Not a loss.

He was useless when at the Kings also.

Is this official? Where's the source?

This might be the best news the Sixers have had since Brett Maher signed up.

Club has half a chance now - probably need ownership change also given he's the ones that brings these people into the club

https://www.adelaide36ers.com/news/gm-basketball-announces-resignation

"period of stability"... lol

what a revolving door that place has become.

True, but so many improve after they leave, so you could say that that revolving door is a good pathway to success.

As a part-owner of the team I thought it might've been difficult for majority owner GK to get rid of JVG as GM but here we are.

Since JVG became GM about halfway through the 2018-19 season we've seen some bizarre decisions made in those 3 years bad import signings, dud local signings, 3 head coaches in his time as GM, leaving the Sixers spiritual home at Findon at one point the team were training at St. Ives Rec Centre down at the Port perhaps the only good thing was convincing the NBL to allow us to be Josh Giddey's showcase team and you could make an argument that didn't really benefit the team much.

..... and zero finals, one of the greatest PR disasters between players and coach (wright), millions of dollars lost, massive staff turnover, wife of prior captain blow-up on social media about lask of respect, indigenous PR disaster, terrible crowds with year .....

I was trying to be charitable!

Congrats 36er fans!

It's odd that someone goes from zero to 100 in terms of control and even ownership only to go 100 to zero.

The instability at the club is ridiculous!

Sacked or decided to get the hell out? Any connection to the rumoured Randle signing?

Signing Humphries to a multi year extension whilst knowing he had a bad knee is up there as dumb things in the 36ers history.

The owner paying Wright and Henry not to coach and Humphries not to play has to sting eventually. If the rumoured $500,000 salary Humphries alone is on is true there are substantial dollars on the table through this decision process alone.

If the rumour of Henry being sacked because he refused to start King this year is true then there has been huge damage done off court.

JVG leaving the sixers is spectacular news but the toilet is still clogged with the likes of Grant Kelly. I cant think of too many positive things that have happened under him.

Since JVG became GM about halfway through the 2018-19 season we've seen some bizarre decisions made in those 3 years bad import signings, dud local signings,

Sorry, but JVG had nothing to do with the AEC. The first season there was nearly over by the time he started at the club.

All for giving credit where it's due, but it’s not due on that case.

I just wonder if he gets to keep his frequent flyer points he earnt over this time.....

LoveBroker, you serious? Main reason those players came was because we massively overpaid. Got guys on superstar money and they either are always injured or very good role players at best.
As for Giddey, the oft rumoured promise of starting role probably wouldn't be made by most club's, but he was probably the lone bright point in the regime.
JVG going is the best news in a very long time. Would really like to know the true story behind it.

I wonder who replaces JVG? Marvin?

LoveBroker, you serious? Main reason those players came was because we massively overpaid.

Cognitive dissonance much, LoveBroker?

The positivity in your post makes me think something is seriously wrong

For comparison 36ers are paying more for McCarron than the Kings are for Adams

Humphries was a huge risk and we are now going to pay the guy close to $1,000,000 for next to no games at all. That money could have gone to Jack White

Dech was happy to come here

Giddey was all about the recruiter setting themselves up. Watch where he lands next. Ask yourself would you rather have the one and done Giddey or have recruited a different top level Aussie talent that you can build around for the future as a core piece. This money could have gone to Dejean V.

AEC is a whole different discussion point and this team isn't one for attracting casual fans nor retaining existing.

Why is anyone surprised?

When Drewy didn't get the coaching gig, it was obvious JVG was on the way out.

Dont get it twisted, Gaze and a number of others turned it down because of who they would have to work with from all reports

JVG saying on Adelaide radio he wasn't pushed, and has opportunities in the NBA. Give me a break. This guy could not lie straight in bed. Good riddons.

Obviously they want him to arrange a team so they can tank their way to first draft pick

1) In a time where we had a less than stellar reputation (Creek, Wright / White saga) JVG brought in Giddey, Humphries, McCarron, and Dech. This is with people saying we would not be a favoured destination for players.

JVG was there for the White / Wright saga. Fat lot of good he was though.

Lovebroker just gets off on playing the contrarian. A couple of months ago he was trying to defend JVG's time running the Kings which was even worse than his running of the Sixers. It's not that LB is a JVG fan he's not he just always likes to pick the opposite side of the majority view and tries to defend that.

