Let's just hope KB listens to logic and plays Elder and Rees at the same time for once. My maths (just reading box scores) suggests it hasn't happened for a long time.

Let's face it, Rees really won't make a real difference. I can't beleive that he is still a sixer.

i agree..

even wines only age well to a point...with reesy who knows. On balance ..you would have to think that the 5 spot is sixers weakness. Fortunately i think it is easier to cover an ordinary 5 with quality gaurds and the style of game a team plays.

Oh he was fantastic in the local league. Thats where he should be finishing his career! I don't care how many championship rings he has, he shouldn't be playing in the NBL anymore. Too old and too slow.

Rees will be good for the Sixers this year.

It doesn't matter if he is slow. I'm pretty sure he was never quick anyway.

He is there to box out, annoy, hit rainbow threes and step on people after he has elbowed them behind the play.

This is pretty comical.

So you are saying that someone should be sacked for passing on Perth's offer of some pre-season games to the coaching staff who accepted?

Or are you saying the coaching staff should be sacked for making such a 'horrid' decision of accepting Perth's offer when there was every chance that either Oscar Forman or Paul Rees might have to miss the ABA grand final?

I'm sure the coaching staff knew in advance that they would allow either Oscar or Rees to miss the pre-season game if the need arose making all this discussion unnecessary.

However, calling for people to be sacked is just crazy.

Yo Yo Yo Its Trippin zzz her in da house.
You da Sixers are whick whack man...give me the Lakers any day. My boy Kobe would tear it up and smack that Rees boy up....Yo know what Im sayin???
Real
Yo Im flippin it at the courts in Happy Valley dis weekend so keep illin'
out....peace

It is more important for the 36ers to play some practice matches before the season starts than to pander to people who are too easily upset and ready to call for blood.

Lets face it, noone wants to see the Sixers lose their first five games of the season because they hadn't played any preseason practice matches. That far outweighs any perceived 'slight' due to the Sixers missing the local league grand final.

I don't have any info as to past mistakes but seeing as though Rees has been allowed to play ABL final, and similarly Oscar would have been allowed had Sturt have won then where is the problem?

Calling for a person to be sacked when there is in fact no problem arising from the scheduling of the pre-season games is a tad harsh.

I understand it is disappointing in principle that an NBL pre-season game takes precedence over an ABL final but its not really surprising.

Anyone stopped to think why the Perth pre season games and conitniued good relationship with Vlahov is so important?

Big picture people, as it turned out only 1 sixers will miss the pre season game.

And that sixer is hardly logging big minutes down the stretch so hardly big impact.

Sorry to ask the apparent obvious Noti, but why is "conitniued good relationship with Vlahov so important"?

There will be dollar spin offs for the sixers down the track

How so?

I would assume Asia. Better for the Sixers to play the Wildcats in Asia than Perth.

I don't think that's any big secret.

Look wehre Perth played games last year and i reckon you will see the sixers taking the place of Sydney this year if the Singapore or some Asian game is on again.

Vlahov is at the fore front of getting exposure in Asia for the wildcats and his sponsors.

If the sixers help Perth out now it leaves them in good stead to play overseas or get the TV exposure that Perth have gotten.

Anonymous, it would be hard to hold a 'Ricky Grace Testimonial Game' next year. What are you seriously complaining about?

It is not that Rees can't play the GF, cos he is. And its not that the Sixers are going to draw a crowd away from the GF either.

If it is that the Sixers should be doing the rounds at the ABL final then lets face it, thats not really what is important...

You seriously can not think your last statement is acurate.

I would say that half the sixers crowd would not even know that ABA exists.

I base that on a game from way back when a bunch of state league players played the sixers.

Most people in the crowd had no idea where these players came from.

You really think people will not go to a game to watch Willie and Brett etc because Paul Rees is not able to play a pre season game?

As posted above there is a bigger picture involved that means potential of new sponsors and more money for the sixers.

Support the game and stop carrying on.

paul rees is a massive player for us.who is the person setting all the massive picks to get willie and maher open?the awnser is paul rees.

I disagree with this in part. The supporterbase would be partly of the type suggested by Noti above, but also families from local clubs. The trick is to keep both onside and that means compromises such as the Sixers playing a couple of preseason games without one or two players.

