#24 Anfernee Simons

[Scalma]

I think Simons certainly has some upside down the road. It's just that he plays the same position(s) as the 2 best players on our team. So:

• How long will it take him to develop?
• How much playing time will he actually get?
• With as much need as we have at wing, was getting a backup who will take time to develop the best we could do?

Now if he develops and we are able to trade CJ and get something of value down the road, and he can step into that spot.....great.

So the only way for Simons to play is if he starts?

 

[Boob-No-More]

Olshey is so predictable.

Olshey psyched us up to expect experience, maybe a 4-year draftee like Lillard or McCollum. He said that we're too close to the top for a youth movement. So everyone's surprised by a high school player, and a point guard at that, a leadership position which will take years for the kid to learn.

If Olshey hadn't led us to believe in the opposite direction he went, it would be easier to adjust to this surprise. (Another surprise was that he didn't trade up, but that's a separate disappointment.) But, people are adjusting. The kid will take up space for 2-3 years that would have been occupied by a bigger contributor, then maybe produce (like Crabbe eventually did and Connaughton and Leonard didn't). So we'll see in a few years from now. The kid won't play for a couple of years, so I'll just snooze until then and try to watch him in G-League.

For someone who is "so" predictable, Neil sure seems to surprise a lot of people.

BNM

 

[TBpup]

So the only way for Simons to play is if he starts?

I don't see that stated anywhere. But Dame/CJ play the highest minutes on the roster and will continue to do so and I would submit he's not going to be first off the bench behind either of those players. Could be a nice player. Just is going to be a while and there is SO MUCH of a need in other places.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

I think Simons certainly has some upside down the road. It's just that he plays the same position(s) as the 2 best players on our team. So:

• How long will it take him to develop?
• How much playing time will he actually get?
• With as much need as we have at wing, was getting a backup who will take time to develop the best we could do?

Now if he develops and we are able to trade CJ and get something of value down the road, and he can step into that spot.....great.

It is difficult/impossible/stupid to even try to "address you needs" with pick #24. BPA.

Simons already has the SKILLS to play right away. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the strength or stamina to do so.
My guess is that he'll be completely spent just playing summer league. He also is clueless about nba basketball.
He referred to himself as a "good defender". When the press pressed him for specifics, he couldn't give any. He
seemed to have no idea what good defense involves. So, he's not ready physically, and he has a steep learning curve
to understand the Blazers offense and defense.

Hopefully, the Blazers will implement the following plan with Simons:
1) "Gary, we want you to continue your weight room regimen your dad put you on. Oh, and whenever you go to
the weight room, take Simons with you and make sure he does all the stuff you do."
2) "Baldwin. We want you to spend time guarding Simons every practice. Introduce him to the nba for us...."

I think he'll be ready physically and mentally to play 20 mpg in a year, but I tend to be optimistic about these things.

 

[Scalma]

I don't see that stated anywhere. But Dame/CJ play the highest minutes on the roster and will continue to do so and I would submit he's not going to be first off the bench behind either of those players. Could be a nice player. Just is going to be a while and there is SO MUCH of a need in other places.

Neil straight up said he wanted vets playing those minutes, he wasn’t looking for rookies to fill rotation spots.

 

[TBpup]

Neil straight up said he wanted vets playing those minutes, he wasn’t looking for rookies to fill rotation spots.

Yes...which has nothing to do with where and how many minutes Simons might get.

 

[Boob-No-More]

For the pro tank crowd who wants us to lose our way into the lottery, we just got a lottery pick in next year's draft, and we didn't have to suck to do it.

The pro BPA crowd say you always take the best player available, regardless of position. Now people are bitching that Simons plays the same position as Dame and C.J.

In every draft there are 1, 2, sometimes 3 players taken at 24 or below who end up being better players than half, or more, of the guys taken in the lottery.

