Would Ben Simmons be the last piece of our puzzle?

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TBpup said:
I'll face the music. I wanted him here because there were things he could do that no one lese on the roster could. He would still instantly be the teams best defender, best passer, would give Dame an decision making outlet when he gets doubled, and surprisingly, because of the shots he takes, his eFG is higher thanAt t both And and Dame.

That is not to say he doesn't come without baggage.....which is a much the case now as it was a year or so ago. But at the time, it would have been for CJ. Since I believed they would move CJ eventually and replace his minutes with Ant's, I believed it would be an add that would overall make the team better. This team is still TERRIBLE defensively and so much of the trade talk is to surround Dame with more size/length that can cover for his and Ant's defensive deficiencies.

He would still have his issues.....but I'm not sure it doesn't make them a better team.
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I still think that he's a bit like Dennis Rodman post-San Antonio. He was seen as just an unusable headcase because of his clashes there. But then Phil Jackson turned out to be the perfect coach for him, and the Bulls the perfect team. Where's that for Simmons? I sort of wish it could be the Blazers, but I somehow don't see Chauncey as being that guy. Too old-school. You need someone who's part psychologist.
 
Personally Simmons is the last piece of a puzzle I would want in a Blazer uniform.

Many great skills but psychological midget that prevent anyone from fulling utilizing those skills due to the drawbacks of the emotional ineptitude.

But hey! He is collecting a LOT of money in spite of all that. Just glad it is on someone else's payroll.
 
With Dame as his teammate and captain ... and Grant as his running partner at forward ... roll the dice on Simmons. I'm in.
 
TBpup said:
I'll face the music. I wanted him here because there were things he could do that no one lese on the roster could. He would still instantly be the teams best defender, best passer, would give Dame an decision making outlet when he gets doubled, and surprisingly, because of the shots he takes, his eFG is higher than both And and Dame.

That is not to say he doesn't come without baggage.....which is a much the case now as it was a year or so ago. But at the time, it would have been for CJ. Since I believed they would move CJ eventually and replace his minutes with Ant's, I believed it would be an add that would overall make the team better. This team is still TERRIBLE defensively and so much of the trade talk is to surround Dame with more size/length that can cover for his and Ant's defensive deficiencies.

He would still have his issues.....but I'm not sure it doesn't make them a better team.
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Simmons definitely makes us better. Benching aside, Simmons has made the NETS better this year. They got swept in first round last year. With Simmons, they won 18 out of 20 games!
 
Rastapopoulos said:
I will admit to having had a bit of a Ben Simmons obsession for a while there. Basically, Rajon Rondo is one of my all-time fave non-Blazers, and I thought Simmons could be a 6'10 Rondo. Well, maybe they're tied more closely than I thought, because they're both fucking useless now.

What happened to Ben Simmons? Is it purely mental? I mean, he should still be able to get assists - he hasn't forgotten how to pass. He should get rebounds. But he's like a triple-single and 5 fouls in 20-odd minutes every night. And if he doesn't get a bunch of fouls, he's still being sat for the entire 4th because he has a complete phobia of shooting...

...and he's shooting less than 40% from the FT line. I haven't seen anything like this since Nick Anderson's free throwing was broken by missing two FTs in the first game of the Magic-Rockets finals and losing them the game (leading to a sweep).

If you wanted to resurrect Simmons's career, what would you do? Have him play in the G-League just to remind him that he's better than everyone there? I'm not sure that would work, because part of his problem seems to be his incredibly fragile ego, and he might feel so dissed by that (like when Embiid and Doc badmouthed him and he decided he was never going to play for the Sixers again) that you'd lose him. Who would be a coach that could reach him? Is there an NBA team he could actually help? Maybe a team full of shooters with poor defense and no PG?

My best suggestion is maybe Golden State? How about this:

View attachment 53263

I think obviously the Nets would be more in favor of that trade (Klay would make a good complement to Kyrie and Durant - and of course Durant has already won two rings with him) but the trade machine says the Warriors do better. Plus they offload Klay's obscene contract and move past the mistake that is Wiseman, and meanwhile Joe Harris is a cheap Klay-lite who seems to have fallen out of favor in Brooklyn. Now, I don't think the Warriors WOULD do it (although, with the rumors they're not going to keep Bob Myers, who knows) but if they could get Simmons to be a younger Dray, it would be a huge success.

