I respect what you've done here mate but the common thought is that Sydney, Illawarra, Cairns, Melbourne and New Zealand are better squads than they were 2 seasons ago.

Only Perth and Townsville seem to be going backwards in comparison so maybe your question should be how do Adelaide 36ers from 2 seasons ago and today compare to who is in the league this current season and you can work out how people have said 6th and 7th this season (I think 8th).

We have to remember that 2 seasons ago we didn't have marquee player rules and the league seemed more dire and Adelaide has went through a change of owner(?) but it seems from the outside that the 36ers owners don't see value in spending money to compete with other clubs

Proud,


Just interested to know

What makes Hawks, Kings, United better than the 36ers??

i dont really see it, I reckon our Aussie core is as good/better than theres, they just have a few more fresh faces where we have kept the same guys which to me is also an advantage.

With the Hawks

Penney to me is the same as signing Ebi Ere

Lisch is likely better than McNeaill but Gibson is also better than R Martin, so overall is it better??

I still reckon our Aussie core is better than the Aussies on Kings or Melbourne in terms of balance, being well rounded and chemistry, and sure Childress is proven to be great, one of the best we have seen, but will he get through the whole season??? he battled a couple of injuries last year. (remember he is similar age to Ere and Penney too) and most the other imports on Kings or Melbourne are not proven to be NBL studs, Ibekwe will be very useful for Melbourne though.

Im possibly way too optimistic on the 36ers, but just because we havnt added Ogilvy or Kazzouh or Goulding doesnt mean we have had a crap off season or a have a crap team, remember we have DJ and Gibbo who are as good as these guys already.

Just interested to hear some more reasons other than Ebi Ere is old, we havnt added a stud to our roster or why other teams moves are so much better. The reason being is we have a strong core already signed to our team that has been 2nd and 3rd last 2 years. I look at Perth, NZ, Cairns who have been very successful lately who have built around a strong core for years and stayed in contention which to me is what the 36ers are doing, which i like!

I agree NZ and Cairns are likely better than us, but the rest im not as convinced.

When it comes to the 36ers roster there is nothing there that convinces me personally, I think I'll always underestimate Creek but I think he needs to have a big season for 36ers to stay competitive.

I really like Teys and I think he deserves far more court time but it feels like Joey wants him for team moral moreso than getting clutch minutes. I think Gibbo is overrated and I think Teys could do more for the team if given say 5 minutes of Gibbo's playing time... If that makes Gibbo hungrier and wanting to take the game by the scruff of the neck like those incredible few games early last season then I see it as a win win.

I'm not sure what Walker gives this team as he is a liability with his jump shot and doesn't crash the boards enough.

DJ looked mostly out of sorts last season with Motum around and with the added minutes he'll get this season will need to be the player that came extremely close to league MVP.

I think BJ Anthony is a big loss to this team and I always wonder when Petrie is going to start slowing down (I know Redhage is older) but you look at footballers and cricketers and the end seems to come really fast for them and Petrie is an absolute marvel as he looks like he could retire at any time and then he proves once again he is a winner... Do you think the end is approaching for Peach?

So-so Sobey seems just that

Your import sounds like Johnson from NZ during Cedric's season off but he can shoot... If he is a Rotnei class of shooter then I'll retract my statements but I just can't get excited at this squad

I get excited about Illawarra as I'm biased and I loved Lisch and was highly impressed with Ogilvy and I think he plugs a lot of holes and right now I'm not even thinking of Penney in that team until I see how they use him and how they keep Coenraad happy but I have them 4th

Melbourne I rate slightly ahead but they will be the biggest disappointment this season and will miss the playoffs this year

As for the Kings and I've posted this on here before but I have them finishing top this season on the proviso that Markovic and Cadee bring the absolute best out of one another and truly lead the side but if they rely on Garlepp for rebounds then they will be kidding themselves. I think Sydney just feel like a sexier club, they gave Brandt the starting gig last year and this year Khazzouh is back and unlike when he was last here or Ogilvy's season they have someone legit to bring off the bench at centre and maybe the both on the court could be a difference maker from time to time and lastly we hear all good about Damien Cotter as a coach and now he has his own team so it's time for him to put up or shut up

While the only thing we can really do as fans is compare names on paper (or on screen) and talk about which team is more 'talented', that's really only one factor which determines success on the court.

Adelaide has a strong core who know each other and have had success together, that counts for a lot. They shouldn't have to spend the first month or two working on their synergy at both ends.

It seems they are going for imports who can shoot, which is a change from the past two years when they had penetrators.

If they are hitting it will open up more space, so can Johnson, Petrie and Creek make the most of that? And will their transition game drop away without Ervin and Wilson running amok.

They'll be competing for playoffs providing Johnson is back to his best, but I think whether they are title contenders will rely on McNeail being better than his CV suggests.

