NBA News

[UpandIn]

Yeah, I don't expect this topic to be a hot one, BUT I didn't know where to put this. 

https://www.nba.com/news/josh-primo-waived-spurs

Josh Primo a lottery pick from just last year(2021) was waived by the Spurs. He was a guy a lot of people thought had both massive upside, but would also be available around the Bucks pick or near the end of the 1st round because he was so young and a bit of a risk. But incredibly talented player. 

Not much detail around why he was waived. Pretty safe to say it was because of some type of behavior issue Primo had based on how he responded;

Quote

I know that you all are surprised by today's announcement. I've been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully. I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time.

 

Not sure if this is him directly owning it and I'd suspect this was released by one of his representatives. 

 

Obviously, the priority will be getting this kid's head right as teams don't waive 19 year old players with the upside he has without there being some serious issues.
This was also the guy I desperately wanted the Bucks to try and pick last year...which I realize would not have been a good decision, but now you can bring him in, put him on a 2-way...if you're confident that he's undergone the mental health treatment he so clearly needs. 

 

[nate82]

Steve Nash has left the Brooklyn Nets.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/brooklyn-nets-and-steve-nash-mutually-agree-to-part-ways/

[owbc]

This is the most entertaining NBA season ever. No basketball watching necessary. 

[UpandIn]

2 hours ago, nate82 said:

Steve Nash has left the Brooklyn Nets.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/brooklyn-nets-and-steve-nash-mutually-agree-to-part-ways/

Awe...this sucks. I LOVED Steve Nash as the HC of the Nets!

Without him, they may actually figure out how to play and Ime Udoka this team!

No team with KD, Kyrie, Simmons(I know he can't shoot, but he can defend, rebound and pass), a couple of guys who shoot the 3 ball both in volume and in the low to mid 40% range, and have very solid depth should look as bad as this team does. 

 

[nate82]

3 minutes ago, UpandIn said:

No team with KD, Kyrie, Simmons(I know he can't shoot, but he can defend, rebound and pass), a couple of guys who shoot the 3 ball both in volume and in the low to mid 40% range, and have very solid depth should look as bad as this team does. 

 

Simmons is just all around bad.  He may give you some points on defense but offensively he takes all of that away.  It has only been 6 games but his box plus/minus is currently sitting at -3.8.  

[UpandIn]

30 minutes ago, nate82 said:

Simmons is just all around bad.  He may give you some points on defense but offensively he takes all of that away.  It has only been 6 games but his box plus/minus is currently sitting at -3.8.  

He hadn't played in like 440 days. 

Simmons is just about a perfect fit on that team. Put Simmons on the floor with Kyrie/Harris/O'Neal/KD and they can score, shoot and they've got size to defend Giannis, they can swap out O'Neal and Harris for Claxton and Curry and add more size and shooting. 

Simmons gets in shape and he doesn't have to do anything on offense. KD and Kyrie taking 15-20 shots a night with Harris and Curry getting their 5 3's each is plenty. But that means Simmons has to work his way back into shape and get the rust off.

 

If he can't make it work on this team...especially when TJ Warren, Seth Curry come back, Joe Harris who missed last year as well rounds back into shape...then he won't be able to make it work anywhere. But if he just gets back to where he was in Philly and they have him come out and actually defend Giannis instead of ceding ground to him the whole possession...something a real HC should help with, that's still a very dangerous team once they get some actual regular season time together. And provided they get someone who can actually coach rather than say "just go play some pickup ball."

[HarryDoyle]

4 hours ago, owbc said:

This is the most entertaining NBA season ever. No basketball watching necessary. 

The NBA is the only sport where off off season is more entertaining than the regular season itself.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

5 hours ago, nate82 said:

Simmons is just all around bad.  He may give you some points on defense but offensively he takes all of that away.  It has only been 6 games but his box plus/minus is currently sitting at -3.8.  

Came to post this. He sucks. He's a shell of the player he was in Philly though I'm not sure how. He's Charmin soft now and isn't even valuable defensively. Looked like he was legitimately scared of Giannis. 

[UpandIn]

5 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

Came to post this. He sucks. He's a shell of the player he was in Philly though I'm not sure how. He's Charmin soft now and isn't even valuable defensively. Looked like he was legitimately scared of Giannis. 

AGAIN...it's 6 games after not playing for ~440 days and undergoing back surgery. 

He was back to back 1st team All NBA defensive PG prior to that ugly ending in Phlly. 