JVG has been an abject disaster as a GM at his last two clubs that's not up for debate. I've certainly got no interest in arguing with someone who tries to argue otherwise.

On the radio today JVG said something about moving on to work with Giddey and the people around him which implies Moldovan. Always been the thing with JVG at every gig he's already setting up his next gig.

I don't understand why people rattle off those names as if they're all good.

I'll give you Josh Giddey but that is also largely the doing of the NBL itself, and on a lower market team next stars always fair better. Giddey's choice was likely between Adelaide, Illawarra and Cairns if we're being realistic. Let's not credit JVG too much for something that had plenty of other factors behind it. Buy if you want to notch one up in the "good JVG" column, go for it.

Mitch McCarron. Oh god. Is there anyone watching him this season thinking he's anything more than the worst starting point guard in the league? Say what you want about his rebounds, but if our bigmen weren't trash he wouldn't average the same numbers of them. His play doesn't pass the eye test and his shot is completely broken this year. He's overpaid as we have said. Reputation of a team mean's little if you're paying a player many ten's of thousands of dollars more than what they're worth. Mitch McCarron has always been a supporting cast member and he's not up to being 'that guy' on any team. History has shown time and time again that teams do not succeed with an Australian starting point guard unless also paired up with an import combo guard that can also play point. JVG once again tried to reinvent the wheel and that wheel rolled on top of him.

Humphries - we also know he was well and truly overpaid and is a walking injury. I can't blame the team for picking him up because most people would have done so, but he was apparently on 500'000 a season from some estimates. If that is right, he didn't justify that spend.

Sunday Dech - so what? What is so miraculous about Sunday Dech? A nice enough player but let's not act like he's a star of some sort.

But I think where JVG went the most wrong is import selections. Hannahs is garbage - another G-League journeyman who thrives in a league where defence is an afterthought. If he were an import in any other team he would have boarded a flight long ago.

Withers. What is it Withers actually does?

JVG picked up Sotto due to Philipino interest and while there has been interest, a recent article has stated that very little of the increased merchandise revenue has been from Sotto, and Daniel Johnson is still - somehow - the highest selling jersey for the club. So while I can understand his thought on picking up Sotto... it's another thing where the execution has fallen flat from a marketing standpoint, and on court he likely hasn't justified his spend.

So this just brings me back to my consistent thought on JVG - he's a bit of an "ideas man" but those ideas rarely bare fruit. He likes to experiment and try things, which is commendable, but he doesn't have that feel for making it work. He overspends on some pieces and then cuts corners on the most important things. One thing I'd like for Sixers management to take away from this is you CAN NOT overpay Aussies, underpay imports and have a successful team. There seems to be a prevailing thought that Aussies are the most important nexus of your team but unless you have the absolute top Australian players they're just not worth the money. We could have got more out of imports if we paid them like Humphries and McCarron and at least if they suck or are injured mid-season you can move them on.

Agree wholeheartedly ME.
Interesting too regarding jerseys, it's such an uninspiring roster. Wanted to buy my son a jersey this year and we honestly couldn’t pick a player that he wanted. There’s no superstar draw card, your Cotton, Creek, Sobey, CG etc. Cdrsinly don’t expect many to be lining up for a Hannahs or Withers jersey.
Get the on court product fixed and everything else will follow.

Personally I don't in any way subscribe to spending big on imports. Imports by definition are unproven until they're not. Plenty of big NBA names turned out to be busts like Steve Blake, Josh Powell, Donald Sloan (JVG x 3) etc. Very good imports can fall through the cracks and be had on the cheap the Taipans have proved that for years. JVG just never had the nous or the right connections.

Spending up on Aussies is the way to go ala United and Wildcats but to clarify that is spending up on the right Aussies like Landale, Goulding, JLA, Nick Kay, Norton, Blanchfield etc. McCarron was always a good honest contributor nothing more and with all the talent United had coupled with the best coach in the league in Vickerman I don't think it would've made much difference if Shea Ili was starting for them last season.

The gamble on Humphries was a valid gamble in Year 1 he had played in the NBA and had some very dominant games in the G-League which is hard to do as a non-NBA foreigner over there. However after the injury plagued season he had last season we should've only re-signed him this season on a big discount not sure I buy the $500K talk maybe last season not this season but he was only brought back on a one-year deal so good luck to him wherever he goes next season.

