Minnesota Sports Forum

kekgeek1 wrote:For the Wolves the best thing that can happen is the Sixers start off slow. That puts pressure on them. Also the Wolves can see what their roster looks like going forward

Camden wrote:Interesting notes from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer:

- The Timberwolves, Pacers, Cavaliers, Pistons, Raptors and Spurs continue to inquire about Ben Simmons' availability.

- This standoff could drag on until after December 15th, when many free agents signed this summer can be included in trades.

- Rich Paul tried to assist the Sixers in receiving a five-player package for Simmons in a three-team trade, but Philadelphia's asking price was too rich.

- Simmons' $8.25-million advanced payment has been placed in an escrow account. Simmons is likely to receive all the money in his contract once he's traded since it's expected the team that acquires him will waive the fines the Sixers have instituted for his refusal to show up for training camp.

- Simmons' desire to be traded was communicated to the front office just days after the team was eliminated from the playoffs. Paul told GM Elton Brand his client wanted out three days after the Hawks bounced the team out of the playoff chase. Brand then told president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.

crazysauce wrote:"As an Aussie who grew up watching Ben's father play several seasons, a likeable, solid but unspectacular workhorse PF, I've always tried to like Ben Simmons. I've always wanted him to succeed. But it's become very difficult to defend him. It's become difficult to even like him.

I've followed his career for a long time and recall him playing for the junior national team as a 15-year-old. I identified years ago that his attitude is a major stumbling block for him, stemming from a mental weakness of sorts. He also seems to have social issues. He's an introvert, which isn't a problem itself, but it's much more than that. He has always appeared to be a bit of an outsider. He has a history of feeling entitled. He has a history of struggling to reconcile.

He basically forced the Australian national team to change coach because he refused to play for the national team coach who had previously cut him from the World Championships team as a 17-year-old. This same coach selected him in the regional qualification tournament as a 15-year-old, but that didn't matter. Like his social media off-season highlights packages, he teased Aussies with the prospect of playing for the national team, but again and again, he would pull out in the last minute, leaving his teammates puzzled about what happened. Andrew Bogut recalls a story prior to the 2019 World Cup where he basically just disappeared without warning after previously turning up to practice. Simmons didn't contact any of his teammates. Then before the 2021 Olympics, the new national team coach based the whole game plan around Simmons turning up, because Simmons gave the impression he would play. This time he didn't even turn up to training. The irony is, the national team ended up snatching a bronze nonetheless, utilising an appreciative, cooperative and extremely likeable Matisse Thybulle.

Simmons is clearly a very talented player, and I have no doubt he could have a decent jumper in the NBA. He was a respectable midrange shooter as a 15-year-old. His father, who only had an ugly 15-footer in his first few years playing in Australia, developed a reliable 3-point shot later in his career. But the jumper isn't Simmons' problem. His mentality is. This mental fragility is just getting worse. And the more focus there is on it, the more he will panic in those crucial situations.

He has always had a pattern of decreased productivity from 1st to 4th quarters throughout his career, which could be due to any number of reasons. But I suspect much of it can be summarised as this: fear of choking.

It's even possible to identify his fear of choking from his splits by actual margin lasts season. When his team is down 1-5, he hits FTs at 78%! In that situation, his mentality is more aggressive, more focused, not second guessing himself because he doesn't have the prospect of choking to contend with. When the score is tied, he is still active, he is crashing boards at a peak rate, but his FT% plummets to 52%. When up just 1-5, he becomes hesitant, and when he has time to think, like in FTs, his FT% is at that dismal 54% level.

Any NBA team that wants him should be hiring a team of psychologists to work with him. Although one wonders if Ben would ever cooperate, because he also has a history of only working closely with his trusted, inner circle. He might, like throughout this saga, just get offended and withdraw."


Saw this post on a Philly message board. Thought it had some kind of scary and very concerning info on ben simmons I hadn't heard before.

KG4Ever wrote:Pompey wrote: It seems as if it's only a matter of "if," not "when" the Sixers trade away the former No. 1 overall pick. However, Pompey points out that Philly may wait until after December 15th. At that point, the free agents who signed contracts this summer can be included in trades. The Sixers are also still holding out hope that either Dame Lillard demands a trade from the Trail Blazers or Bradley Beal says he wants to part ways with the Wizards.

I think is what many of us have thought all along. I just don't see any Simmons deal likely before December and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes down to the trade deadline except if Philly gets off to a really poor start.

lipoli390 wrote:

KG4Ever wrote:Pompey wrote: It seems as if it's only a matter of "if," not "when" the Sixers trade away the former No. 1 overall pick. However, Pompey points out that Philly may wait until after December 15th. At that point, the free agents who signed contracts this summer can be included in trades. The Sixers are also still holding out hope that either Dame Lillard demands a trade from the Trail Blazers or Bradley Beal says he wants to part ways with the Wizards.

I think is what many of us have thought all along. I just don't see any Simmons deal likely before December and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes down to the trade deadline except if Philly gets off to a really poor start.

I don't see the Sixers waiting until Dec. 15. That's almost two months into the season without Simmons, who will definitely hold out. It would be a really high-risk move by the Sixers to play the first two months of the season without their second-best player/second star on the chance that they MIGHT get a better deal than what they can get now. There are really only three players in the League who would be significantly better gets for what the Sixers need: Lillard, Beal and Fox. The odds that one of them will suddenly become available for Simmons by Dec. 15 are extremely remote.

If the Sixers are intent on holding out for Beal, Lillard or Fox, their better bet would be a deal now that lands them a bevy of future lightly protected 1st round picks and a young talent or two. If Beal or Lillard is suddenly available for trade mid-season it will be because their team is struggling mightily, in which case Washington or Portland will likely be looking to rebuild rather than swap their star guard for a lesser or equal all-star like Simmons. The Sixers are using their conduits in the media to spread the narrative that they will wait. But unless Morey's more of a gambler than he appears to be, it's a false narrative.

lipoli390 wrote:The 76ers are looking for trade partners, with USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt reporting the team is "targeting" squads in the Western Conference. However, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said Friday the Indiana Pacers may emerge as a contender, calling them "the sleeper team in this whole situation" on ESPN's The Jump (2:30 mark). Simmons, 25, has been at odds with the Sixers since their loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in June. Simmons averaged just 9.9 points per game in that series, and he didn't attempt a shot in the fourth quarter of Game 7. - via Nate Loop @ Bleacher Report

This report isn't surprising. A deal centered around Brogdon makes a lot of sense for both team. I'm thinking Brogdon and Myles Turner for Simmons and someone else not named Embiid or Tobias Harris. Maybe add a future 1st to the mix.