Now that I've got that out of my system, back to the fun stuff, remembering the 36ers got SFA out of DJ at the end of last season, and when he found some form very late Motum was injured and giving SFA:

Johnson in for Motum
Hodgson in for Schenscher
Walker in for Anthony
Ere? in for Crawford
McNeail in for Wilson
Sobey in for Daley

There are wins, losses and draws in that, but I don't think it's a downgrade, and I doubt the league has gone up as much as some people are suggesting. Same things were said last pre-season.

^ +1 Paul

36ers , Perth, NZ and Cairns have instant familiarity and chemistry which goes a long long way.

Proud, thanks for sharing your thoughts, i love a good educated debate on this stuff. You make many good points, i think your a bit too harsh on some of our guys and too optimistic on some of the others, but hey im probably a bit the other way round with what i have said, so yea it will be interesting to see who is right at the end of the season.

i agree with Paul, with the player swaps like Paul said its overall of similar standard to last year, and us having good continuity and chemistry should also help.

My last years pre-season ladder prediction in my 'its not all doom and gloom for the 36ers thread' was

Perth
Melbourne
36ers
Cairns
Wollongong
New Zealand
Townsville
Sydney

Swap Melbourne with New Zealand and thats fairly close to what happened as far as making the top 4,i got 3 out of the top 4 correct, after many bagged it, especially with the 36ers in 3rd spot. Like this season many said they would be bottom 2.

I think next season will be similar, my predicted top 4 is NZ, Cairns, 36ers, Perth again with Wollongong and Sydney the next best to possibly knock one of those teams out. Both have recruited well and you could argue have better 'big 3s' than some of the other teams, but all of the above teams have better depth, chemistry, continuity imo and there 'big 3s' are close enough any way.

I also think Joey is a top 2 coach in this league, (Bevo is probably the other most proven imo), his results speak for themselves, he has only missed the playoffs once or twice in over a decade of coaching so i back him in.

I think the 36ers could finish anywhere from 3rd to 6th as its a tight league, but i predict we will be top 4 of similar standard to last year overall.

As long as either or both imports are game closers, I think they should be competitive. There's a lot riding on Johnson as the only proven size in the team though.

how did melbourne united go last year with a stacked team?

everyone had them to be untoucahable

how many people predicted cairns would do so well last year before the season started

and who REALLY predicted that the breakers would win it all?

Just saying....

preseason before a ball has even been bounced is one thing and being consistent over the ENTIRE season is another...

I am as optimistic as the next 36ers tragic...

#injoeywetrust

#36ersnation

Think the roster is about par to last year on paper however the league has gotten better. But the Sixers should have better chemistry than most teams. I think the Sixers need either Ere or McNeaill to be a 15 - 16ppg type player and the other to be solid 12 - 13ppg with Johnson stepping up to replace Motum. I agree with Jonno that Joey is a proven coach as he has only missed the playoffs once in Gold Coast when he had injuries.

Think overall it will be an extremely close season with injuries being a key factor potentially.

The team isn't as deep as the first year but Creek can cover 4 Petrie 5 and Ere the 2

The other unknown is whether any loss of offensive production is made up for in defensive improvement. That's the area where the 36ers struggled last year. The scope for improvement there is substantial and it's hard to see us performing worse than last season, relative to the rest of the league.

I did....

We may have lost our 2 top scorers and 2 of the top in the league however, I think this team is more balanced. Our top 6-7 players all have the ability to average 10+ppg but they also have the ability to put up 20+ in any game which should translate into us being more difficult to defend.

Theoretically, with our ability to hit from beyond the perimeter at a better clip or with more options this year it should keep defenses more honest. Even if Ere has lost a step and Kenyon isn't a Wilson or Ervin they will both hit the outside shot if you give them any sort of room.

Hodgson is more mobile and more of a rim protector than Schenscher so I think he fits better with Joeys game plan.

Walker and Sobey are all about hustle and athleticism so again will suit Joeys game plan along with giving us the ability to play a little more above the rim.

I also think the competitiveness of Walker and Creek going at each other at training will bring the best out of both of them.

It's not all doom and gloom I don't reckon. A lot is to be said about a "team" and I think we will be more that than last year.

I think our biggest question marks are;

-Defense.
-Hodgsons suceptibility to injury leaving DJ as the only big.
-Gibbo has to be aggressive.

I just wish we knew who the second import was going to be.

Like a lot of people I assumed it was going to be Ere but the delay in announcing it has me unsure.

I'm hoping that Ere was the plan but when new owners came on board they decided to spend a bit more. Most likely wishful thinking but we can dream, right?

If it was Ere I can't understand why they wouldn't have announced it by now...

Dave...waiting on Visa clearance was one suggestion?

I could be wrong but I would think that majority of imports that have been announced and are new to the league would have been announced prior to their visas etc. being finalised?

