I wonder if there’s an alternate universe where we drafted Ben and we’ve soured on Ben after his bad series against Denver and want Olshey to give in and trade for CJ a clutch shot creator who can take the pressure off Dame. Philly needs the defense, Dame needs help!
Olshey obtaining someone with height in the backcourt being apart of an alternate universe... sounds about right.
It's interesting to reconsider the original poll now. Since OP posted the poll in June: 1.Billups was hired. A defensive oriented coach might get through to Simmons. 2. Powell signed an extension, firming up another defensive guy and making retaining Roco less critical. 3. We have Nance, a legit forward who can do a lot of the same defensive things Roco does in terms of team defense. 4. Little had a nice little video of him just stroking threes with picture perfect form, reminding a lot of us that he exists and may actually contribute without Melo in the way. Clearing PT for him might not be a bad idea by moving Roco. 5. Lillard has made it pretty clear he wants to win now, and it feels like a trade demand may be on the horizon if it's just more of the same. Given all that, I'm changing my vote from "CJ Only" to "CJ + Roco" if that's the only way we get him. I'm curious if recent events change anybody else's perspective.
Ben would be a good fit here theoretically but he does not want to be here. He is forcing himself out of Philly what makes you think he won't do that in Portland? Hes a young socialite after all and will only cause drama here.
He would be an incredibly stupid GM if he did that. Unbelievably stupid. “instead of using my one decent trade piece to get a like-caliber star to win now, I’m going to trade for a bunch of unknowns and hope the Blazers or Wiz want them if there best player asks out. I know we were the #1 seed last year, but fuck it, let’s temporarily regress and see what happens.” Just so, so dumb.
Do you guys think GMs are retarded or something 6 picks for Ben Simmons? Jesus Christ. It’s like y’all don’t think GMs believe in risk mitigation.
No one forgot what happened They chose Tobias Harris over Jimmy Butler. They’ve been getting soundly blasted for that decision for years. Hell, Jimmy even went on JJ’s podcast to talk shit about Philly management before leaving for MIA. The “shit” that happened was that they didn’t believe in Jimmy Buckets. The podcast is an interesting listen also.
I've gone the other way. When I think about trading for Simmons I no longer see him as the "final piece of the puzzle". Instead, I see him as Butler in Minny or Philly. Anything more than CJ straight across and they can go suck lemons.
I think Spoelstra might win the award then. Also, the blazers didn't sign Ainge, and Trader Bob traded Drexler.
Hmm. I saw Simmons as potentially turning a 48-to-50ish win team into a 54-to-60 win team, with a chance at contending. I didn't feel like that was possible, though, if we also gave up Roco, as there were just too many holes to plug in our defensive sieve. Now, though, I kind of feel like we can be in that 54-60 range even without Roco if we can maximize Simmons. Roco raises our floor (we won't be any worse than a 45 win team if we keep him) but I'm not sure if his presence will be a difference maker in our ceiling. Everything Roco does Simmons and Nance can also do. Roco is now 30, and Simmons is only 25. So there's also the age upside. It'd be nice to potentially have somebody to take over as Dame declines with age or (I hate writing this) forces his way out.
just saying…. Rockets get: Victor Oladipo, Rodions Kurucs, Dante Exum, four unprotected first-round picks (Brooklyn 2022, 2024 and 2026, Milwaukee 2022), and four unprotected first-round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025, 2027). Nets get: James Harden. Pacers get: Caris LeVert, 2023 second-round pick (from Houston) and When it was all said and done, Presti was able to work multiple trades that ultimately resulted in Chris Paul being flipped for quite the haul. two players + 2021 SRP (MIN) 2022 FRP (PHX) 2023 SRP (MIA/DAL) 2024 SRP (MIN) 2026 SRP (DAL) 2027 SRP (MIA) 2027 SRP (IND)
I don't think Philly is hitting the reset button like both Houston and OKC did... call me crazy but I'm pretty sure they're in win now mode.
The more I rethink the Denver series, the less I think Simmons is the answer to our playoff woes. We got worked when Dame was off the floor, and the quintessential loss was Dame's historic game 5 where the non-Dame players went 1-19 in the 4th and OT. So our biggest issues were the bench and Dame's offensive support, and we want to address that by adding a low-offensive-impact starter?
It's interesting to see so many posts not wanting Simmons here.....intertwined with so many 'Dame needs another All-Star' posts....which Dame has basically reiterated himself. For CJ + nothing or 1 pick or RoHo, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Buttler-like wing players aren't walking through the door anytime soon....or ever. Of course Simmons has his warts, but he is a 25 year old multiple time all-star who is one of the most versatile defensive players in the league and a tremendous passer who is averaging more assists per game in his career than Dame has. He is tremendous going towards the basket and would take care of the backup PG minutes that people have been clamoring about for years. Dame isn't going to have the opportunity to get someone of his caliber for likely the rest of his career for what it would cost the Blazers while still leaving the majority of the team in tacked. Everyone is entitle to their opinion, but this just doesn't make sense. Changing the periphery parts doesn't work....hasn't worked, and just isn't likely to suddenly turn them into a contender. They need another impact player, not a couple more role players. Simmons, for his Pros and Cons, would be that and because of the situation in Philly, won't cost as much as it would have for him just as recently as the last Trade Deadline. For example, per Sam Amick at The Athletic: According to a source with knowledge of their situation, the Kings spoke to the Sixers weeks ago and made it clear that neither De’Aaron Fox nor Tyrese Haliburton would not be included in a possible Simmons deal. That stance, the source said, has not and will not change and the internal expectation is that the core of their roster will remain the same heading into training camp later this month. There are no current conversations between the two teams and, barring a drastic change in demands, it appears the Kings are an unlikely landing spot for Simmons. The situation has given Philly no leverage. This is Portland's chance to actually make a move and for Neil to FINALLY 'move the needle'. Ben's not perfect, or anywhere near it, but if he was, he wouldn't be available. For once in your life Neil....Go!
14 points on 10 shots is not low impact offense. 7 assists is not low impact offense. His efficiency is great so we can get him possessions that end with him scoring at the hoop. We can also get offense from other places throughout the season so in the playoffs they're actually ready to contribute. Also, isn't the team being so Dame dependent an indictment on the offense of the players or more specifically the player at the heart of what we are looking at trading for Simmons?
And then there is this from Keith Pompey from the LockedOn/Philly podcast. "I look at the Portland Trail Blazers, but not for the person that everybody else says," Pompey said. "When you ask yourself is there one player who could come to Philadelphia and be somewhat of a close trade, and I think it's CJ McCollum. I think the money is close, when you look at CJ and you consider him to other guys who you think are going to be a perfect fit, right now I think he might be the best one out there not named Dame Lillard, not named Bradley Beal. I don't expect them to get Bradley." https://www.wkyc.com/article/sports...llum/535-9cf026ff-f526-49cf-9e94-91fa0d4df0d0