If the rumors are true and Ime Udoka DOES become this teams HC this year...well, I'd just say it's WAAAY too early to write Simmons off as an elite role player. Particularly, again, on a team he doesn't have to shoot.
 

That said, he did look scared of Giannis. That's also part of what I was saying. He needs to try and play up on Giannis and not let him get to his spot. He's just too strong, his footwork is just too good and he's too dominant on the block for Simmons to handle him down there(though, isn't everyone). 

[UpandIn]

Now...why I came here. 

10 hours ago, UpandIn said:

Without him, they may actually figure out how to play and Ime Udoka this team!

I really just meant a good HC who can get this team to buy in defensively. I didn't LITERALLY mean Udoka. 

Gotta wonder why Boston would let him leave for the Nets. 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34925973/sources-nets-moving-hiring-ime-udoka-head-coach

He is the perfect coach for this team...and I do hope Ben stays "Charmin Soft," otherwise...I think they pose a very threat once they get healthy and in sync. 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

When you think about it, you can really trace the downfall of the Nets back to losing to the Bucks in the playoffs.

[owbc]

4 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

When you think about it, you can really trace the downfall of the Nets back to losing to the Bucks in the playoffs.

Absolutely. And that series was a Durant toe from going the other way. 

The Lakers have the benefit of having gotten a title before things went downhill, although it doesn't make it any less entertaining to watch the drama there. 

[long ball]

I tend to side with UpandIn re: Simmons. I don't think he's broken beyond repair and could still at least be a valuable starter even if he doesn't return to his near allstar/all NBA level play. 

Joe Harris hasn't been the same level player since 2021, but I think he could still eventually be productive again. Curry hasn't really played this year. TJ Warren is intriguing if he can return to 2020 bubble version Warren (big if since he hasn't played since then). KD, Simmons, and Claxton have the length to bother teams even if they have a bunch of small/poor perimeter defenders in curry, kyrie, and mills. 

Ime seems like he's a pretty good coach so if that's the route they take per the reports, I could see this team being scary again even if there are a lot of "ifs" right now. 

[GAME05]

Any new coach has to force Simmons to shoot, like making him take 10 shots per game or he's not starting the next. He was taking 12.2 shots per game his second year and the Nets were letting him get away with 5.7. Defenses are starting to learn how to anticipate and pick off his passes because he's becoming so predictable with his fear of shooting. There just comes a point where no matter how good you are at passing, you become more of a liability if teams can play so far off you.

[CheezWizHed]

Jason Kidd was only "very good" until he could at least threaten people with a 3-ball.  And that was in the age of man-defense only. 

Now days a perimeter starter that can't shoot is useless - especially if he is one of a teams "big 3"

[UpandIn]

On 11/3/2022 at 1:59 PM, CheezWizHed said:

Jason Kidd was only "very good" until he could at least threaten people with a 3-ball.  And that was in the age of man-defense only. 

Now days a perimeter starter that can't shoot is useless - especially if he is one of a teams "big 3"

That's...not really true. The first half of Kidd's career is when he was obviously the best. When he received votes for MVP(rookie year through 2004)...when he was all NBA 1st team, 1 2nd team...all before 2004. That's when he was at his best. He was a 32.5% 3 point shooter. 
The second half of his career he shot 37%.

The 3 point shot extended his career, it's not what made him a HOF PG though. He was a big PG with a preternatural ability to see the floor and anticipate both passing lanes offensively and defensively.

But, Jason Kidd also wasn't a 6'10 defensive stud. Ben Simmons can absolutely play a huge role without being a jump shooter and certainly without being a 3-point shooter. 

 

It's not complicated with Simmons. It's a similar ideology as the Bucks use with Giannis. Surround him with shooters. The Nets have done that and they've done it MUCH better than the Bucks have(which is important because Simmons ain't Giannis). 

His problem is he's playing timid, he's playing soft. He has to get over that. He's got the size and the quickness to be the best defender in the league. He can stay in front of Trae Young, he has the size to matchup with Giannsis. But if he's ceding ground to Giannis and constantly on his heels, then he's obviously useless. 

2019-2020 or 2020-2021 Ben Simmons on this Nets team and they compete.  He's about as good of a fit as you can get. Not if he's playing scared though. Then they're just another team. 

Problem is, he's so in his head right now, everytime he takes an ugly shot, it's on ESPN. Same thing happened to Giannis and it didn't bother him a bit. So...he's gotta man up. 

 

Or don't, I'm worried enough about Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.