Import shoots threes pretty good, out there....second import is very close, probably ebi

Ebi Ere coming back to NBL in 2015-16 will be like Larry Abney coming back in 2012-13 and struggling big time. Ended up being what forced him to retire.

True, however, it's Puerto Rico not Portugal. He has spent many off-seasons playing in PR. His most recent stats earlier this year - 32 games: 16.0ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.8apg. Still, it will be a similar type of situation to Abney, good NBL career in early days then coming back when much older.

If Joey picks up Ere, I will probably just mock him from that point onwards.

Childress probably wont win the MVP just because of the stupid way the NBL vote on it. He's got plenty of guys on the team to take votes from him...

Current NBL players in Puerto Rico

Conklin
Ibekwe
Ced Jackson

others
Ron Howard
Darnel Hinson


Last 3 game ave's

Ced 5/4/9
Conk 9/3/1
Ibekwe 3/ 4/ 1


Ere 15 / 4/ 2

Lets all calm down a bit

sorry that should be 13 pts for Ere damn fat fingers

I may be alone with this, but i actually like the idea of signing Ebi Ere.

He is a know quantity to the NBL also Joey and Gibbo has also played with him in Brisbane so that should help with team chemistry which is something that can bring teams down if you dont get it right even if you have loads of talent.

I predict he will be a decent import, but probably not a MVP candidate but will still be the best import swingman the 36ers have had in year.

I reckon Ere and McNeaill combined can give you around what Ervin and Frye/Carter gave a couple of years ago, and i loved the Ervin/Frye combo, prior to Frye losing his confidence in shooting to a woeful level and his ankle injury wouldnt have helped, i thought he was decent if he could shoot atleast 60% FT's.

Id be concerned if Ere hadnt been playing or had been playing in lower leagues, but when he is putting up good numbers in PR which are as good/better than some current NBL imports including the most recent MVP and imports in the most recent title team, i think thats a good sign that he will have a solid season.

For me if it is Ebi Ere, welcome aboard, id be happy to have you in a 36ers uniform and i think he will prove many wrong and be in the top half of imports in the league, even if he isnt at his past peak form.

He will also bring some athleticism and excitement to the team, will have some big scoring games and has that winning/clutch swagger about him, i look forward to seeing how he goes.

If it is Ere, who Starts?

Would you push Creek to the bench or is Ere the scoring power for the second unit?

Vukona and Wesley would eat poor Mitch alive

I wouldn't take too much from comparing players' stats in PR, it's an unpredictable league from front office down where people's situations can be vastly different.

Having said that, any player who has put up solid numbers in Italy, PR and France over the past two years is still going pretty well. He'll likely be a good (though inconsistent) contributor but not a star.

I think the disappointment comes from some 36ers fans wanting an NBA-linked player, but Adelaide don't have a money tree and when you have Johnson, Petrie, Creek and Gibson as the Aussie core there is only so much cash to go around, so you go for a good fit.

36ers fans remember how well Jo Jo English worked out I assume. NBA means nothing on a resume these days. Even J Flynn hardly dented the league and that was a top 10 legit starter. What will be will be

His team didn't win and he was shown up by guys earning 1/10th what he was earning.

The guy illustrates my point, salary and resume equate to zero in the NBL

Childress is the only one who could get a met expectations based solely on pedigree

Having the NBA on your resume used to mean you would destroy the league, it's more a reflection of the NBA being athlete focused and not talent focused these days.

Most would agree that Ced Jackson was better than Wilbekin last season but he isn't the one with the NBA contract today

"NBA will always mean something on a resume. Only a fool would disagree"

It will always mean something, what it means in terms of performance in the NBL is what's being debated. History tells us it can swing from Awvee Storey and JoJo English all the way to Josh Childress and Dwayne McClain and lots in between.

My point is that having NBA on your resume doesn't mean you are an automatic to rip up the NBL anymore

Pre say 95 if you were drafted or played even a 10 day you were a 95% shot to dominate in this league.

Now that isn' t the case. Coaches have as much chance as finding success with a Gary Ervin as they do a Johnny Flynn.

As I said above that is more about the NBA being easier to get into and the NBA recruiting athletes not the best player per se.

So when NBA used to be on a player's resume that used to mean something. Now it means less.

just dulled it down so that you understand

FYI @ anon I picked random 3 rounds in a row

Round 9

Flynn 15/3/3 Jackson 28/10/10

Round 10

Flynn 18/8/ 2 Ervin 26 / 5/ 3

Round 11

Flynn 20 / 4/ 6 Wilson 26 / 7/ 5

You'll need to deliver more convincing proof than that YOLO to support your position.

I get what you are saying, the missing ingredient to your argument is player attitude.

Flynn was very good individually on offence, but poor defensively and nowhere near the best in the league.

Are the Sixers any closer to announcing the second import? The silence in deafening!