starved of title success closing in on 20 years without a chip.

Valid question...if you are seeing that the coach and management are at loggerheads and the former is getting pushed out the door it is conceivable that that comes into a Free Agent's consideration.

If all else being the same and it came down to SEM with zero history and Adelaide's predicament now, I'd probably choose SEM for more stability particularly if I have Euro League or National team aspirations.

Why not?

One of 9 teams so if you are a serious professional of course you would consider Adelaide.

With regards to Froling. He has had a great season last season and will be hot property

Perhaps he could find some room amongst all that development to win a championship sometime?

If you show them the money they will come, but money's to tight to mention in Adelaide so no.

I think the real question is "are there any top free agents left" for Adelaide to attract and I'm not so sure that there is.


Looking at Free agents list, there isn't really a game changer left there so you'd have to imagine that means Europe, college or NBA.

I think that Adelaide did fantastically well in keeping Daniel Johnson last season when I'm sure that Perth would have thrown a lot his way... now Kay is a championship winner and DJ is captain of a team that feels very disjointed right now.

"Top Free Agents"

Well, clearly not Sobey or Creek. I guess that leaves Bairstow, and I'm not sure he'd be a priority for Adelaide?

Joey is an excellent recruiter and developer of talent.
He should have won two years ago, but shot himself in the foot.
He should have won last year, but, well, refs, cough.

He's consistently done well with a smaller budget that the powerhouse teams.

We keep reading these allegations that he's at loggerheads with the management, but who knows how much truth there is to that? I tend to think that if things were really that bad, he would have left.

Obviously there are a few issues for players to consider, but assuming all other things are equal I still think Joey & Adelaide would be an attractive destination.
I'd probably rank them 3rd, behind Melbourne & Perth. (And Perth are probably only looking for one more role player.)
Unless you're an aspiring Boomer, in which case Brissy is attractive,
or if you're a Kiwi, then going home to Nu Zuland.

Now presumably Sydney, Melbourne, SEM, Perth, and Brissy could all afford to offer more cash to the same player. But that's money talking, not objectively evaluating Adelaide.
With so many 1st & 2nd year coaches, and Andre doing God knows what, Joey actually offers a bit of stability and promise.

If Froling gets a call up this draft, Adelaide is the only place to be. 3 players from the past 3 seasons making it to the top is not something that comes from convenience.

Joey says all the time it is KB who does all the work.

Given Bevo doesn't have a job, there would be a decent offer out there to let Joey walk Maybe they recruit who he doesn’t want so his only option is to pull out of his own contract.

I don't think players can be too picky where they go in terms of the NBL. Limited spots available so you take what you can get. Where else are you going to go? Adelaide is one of only a handful of professional teams in Australia, so why wouldn't they go there? All clubs have politics and issues going on. Players would have seen it all at their district clubs and state teams by the time they get to the NBL. Not an issue.

2002
I was still young back then.

For me keeping Wiley AND Moore might come back to bite Adelaide they really need a superstar point guard to be competitive.

"For me keeping Wiley AND Moore might come back to bite Adelaide they really need a superstar point guard to be competitive."

So if they get Trimble or another strong point guard then what is the problem? They will also get and need a back up point guard like Bruce.

"Name an NBL coach that has actually developed more talent than Joey? Anon, taking a shot at Joey probably thinks that Marty Clarke was better"

out of the past ? - Adrian Hurley, - and was coach of the year. :)

current - Beveridge

Joey talks about it, not so sure has actually done anyting other than give court time to players - who he really had to play due to budget constraints - give the man money - he gets vets. ( do i need to name the imports /) he could have got Trimble, and could have gone a lot younger than Randle.

Randle to Cairns possibility getting even stronger. Won't go to Adelaide

So if they get Trimble or another strong point guard then what is the problem? They will also get and need a back up point guard like Bruce.

Lovebroker....I don't think keeping both Wiley & Moore was a wise decision either, but;

- if you bring in Bairstow for Deng
- if you bring in Trimble for Sobey
- if you bring in Bruce for Doyle
- get further improvement out of Froling & McVeigh
- get further improvement/more consistency out of Drmic & Wiley
- get Moore healthy (he didn't look right from Game 1 to me)

I think if you look at it holistically you get a better balanced team - our interior defense and offense improves, you get a better run offense with a better/truer PG along with someone who will make the right decisions down the stretch and still has the ability to put the team on his shoulders and be the game winner - something Sobey tried to do but was incapable of.

A lot of ifs/hypotheticals but more than possible.

I mean, yeah, if we land Bairstow and Trimble, it won't be a disaster.

PG Trimble/Bruce
SG Moore/Teys
SF Drmic/McVeigh
PF Bairstow/Wiley
C Johnson/Froling

That could be a competitive team.

Tornado...if all your IF's come through then yes we are contenders again.

Bairstow is definitely gettable.

Trimble if you believe what Liam Santamaria is suggesting is Melbourne (either team) bound and very expensive.

Bruce is a given, I just don't think he has that many options. But yes a good improvement but still a 9th man.

Improvements out of those players you listed will likely come with more minutes, although I expected Drmic to step up more given some of Creek's minutes this last season.

Wiley is a decent import with great athleticism, but inconsistent, hope he has developed a more consistent 3 game over the off season, like what Prather did. But will he get the minutes he is after if Bairstow comes?

Johnson / Froling is probably our strength. There's not many 5 combos better than this.

Overall there is cause for optimism but as of right now already Perth and Sydney are 'projected*' to have taken 2 playoff spots, leaving 2 left from 7 teams. This is why we HAVE to be MUCH better in recruitment than the others.

Stakes become even higher if losses = less bums on seats in new potentially more expensive stadium.

No championships for the Sixers with DJ as the main big.

Does have what is needed?

Team Mate, but who would you replace him with? It's not like we can trade him and Australian big men with his scoring touch are rare. I don’t think it’s DJ that’s the problem, the team just hasn’t managed to put the right combination of players around him very often. Apart from Creek, there’s also been no on court leadership and so the team does not do enough to attack the mismatches DJ’s skill set creates.