Hoops

Boti, Tucker: Rashad Tucker would've made 36ers better

Tone, I have no doubt Rashard will tear up the ABA, but he is not alone in that. So do current 36ers such as Brad Hill, Jacob Holmes and Tom Daly among others who are hardly dominant players at NBL level. It does go to demonstrate how vast the step up from local league to NBL is at the moment.

I agree with what was said above about recruiting young imports, as that is the type of player Clarke works best with, id have no problem with going for a guy out of college as many imports with good college numbers and dont get picked up by the NBA.

From memory guys like Chris Williams, Ebi Ere, Donta Draper, Dusty Rychart were all recruited straight out of college and were very successful NBL players.

I am not saying Marty doesn't have a reputation as a hard task-master, nor that players wouldn't take that into account in considering who they want to play for.

I was asking Fizzle to back up his statement players are refusing to play for Marty, apparently because Marty has a 'dull system' that will make players look bad.

If Fizzle wants to pursue his anti- Marty Clarke agenda so be it. But to state as if it is fact that 'Alot of NBLers dont want to play for him' without I suspect anything more than inference built on rumour (as you suggest Isaac), sounds like petty spite.

Fizzle could be best friends with half the league's players, but based on his posting history I very much doubt it. If he can justify his assertion, I would love to hear it.

Anyone else find it ironic Fizzle would make such a ludicrous statement in a thread about a veteran NBL 'star' begging and pleading to be allowed merely to train with Marty?

I'd have to agree with XY Mr Fizzle.

Although I'd like to hear your concept of the "Game within the Game" for interests sake.

I'm calling bullshit Fizzle. Which NBL players have told you they don't want to play for Marty?

Putting aside off court issues, and as dominant as he may be at ABA level, based on Rashard's age, most recent performances in the NBL, and lack of any top level professional contracts on his CV in recent years, is as likely to get another shot at NBL as Willie Farley - that is to say, buckleys.

Add the off court dramas back into the mix, and Willie Farley suddenly looks like a much more attractive option.

Two words Big Marty...Brendan Fevola

Isaac, I agree with you whole heartedly about the club image and general embarrassment it would cause the organization.

However, having the man train with the team is no biggie. You're simply offering a chance to showcase a player and have a good caliber player train off against members of the existing cast.

You can arguably use attendance and "social" situations during that time to scope him and determine whether the time, effort and money is worth bringing him on board. You can always do the "One Strike" rule into the contract for the 1st season and make it public knowledge.

There isn't much else you can do. It's a bit hard to hold past issues over someone's head for life; depends whether the Sixers would want to be the organization to offer a chance at redemption, or whether that gets left for another team.

I think when you look at how he has recruited he definitely prefers coaching the young fella's and this obviously stems from coaching at the Institute. Having someone like Tucker out there who would probably be set in his ways and could potentially be a bad influence both on and off the court for these young guys would have disasterous effects.
3 year plan people, 3 year plan...doesn't include older players.
My guess is next to feel the impact of this concept will be Ballinger.

Clarke likes to have 15 out there he can throw the ball to.
Even better if they are fighting for a game
like AFL ins n outs, unlike NBL.

Yes, Tucker would have been better than Happy Daze this season. But so would just about anyone. (Have we ever seen a worse import at the Sixers? Maybe Jeff Brown?)

I also agree with what Isaac said above, in that the Sixers greatest needs are outside shooting and a good playmaker. Tucker was never a great shooter and had as many turnovers as assists from what I remember.

Hopefully, we won't be reduced to asking him to play for us mid next season either. The Sixers are due for a couple of good imports after what we've been served up for most of the last decade!

I think we had a few ask if they could come out for just a training run - Greenwood, Johnson, Bruce.

'Personally, I'm fine with accepting a player whether they have issues or not. If your team in general are good sports, you'd be able to integrate someone like Tucker. If he's a professional, he'll man up and clean up.'

Many teams in many sports have used this theory and lived to regret it. Names like Akermanis and Fevola spring immediately to mind.

I'd accept him at Sixers training with a "Don't expect anything from this" clause and see whether he'd show up. Could have had a well rounded player to train against. Worst case he never shows, best case he tears it up and the coaching staff go "hmmmmm...."

Personally, I'm fine with accepting a player whether they have issues or not. If your team in general are good sports, you'd be able to integrate someone like Tucker. If he's a professional, he'll man up and clean up.

36ers had their best season being coached by a bloke who had a splif on a roadtrip ( sorry for this post, just could not help myself)

You think he is the only stoner in the NBL anon?

Give me a break. He definately would have been worth trying out in practice I think.

Agree Isaac re the shooting though, definately not what we were looking for at the start of the year.

The Sixers have announced the signing of Matt Sutton as the replacement for Brad Hill.

"In the end the choice between Matty Sutton and Marcus Timmons is a 22-year-old versus a 35-year-old," Sixers coach Phil Smyth said.

"We could go for the quick-fix but this works for the club in both the short and the long term."

Within a week the 36ers also are expected to put a new contract offer to the injured Hill, who turned 20 yesterday and who still will have his arm in plaster for a further week-and-a-half. Hill would be a free agent at season's end but features prominently in the club's long-term planning.

Pretty average that when he called the Sixers to train with them, they said they could not fit him in.
Surely worth looking at during practice? Even just for a skilled practice body when we had players go down with injuries.

why is issues and reputation everything? i think Boti said it in a previous article, we need to get passed this good moral idea that all players have to be seen to be really nice and fit well within the community. ball skills should be the number one priority followed by personality. in the past it was about who could play the best not who went to the most community events making friends around a camp fire singing kumbaya.

From what i've heard he's got serious issues..