Hoops

R17 Sixers V Hawks

@ Marcus i can think of a couple of instances a couple of years ago people calling for Balls to be sacked halfway through the season and various imports before that on hoops so it was you mis-reading what i was trying to say

You had me at 'insidious' lol

Tr0lling at a new level - impressive stuff.

@Marcus if you read my post properly i said show me a season where fans on hoops don't talk about who to keep and who to sack i didn't say anything about oz hoops

Vespa,you don't talk on behalf of me so please don't make this generalisation and while I don't agree with many of Marcus Camby's opinions I respect his right to express them. You don't need to lower yourself to attacking him, I'm sure you're better than that. If you ignore him he might possible change his material but at the moment I imagine he is viewing most people who post on here like fish in a barrel.

Marcus, it is quite possible the booing involved no more than half a dozen people. Given the crowds have sat between 3500-4500 people, half a dozen people booing does not suggest the entire fan base booed or condoned that behaviour. One person could boo and you would hear it across the entire stadium at the moment such is the level of patron noise at the end of the games these past few months.

Rat10 - Brett is interested to give it a shot if Management made it available.

My comments on last friday's game - watch the movie Groundhog Day

@ Marcus i think you should do some research there has always been talk throughout every season on who people want to keep or sack not just at the end of the season. The only injustice here is that Marty has been able to keep his job and before you go spouting off that i should stand behind the team and support them i am at every game hoping for a better performance than the insipid crap ive been subjected to lately. I love the players we have now and believe they would be performing better under a different coach and deserve to be playing with more freedom instead of being treated like children that need every little detail spelt out to them. Unfortunatly the club has decided to keep persisting with the coaching staff so i just have to accept that and prey they don't renew Marty and Radfords contracts next season.

@Thehydra With the amount of money the 36ers board gave him each year they should have dominated the league.

I'm not just talking about the player salaries, I also mean other stuff like flying half the team to California for a few weeks/months so he could train them while he finished off his last College coaching season.

@Anonymous Yeah, I suppose Dunlap only slightly underachieved, while Clarke supremely underachieved.

@HoldenV8 I'd put Dunlap and Clarke in the same category: at the time they coached the 36ers they only knew how to coach kids and didn't do nearly enough with the talent they had (it's ok to start talking about Clarke's tenure with the 36ers in the past tense, right?)

Did Clarke and Radford employ themselves as Sixres coaches? Is it their fault that someone else has employed them to coach? Would you resign from your job if there was nowhere else to go and the people who employed you keep paying you a wage - even if all of Adelaide was blogging that you were doing a crap job?
Time for reflection everyone.

@Marcus the crowd only started booing because they were sick of seeing the same lack of energy and passion from players and coaches every week. It was purely a frustration reaction and show me a season where fans on hoops don't talk about who they would want to sack or keep. You tell us to stop bringing up the CJ issue yet you keep harping on about booing,who to sack or keep and sack Marty threads. We all know what you think and you are not going to change anyones mind so find some different excuses (like Marty does every week) i'm sure you could if you tried hard enough

As a longtime fan, I have been going to several Sixers games a year for the past 15+ years. Unfortunately I haven't been able to go for the last few seasons, and Friday's game was my first in over 3 years.

The main things I took away from the game were:
- During the pre-game warm-up, why was Luke practicing 3-point shots? He shot about 10 attempts, made only 1.
- there was no buzz or emotion from the players during the pre-game introductions. Most players seemed to just run out without any energy, and the first few players did not even wait for the announcer to introduce them before they ran out. They really seemed to just be going through the motions. Only Gibson and Petrie showed any spark by giving each other a 'bump'.
- Gibson was good with the Sixers kids pre-game.
- I have seen most of the televised games over the last couple years, but the Sixers offence is even uglier to watch in person. There seemed to be either a lot of movement but with no purpose, or no movement at all. Spacing was terrible, players were crowding each other, driving into each other (let alone defenders), passing to players out of position or not expecting the ball (the number of very short passes to stationary players not expecting the ball was terrible) , or simply passing the ball straight out of court.
- the players were simply out of synch with each other, and they seemed to go through very laboured cuts, screens and general movement without any scoring intention. It seemed like they were forcing passes and shots that they knew would not work to begin with, and no-one seemed disappointed when they didn't.
- it was difficult to keep track of who was on court at any time as it seemed there were subs every couple of minutes. If I as a spectator couldn't get any continuity, I hate to think what it would be like to play in that situation.
- Luke and DJ both crowded the post areas and got in each others way a lot when they were playing together. Both seemed a step behind on defence (whether by effort or ability). Luke missed several shots that he should have made too.
- DJ has a nice touch from mid-range.
- Weigh was solid at both ends. He scored a couple of times from foul line jumpers early in the game, and then I don't recall him touching the ball in that spot again for the rest of the game.
- Gibson came out after the halftime break and tried to take over the offence. It was good to see someone finally wanting to take charge and get back into the game. Even though he wasn't scoring himself he was directing the others and making the right pass to someone in good position - even if shots weren't falling and after some silly turnovers. Petrie and Weigh seemed to feed off of this too and more plays seemed to be improvised.
- It was obvious that the play-book was discarded in the last 5 mins of the game too, and the players seemed to play with more enjoyment and flair. DJ finally found space and his shot started to fall, and Cadee showed in those couple of minutes he can drive and score when there is a bit of space in the keyway.
- Woolongong's offence was simple and they executed well, often finding an open man for an easy shot. They had a lot more energy on court for the whole game and communicated well at both ends.
- the crowd was small and, for most of the game, quiet. And from the comments around us, people expected the worst from the Sixers too.
- Our hotdogs and chips were surprisingly good (not expecting much).
- Murray was good walking around the crowd getting the kids involved.