Creek, Sobey,

"Steve Blake, Josh Powell, Donald Sloan (JVG x 3)"

Over-the-hill players well past their 30s playing for a paid holiday. I don't think it's fair to put all imports in that basket. Surely there are proven imports that could justify a dime - ie, a play for Vic Law may have made sense.

"Spending up on Aussies is the way to go ala United and Wildcats but to clarify that is spending up on the right Aussies like Landale, Goulding, JLA, Nick Kay, Norton, Blanchfield etc. McCarron was always a good honest contributor nothing more and with all the talent United had coupled with the best coach in the league in Vickerman I don't think it would've made much difference if Shea Ili was starting for them last season."

Bingo. Thank you. Of the Aussies the 36ers have, none of them are in that realm. We could have had Nick Kay potentially for McCarron money. Humphries is that level when healthy but when is he healthy? I am not sure how much of that you can blame on JVG but my question is how long is Humphries contract? Probably unreasonably long, as all contracts have been.

Shea Ili is at least is exceptional at something. His dribble-hand off defense is elite. McCarron hasnt got a world class skill in his arsenal yet he's paid like he does.

"The exodus in just 3.5 years has been staggering Creek, Childress, Sobey, Deng, Hodgson, Drmic, McVeigh, H. Froling plus 3 coaches in the last 3 years. That's a hell of a lot of talent to burn through in such a short time."

Yep, and replaced those guys with overpaid Aussies who aren't providing. Childress likely had another season or two in him if he wanted it. There is not a name on that list who we wouldn't be better off having than the players we have now, and that's just a cold hard fact.

A couple of months ago he was trying to defend JVG's time running the Kings which was even worse than his running of the Sixers.

Over-the-hill players well past their 30s playing for a paid holiday.

I am not sure how much of that you can blame on JVG but my question is how long is Humphries contract? Probably unreasonably long, as all contracts have been.

There is not a name on that list who we wouldn't be better off having than the players we have now, and that's just a cold hard fact.

Mitch McCarron. Oh god. Is there anyone watching him this season thinking he's anything more than the worst starting point guard in the league?

Sunday Dech - so what? What is so miraculous about Sunday Dech? A nice enough player but let's not act like he's a star of some sort.

The exodus in just 3.5 years has been staggering Creek, Childress, Sobey, Deng, Hodgson, Drmic, McVeigh, H. Froling plus 3 coaches in the last 3 years. That's a hell of a lot of talent to burn through in such a short time.

Deng, Hodgson, Drmic, McVeigh, H. Froling

I wasn't defending anything I conceded he made mistakes just like I have done in this instance, but I think he should get credit for bringing in Lisch, Newls, Kicks, Randle and Bogut.

Yes he isn't Lebron James, but he had just had a very good year at Illawarra and was in high demand, and he chose Adelaide, shouldn't this be every GM's goal to attract good talent?

Creek and Sobes are losses yes.

Childress you would not want back when he cannot finish a season.

Absolutely none of these guys you would die in a ditch to keep them, they (except Froling) went elsewhere for better opportunities and possibly pay. Froling was just happy to have a job in Brisbane.

"Dech signed with us because we were the only team offering him a 3 year deal."
Stupidity at it's finest right there.

"Signing Humphries to a multi year extension"

hmm? I thought it's a one year deal?

“ Mitch McCarron. Oh god.”

Granted, he is probably paid a bucket load of money - however for lack of understanding just how much, I don’t subscribe to throwing the criticism his way. At least not the amount he has received.

It seems to be a bit of “why haven’t you magically solved all our problems Mitch?”

I banged on about this all preseason and season - the balance is way out of whack. It creates ripple effects everywhere - MM is too stifled and tired in the wrong role, all players are out of position the moment anyone pushes the ball close to the basket, no space is created in offence etc.

That’s what happens when you have MM in the wrong slot, no threatening wing man and no defensive presence down low.

They looked better with Tad PG, MM at SG and Dech SF.

So then why do you have Hannahs, a shooter not shooting and coming off the bench, and Withers that doesn’t fill the slot of the wingman or a PF?

Which leads to..
“ Withers. What is it Withers actually does?”

