Hoops

New 36ers PF import, John Williamson

I noticed , last season , Ballinger , Holmes , Hill
and 2 American Guards started every game
with the same substitutions at the same time.
( a coupla injuries meant a slight change )
When you're losing more than you are winning,
you feel like making a change, mix it up
roll them over and find the best , on that night,
for the most minutes.
I guess ya cain't do that.

Anyways, Mark Bickley's pretty good.

At the moment, Herbert starts . He's hot at training.
Ballinger doesn't (injured) , but i guess they nurse him thru , this preseason.

I agree. Of course he should start. I was just trying to see where I was with the suggestion that he was not in the top 10 in the league. If Wiliamson turns out to be a young Rosell Ellis with a jump shot, then thats a pretty good combination that can score on you in different ways depending on how you match up with them. The most important thing will be how good a defender Williamson is. If he can do a solid job on D as well you dont look to be in to bad a position with Johnson comming off the bench, another big to come and Weigh being able to pinch hit at the 4 if you want to go small.

I have always liked Ballinger and wished he would have stayed at the Hawks but last year I would put the following players ahead of Ballinger.
Penney
Ervin
Redhage
Khazzouh
Martin D
Saville
Wilkinson
Worthington

Maybe
Dorsey
Ubaka
Vukona
Clarke

The way some people say Balls shouldn't play C..it makes it sound as though he is 6"5!!

He is 6"9 (and also he has an extremely strong body).

Wilkinson played Center a lot last year (because of Pledger's limited minutes) and more than held his own. Wilkinson is listed as 6"8.

And then look at all the guys that played Center in the league last year and their height:
Knight = 6"10
Tragardh=6"10
Davidson=6"9
Loughton=6"9

And then guys like Crosswhite and Burston are 6"11.

So majority of the time he is either the same size as some Centers in the league or just 1 inch shorter. Then he is just 2 inches shorter than some of the taller ones.

I think Ballinger needs to toughen up on defence; Mika Vukona can make up for his lack of height through defence and hard work (maybe Ballinger needs to take a leaf from his book).
But in all honesty, If a guy cannot COMPETE with guys that are the same height as him or 1-2inches taller, than he has some defensive issues (in terms of technique and work ethic).
I think he needs to better utilise that strong frame of his..He tends to use his body well on Offence, but not on defence.

I know someone who can rebound,defend Schenscher
play 4 n 5 , shoots pretty good and has the name of the most important south australian.

Anyways , like Adelaide Lightning who needed a big for the last spot, but didn't take Carla Borrego and I've forgotten who they signed , instead.

I wouldnt get Knight regardless of height next season, as i think he is a PF not really a C, sure he could play there like Ballinger and others do, but i would like to see us sign a legit back up C like a Horvath, Pero, Mottram.

Knights age and recent injury history are also a concern to me, not that the others i have mentioned are overly young, he did finish strongly for the kings last season from memory but i would take the others over him as they are more C's not PF's,

i also wouldnt rule out someone just for height, would definatly sign a aussie version of Rolan Roberts if around at 6'6, but just want a C or atleast a C/PF like Mottram, more than a PF/C.

I think Horvath is the most talented of the guys mentioned hence why i chose him, Vanderjagt is next best for me, but if we want more the inside bruising/defensive presence id go gor Pero or Mottram over a Ben Knight. Either way its only the 9th-10th spot so not a huge issue who they sign, i half expect it to be either Pero or Mottram as both have links with SA and have trained with the 36ers under Clarke.

Out of all those guys named, besides height what would they offer that Holmes couldn't?
Jacob was one f the best rebounders in the league and defensively was still very good and is definitely a leader when he is on the court.
For me, sign Holmes again.

My preference if all asking the same sort of $$$ would be

1st Horvath
2nd Vanderjagt
3rd Vasiljevic
4th Mottram
5th Sam Harris

I want them to get a 6'10 + player so ruling out Ben Knight.

I went for Horvath first as he used to be a pretty good NBL import and is putting up as good if not better numbers to the others in the NZBL, which i think is better than SEABL, etc. So simply he is the most talentd IMO.

I'm surprised that so many people are wanting Balls to come off the bench as a 6th man.

