e) something else

It's to the point now where why would you sake either import, pay out their contract and sign another import and still not make the playoffs? Yes you're playing for pride etc, I say it's beyond the point of repair now so do you waste money on a lost season to MAYBE get another 1 or 2 wins or do you just try to develop some of the younger players/newer players?

Agree with what your saying Nat but crowds are dropping resulting in lost revenue and you have to be seen to be doing something.Needs to be some light at the end of the tunnel.You would have to think there will be some guys leaving at the end of the season.

Did I say SAKE?! SACK!****

True, Wollongong crowds do come and go depending on not just the record but more so the effort the team gives and this team is really lacking effort and heart at the moment.

Both imports will be gone come season's end. So will Nevill and very likely another Aussie will be released/not re-signed.

Why sack probably the best coach in the league over the last 10 years.

It appears the chemistry hasn't been right this year....Neville isn't fitting, imports haven't really worked as a combination either.

Try and play out the year see what you get from a couple of the bench Aussies with an eye to the future/nest year.

Gordie hasn't got it wrong with his limited budget often so you have to respect him and think he'll get them back on track next year.

Agree, why throw the baby out with the bath water, let's go with option (e) something else...

Would they really need to pay out the import? Has the deadline gone for not having to pay out an import?

If they can cut an import without paying them and want to go cheap then cut either import and bring in Montreal. Also release Hill and get in Richie Edwards who I imagine would play for minimum. That would be a more balanced line up.

If your the owner you let the coach coach and you pay the bills.Difficult situation for Gordie as the owner won't be liking this one bit.

You can stick a fork in Ballinger too.

Is it time to ask whether or not Gordie is actually that good of a coach?

I know he has done good things with average rosters in the past but that doesn't explain why he is sitting on an 11 game losing streak with the best talent he has ever had at his disposal.

Does the new owner have his finger too far into the pie? If so, why doesn't Gordie throw in the towel to save face and pop up in one of the new teams next year, given the chance to build a fresh team to his liking without an owner poking in.

2 Undersized PG and a lumbering slow ball big man aren't good for a team balance, I'll give him that. Whoever made that call should also be sacked.

Also Nevill was way over rated when he came into the team, yes you can't teach height but apparently in Nevill's case you can't teach effort either.

You have to do something or you risk losing the fanbase.

That Gruber sacking makes even less sense now doesn't it. Interesting turn of events for that guy -- comes in as an import, then gets fired as an Aussie a few years later. Really feel sorry for him

Agree with the comment that this team is good in paper. Paper does not always translate to on court success as seems to be the case with the Hawks.

I can't remember a Hawks team ever being this bad...

I have not watched them play that much, but I have to say the times I have seen the Crocs, they don't really play Neville into their offence that much...

I think a guy like Luke needs to gain confidence from his team mates in recognising his presence in the middle and using it more as the base for their offence, not as an exception after everything else fails to work! (MHO only)

Nevill can be a first or second option on offense if used correctly. He needs the ball though. Once that happens it frees up the other guys as defences collapse. Perhaps Gordie isn't comfortable with basing an offense with such an inside presence?

In the past, the balance of their roster and how they compliment each other has been a big driving force in their success.

They had players who played well to the team systems and structures.

That is gone.

And without that, they're relying on sheer talent, which they don't have.

I think Nevill showed with his stint in Townsville that he can be a prominent guy on a winning team.

After he arrived midway through 2012/14 season they largely based their offense around him and Gary Ervin and had a winning record (10-9) after that shocker start (started 0-9 from memory), despite a very poor supporting cast.

Moreover, the eye test (would like to go into more detail with data but the NBL doesn't keep any) said that the Crocs were much better on both ends that year with him on the floor. For whatever reason, he fell in and out of favour with Woolpert at times and the Crocs played terribly whenever he sat. Woolpert cited an inability to guard the pick and roll but I thought he did a great job containing P&Rs, which led me to believe there was something else involved.

This guy has fallen out of favour with nearly every coach he's played under, but on the court he plays the right way and seems like a decent teammate with a good bball IQ, so I'm not sure what it is.

"It's to the point now where why would you sake either import, pay out their contract and sign another import and still not make the playoffs? Yes you're playing for pride etc, I say it's beyond the point of repair now so do you waste money on a lost season to MAYBE get another 1 or 2 wins or do you just try to develop some of the younger players/newer players?"