By no means is he a bad player - he seems pretty decent when he actually gets and takes opportunities. He just doesn’t fit the balance of the side, doesn’t fill a need and doesn’t provide value through a weird quasi-role in his own right.

They could try harder to make use of him, but they haven’t. And they probably need to.

If Adelaide had gone a PG import, athletic wing import and a defensive PF import, you’d have your one-two punch for your guards, even a 1-2-3 punch if the SF was your Prather/Hopson type. You’d have space, you’d have less less problems for MM to solve.

Good to see him gone. The real thing that ha to be looked into, is why they took him to start.

Concur with KET

Hannahs has significant rouble even getting teh ball up the floor under pressure

The team looked its most balanced with TD at PG and MM at the 2

A agree re Withers. I think he could be a Ramone Moore off the bench but we need starting quality combo guard 3 and a defensive big

They should have had a clean out of imports weeks back before contracts were guaranteed. At very least Dusty and keep Withers as that bench import.
But could have brought in a scorer and a big.
But it's still baffles me why CJ doesn't use Dusty better on offence in terms of playing to his strengths. Not sure if he's in doghouse because of defence, but is wasted for what he's supposed to be, a shooter. From what I've seen it nearly looks like he says f$*K it, I'm going to get dragged so I'll just jack this one up.

Well I agree with that much KET - the whole team is a mess. I'd put a sledgehammer through it and start again next season with THREE imports.

I can understand why there is so much negativity towards JVG, and I certainly agree that he has some mistaken approaches regarding how successful teams should be constructed, but the real issue for me is why does he get treated like/think of himself as this NBA type GM guru in a league like the NBL?

It just strikes me as odd the he seems to be the only GM in the league that has this more NBA like role in being ultimately responsible for why a team is either doing well or doing bad. I just don't get it but accept that I may also be oblivious. What other teams run GMs in this way in the NBL? Obviously there are people in place who likely assist the coaching in the recruitment of players, but again JVG seems to think of himself as some kind of NBA type GM, and again is treated as such.

When has this been common or necessary in this league? The NBL doesn't have trades and 10 day contracts etc. Again, I just don't understand why JVG is so ultimately responsible for everything.

I don't think that people should deny he hasn't managed to assemble some decent rosters in his time, so there seems to be a link with him and attracting players. But again I stress why does it go beyond this with JVG only? I would have thought the role of a GM in this league would be to assist the coach in getting the players he wants.

It's probably because JVG is like the ultimate salesman, he self-promotes so much that other GM's seem almost non-existent. There has been this 'guru' aspect around him from his time at the Tigers & Bullets but that all blew up with his disastrous time running the Kings and then the Sixers.

I assume he probably thinks he's burnt through all his goodwill in the NBL now hence why he's moving onto other things like attaching himself to Giddey/Moldovan, JVG always needs a good host and he finds them don't worry.

Many years ago I spoke to him on the phone once when he was running these NBA holiday tours they used to promote in One on One magazine where you go to a few games meet a few players whatever all hosted by JVG. He sounded like a nice guy and is a very good salesman.

I think maybe GK realised he made a big mistake taking Creek to the Supreme Court so about six months later hired JVG to run the team on his behalf assuming he knows what he's doing and likely has all the right connections.

how many time can this rabble start again - will be interesting to see who fills JVG's small shoes

It happens in a lot of sports and business where the same people keep getting hired despite constantly failing. Just look at the big American sports where some people always get a chance. It might be just that they interview well and are able to sell a vision to the owners, or that because they have contacts and experience they get hired. Almost every time there's an opening in the NBA, the Van Gundys are mentioned. Thibs is another one, might work his team to death and have a good season, but things go downhill quick.
I've known people that should have been promoted, but were lousy in interviews, so they'd miss out and a less skilled person got it.
Sixers were in a big hole so can see JVG coming in and showing what he could do given money and owner fell for it.

But my point is not how does he got a job on the basis of credentials and qualification, my point is why does he seem to be the only GM in The NBL that operates as if he were an NBA GM and supposedly makes the on court decisions over the coach etc.

You never hear the success of or failure of a club being attributed to the GM at any of the other teams in the NBL. It seems to be a JVG thing that operates both ways.

I'm still not suite sure what you mean but the GM runs the team on behalf of the owner. Of course he tells the coach what to do the GM is essentially the coach's boss.