Notice that I didn't suggest what is a more obvious trade - Wiggins for Simmons - mainly because Wiggins, the long-maligned "bust" as a #1 pick is now a better player than Simmons-the-#1-pick. Sign of the times. But SOMETHING'S got to happen:
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Nick Anderson missed FOUR, not 2 free throws.
 
Cugel said:
If Ben Simmons was getting 12-15M a year then I would be interested. He is hardly playing like a superstar, or even a star, and yet is paid like one. He is owed 37M and 40M in 2024 and 2025. Unless he really makes some changes I think he is done. Role player.
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Role player and done are two separate things.
 
HoopsFanAZ said:
With Dame as his teammate and captain ... and Grant as his running partner at forward ... roll the dice on Simmons. I'm in.
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KSF-ERIC said:
No question. Simmons would vastly improve our team.
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LMAO, thanks for the laughs.

Some people just don't know that Simmons isnt the guy teammates want on their team during the most important times of the games, and is regressing over and over each years, just stop it now before you say more lol.
 
HoopsFanAZ said:
With Dame as his teammate and captain ... and Grant as his running partner at forward ... roll the dice on Simmons. I'm in.
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Trouble is, to match salaries you'd have to give up at least one of Grant, Nurk or Hart. Of the three, I'd be most intrigued with Nurk and have Simmons play a sort of Sabonis role (he'd instantly make us super-switchable on D, too). But I don't know if that would interest Brooklyn.
 
Rastapopoulos said:
Trouble is, to match salaries you'd have to give up at least one of Grant, Nurk or Hart. Of the three, I'd be most intrigued with Nurk and have Simmons play a sort of Sabonis role (he'd instantly make us super-switchable on D, too). But I don't know if that would interest Brooklyn.
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In order to take on Simmons out-sized salary for someone who is essentially a role player with serious limitations, I'd also want a number of picks. Want to get rid of him? It will cost you.
 
GrandpaBlaze said:
In order to take on Simmons out-sized salary for someone who is essentially a role player with serious limitations, I'd also want a number of picks. Want to get rid of him? It will cost you.
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Yeah, I don't see them doing that so soon after they traded Harden for him.
 
Rastapopoulos said:
Trouble is, to match salaries you'd have to give up at least one of Grant, Nurk or Hart. Of the three, I'd be most intrigued with Nurk and have Simmons play a sort of Sabonis role (he'd instantly make us super-switchable on D, too). But I don't know if that would interest Brooklyn.
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The opportunity for Simmons passed. It was with CJ's contract.
 
HoopsFanAZ said:
With Dame as his teammate and captain ... and Grant as his running partner at forward ... roll the dice on Simmons. I'm in.
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For what package though? If we could get him cheap sure, but hell I'm not sure I'd trade Simons straight across for him at this point...
 
Idog1976 said:
For what package though? If we could get him cheap sure, but hell I'm not sure I'd trade Simons straight across for him at this point...
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Nice question. Simmons straight up for Simons is absolutely a HUGE risk. Probably far beyond what Cronin would reasonably consider. Simons is good, getting better, and if it's him vs. CJ rejuvenated to Simons' age and for Simons' $$$, it's not even close. Simons. If someone disagrees, okay. I just don't see it as remotely close. Simons is a dude. A 6'3 dude.

Simmons has never been a favorite player of mine, but what he can do is more valuable than what Simons does for the Blazers especially with the arrival of Sharpe (and what I'm guessing he'll be in two years).
Nurkic + Hart for Simmons? Risky. Because. Of. Simmons. Comparing the impact of good Simmons to Rodman for the Bulls relies upon support structure and knowing what's coming in. Dame as the leader is a serious thing.

Not going to happen. Moot point. But your question is reasonable. I'm sure I'm in the wrong on the reality of Simmons and his issues and as a teammate. What the Blazers have now? Not good enough.
 
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