I agree MACDUB. When you look at the crop fro top to bottom it's hard to find stronger group on paper. Remains to be seen though if (any, some) of the first year guys, particularly the 2nd round draft picks can have similar impacts to Ennis and if Childress can regain something like his form of a few years ago.

Seeing as it's hoops can I also add some local flavour to the thread by complaining about why the 36ers only signed a SEABL import rather than an NBA star (even though I have never seen the guy play or have no idea of the financial situation at the club)

Yes OP, I agree, it is going to be an awesome season - just not for Sixers with the great signings of a bench point guard, a bench old 3 point shooter losing his eye, and a SEABL player although not confirmed anywhere. Awesome compared to NBA drafts and ex European players and Boomers!

Spinner...Joey will make this team over-achieve you watch.

I think you are being kind giving Sixers a D

One only has to look back through the posts on this site to see signings proudly announced by every club except the Sixers. In another post, I had tried to put a positive spin on the lack of news coming out of the club, but this is crap.......all these signings from other clubs, including marquee signings and we can't even confirm what we have or haven't got! We just have to keep blindly throwing our money at season tickets so we can at least okay a part in helping our club.

It is a shame that the club doesn't appear to want to help it self!!!!

I agree that the Sixers will still be okay because Joey is a good coach, but it's disappointing. Great for the League though!

Ekene Ibekwe, will last 3 months max

"that makes three teams potenially starting local PG's. When's the last time that happen; NBL teams of course have a reputation of signing imports at the position."

Last season with four - D Martin, R Martin, Tomlinson and Markovic. Some would argue Gibson was the 36ers true PG last season.

Interesting fact, Cedric Jackson is the only import PG to start on an NBL championship team since Charles Thomas in 2001.

Yep... That list paints the picture, but not the whole story either.
In a year where every single team appears to have taken a step forward, we've taken 4 steps back. It's not just the import signings, it's every facet.
No communication. Can't even announce who we have signed.
We've downgraded every single player we have lost.
Lose Ervin (which apparently was our decision?), sign Jamar Wilson. Wilson is an ok import. Ervin is a former MVP who proved to be a match winner multiple times last season. Wilson came off the bench for an also-ran team.
Lose DJ, don't even sign a replacement big. Leaving us with Luke Schenscher as our only true centre. Sign an import from the SEABL, where past history shows they almost invariably don't work. He sounds ok on paper, but compared to every other import, he doesn't stack up.
Lose Cadee. Young Boomer, bright future, still on the rise, still young, showed enough when not buried behind 2 or 3 other point guards. Sign the corpse of a very good basketballer in Crawford. He hasn't had a good or barely serviceable season for a few years.
Lose Carter, very good defender, can hit the open shot, completely shut out Goulding to give us a Grand Final spot. Sign Tom Daly. Been with us for years, maybe he's finally ready to actually play, but at this stage he's effectively an unproven development player.

"Wilson is an ok import. Ervin is a former MVP"

Wilson is a former runner-up MVP, NCAA mid-major team of the decade, leading scorer in one of the world's best leagues etc and he outplayed Ervin in their match-ups last season.

"Sign an import from the SEABL, where past history shows they almost invariably don't work."

Perhaps read the below linked list, there's some good (Davis, Bolden, La Fleur, Redhage) and some bad just like all avenues of recruitment.

Remember how Townsville were bagged for picking Conklin out of the NZ NBL last season? He turned out alright.

http://andthefoul.net/NBLwiki/index.php?NBL%20SEABL%20imports%20crossover

How many highly credentialed imports have come to the NBL without raising much of an eyebrow Jo Jo English, Flynn and many others. And didnt that hack Mike Kelly from SEABL prove to be a bum at NBL level.

David Barlow is being pumped up while PC is being called a corpse. Barlow's last efforts were 6.5 points per game at 34%, hardly amazing. Oh and PC made the 2012 Olympics and Barlow didnt.

Last year "Daly is better than Teys" so isnt it good that we have got someone better than Teys as well on the team.

So, Redhage is really the only quality import from the last 20 years on that list.
But you're right. Guys like Mark Davis, Bruce Bolden, Andre laFleur and Dean Uthoff are totally relevant. Basketball hasn't changed at all since they played NBL.

Troy Devries also played SEABL and is now a well paid euro import.

It is what ever you chose it to be.

Both Barlow and PC made 2012 olympics.

Barlow was starting 5 for most of the lead up games to that Olympics...
And the last time Barlow played in the NBL was the failed Melbourne 'no one under 6 foot 6' team where he started at point guard and they had 3 centres.
Can't really judge him on that season.

Daly is better than Teys? People may have said that, but I strongly disagree. And has anyone said that after Teys broke out last season? Or just when he was playing 5 minutes every other game? And Daly being 'better than Teys' doesn't change the fact that he's still a downgrade on what we had, as is every change we've made.

Ervin was a difference maker, Wilson isn't. That's my stance, you might disagree.

Definitely looks on paper the best crop of imports I have seen in a while but it doesn't guarentee success who could forget Joe Shipp from Perth.

I think giving the Hawks a B- is a bit harsh. I think they have done very well, more like a B+