Personally their best option is having Herbert as the 6th man and fielding Williamson at the 3 with Weigh as a 2-guard.

While there's so much talk about him as an impact player; I'd prefer having Balls start as he adds a distraction on offence. If you have a guy who you know can score from nearly everywhere; it opens more spaces for your other players.

Starting 5:

Johnson
Ballinger
Weigh
Herbert
Warren

Maybe a bit ahead of myself, with Creek, but i would just love to see Clarke take the shackles off him and Johnson and let them play around 25 mins per game,

i reckon it would be exciting to watch, they would develop over the years in to 2 of the better Aussies around the league,i also reckon they are good enough right now, not to dominate but to be decent starters,

if we are not going to be real contenders at least play the young kids and watch them develop, so that we may be in a couple of years, a bit like AFL clubs do, which also generally brings more excitement to the fans in the losing seasons. Collingwood fans a few years back watching guys like Pendulbury and Thomas, when they were losing were like just wait until these guys develop and we will be good, and look at them now, so i want the 36ers to do similar put game time into Weigh, Creek, Johnson,

if Weigh is too slow for opposition SG's defensively, Creek could play defense on the SG, while Weigh plays more SG on the offense, i think the Weigh/Creek starting wing combo could be quite good, and hard to match up on defensively for oppositions as both are long and athletic, and takes the pressure off Herbert coming back from knee surgery, but still giving him half the game to use his talents, which ill be excited to see him back.

Anyways if both the imports are half decent we should be much improved on last season, having Creek and Herbert for full seasons is also an improvement, and Weigh was one of the better Aussie free agents available (he was my 3rd best option behind Gibson and Schenscher) so was happy to see him signed and he should be an upgrade on last seasons SF's.

Hendo, not sure I like that five man combo you posted. Too many guys that are ideally mid-range and in shooters and not enough quality perimeter shooting.

Weigh is also not all that quick, so I wouldn't want him defending starting shooting guards all the time. He is much better suited to playing SF and even PF, rather than SG IMO.

Unless Williamson turns out to be a superstar, I'd generally prefer to see him as our game changer off the bench and have Herbert's defence and 3pt shooting in the starting lineup to balance the inside/ mid-range games of DJ, Balls and Weigh.

Jonno, I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself to be claiming Creek is better than Herbert at this point. The kid has a lot of potential, but based on last season he has a lot of work to do on his outside shot and ball-handling before I'd consider playing him as a guard. I think solid backup minutes behind Weigh (and perhaps some PF mins if we go with a small ball lineup) is about right for Creek at this stage.

Yea if Clarke doesnt want Williamson to start the SF spot along side Ballinger and Johnson, i wouldnt mind him starting PF, Johnson at C and Ballinger playing off the bench similar to Dusty in Cairns last year.

I would then start Creek at SF, Weigh at SG, id like to see how close to the young Mackinnon claims Creek can get and playing him is the only way to find out, and id say he would be atleast as good as Herbert anyway. (No disrespect to Herbert, but Creek has some serious talent for a young guy and has the potential to be a real star, so lets give him a shot, same reason im starting Johnson over Ballinger.)

Slot sat Vasiljevic in as the 10th man

You could go with rotations like

C Johnson (25mins)/Ballinger (mins 8)/Vasiljevic (7)
PF Williamson (20)/Ballinger (20)
SF Creek (25)/Waigh (10)/ Williamson (5)
SG Weigh (15)/Herbert (20)/Ng (5)
PG Warren (25)/Crosswell (15)

Total mins would be

Ballinger 28 (still getting the most mins off the bench)
Johnson 25
Williamson 25
Creek 25
Weigh 25
Warren 25
Herbert 20
Crosswell 15
Vasiljevic 7
Ng 5


Would give us a long athletic starting 5 with Weigh and Creek on the wings and Johnson and Williamson would be quicker than most bigs.

And also a well balanced team with the main 8 guys getting more than 20 mins, i beleive a 40 min game is probably best suited to a 8 man rotation, so have 7 guys playing more than 20, with Crosswell the 8th at 15. Ng and Pero would just be played in small birsts, with a very defined role, Ng shooting 3s for quick points, Vasiljevic hustling inside and rebounding to balance out Ballinger, my rotations are based upon Clarke doesnt seem to want Johnson and Ballinger on together for long stints.

