Basketball On The Internet.

THE 36ers' decision to cut ties with one of its captains in Dejan Vasiljevic and join the pursuit for Torrey Craig's signature reinforces that underwhelming coach Mike Wells will indeed see out the final year of his NBL contract at Adelaide and the club will again be on a spending spree.

While Adelaide has maintained dispensing with Wells' services was never on the cards - its catch-cry "We were one rebound short of winning the championship" ... er, anyone with any courage would actually say "We were one missed shot short of a championship" but no-one wants to upset Bryce Cotton - truth is replacing him is an expensive exercise.

Under its current ownership, the club already has had to pay out Joey Wright, Conner Henry, CJ Bruton and Scott Ninnis after terminating their head coaching deals prematurely.

So in Wells' case, first would come paying out his third year, before second, the search for a replacement. Talent such as Trevor Gleeson, thriving in Japan's B-League (that's B for Basketball, not B for B-grade) would be extremely expensive.

Past NBL coaches such as Gleeson, Shawn Dennis, Andrej Lemanis and Paul Henare are treated considerably better in Japan, as was Tom Wisman before his move to Taiwan.

The speculation around Wells' future has been justified but a mooted player review went no-where when it was incorporated into the 36ers' exit meetings which the coach attended.

Coaches often conduct exit interviews so that in itself is no surprise. But if the club was seeking confidential and honest appraisals from its players, that was definitely not the forum for it.

Vasiljevic, who planned to settle in Adelaide, had reasons to feel aggrieved with how he was utilised - or otherwise - by Wells this past season.

The team needed a tall wing and found one in Troy Browne, an ex-NBA forward who even started for the LA Lakers. But Browne quit town and when import John Jenkins was brought in to replace him, all the Sixers achieved was duplicating, and thereby relegating, Vasiljevic. 

Both had some outstanding games and struggles as the season's tail end unfolded.

Adelaide seems to have recognised it needed a wing player and Craig now appears to be its target.

As for NBA veteran and multiple Olympian, South Aussie wing Joe Ingles returning to play for the 36ers, his wife's family connections in Melbourne and the sour taste of how 36ers' previous management fouled up its attempt to recruit him more than a decade ago makes speculation he may suit at United or Phoenix far more feasible.

The NBL's free agents' list was released today, sparking considerable movement and media guesswork.