Huh? Untouchable? Where did I say that? I said he reminds me of Monta Ellis, as a player, and the more time they give him to show what he can do the better. Trading him now is the ultimate selling low move.
one quibble: I'd argue a player has to first have some decent value before he can be sold low. Simons is a 24th pick who had done nothing consistently notable in 2 years. Olshey did everything he could to amp up the Simons hype, but I doubt that any other GM's were falling for it that's not to say that Portland should just dump him for next to nothing. Rather, I'm saying the Blazer front office might have to do a better job of setting player value separate from the Olshey hype-machine he uses for his favorite players. I really don't know how good Simons will end up, but at this point, based upon his 2 years in the league, his upside is mostly mirage. There might actually be an oasis on the horizon, but the image is getting blurrier by the day.
I think it's good to give Simons another year to show he can make it. As I've said before, he would have benefited from going to college for at least a year. CJ's first 2 years didn't reflect what he would become. I'm not sure if I'm willing to commit to that kind of connection to Simons either.
they didn't hype Simons anywhere near the level that Olshey hyped him. And in their case were just giving props to a teammate, which is especially what Dame does. There are always 'unknown' players that get that kind of training camp hype from other players. Meyers got some; TRob got plenty; Zach's got a ton of 'if-you-saw-what-we-see' hype; even Hezonja got some hype chatter last summer and we know what that was worth. maybe Simons will turn the same kind of corner in his 3rd season that Trent turned in his 2nd. But it's probably valid to ratchet down the projected upside of Simons until he actually starts delivering some consistent good play
I think that Simons has shown that he has the athletic tools to be a solid NBA player. To me, the question is whether he can develop the mental focus and confidence to turn the corner.
Dame has coronated him as his replacement practically. lol Blazers news: Damian Lillard thinks Anfernee Simons has ... clutchpoints.com › blazers-news-damian-lillard-thinks-a...
Wait, so you're telling me you've never seen NBA stars over hype their teammates? Maybe they've done it to motivate them, maybe they've done it to promote team chemistry, maybe they've done it out of true solidarity and maybe when Dame says, "Crazy potential" he is hoping to unlock at least some of it or for Ant to believe that in order to optimize Ant's potential even if it's limited. Not only do almost all stars do it but especially very optimistic stars like Dame and CJ (if you consider CJ a star). Also it's important to keep in mind other guys Dame and CJ have hyped, Meyers being the optimal example but these guys have talked up every teammate they've had since they started viewing themselves as the two headed leader of this team. That's not a knock on either one of these guys (although I think the only leadership quality that is even a little off with Dame is accountability and CJ is just incredibly delusional about himself and probably everything else in his sphere of interest) it's good leadership to build your teammates up. Dame's and CJ's biases and bullish value of their teammates has real world, on the court benefits. There is no benefit to Oshey doing the same shit. It clouds his vision when making decisions that are crucial to this team's success and tarnishes the value of his opinion of his players with other GM's. It's inexcusable and has been going on for far too long. It along with Stotts' lack of accountability and value for defense are the barriers that have kept this team from contending. Oh and Stotts' problems could be fixed by Olshey as president of basketball operations, it's as simple as Olshey putting in an assistant head coach that is a defensive expert and holds guys accountable... and if Stotts doesn't like it, he can walk and the team wouldn't have to pay him.
No, he needs to be an effective offensive player first or he will be out of the league. Defense can be schemed as a team or he improves later to expand his effectiveness/role.
I like that Collison is coaching him up, especially when he talks to him about imposing himself on the court with dame/CJ. For the first time, to me at least, he also looks physically bigger. This is going to essentially be his sophomore season, so I think it’s way too premature to write him off completely. The biggest question is gonna be whether he can run the second unit. If he can, he’s gonna be a major contributor. If he can’t, he’s gonna be stuck behind multiple guys.
When he getting hype by his team mates it tells me he doing a lot thing in practice but it hasn't translate over to the game yet.
