Oh no, now you've just made him angry. Hulk-mode incoming...

That's pretty rough copping that in public. At the end of the day the guy was/still is a pro basketball player unlike the knuckleheads giving him career advice in shopping centres.

Hi Mr Hire, can I have your autograph, Thanks mate now please retire !

I think it's fair to denounce players online and even to their faces if there is cause for it, but going up to him and saying it like that is pretty low without provocation - especially to do with one of your own players.

I can understand why players avoid social media. Although its often insightful, its also often just plain mean and spiteful.
But people fronting you in the shops? That's just weird.

At the end of the day, if he can recover some form, that will only be a good thing (obviously).

Unfortunately I suspect that there are a lot of "fans" who don't understand that it's a choice between Hire and a bargain-bin import.
My chief concern with signing Hire, is that it again leaves us very lean in the backcourt.

I would get a laugh out of some bum coming up to me at shops and saying give it up.
Like they could do any better.

Don't people usually need to know who you are to be able to publicly criticise you?

I stop to speak to 36ers at the shop....... not critical....
I got the impression of their girlfriends thinkin it's funny that there boyfriend is famous....

Let's say you work in a ... bank.
How would you feel be stopped on a Saturday whilst grocery shopping with your kids and given a serve regarding your level of customer service??
Or worse:
I work in a professional role, and like 95% of professionals I take my job seriously and feel pressure to perform. I accept constructive criticism from colleagues and bosses.
I don't need some random idiot fronting me in the shops.

Don't people usually need to know who you are to be able to publicly criticise you?

In defense of cats fans, many of them want the best for the team and dont believe keeping Hire achieves that.

lol... I'm torn between a "wtf are you saying that to him in person?!" and "well, at least they had the balls to say it to his face" opinion... Pretty sure in Perth he wouldn't be able to go many places without being recognised... He's been a fixture on that team for many seasons and is really active in the community, it's not like many other cities where fans couldn't give a toss...

Hopefully this gives him a bit of a boost, I think it's more him being out of sorts in recent seasons, not really a lack of effort, so I'm not sure about the potential for him to improve much... And if someone is using Wagstaff as as measuring stick of how to stay relevant as he's dropped off a lot as well compared so the impact he's had previously...

5 teams battling for 4 playoff spots.
Perth will make it.
People are underestimating the value of having a spare import spot available for later use.

"It is all because Perth fans are getting scared about finally missing the playoffs. Stooping to the lowest common denominator and targeting one of the shitty local players. If Illawarra, Cairns, Sydney and Brisbane weren't so inconsistent last season, Perth would have dropped out of the top 4."

Very deep meaningful comment. Have you considered the fact that if Melb, NZ, Adelaide etc didn't play last season, Perth might have won it all.

What a dipshit.

"It's normal for them to be given verbal "advice" on the street."

No, no its not.

There's a reason pro athletes in America travel with entourages, and very seldom directly interact with the public in an uncontrolled environment.

I recall reading an article on Naitanui, in which he lamented that he couldn't even go to the servo for a drink, without getting mobbed for autographs, and needed to send his brother.

Difference is that if Hire goes shopping, the number of people who recognise him is lower, so as a general rule he wouldn't need an entourage, or his brother, etc.

I stop to speak , but I have a high EQ .

Thing that concerns me about Re-Signing Hire, is not Greg himself, but rather the balance of the Squad.
Especially the lack of perimeter shooters and all this subsequent talk about going for a "Wing" as SF.

The Great import SFs we have seen in this league of late, Ennis, Craig, Childress, Prather, Tokoto, Conger, to name a few, have all excelled in the "traditional" SF role. (Although some have certainly improved their outside game also.)
People criticised Tokoto because he was weak beyond the arc. That's only a valid complaint if you require that from your SF.
And then we go and sign Hire as the backup SF???
What about that makes sense?

The truly horrifying part is that the only player we currently have who vaguely fits the SF role is Clint Steindl.

So an awful lot riding on getting this import right.

Gleeson would certainly be on to "it", I'm just not sure what "it" is.
He keeps saying he wants more of a "wing" player, which I interpret to mean more outside game, and he's said they need an "upgrade" on JP, presumably referring to his lack of outside game.
But then I struggle to see how any of the SF's he's brought out fit that description. Prather really worked on his outside shot, and after 3 seasons he would fit that description, but wasn't when he first arrived.
(Although supposedly Walker would have been this type of players??)

And I think most would agree, Perth need more 3-point shooters. ie someone besides Cotton.

But then, with an import spot to spare, he re-signs Hire as the backup SF?

We've been very fortunate with our imports in recent years. Ennis, Beal (at his best), Prather, Cotton, and even McKay. But we've also had DD, JJ, and DCJ.
So yes, if he lands another Prather, we're on song. Another JJ, and suddenly we're starting Hire.