Eg. Johnson/Williamson combo for 20 mins, Pero/Ballinger for 7 mins, Ballinger/Johnson for 13 mins (ie around 3 mins a quater tops), so allowing us to have Johnson and Ballinger on for around 60% of the game each, whilst only playing together for around 30%, good balance IMO.

so Pero will spell Johnson when Ballinger is at PF and allow Ballinger to play his mid range game which suits him best.

Anyone who says Mottram lacks aggression or does not make his presence felt has never watched him play. That is pretty much his main attribute, which he showed during the injury plagued year he was previously here. I would be disappointed if he is out of the picture, because he does all the 1%ers and knows how to splash towards the basket off of penetration from the wings, which would be perfect for the 8-9th man in the Sixers' rotation.

Ceres, Wilt was one man; if anything was proven in the NBA finals this past season, is that teams beat talent.

I'll be honest and say that the team is looking way better talent wise; here's hoping the team gels more.

Weigh and Creek: That's arguably one of the best Forward duos in the league right now. The fact that they sub one another is rather bonkers if you think of the possibilities.

Croswell and Herbert: Two toughnut defenders and surprise scorers when required. Think having Croswell, Herbert, Creek & Weigh on at the same time at some point in the game offers and mobile and tough defence with a strong fast break counter-punch.

Balls, DJ & Williamson: If there was a Wittman's Sampler of Offensive variety, you've got it. You cover post, face-up, pick, pop and dunk with all 3 players. Hopefully the fact that you have a guy who loves offensive boards, will allow Balls or DJ to be more reckless in offense knowing that there is a good likelyhood of getting the ball back on a miss.

Ng and Warren: Two guards who are more than happy to camp it up from the arc. You combine that with Williamson and Balls and their mid-range style; then you have what BobbyTables was saying: an in-out offense.

The combos are there and the talent says we have a well balanced team; execution should be the only worry once again.

Was that him playing horse? Judging by the shorts it looked like it was the 1981 mid-west regional knockout???

Adam - I was probably the guy near you bitching about rebounds :P It's just frustrating that you have a professional team that is basically unable or unwilling to perform the fundamentals. Seriously, if I win lotto I'm going to front the cash to bring Jeff Van Gundy out here to coach us; to hell with a three year plan, we'll win it in the first year hahaha.

I go back to something Wilt Chamberlain said on an NBA vid I had called 'In the Paint' - "You can't win without the ball".

Paul knows whats up. Get a Mottram type as back up C and we are fairly well balanced. We wouldn't be any worse than most of the other teams defensively. It's all up to the coaching staff to put together some good team defence, and all the guys on the court to work for each other.

Just watched a few highlights and his style reminded me a bit of Chris Williams from the Kings first title, not saying he is as good, but would be over the moon if he is, but similar style of player, so should be well suited to the NBL, and will be happy if he is half as good as Williams was.

I agree he brings variety to offense, and i think he could play minutes at SF, PF and C, remember guys like Young, Ellis, Rolan Roberts, Rychart, even Mark Davis are only 6'6 and all have played plenty of time as C, so im not too worried aslong as he plays hard, both ends, he will be ok to play 5-10 mins at C if required.

Yea i was also thinking Ballinger off the bench in the same sort of role Dusty played in Cairns last season.

Williamson looks like a decent signing for me, averaged 13pts, 6 rebounds, 1 assist in France a couple of seasons ago, (i think the leagues he has played in since are slightly lower standard) which im pretty sure is a decent league guys like Abney, Farley played in France before coming to Australia, they both did well in NBL, so am assuming its of similar level, so im expecting atleast what he got in France, and hopefully providing a good presence inside at both ends and some hustle and defence and ill be happy.

I reckon Williamson could play 5-10 mins at C ala G Young, Ellis, meaning basically you have Williamson on with one of Johnson or Ballinger for most of the game, as i got the impression that Clarke didnt really want Johnson and Ballinger on the court together for long stretches last season.

Lets just say dreams come true and we get Mills for our last spot, unlikely i know, but i can dream, my rotations would be.