Will Simons end up being one of those guys? It's impossible to predict. If it was possible, those guys wouldn't be available at 24 and lower. Everything I've read about this guy says he's a five star recruit that would have gone in the lottery next year. So, kudos to Neil for swinging for the fences and not just making a safe pick.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

I don't see that stated anywhere. But Dame/CJ play the highest minutes on the roster and will continue to do so and I would submit he's not going to be first off the bench behind either of those players. Could be a nice player. Just is going to be a while and there is SO MUCH of a need in other places.

Who would you have taken at 24 that would have addressed our needs sufficiently to vault us ahead of GSW and HOU in 2019, 2020 or 2021? I can't think of anyone, outside of LeBron who would get us there.

So, if no one is available where we were picking that would have gotten us there, why not go for the long play and pick the guy with the most potential to help us out further down the road?

BNM

 

[e_blazer]

I think Simons certainly has some upside down the road. It's just that he plays the same position(s) as the 2 best players on our team. So:

• How long will it take him to develop?
• How much playing time will he actually get?
• With as much need as we have at wing, was getting a backup who will take time to develop the best we could do?

Now if he develops and we are able to trade CJ and get something of value down the road, and he can step into that spot.....great.

What small forwards could the Blazers have picked that could have provided any significant help this season? The Warriors took Jacob Evans at 28, but his 6’6”/200 lbs size projects more as a SG than a SF and he certainly isn’t going to get many minutes this year. Brooklyn got Dzanan Musa, a 6’9”/195 lbs string bean from Croatia at 29. He doesn’t look to be ready for immediate contributions this year. Trading up would have probably cost CJ, and if NO has decided to do that I would far prefer to have him used to acquire an experienced wing.

The Blazers need wing help, but I don’t think the draft is where their looking to get it. Simmons seems to be a guy who if he had played a couple years of college may have been a lottery pick. I’m okay with taking a shot on that kind of future return on a 24 pick.

 

[Scalma]

Yes...which has nothing to do with where and how many minutes Simons might get.

It doesn’t?

 

[blue9]

So we're basically doubling down on Dame/CJ. Or would it be tripling down:

• Dame/CJ
• Dame/Simons
• Simons/CJ

Terry must be ecstatic that he doesn't have to do any actual work.

So, I'm not gonna read through this whole thread, but I suspect we drafted Simons so we can trade CJ. I suspect that many people have also made a similar post.

 

[blue9]

I miss those little triangular wing windows cars used to have...

My car has those! I love 'em! (Especially because I need to fix the window switches for the main front windows...)

 

[e_blazer]

So, I'm not gonna read through this whole thread, but I suspect we drafted Simons so we can trade CJ. I suspect that many people have also made a similar post.

Maybe in a couple of years, but not now.

 

[illmatic99]

ESPN 100 ranked Simons as #9 in the 2018 class.

They also ranked Trent as #8 in the 2017 class.

These are rankings among high school seniors.

I have no problem with them as prospects. But they are absolutely not going to contribute anytime soon.

 

[illmatic99]

This team is allergic to drafting an athletic wing.

There were so many available. And yet again we stick to our drafting tenet of undersized scoring guards or clumy big men.

 

[CupWizier]

So, I'm not gonna read through this whole thread, but I suspect we drafted Simons so we can trade CJ. I suspect that many people have also made a similar post.

So you're thinking Simons is ready to step into McCollums spot this year?

 

[Scalma]

ESPN 100 ranked Simons as #9 in the 2018 class.

They also ranked Trent as #8 in the 2017 class.

These are rankings among high school seniors.

I have no problem with them as prospects. But they are absolutely not going to contribute anytime soon.

Oh well that’s settled then.

 

[Scalma]

There were so many available. And yet again we stick to our drafting tenet of undersized scoring guards or clumy big men.

Zach Collins = clumsy big man. Learn something new every day around here.

 

[illmatic99]

Zach Collins = clumsy big man. Learn something new every day around here.

He isn't?

