Around the NBA (4.0) *Non-Celtics Talk*

[Bleeding Green]

You guys **** on Ben Simmons way too much. 22 years old, fringe All-NBA player already. 5/170 is nothing, and if he has already peaked, he'll be underpaid. You would all be on your knees for this guy if he wore Green. lmao 17/8/8 on good efficiency and elite defensive versatility and ability.

Jaylen Brown is going to get this contract next offseason.

Anyway, Christian Wood released. Ainge better go get this guy.

Christian Wood is one of those players who it's easy to look at from the outside and say, well that's worth a shot.

But he's been given up on by 4 teams in 3 seasons. The Bucks (who know what they're doing) dumped him this past season. He put up some nice box score averages in 8 games for the Pels but must have been doing something wrong on the court because they dumped him too. I'd guess he's some combination of dumb and lazy.

I'm thinking the same, he's just one of those guys I've been following since his first D-league stint, always looked like a freak and sometimes those guys take a while to figure it out for whatever reason. The boxscore stats are just straight up stupid, he put up 29/14 with 2.2 blocks in the G-League last year, then averaged 20/10 in his two starts with the Pels. He shoots free throws well, he's adding threes to his game (although shoots them pretty poorly for now).

Pelicans also have Zion/Hayes/Jah right now so not a lot of room for Wood. Could just be roster-crunch and having a non-guaranteed contract as to why they let him go. Bucks may have needed his spot for Mirotic or something last year, I don't recall exactly. He's only 23, I'd love to give him a shot at least. Hard to say he'd have a shot at real minutes, though and he'd probably prefer a team that could promise him some playtime.

[Bleeding Green]

Ben Simmons missed his entire first year and is still the best player in his draft class. If he were an unrestricted free agent he would receive the max from every single team in the NBA. If he is overpaid so is every single player in the NBA.

Yes, many players have been getting overpaid lately. Did you see the article in the GM news feed, where players are getting upset over these max salaries, at the expense of lower tier players.

The Chris Paul-led National Basketball Players Association has been viewed by some players as prioritizing superstars while overlooking the middle and lower classes.

“They advocate for the interests of max players and super-max players,” one veteran player said of Paul to Ethan Strauss of The Athletic. “Basically, the CBA has helped the whole banana boat crew from back in the day. It’s taken from the midlevel. I think middle-tier players aren’t getting that mid level money anymore.

Yeah that article is honestly really ****. Mid-level players are the ones making bank relative to what they should. Max players are wildly underpaid. Marcus Morris just got 15 million dollars for one season and everyone says he left money on the table. He's such a mediocre NBA player. Khris Middleton, a nice player, just got the max. Tobias Harris, nice player, got the max. Harrison Barnes, who sucks out loud and actively makes his teams worse got 85 million. Terry Rozier got 58 million lmao. These guys complaining that the mid-level guys aren't getting paid are out of their **** ing minds. Mid-level players are the worst contracts in the league for teams.

I can't believe anyone would be against Simmons getting 5/170. He's not yet 23, is the most versatile defender in the league, helped bring his team within a circus shot of the NBA Finals. If he stagnates from here, he will be underpaid over the course of the contract. How often do 22 year olds stagnate? Yes, the Sixers are going to be a disaster soon from a luxury tax standpoint, but that's because they signed Tobias Harris and Al Horford to stupid contracts. And they're only stupid because now they will have 4 guys making 30-40 million each in 2021. And two of them are either not that good, or 35. I can't believe they endured the Process and Hinkie set them up so well just so they could go all in with Tobias Harris and Al Horford.

[Curmudgeon]

Philly's Horford signing looks even dumber when you consider that Simmons needs to become a point forward, not a point guard. You simply cannot have the ball in his hands on the perimeter at the end of close games when the pace slows down. The defenders will let him shoot or send him to the line, where he barely shoots 50%. They need to use him in the mid post as a passing big, or in transition.

Simmons' height is much less valuable in the backcourt when he's trying to bring the ball up against harrassing defenders or forced to shoot a 23 ft shot with the clock winding down. Magic Johnson he ain't. Magic shot 52% from the floor for his career and was an excellent free throw shooter-- Magic led the league one year at over 91%.

[zoyathedestroya]

I'm not a fan of Simmons's game (though I like him defensively), but this is a bit much...

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[London2Boston]

I have a feeling Simmons will have a jump shot this season. By that I mean, he will at least try to take them(won’t make many).. baby steps and all.

[Bleeding Green]

I'm not a fan of Simmons's game (though I like him defensively), but this is a bit much...

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Yeah that's completely insane. How do you delete a tweet? lmao MCW had a 46 TS% in his age 22 season. 3.5 turnovers a game, zero defense. But yeah he had some nice counting stats from taking 15 shots a game and having the ball in his hands on every possession, playing on a 19 win team. Meanwhile, Ben Simmons has led 51- and 52-win teams in minutes played his only two seasons.

Damn this guy's profile says he was an ESPN numbers guy. What numbers?

[Triple7]

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[Triple7]

Philly's Horford signing looks even dumber when you consider that Simmons needs to become a point forward, not a point guard. You simply cannot have the ball in his hands on the perimeter at the end of close games when the pace slows down. The defenders will let him shoot or send him to the line, where he barely shoots 50%. They need to use him in the mid post as a passing big, or in transition.