C Johnson (25 mins)/Ballinger (10)/Williamson (5)
PF Williamson (25)/Ballinger (15)
SF Weigh (20)/Creek (20)
SG Mills (20)/Herbert (15)/Ng (5)
PG Warren (20)/Mills (10)/Crosswell (10)

Total mins per game

Mills 30
Williamson 30
Ballinger 25
Johnson 25
Weigh 20
Creek 20
Warren 20
Herbert 15
Crosswell 10
Ng 5

I agree with Big Marty...though the problem with Balls at C is not so much that he's out of position (even though he is), it's that if he's playing C he doesn't get the ball down low and create offense, either by posting up and taking the shot or kicking back out to someone.

I'd love for the Sixers to get a real inside/outside game going where your big guy can be your first option on offense, try to create, then get it out if nothing's there. All this "pass it around on the perimeter" is a load of bollocks. I'm glad we have a guy that looks like he can get to the ring.

Classic clip selection Muzz Buzz!

Would have preferred someone a little taller who could play centre. As someone pointed out, if we want a 6'6" rebounder we could just resign Holmes. I therefore hope that this guy can shoot it much better than Holmes and use his superior athleticism to crash the offensive glass and play good D on some of the mobile PF's and SF's around the league.

Flinders, that is an interesting twitter from Mills. Could just be him stirring things up for a bit of a laugh, but maybe there is still a chance the Sixers could sign him. I certainly wasn't expecting it, given the composition of the team, but it would be cool seeing him in Sixers colours for at least part of the season!

I'm gonna be pissed if DJ isn't starting for us this year. I'd rather have an import off the bench.

It's either that or Williamson is starting SF and Weigh is starting SG. But for F**k sake, please not Balls at the C.

Panther, I tend to agree re defence, but Creek is a fantastic defender as well and he is only going to get better. Ballinger is an improved defender IMO and Johnson has all the tools to be effective defensively. I think if Marty can get these guys all on the same page we will be fine.

I think he's going to be a solid 15 and 8 player for us and he looks like he can push the ball up the floor which will open things up a bit. Does use his left quite a bit, even when finishing around the basket but his high FG% assures me a little it doesn't matter too much.
My biggest concern with our team is we really don't have a very good defensive unit, especially our bigs but almost all the way through. The only guys on our list that are reknown for their defence is Herbert and Crosswell after that who is there???

Can he bring his cousin Michael Redd with him??

looks like your Import has a jumpshot where Holmes doesn't ;)

Agreed Isaac, but he is only devastating if he has a good PG to get him the ball. For that we'll wait and see. I still think Herbert gets the bulk of minutes at the SG because of his ability to defend, where as Darren struggles with his shadow... I think ten minutes will be his average this season. can easily get up 5-8 shots, and run off lots of picks.

AS for Crosswell, I think his minutes will be determined by Warren's play, and/or Foul trouble. but would probably not be expecting any more than 10 to 15 minutes a game.

This new Guy looks to be a very athletic SF/PF. But 6th man seems to be his destiny

Strange signing given our talent around that height already.

Must be Looking at playing Johnson and Ballinger big minutes at the PF an C positions.

In saying that... I really hope Clarke doesn't go back to his ridiculous idea of starting Ballinger at C, with Williamson at the 4 and Johnson off the Bench.

If that's the case, I might be looking to rid myself of my season tickets before the first game even starts. If I could!

Rotations could look like this:

C - Johnson[30]/Ballinger[5]/TBA[5]
PF - Ballinger[25]/Williamson[15]
SF - Weigh[25]/Creek[10]/Williamson[5]
SG - Herbert[25]/Ng[10]/Creek[5]
PG - Warren[30]/Crosswell[10]

Under Marty everyone seems to get a fair amount of mins. But would love to see starters play bigger mins, say 32-34. Especially Johnson, Ballinger, and Warren.

Honestly he looks like a good back up PF, that could play a few minutes at the 3 spot when weigh sits. Given Ball's is such a threat from outside, could really stretch teams if all 3 bigs on court together. Unfortunately not sure this signing allows much court time now for Darren? or does it slow Creeks progress and minutes?