostly because they didn't need to. If they see more of the ball, they can take on some of the scoring load.

DJ wasn't cheap, so you'd think that there would be options to replace him out there.

DJ also hasn't picked up another contract yet.

At the moment I think New Zealand, Townsville, Melbourne, Sydney & Wollongong have all improved and we know Perth will be around the mark again - especially as they can afford the marquee player.

Adelaide: jury out awaiting final signings
Cairns: see Adelaide
Melb: if they get Dennis, looking good
NZ: improved with Jackson back
Perth: if they get Ennis level player hard to beat
Sydney: awaiting imports
Townsville: improved
Wollongong: stronger Aussie content look improved.

The Sixers, and even more so Perth, were well in front of the rest of the league last season. The loss of DJ and the improvement of other teams, narrows the divide.

I'm mostly hoping that DJ, in the event he doesn't get a European contract, doesn't return to Melbourne or any other NBL team for that matter.

Without Rhys Martin I'm not sure it's a stronger Aussie content in the Gong. Certainly it's the best frontcourt they've had since 2010 and maybe before that.

I've just remember that Melbourne apparently has Daniel Kickert (I can't recall if his signing has been confirmed?). If so Melbourne perhaps isn't the biggest local threat. Would Sydney and NZ still be a chance to pinch to pinch DJ from the Sixers?

Just shooting at shadows.

I'm going to be on tenterhooks waiting out this 3-4 wk delay in the Wildcats import signing. In Nick Marvin's contract work we trust...

With DJ now confirmed in Europe, his replacement is going to be where the 36ers administration earns their money. Must get a solid replacement.

He kept putting in blinders against Perth...

NZ are way better with Jackson back and add Corey Webster into the starting 5 and they look even better again. The only question marks are the bench mob at the mo.

Should be a fairly even comp, I think the teams that needed to improve (TSV, CNS, WOL, NZ) have and ADL and PER should be a little closer to the pack after losing their studs. Not sure what MEL and SYD have done though.