Hoops

Wade Helliwell a Sixer

yup you can go down that road if you like, when was the last time Queensland or Vic beat the Boomers ;)
NZ must be a Super State?

swap "opportunity to show" with "consistently prove" ;).

Penney has helped/carried a Country of 4.41 million who's number 1 sport is Rugby to a Ranking of 12th in the World (currently 18th but we did just beat the 10th and 11th and 13th placed teams) not to mention recent series wins over Australia with a population of 22.68 million.
I like the Gaze comparison, he could play and he also rates Penney highly.

Anon, he didn't seem to have many problems outscoring Kevin Durant at the WC's and in NBA preseason with the Spurs his points output per minute was very very close to Tony Parkers so I guess Haters gonna Hate ;)

It's always nice to hear an Australian give Kirk Penney the recognition he deserves, props Paul.

Good point Big Marty, I agree

TJ, good idea to matchup the Sixers v Breakers for a comparison; but unfortunately the Breakers are a full unit that work together. We haven't had a stable team for long enough. Replacing imports isn't an issue; replacing half the team each season is.

Mystro, agree that this past season Penney crapped on Balls points wise. Then again, Balls ended up being 3rd on offence because we tended to pick imports who wasted shot clock or had a "me first" persona.

Wouldn't expect Penney to score as well if put into the same situation either.

Muzz Buzz, I agree that CJ has slowed with age but he can still light up the scoreboard in the 4th and carry his team to victory offensively.
I believe he will play at SG and get a lot more looks this season as will Mika Vukona and Tom Abercrombie.

Give Helliway a break, he is the #10 man signed as a minimum minutes big - not the starting centre.

I like the signing, as Helliwell is a good fit alongside Ballinger to me as he is the inside banger and frees up Ballinger to shoot his jumpshots.

I hope we see the big man combos of (1) Helliwell/ Ballinger and (2) Johnson/Williamson, could basically split the minutes between the 2 combos, as Williamson also looks like the style of player to compliment Johnson well, this looks like a decent front court rotation to me.

I'm genuinely stoked with this signing.

Watch this space.

That was ch9 news , just then.
36ers sign a 7footer.
And, Adam Ballinger going for ankle surgery.

In the final end - Dench off the bench , just for a second - shotta airball , then subbed out by Smyth.
With A.Sturt - the excitement is like steam in a kettle.
Bruton - best player in the grand final , in a winning team.

I had some very positive thoughts about this signing until I just had a very disturbing deja vu type experience between this signing and the 2007 signing of a certain former fringe Boomer bigman also recruited from the Tigers and coming off a poor season that we were hoping would recapture some form: Axel Dench. Sorry to remind everyone of the similarities to that signing, lets hope it turns out very differently. If nothing else, Wade will hopefully at least not be allergic to that painted area on the court.

except that Penney's points output per game takes a dump on Ballingers.
Wilkinson made NBL first team first season
Vukona is a starter not a bench warmer
and lastly you cannot even compare Ng to CJ Bruton, CJ can get to the rack, CJ can create his own shot, CJ can defend and CJ can run the point.

I do agree that this seasons Sixers squad is a big upgrade on last seasons (as long as the Imports are also upgrades). Looking forward to seeing how the season pans out

Isn't the main benefit here that Adelaide will never be required to play Ballinger at center? That has been a major downfall for years because it isn't his natural position. It gives Adelaide some defense and a banger inside (with a very reliable left hand hook shot if i say so myself).

He was a victim of a terrible situation last year in Melbourne. I predict Adelaide coming 5th this year or pushing for that 4th playoff spot. Very competitive roster.

I'm with Beantown too.

I wasn't impressed with Helliwell last season, but I'm willing to wait and see how he goes. He really was the scapegoat last year for the Tigers, when that roster was complete rubbish from the start. Marty will play him to his strength and he will protect the rim and throw his weight around, can't ask for much more than that from your 10th man.

So with the roster set, who will be the starters? I'd assume this signing would mean DJ is the starting C but does williamson or weigh start at the 3? Finally we have some healthy competition for the starter spots.

I'd have to agree with Mr B; I thought he looked terrible in the televised games that I saw. Granted part of the reason behind it can be the lack of a big role on a team; but I remember seeing quite a large number of fluffed layups and turnovers off sloppy play.

I'm fairly sure if Brad Hill was a Pokemon, he'd evolve into Wade Helliwell.

I agree with Beantowns post completely

Reality is that Helliwell will take on the Cooper role in playing limited minutes but is a big backup body. If he plays more than 10 minutes a game behind Johnson, Ballinger and Williams, he would have to be playing well and that can only be a positive.

Who are the leftys ?

The Paul Rees comparisons are a bit much, but good signing for the tenth man. Rounds out a nicely balanced roster this year.

Yes, Helliwell is a big plodder, but his size is important for certain matchups and I think his experience will help him be a consistently effective contributor when called upon.

I also thought he was a little unfairly maligned last season with the Tigers. He was simply put in a position where he was destined to fail - they had no guards who could get him the ball where he could score effectively and he was forced to dribble the ball and guard players out on the perimeter too much.

When I watched him in a few games, there were flashes where he was able to play to his strengths and he was quite effective.

Oh , well , he's steady , experienced. A big unit. Passes first , screens away. Rebounds.
A little foul prone.

he is a big body and bangs and defends inside, which should compliment Ballinger and Johnson well.

Avegared 4pts 3 rebounds in 14 mins last season,

his career averages are 10pts 6rbds, in 23 mins,

so if he gets close to his career averages backing up Johnson he should be a very useful back up C.