As a paying season ticket holder I think SOMETHING needs to be done. No one should be happy with mediocrity and a defeatist "oh well, we tried" attitude just doesn't cut it for a professional team/business. They owe it to their fans to make adjustments and at least attempt to improve. It's the worst basketball I can ever remember watching. And I coached under 14 division 2.

Won't happen but I'd gladly have Ervin back with the 36ers if it meant getting rid of Wilson.

And I agree that they aren't using Neville to their best advantage. The guy is the tallest in the league at 7'2" (only just beating our Luke) and he does have a good offensive game when he's allowed to show it. Bit slow sometimes on defence but at his height and weight he's never going to be as light on his feet as Gary Ervin.

He didn't become a Boomer because he's a mug, he can play a bit.

That Townsville team mentioned about had an 0-10 record to start the 2012-13 season. Neville's first game for them came in their first win for the year.....against Adelaide. It sent us on a club record equalling 8 game losing streak...Marty Clarke's second such losing streak with us in 2 years.

"2 wooden spoons in his 3 years in the job too."

You're forgetting that in the other year we finished.....second last.

Wonderful coach, best we've ever had. Move over King Cole, you're relieved of duty General Smyth, Marty was in the building.

Anon#046, maybe the offense you are referring to is too complex and could be simplified?

We see players running around like chooks in a pen all the time, trying to run an offense.

Yet most scoring comes from simple sets and plays or from broken play, not some fancy long winded dance that is supposed to make a coach look good when it comes off once a quarter...

It doesn't get much simpler than that, does it?

Hawks are going to curtain off part of the stadium so it doesnt look so empty.Its what you have to do when your not winning games:
http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2717549/hawks-to-close-off-section-of-wec/?cs=302

"I think Nevill showed with his stint in Townsville that he can be a prominent guy on a winning team."

If you look at his minutes Nevill appears to have fallen out of favour towards the end of that year too. I think Gordie is still learning to use him right, but Luke isn't always his own best friend.

He hasn't come into the group in great shape, his core and leg strength isn't where it needs to be and his touch is the worst I've seen it. His interior defence and rebounding has been very good at times, in fairness, and the Hawks need to try and use his midrange game.

Its also between the ears with Luke.

Like the dinosaurs, it's a long way from the brain to the feet ;-)

I'd put on the plane to. Bring back last years import.At least he played with some passion and energy.(not Clarkeas hes in Belguim)

I remember a couple of seasons ago the Hawks started playing better the instant they put Showron Glover on the plane, even though he had hardly been playing, because the team apparently couldn't stand him. I wonder if it could be the same case here.

How are people rating Ervin above Carson?! Ervin's a nutcase and has underperformed relative to 5-point local role players, let alone the standard expected from former-MVPs.

Carson is a better teammate than Ervin, has been producing more offensively and has actually made it onto the court more (due to Ervin's lingering injuries). The only genuine knocks on Carson are his below-average defense (which Geordie is renowned for circumventing) and outside shooting. If you look at in-detail statistics from his college career: Carson can hit open catch-and-shoot threes at a reasonable clip, just not off the dribble.

What insider knowledge are you looking for? Nothing's happened!

190, I've only just read the article linked above with Carson's tweet. As much as it was definitively inappropriate, it's also appears to be an accurate characterization. Otherwise I'm not reading many explanations that provide more insight than 'Carson is shit.'

I'm basing my comments on Ervin from what (credible) people inside the 36ers organisation have told me, and basing my comments on Carson from what I've seen of him on the court: I don't believe Carson's on-court play is detrimental to the team, and I don't believe Ervin is providing the Hawks with value equivalent to his pay and status within the league based on his injuries, on court performances and antics last season.

Not ignoring anything, JMO.

Close to folding or relocation?

just watch, in a few weeks time, hawks will play 36ers in the gong. and somehow, the stars will align and 36ers will lose. its how we roll

I'd suggest they wouldn't need to align to much for us to lose to Wollongong at the moment.

We don't play them until January 18 though. So you'd imagine they would have won a couple before then. Well, you'd hope so anyway.
You'd hope we would have sorted out our recent slump too.

Sheesh. An 0-11 game streak is a SLuMP.