Overall, the lack of passion and energy from most of the players and feeling that they were just going through the motions for most of the game really stood out. It seemed to feed into the crowd, and was like no other Sixers game I have been to. Even during the Ninnis season the team (and crowd) had more spark. The players have the talent to be a top-4 team (if not higher), it just seems that there is a significant leadership/motivational hurdle holding them back.

Actually Marcus, instead of the 10th man, I actually meant the coaching position. Imagine if instead of paying someone to coach the Sixers, the Sixers allowed people to pay them for the chance of coaching the Sixers! Once again, the cash flow position for the Sixers would greatly improve. Instead of say $120K flowing out of the organisation, you could get $120K flowing into the organisation

Could the "Guest Coach" do any worse?

Errrr..... it wasn't meant to be a serious post, but I couldn't wait until April 1.

After all, who would want a man who couldn't play basketball running around in a Sixers uniform.

Paul, there's one more change to be made and that is in the 10th man spot. For season after season that has been filled by someone who does not get any minutes, or if they do it's just one or two plays.

Therefore if you're going to have someone in the position who is not going to see much time, nor provide much value on court, why not turn it into a business opportunity.

Currently, it would be costing the Sixers say $1,000/game to pay the 10th man. So, why not leave that position open and then offer "Sixer for a Game". You can buy that spot for $1,000/game ($2,000 cashflow turnaround) and then suit up to sit on the bench for the game.

Then if you actually hit the court in trash time, you play for say $1,000/minute.

Any takers?

Grant looked pretty good out there . Would he be a good fit here in ADL , paul ?

Geordie showed how basketball is meant to be played. He empowers his players on the court.
For last play of quarter he gave the ball to Grant. He could easily have got Deleon to run play. But he didn't. He was saying to Grant, you are in this team and I trust you. The end result of that play didn't matter. The play didn't come off but it didn't matter. It was a long term decision knowing Grant would grow in confidence and pay it back. Surprise, surprise. He did.

One of problems with rating our players, is this coach can't get the best out of the player, so their numbers are not reliable. A good coach will pinch one of our players and turn him into something. Watch how good some of these players will perform next season in another system. If players were utilised to their strengths we would want to keep them. This team is very unbalanced. We need a dominating guard. Shows how great a player Maher was, as since he retired, our guards have been ......... He carried them. And when he teamed with another guard, (mee, Farley), LOOK OUT. Until the Sixers get a dominating guard who can control the clutch and floor they will stay in bottom half.

Careful MC - you nearly blew the troll on that one.

Not a sixers or hawks fan but really enjoyed watching how the hawks went about it.

Really simple but effective offensive structures required with the new boy Grant in the team - some high screening action, if the defense gets lost big man dives to the hole, bang, easy layup.

If the defense actually pays attention, find space off the screen and the shooter has licence to shoot - nice.

Well coached there Gordie ... even after also losing Sav on top of the others.

Won't comment on the sixers - everyone else has covered that.

Another week, another loss for this sixers and another round of coach bashing, player bashing and all round hate on the Hoops forum. I LOVE IT!

Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents about this roster and how I think so of us on here are way off the mark about the efforts of players on this roster.