Simmons' height is much less valuable in the backcourt when he's trying to bring the ball up against harrassing defenders or forced to shoot a 23 ft shot with the clock winding down. Magic Johnson he ain't. Magic shot 52% from the floor for his career and was an excellent free throw shooter-- Magic led the league one year at over 91%.

He’s Lebron lite with shaq’s shooting skill.

[Triple7]

I have a feeling Simmons will have a jump shot this season. By that I mean, he will at least try to take them(won’t make many).. baby steps and all.

I doubt that happens. He’s just too lazy. He should have worked on that when he was injured. But you are right, he might try this season. He’s too exposed already to not work on it at least.

[greenroom31]

I have a feeling Simmons will have a jump shot this season. By that I mean, he will at least try to take them(won’t make many).. baby steps and all.

I doubt that happens. He’s just too lazy. He should have worked on that when he was injured. But you are right, he might try this season. He’s too exposed already to not work on it at least.

It would be odd for him to wait until AFTER signing a huge deal to start working hard on his shot, but stranger things have happened I suppose.

[3D Chess]

I have a feeling Simmons will have a jump shot this season. By that I mean, he will at least try to take them(won’t make many).. baby steps and all.

I doubt that happens. He’s just too lazy. He should have worked on that when he was injured. But you are right, he might try this season. He’s too exposed already to not work on it at least.

It would be odd for him to wait until AFTER signing a huge deal to start working hard on his shot, but stranger things have happened I suppose.

I really doubt he hasn't worked hard on it. I just don't think he has the ability to be an average shooter for whatever reason. You think Rondo didn't try? At this level, it's not as easy as just deciding you want to have a great jump shot.

[greenroom31]

I doubt that happens. He’s just too lazy. He should have worked on that when he was injured. But you are right, he might try this season. He’s too exposed already to not work on it at least.

It would be odd for him to wait until AFTER signing a huge deal to start working hard on his shot, but stranger things have happened I suppose.

I really doubt he hasn't worked hard on it. I just don't think he has the ability to be an average shooter for whatever reason. You think Rondo didn't try? At this level, it's not as easy as just deciding you want to have a great jump shot.

It's not like the players don't try to improve (other than Mark Blount post-contract). They just work on the stuff they enjoy working on.

No, I don't think Rondo or Simmons spends the offseason working with shootings specialists to rebuild their shots and really try to become good shooters. They put up a bunch of shots in an unfocused way using their existing bad mechanics and that's probably about it. I just can't believe that with unlimited resources and coaching your FT% shouldn't get better if you really work hard on it. Maybe you'll never be a 90% shooter, but you should be able to get to 75% (absent having mutant sized hands that make the basketball feel like a tennis ball a la Shaq).

[greenroom31]

I doubt that happens. He’s just too lazy. He should have worked on that when he was injured. But you are right, he might try this season. He’s too exposed already to not work on it at least.

It would be odd for him to wait until AFTER signing a huge deal to start working hard on his shot, but stranger things have happened I suppose.

I really doubt he hasn't worked hard on it. I just don't think he has the ability to be an average shooter for whatever reason. You think Rondo didn't try? At this level, it's not as easy as just deciding you want to have a great jump shot.

Wanted to add -- at least in Rondo's case he recognized (albeit later in his career) that he was going to be given open 3s basically forever, and became serviceable. He has shot ~35% from 3pt over the past 4 seasons after being around 25% for his career prior to that.

Simmons is in the same boat. Teams will let him stand out there and shoot uncontested 3s until he can prove he can make any of them, and he's scared to even attempt them. He's got to realize that nothing will help his offensive game (and his teammates) more than being someone you at least have to pay attention to outside of the paint. He should be able to shoot at minimum 30% from 3pt given how open he will be, and really 33% should be a reasonable goal. That would totally change his game.

[3D Chess]

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Miss KG. Man, this roster is crying out for KG.

[Curmudgeon]

Philly's Horford signing looks even dumber when you consider that Simmons needs to become a point forward, not a point guard. You simply cannot have the ball in his hands on the perimeter at the end of close games when the pace slows down. The defenders will let him shoot or send him to the line, where he barely shoots 50%. They need to use him in the mid post as a passing big, or in transition.

Simmons' height is much less valuable in the backcourt when he's trying to bring the ball up against harrassing defenders or forced to shoot a 23 ft shot with the clock winding down. Magic Johnson he ain't. Magic shot 52% from the floor for his career and was an excellent free throw shooter-- Magic led the league one year at over 91%.

He’s Lebron lite with shaq’s shooting skill.

Nah. That's only a Philly fan's wet dream.

[zoyathedestroya]

Dragan Bender likely to CSKA Moscow. Cheick Diallo to Phoenix. Christian Wood to Pistons.

[zoyathedestroya]

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[Darth Celtic]

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I hate it for lots of reasons, but if we want to punt our available cap space for like forever, Hayward and the bucks pick for Griffin makes sense for roster make up. He needs to be put on a serious Load management program.

No back to backs. I'd say maybe 60 games played total.

[Green89]

Highlight of the Raptors offseason is signing Cam Payne.

[MagicBagley18]

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If you can guarantee health id be all for it...we can’t and he won’t be so hard pass and I’m sure u agree