They're much more than losses they're franchise players and we had both of them and let them walk.

Childress got injured right at the end of the GF series arguably even cost us the championship that series and yes, everyone desperately wanted him to come back but he vowed never to play for the Sixers again after what GK did to Creek.

I never implied needing to die in a ditch to keep them but you at least try, Cairns just re-signed Majok Deng to a 3 year deal in the off-season.

So he left the club with the club and it's fans' blessing, how is that on the club to not retain?

Childress had a long history of injuries even in the NBL before the Sixers, it would be unwise to hang your hopes on someone proven to be unavailable so often.

Because the NBA thing was unlikely to work out so you keep good relations with him as the Sixers likely would've been the team he came back to play for instead of SEM. Taking him to the Supreme Court to try and void his NBA contract would be considered the complete opposite of 'keeping good relations'.

Yes I shouldn't have said they let Creek walk I realised my mistake late last night but you can't edit your posts so just left it.

Yes going to court was regrettable.

JVG picked up Sotto due to Philipino interest and while there has been interest, a recent article has stated that very little of the increased merchandise revenue has been from Sotto, and Daniel Johnson is still - somehow - the highest selling jersey for the club.

The current selling jerseys at https://t.co/xuC4TcFNwS

Who are you repping/copping?#NBL22 pic.twitter.com/9cryueXn3m

— The NBL (@NBL) February 23, 2022

It was a bit more than regrettable and we're still paying for that extreme lack of judgement now. Having to wildly overpay on good but not great players and having to fill out or rosters with guys outside the NBL.

Who is buying the Magnay and *gulp* McVeigh jerseys?

This is where conjecture and wild speculation comes in.

I would say NOBODY cares about that episode anymore, I am citing JVG's ability to bring in Giddey, IH, MM etc. Big names that would have plenty of suitors and if Adelaide is such a toxic location happily ignore all calls from SA.

But then you say they here coz money pay too much.

I have no come back because I don't know how much they earn nor how much other clubs offered, nor how much comparable players elsewhere get paid.

Where can I go to get an invite to the 36ers boardrooms that everyone else here possesses?

Who is buying the Magnay and *gulp* McVeigh jerseys?

But my point is not how does he got a job on the basis of credentials and qualification, my point is why does he seem to be the only GM in The NBL that operates as if he were an NBA GM and supposedly makes the on court decisions over the coach etc.

You never hear the success of or failure of a club being attributed to the GM at any of the other teams in the NBL. It seems to be a JVG thing that operates both ways.

Giddey was a Next Star his contract is with the NBL not a team he needed a showcase team where he knew he would start and play big minutes for NBA scouts there likely would've only been a few clubs interested in that scenario.

Humphries & McCarron are both here because we're paying them a lot more than they could get from any other NBL team.

Giddey went to Adelaide because they took on the other Moldovan players as well at inflated prices

Why couldn't he do that at Illawarra? They have at least demonstrated a willingness to hand the keys to their previous Next Star (Ball).

If you were an NBA aspirant and saw what the Sixers did to Creek? Why would you sign up with that club even if he were protected by the NS contract? Any association with Adelaide would sully one's NBA campaign right?

If I recall correctly JvG initially got involved with the NBL at the Tigers via his brother who was team chaplain.

I meant to say initially involved with the NBL in an administrative sense.

Because Goorjian is about trying to win championships the previous Hawks regime under Matt Flinn were more about survival as a club than seriously competing hence why they took on LaMelo Ball when no doubt a lot of other teams likely passed.

But the Sixers were ALSO in the business of (trying to) winning championships when Giddey was recruited.

Yet Giddey and Sloan had same agent. A JVG special. Get sling fir both, plus extra sling fir replacement. Those mazzerati's don’t buy themselves.

The Humphries situation depends on his health. Obviously he hasn't played, and the signing is copping some criticism.

How foreseeable were his health issues?

If Humphries was healthy and playing near his best, $400k would've been a bargain, in the context of numbers like $700k for Cotton or $800k for Landale. Cos Humhphries was, for a ~10 game stretch last season playing at an All-NBL 2nd team level.

Adelaide would have to regularly overpay simply by virtue of being down the pecking order of Australian cities. I don't see how that would even be debatable?

Yet Giddey and Sloan had same agent.