Gibbo for mine has been dreadful the last few weeks. His D is all smoke and mirrors, Gary Ervin torched hiim & Cadee 4 times, he can't guard Deleon and he knows it from their GC days together, Madgen has had his biggest games of the years against the sixers as has Kevin Lisch. Not sure why people keep blowing smoke up his backside, watch him in the half court, he really struggles to keep anyone in front of him this year, even dan jackson went right by him 2 times last night. Don't get me wrong the effort is there but unless he is allowed to hand check, ride guys with his body or just grab and hold he is horrible. Hence the reason he will never cut it for the Boomers at the international level. Offensively he can't be "the guy" just too selfish. He isn't a creator or instigator of offense and his passing for a so called PG is not there. Gibbo is a great role player, that's why he was so good with the South Dragons group that one the title. He was only asked to play a role.

DJ & Schensher. Whoever thought to put these 2 guys on the same roster. MC?? The NBL is a small quick league. If you play them together, it hurts you, big time.
1. They are both TERRIBLE in D-trans. DJ doesn't want to get back and Big Red can't get back.
2. If they cover D-trans you get no offensive rebounding production because they are too slow to do both.
3. On-ball screen D. DJ may be the wrost big in the league at this, he is late, fouls, doesn't talk. Its just a train wreck. Schensh gives the effort but his foot speed isn't there.
Player them together is suicide for this group. They need to be a tandem in short spurts. Petrie & Weigh cover the 4 spot.

Lack of a shooting guard. They have 3 average PG's and no shooting guard in sight on this roster. The import is a dud and should be shipped out. Daly is another PG who just isn't up to the NBL level yet. Weigh is a 3/4 and Creek is a 3. They don't have anyone who can consistently space the floor at the 2 spot.

In my opinion the whole roster just doesn't have good balance and as a result Clarke's system, which is based on ball movement and spacing is really suffering. They don't have a PG who can facilitate the system consistently.

In saying that....Clarke has coached poorly this year, yes. But.... We need to hold the player accountable for their efforts also, or someone does. Look at a guy like Joey Wright, if you played for him, you played your backside or you didn't play at all.

Petrie & Weigh are great together. Weigh is big enough to play minutes at the 4 and I think Petrie is a starter on every team in this league at the 4. Gibbo needs help at the 2 spot to take pressure of him shouldering late clock offense because lets be honest he really isn't very good at it.

Obviously we have to ride out this next 4-6 weeks and then bulk changes will be made to the coaching & playing group. But I thought I'd just add my 2 cents to everyones elses rants.

Feedback welcome

@hawks fan we lack on court leadership because every time someone stuck their head up and assumed that role they would get benched and yelled at for not running the system. Marty has killed any creativity any players in his system have had which is why they look stupid when the offencive system breaks down.

Peterjohn, going through the motions sums it up perfectly

Sad isn't it

Do not feed the troll.

I am at the point now, where I can't believe that Marty doesn't quit. How can he even walk out onto that floor now, without feeling like a failure? How can he look the players in the eyes, their false "respect" notwithstanding? How can he look at management, or sponsors or the media, and keep a straight face?

This has become such a farcical situation now, that when I woke up and checked the score this morning, I actually laughed! I LAUGHED at my teams' loss! This has never happened to me regarding the Sixers, ever before.

It is shameful, and sad that this club has reached this level. I thank Marcus Camby for trolling this board so hard and making me realize what a joke the Sixers brand has become. This isn't the same brand that I saw in the 80's and 90's or early 2000's. I don't know who they are, and truth be told, I'm beginning not to care anyway.

The biggest troll in this whole situation is NOT Marcus Camby.....it is Marty Clarke himself, for selling himself as an NBL Head Coach in the first place. Kudos to you Marty, you had everyone fooled early on, and you made 3 years worth of salary out of it. Brilliant!

Weigh's best 36ers start . I got the impression of him being more aggresive being able to take a sub , rather than conserving for a full game .
Forman shooting well and Grant pretty to watch .
Marty Clarke's Easybeats did that little bit at the end , like the last game against Melbourne , to make it an 8point loss , rather than the 15-20 point difference that it was.

I saw the Sixers summed up last night as -

"A team who seem happy that near enough is good enough"

While some guys seem genuinely angry at the results - some out there appear to be accepting of the result as long as they get their stats....

There is way too much talk and "we've got to work harder and come out strong next week"

Actions speak louder than words and right now they are speaking volumes!

The only reason we beat Perth is they don't have a quick American pg. every other team torches Cade on d...
Lisch is good but he's not explosively quick.