Realistically, is the issue here not that BASA approved a preseason series that conflicted with an ABA grand final, but more that they didn't clarify and publicise that specific players could be excluded from the preseason games to finish their ABA season?

You can never please everyone all of the time, but being hypersensitive doesn't help matters.

I personaly couldn't give a stuff about the ABL game but even if I were playing I couldn't care less whether the Sixers were playing in Perth at the same time.

Rees is allowed to stay home. Even if he wasn't it would be cos the people in the know said he was required so the Sixers have game time as a squad.

Get a grip - how much say does any of the SANFL clubs have as to whether their top players are available from week to week. Exactly none.

The SANFL clubs just don't go whining about it and get on with the job with the personnel available.

Anon (#45237)

Do you know how many games Colin played for westies?

I think you'll find it was in the hundreds...

I understand your frustration anonymous, all I am saying is that your point would be more valid if the scheduling conflict actually caused a major problem.

Eg say hypothetically that Holmes was still a Mav as were Brad Hill and Madgen and they were in the grand final.

Similarly if Ng, Bauer and Forman were all Sabres/36ers and they had made the grand final then scheduling a pre-season game at the same time would be a major oversight as either the 36ers or the ABA GF would be decimated.

However, given only Rees was affected and Woodville's efforts have obviously prevailed in gaining his service then I still don't see what the problem is?

36ers get some good practice games in and Woodville are in the grand final with Rees. Isn't that a win-win all around for SA basketball.

reesy clogs the paint better than any other man in the league. He makes the paint tough for every big man in the league.

Forget Paul Rees. Forget the Sixers. Forget anything related to basketball.

I wanna know where "trippin zzz" gets his supply from, 'cause it must be good!

Allowing Rees to stay home and play the grand final, or any other Sixer if that was the case would not have any detrimental affect on the readiness of the Sixers in the new season. Any of these players affected are not basketball rusty. They have continued non stop playing basketball both in the NBL season and off season. They would not be missed in the pre season games, however, take them away from the ABL grand final and the result could be disastrous. I know their commitment to the Sixers is far more important but we are talking about a pre season game versus a grand final game.

Im with you Moses - down at Happy Valley he must have some very good contacts.

I do however have to aggree with him taht Kobe Bryant would run rings around Pauls Rees!

relate it to other sports

im a fanatical sanfl supporter you dont see me bitch when crows or power say no at end of afl season to players wanting to play in the SANFL finals and you dont see the supporters bitch at the start of the season when the crows or power are playing pre season games and taking the players from sanfl denying the teams players for the first 3 rounds due to pre season games, this happens in most national level sports whether its soccer, cricket, footy or basketball

seriously i think some people just need to bitch to be happy , end of the day you play state league to make the national league and if that means missing a final im sure the player is not fussed and every team knows it can happen at the start of the year so they have no recourse to complain,

would you tell a player to chose between playing a final in the 2nds vs attempting to cement a spot in the starting side of a first side

Seeing as we all seem to be getting more and more petty in regards to this issue and looking for reasons to winge the fact is that the 36ers pay the players slarary so if they wanted to force the issue they have every right to do so.

If Newley was in an ABA final would Townsville be letting him miss pre season games? I doubt it!

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What mistake are you talking about?
Which players are missing out on the ABA finals to play in the pre season games in Perth?

To All,

IMO some people may be feeling that this is the straw that breaks the camals back.

I agree with anon#45364, the clubs are the one's that have gone to all the trouble and work to produce these players. They are NOT trying to stop them from playing at International or in the National comeptition. All that is being asked is for consideration to be given to the hours of work that goes into the Local Comeptition.

I'm quite sure that most people on this site understand that BASA is in serious financial trouble and that over the last few years the amount of negative press, lack of ticket and sponsorship sales aa well as over spending on employee's has lead BASA to be in a position where they are going to be making a loss before the Dome debt is even being repaid.

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IMO we need to find somebody that is willing and able to deal with the press and their employee's in a positive manner, while also having the vision to lead us out of the current situation. Yes hard decisions need to be made, but if we are basing our decision around a football model, all will be lost a nd we will end up not needing to worry about who is playing where becasue their will not be an BASA to own the 36ers and therefore will not be a 36ers.

May be that is the best thing to break the sixers and lightning away from BASA and have them run as seperate entities.