Dime Magazine: Simons....'finding another gear'

[TBpup]

https://uproxx.com/dimemag/anfernee-simons-blazers-speed-improvement/

Excerpt:
"The label young players often get slapped with as a result is “inconsistent”. A catch-22 of a term that applies only to results, an oversimplified write-off that can put players in temporary stasis or out of contention, completely.

But there are occasionally situational lifelines thrown to young guys. Teams that are going through rebuilds or investing in their young talent via development, franchises forced to get creative to stay competitive in less lucrative markets for stars, or else the indiscriminate equalizer of every team and athlete regardless of career stage—injury. It was the latter, initially, that pushed Anfernee Simons into the limelight with the Trail Blazers."

 

[illmatic99]

Here we go overrating Simons again.

lol

The kid's got serious game. You have to actually watch him to see the talent. Wait 2 more years-- he's gonna be a monster.

 

[Scalma]

Here we go overrating Simons again.

lol

The kid's got serious game. You have to actually watch him to see the talent. Wait 2 more years-- he's gonna be a monster.

Still a bench player in Portland unless CJ gets traded. At some point Olshey is gonna have to choose between the two imo.

 

[illmatic99]

Still a bench player in Portland unless CJ gets traded. At some point Olshey is gonna have to choose between the two imo.

my dream scenario involves moving CJ + stuff for Ben Simmons over the next few seasons.
A Dame/Simons/Simmons/Nurk lineup would absolutely destroy this league

 

[Blazers Roy]

Still a bench player in Portland unless CJ gets traded. At some point Olshey is gonna have to choose between the two imo.

Even if CJ gets traded, Simons is still a bench player - a starting bench player.

 

[HailBlazers]

Here we go overrating Simons again.

The next Martell Webster

 

[SIeepwalker]

my dream scenario involves moving CJ + stuff for Ben Simmons over the next few seasons.
A Dame/Simons/Simmons/Nurk lineup would absolutely destroy this league

And a nightmare for announcers around the league !

 

[kjironman1]

And a nightmare for announcers around the league !

1M and 2M. Kind of like Thing 1 and Thing 2.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Good, neutral wasn't working

 

[Orion Bailey]

Here we go overrating Simons again.

lol

The kid's got serious game. You have to actually watch him to see the talent. Wait 2 more years-- he's gonna be a monster.

I agree 100%. The thing I actually like the most, is he might be more even keeled than Dame and that's saying ALOT!

 

[Blazers Roy]

And a nightmare for announcers around the league !

What is it with American broadcasters and their inability to pronounce names? YOU HAVE ONE JOB!
I remember when we had Pat. On every team's feed it was different:

Pat Cannenten
Pat Coggenton
Pat Contenton
Pat Cuntenton

 

[Orion Bailey]

What is it with American broadcasters and their inability to pronounce names? YOU HAVE ONE JOB!
I remember when we had Pat. On every team's feed it was different:

Pat Cannenten
Pat Coggenton
Pat Contenton
Pat Cuntenton

have you heard announcers when we are on an East coast road trip over the years? Where is Oregun? Not sure where Orygon is, but I think Portland is in Maine...

Get over it. We are just the after thought to the rest of the country.

 

[SheedSoNasty]

And a nightmare for announcers around the league !

Just imagine Mike Rice calling that. Almost as fun as the Mo Bamba and Bismak Biyombo combo that almost was.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Just imagine Mike Rice calling that. Almost as fun as the Mo Bamba and Bismak Biyombo combo that almost was.

We didn't have a Bamba-Biyombo pairing, but we did have Kemba-Batum-Biyombo. Now imagine all of them together, maybe even coached by Mutombo.

"Pass the ball out to Bamba!"
"Pass the ball out to Bamba!" yells Mutombo to Batum and Kemba
He yells to Batum and Kemba, but then they pass it to Bismack Biyombo
To Bismack Biyombo, poor Dikembe, poor Dikembe, poor Dikembe
Biyombo is no Kaminski
Biy0mbo's not even Plumlee, so they sit him down, they sit him down, they sit him down, for
Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba...

(I spent way too much time on that)

 

[SheedSoNasty]

We didn't have a Bamba-Biyombo pairing, but we did have Kemba-Batum-Biyombo. Now imagine all of them together, maybe even coached by Mutombo.