Management need to remove Clarke just to get the supporters back and to see if a new coach can build some new momentum for a hopeful next season...

Marty can be blamed for the wayward passes as they are playing his offence. It's time to just play as the frustrating thing I see is they pass up so many open shots for ugly shots. We shot 4 air balls last night...

We need someone with attitude....
Frustrated with everything 36ers at the moment

Who started the rumour about Clarke being a good development coach?

Marcus, you are a true star. For staying so strong in the face of adversity. People can learn a lot from you. Thanks for staying so positive and supporting and forgetting about the big picture.

@marcus Marty will never quit because he won't take any responsibillty for any loss. He always blames everything or anyone else but himself. He won't even come up for player interviews after a loss which is very unsupportive and poor form especially when it's him that preaches how important it is that the team sticks together through the bad times. How would you feel after another heartbreaking loss to have to stand up in front of a room full of fans to talk about it and the coach couldn't even be bothered to make an appearance. At least with Ninnis he would come up after every game win or loss and even point the finger at himself admitting he was out of his depth.

Insanity = doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result!!!

Marty Clarke = Sticking with the same game plan over and over again expecting a different result!!!

Another game further confirming this performance by Clarke as the worst coaching performance in the history of the NBL. How you lose to a team on your home floor who has lost 3 of its initial 5 starters to injury and whom has vastly inferior talent to your personnel is almost unbelievable.

I have never seen a 36ers team look more out of sync offensively then this team
Has all season. Obviously Clarkes offensive strategies have not worked all year but why does he continue to persist with them. You can't keep doing the same thing and expect different results, are the coaching staff really that stubborn to make adjustments?

The handling and recruiting of the imports by the coaching staff has also been shown to be one of more terrible sagas of the clubs history, add to that the mind-numbing rotations and complete lack of passion shown by the coaches, its hard to understand what these guys can actually do right?

Wollongong showed what a team with a relatively low talent level compared to their opposition can do when they are well coached and play with heart and passion. I would be very proud of my team and my coach if I was a Wollongong fan. Unfortunately I can't say the same as a sixers fan after tonights display.

Dam my gut feeling thats the last time i'm listening to it.Yay we can beat Perth in Perth kind of a bitter sweet pill to swallow i'd rather lose every game to Perth if it ment we were in the final 4 and not watching the same old B S every game. Marty has turnned our players into a bunch of pussies with no desire to win. Thanks Marty don't let the door hit you on the way out.

3 year plan
1- suck
2-suck harder
3- suck so hard the team folds

Success!

Is it me or does it sound like Brett Maher is just as frustrated as we are with Clarke?
Have really noticed it with his commentating on this game!

Watching replay is there a bigger sook than Clarke? Always whinging. Try concentrating on getting your team to actually play with passion. Looks a smallish crowd too. It's almost comical. Marty has destroyed this once proud club.

We are a joke. Thanks Marty you're an arse clown.

Well done X

Why start playing with 2:00 minutes left in the game when 15 down. Where the F##K was the enthusiasm earlier when we were only 8 down at 3/4 time.

Speculation says: Tanking! Melbourne FC did it, now us. And do weget draft picks or crap like that? No!

The other side of things is, scores were 22/23 in favour of Hawks early on with 7 mins to play. We subbed and yep, some really strange passing with set ups. Man, seriously!

Poor crowd but honestly, would u wanna go see a losing team lose?

Lastly, what entertainment value was the time out with Murray Magpie and the 4 kids doing whatMurray does. Absolutely rivetting! Pffft.

Who the hell is this Oscar character?

I will be there and don't ask me why but i have a feeling 6ers will win even though my head is saying no way.

District games on tonight crowd numbers will be low.

skip, I don't think Grubers baby is ready to play yet, give him a few years.

Notice Gruber's Wife had a baby yesterday. Any idea if he is playing?

Couldn't get motivated enough to go - might tune in on NBL TV.com. I'd say Hawks, but it doesn't matter either way really.

GO HAWKS, It will be tough but the Hawks still should be competitive, Jackson needs to step up, he will be playing more minutes. I look forward to watching Grant and Deleon play more minutes together. Lets hope Oscar has his shooting shoes on. Hawks by 4.

Very Confident of a big win tonight. 10 plus you would think easily. Looking forward to the game , worried about crowd numbers and thats about it.

Under a minute left in the forth and the Lakers lead 105 - 90

Gasol has 24 pts, 12 rebounds and 4 Assists

Kobe has 6 points

Nice first up game from Gasol....didnt expect stats that nice