How foreseeable were his health issues?

Wasn't Humphries injured when he arrived? He couldn't even train when he arrived.

Regular rumours were that he needed injections just to get through the day and then they still gave him the extension.

Spatial Jam says his original 1+1 was redone. My understanding is was a multi year extension.

The league needs to do a much better job of making contracts transparent.

He only re-signed to a one-year deal I've said that a few times in this thread. He's a free agent at the end of the season.

https://nbl.com.au/news/isaac-humphries-re-signs-with-adelaide

"I didn't know that makes that situation with Sloan's obvious sulking and asking to be released even more bizarre then."

Zodiac, I heard from a good source just before the season started that something unexpected and unfortunate had happened that Sloan was dealing with. I'm not going to say more than that, except that if true, I could totally sympathise with him not being very focussed on basketball at that time.

So I don’t think it had anything to do with any promises that might or might not have been made to Giddey.

Beantown, Okay no probs I hadn't heard that mentioned on here before and would explain his seemingly despondent attitude. I remember at the time he was copping a lot of flak on here with fans demanding he be cut and CH even started bringing him off the bench towards the end there but terrible to hear he was actually going through some sort of private issue.

I like JVG. I met him a number of times in the early 2000s while volunteering at the Tigers and its easy to see how he charms his way into the many roles he's had.

I think clearly his number one skill is leveraging those relationships. Aside from the Bullets who had piles more money than anyone else, that hasnt tended to work out to much success on the court though.

Good luck to him on whatever he does next

Yeah it would have been tough on him to leave his family and come to Australia at the time. Its not an easy gig being an import!

Lets hope the Sixers finally hit a home run with this next import! I still want them to get a point guard. I think that is by far this team's biggest need. In fact I'd go so far as to say that inability to run our offence under pressure has been the cause of every loss this season!

Lets hope the Sixers finally hit a home run with this next import! I still want them to get a point guard. I think that is by far this team's biggest need. In fact I'd go so far as to say that inability to run our offence under pressure has been the cause of every loss this season!

Humphries was great for about two thirds of last season and had one reasonable g league season, other than that he's had a lot of injuries and hasn’t produced a lot. He’s earned a lot of money on potential but other than as above hasn’t shown that much. He obviously has a rapport with JVG as he had him at kings and then Sixers, or he pays him to much.

I think we as fans overstate Humphries' purple patch last season a bit.

Last season was a 36 game season and Humphries played 19 games and 6 of those games were after he came back from the injury seemingly too early and didn't play as well. So really it was the first 12 games of the season about 1/3 of the season that he played well excluding the game he got injured in and only played 4 minutes.

IH first 12 games: 16.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.0 bpg

IH last 6 games: 8.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.3 bpg

Well that just confirms that he's over paid on performances, he stayed at Sixers as there was no one else interested in paying top dollar.

Re Humphries, I think it was a risk but a risk worth taking on a boomers level 24 year old big man who when fit and firing is in the MVP conversation.

It didnt work out this season sure, but I now sort of think he may be worth persisting with going forward even on good money.

The reason I think this is Xavier Cooks

His first 2 seasons with the Kings were troubled with injuries and not really massively productive.

He came back at around 24 like Humphries is, Cooks is now 26 and playing at a high level and would be one of the first Aussies signed by any club if he were available.

2019/12 Cooks averaged 7p, 2a, 9r in 20 games
2020/21 Cooks averaged 10p, 2a, 5r in 8 games
in the current season he is averaging 14p, 2a,9r and has played all of Sydneys 16 games.

His first 2 years with Sydney are pretty similar to Humphries first 2 years in Adelaide playing 19 games and 6 games, so is it out of the question that Humphries like Cooks gets healthy next year and plays at a high level.

Yes its a big risk, especially with probably big money attached, but it may pay off if we stick with him.

I do also get the counter argument of hes injured too often so why bother with him, but I have trouble writing off a 24 year old like that and Xavier Cooks and the kings this season is why I would try and stick with him.

To make it work though, we probably need to be able to spend kings type money and have 3 top imports from the start of the season to pair with McCarron and Humphries.

If the 36ers say had the equivalent of the kings 3 imports to pair with these guys we would have a really good starting 5.

Hopefully with no more JVG and his genius processes that never work, we can go down this path going forward.