This is yet another instance with Neil collecting so-called assets instead of actually building a team.

 

[blue9]

Maybe in a couple of years, but not now.

Right.
Unless Neil thinks Turner can be our starting SG until Simons is ready. Which, unfortunately, seems like something he'd think.

 

[hoopsjock]

I don’t really get why people are so negative on the timeline for him. Let me sum this up:

He was supposed to go to Louisville next year as a five star recruit. If he turned out to be good there then he would have likely been one and done like most top prospects in the draft (2019 mocks had him going in the lottery). Plenty of one and done players contributed in NBA straightaway and it also goes for all top prospects this year - Ayton, Bagley etc. are expected to play already.

Instead for the next year he decided to go to NBA and will get top level coaching and get to train next to two elite players who play the same positions as he does. Why does it somehow limit his chances of contributing in 2019-20 compared to what they would be had he gone to Louisville as planned and came to the league a year later?

I get the competitive basketball argument but he can still have that in G-League and he can get bench minutes in NBA too.

I may be wrong but wasn't he supposed to go to Louisville last year and bailed when Pitino was fired and ended up at IMG instead?

 

[e_blazer]

Right.
Unless Neil thinks Turner can be our starting SG until Simons is ready. Which, unfortunately, seems like something he'd think.

I think Neil is happy with the Lillard/McCollum backcourt and doesn’t plan on trading CJ anytime soon. Not what you want to hear, I know, but I think it’s the truth.

 

[Sarni]

I may be wrong but wasn't he supposed to go to Louisville last year and bailed when Pitino was fired and ended up at IMG instead?

Ah yeah indeed I think that is true.

 

[blue9]

I think Neil is happy with the Lillard/McCollum backcourt and doesn’t plan on trading CJ anytime soon. Not what you want to hear, I know, but I think it’s the truth.

I'm not a proponent of trading CJ. I'm not totally against it either, but only in very unlikely scenarios.

 

[handiman]

He referred to himself as a "good defender". When the press pressed him for specifics, he couldn't give any. He seemed to have no idea what good defense involves. So, he's not ready physically, and he has a steep learning curve to understand the Blazers offense and defense.

I dunno, it sounds like he already has a good grasp of the Blazers defense!

I may be wrong but wasn't he supposed to go to Louisville last year and bailed when Pitino was fired and ended up at IMG instead?

That reclassifying his draft class thing makes for one seriously confusing (as written) timeline.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Why are people making the claim that this was a high risk pick by NO and that he finally did something risky. He absolutely did the OPPOSITE of that. He took a guy no one expects to play at all in the next year (maybe two), so when / if he doesn’t really get on the court well no one expected otherwise. It’s completely low risk as the expectations are basically nothing, by the time we think he’ll play we will all have moved on to different drafts, different rosters. Last year was a much higher risk, trading up for a guy and proclaiming him to be part of the foundation of the team.

I don’t know how I feel about this draft for the Blazers, it didn’t really do much for me. One guy has potential but more than likely won’t be playing for a while, the other guy basically plays No defense at all. It’s a wait and see.

 

[James lamphear]

These 2 is wait and see players but it will be up to them how good they get by there work they put in to get better.

 

[illmatic99]

Right.
Unless Neil thinks Turner can be our starting SG until Simons is ready. Which, unfortunately, seems like something he'd think.

FWIW, Turner has always been a better player as a starter than off the bench. If we get a good shooting wing next to him who is athletic and can defend, I think Turner as a starting SG is fine.

 

[julius]

These 2 is wait and see players but it will be up to them how good they get by there work they put in to get better.

Good point.

It just seems that (blazer) fans are just impatient and unrealistic. I'm willing to give them at least some playing time on the court first.

 

[blue9]

FWIW, Turner has always been a better player as a starter than off the bench. If we get a good shooting wing next to him who is athletic and can defend, I think Turner as a starting SG is fine.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this. Turner doesn't belong in the Western Conference.