"Pass the ball out to Bamba!"
"Pass the ball out to Bamba!" yells Mutombo to Batum and Kemba
He yells to Batum and Kemba, but then they pass it to Bismack Biyombo
To Bismack Biyombo, poor Dikembe, poor Dikembe, poor Dikembe
Biyombo is no Kaminski
Biy0mbo's not even Plumlee, so they sit him down, they sit him down, they sit him down, for
Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba...

(I spent way too much time on that)

Weren’t Bamba and Biyombo on Orlando together for a split second?

 

[The Professional Fan]

https://uproxx.com/dimemag/anfernee-simons-blazers-speed-improvement/

Excerpt:
"The label young players often get slapped with as a result is “inconsistent”. A catch-22 of a term that applies only to results, an oversimplified write-off that can put players in temporary stasis or out of contention, completely.

But there are occasionally situational lifelines thrown to young guys. Teams that are going through rebuilds or investing in their young talent via development, franchises forced to get creative to stay competitive in less lucrative markets for stars, or else the indiscriminate equalizer of every team and athlete regardless of career stage—injury. It was the latter, initially, that pushed Anfernee Simons into the limelight with the Trail Blazers."

I had to double take the date of this post. Thought it was a zombie preseason puff piece.

 

[Hobbesarable]

have you heard announcers when we are on an East coast road trip over the years? Where is Oregun? Not sure where Orygon is, but I think Portland is in Maine...

Get over it. We are just the after thought to the rest of the country.

Just tell them it rains here all the time so they won't come here.

 

[TBpup]

Can we PLEASE bring back Wild Rice for the Simons/Simmons combination?

 

[bobf]

We didn't have a Bamba-Biyombo pairing, but we did have Kemba-Batum-Biyombo. Now imagine all of them together, maybe even coached by Mutombo.

"Pass the ball out to Bamba!"
"Pass the ball out to Bamba!" yells Mutombo to Batum and Kemba
He yells to Batum and Kemba, but then they pass it to Bismack Biyombo
To Bismack Biyombo, poor Dikembe, poor Dikembe, poor Dikembe
Biyombo is no Kaminski
Biy0mbo's not even Plumlee, so they sit him down, they sit him down, they sit him down, for
Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba...

(I spent way too much time on that)

Shouldn’t there be a Bingo Bango Bongo in there somewhere?

 

[wizenheimer]

too bad Simons couldn't have found that other gear tonight against Dallas

 

[AldoTrapani]

Fuck no this shit is a lie

 

[GDiama]

I just hope next season we don't fall in the same trap again and we get someone decent as a backup for Dame. If Simons develops he will beat that guy and get the minutes, but don't take it for granted like we did this year. Anfernee is bad on both ends of the floor right now and the talent is there, but

 

[swish3]

I just hope next season we don't fall in the same trap again and we get someone decent as a backup for Dame. If Simons develops he will beat that guy and get the minutes, but don't take it for granted like we did this year. Anfernee is bad on both ends of the floor right now and the talent is there, but
Based on Gary's game against OKC, the Blazers might consider that he is the backup for Dame, with swish3 shooting, playmaking, TS%, and hustle. Simons is making too many mistakes with TOs, passing, getting the ball stripped, and fumbles. Gary deserves credit and the minutes that follow.

 

[Labinot41]

He needs to stay in the gym all summer, and eat eat eat eat eat!

 

[PCmor7]

The biggest questions I have about him are his feel for the game and his shot.

I know he's young and you'd expect him to make bad decisions from time to time, but he really makes a lot of them. Honestly think he's regressed.

 

[wizenheimer]

I just hope next season we don't fall in the same trap again and we get someone decent as a backup for Dame. If Simons develops he will beat that guy and get the minutes, but don't take it for granted like we did this year. Anfernee is bad on both ends of the floor right now and the talent is there, but

Olshey has refused to add an actual backup PG since he dismantled the Aldridge team and CJ was elevated. Blazers had Mo Williams and Steve Blake for the last 2 years of the Aldridge team, but once CJ became Olshey's SG, he apparently decided that no PG was needed. Olshey even said CJ would be fine as the backup PG. He probably still believes that contrary to all evidence.

but at this point, we know Olshey has a habit of forcing Stotts to go with Olshey's guys at key positions by not providing alternatives. It's been deliberate IMO, and we've seen the most recent result when Zach got injured. If Stotts had a decent backup PG on the bench, it would very likely reduce CJ's minutes...can't have that. And now with Olshey professing as much love for Simons as he has for CJ, I'd think the chances of him signing or trading for a backup PG are just about zero