After all the trade rumblings, Rivers backs Simmons
PHILADELPHIA » The rumors were real, the willingness earnest, the reasons clear. The Sixers were ready to trade Ben Simmons in a responsible deal to land James Harden.
They were out of energy to deny the reports.
It didn’t happen, and for enough reasons, it was not a catastrophe. It would have been fascinating to see Joel Embiid and Harden in a two-superstar system, something the Sixers have not had with Simmons, no matter how casually their meaningful managers clank that overstatement off the rim. But not unlike Simmons, and quite likely worse, Harden is a deep organizational irritant, professionally self-absorbed to the point of diminished value, an excusecarrier convinced no one but himself should ever shoot.
So, of course, there were reasons why Harden’s name was in trade rumors, and why Simmons’ was, too. They always wind up losing, no matter how many awards they gather along the way.
Should the Sixers have traded Simmons for Harden? Yes. Yes, of course. But they didn’t, and the
Nets concocted a deal that cost them premium talent and draft options.
So Harden is Brooklyn’s problem, right behind Kyrie Irving, the industry leader in that category.
And Simmons, who just the other night played 32 minutes, took two shots and fouled out, continues to be an issue for the Sixers. The next move?
“As long as I’m here,” Doc Rivers said Thursday before a game against the Heat, “I’m going to try to make Ben a better player.”
Ben Simmons is in his fifth NBA season, a redshirt year included, on a contract worth a-buck-67-million. For that kind of cash, he should already be among the best possible players, a couple of jab-steps from helping the Sixers make deep and meaningful postseason penetration. Instead, he has been a stubborn teammate, unwilling to shoot, and a point guard by job description with exactly the skill set to ensure elongated offseasons. He defends a little, rebounds well, overpowers smaller opponents and demonstrates mesmerizing court vision. But he doesn’t have a particular position because, at age 24, he’s not consistently reliable at any particular one.
Repeatedly, for it was as good a diversion tactic as anything, a swipe-the-issueaside debate gimmick, Brett Brown would point to age 26 as the moment for Simmons to become complete enough a player to match his reputation. Not 27. Not 25. Twentysix. Why not? The former Sixers coach knew that would either be true or that he would not be around for the audit.
Rivers was not hired to rebuild, or to dazzle the fans with promises that something better would happen later. He was hired because he is as complete a basketball coach as there is, ready with pristine scouting reports and plans, able to win with the best players in the league. The Sixers didn’t
drop Simmons on that trade floor without reason. They know what everyone else knows, which is that he hasn’t been quite as advertised. The Nets wanted more, anyway. They’ll lose, too. Either way, there was Rivers Thursday, sharing his next Simmons move.
“He has to stay out of foul trouble, No. 1,” he said, laughing, a reference to the last game. “You just have to. We put him in a tough spot. We don’t usually have him guarding catch-and-shoot guys like Duncan Robinson. He’s not built that way but we decided to do it anyway. I think it hurt Ben in a lot of ways. But as far as offensively, we’ve just got to keep the floor open for him.”
Simmons, who had been troubled by a swollen left knee, did not play well Tuesday. It’s because Eric Spoelstra walled him off in the lane, leaving him stumped, the way Boston always does in the tournament. But basketball happens. Simmons has had his share of statstuffer nights, too. The issue facing Rivers Thursday was that Simmons was deep in trade reports Wednesday. And coaching in the NBA is as much about ego management as about which sideline out of bounds to order with six seconds to play.
Through the trade talks, Simmons was largely professional, maintaining that he would play wherever he was employed. He was said
to have wanted to remain with the Sixers, and so, he will. Rivers just has to make sure there were no resulting ugly scars.
“I just know that when I was a bad player, I was never mentioned in trades,” Rivers said. “And when I was a really good player, I was mentioned in trades. Unfortunately, that’s part of the business. That’s the way I would look at it. The year I made the All-Star team, I was on the trading blocks the next year. That’s just the way it is. It’s our league. I looked at it that way, that I was good enough to have my name mentioned in trades. Now, I was never mentioned in a trade with the likes of James Harden. I was never that good. But that’s how you should look at it.”
That’s how Rivers will try to have Simmons look at it, and he has the background as an All-Star player and a championship coach for his message to resonate. At the minimum, that should be a sturdy bridge to the next time Simmons lands in trade rumors. And there will be a next time.
It’s what happens when a player is good enough to intrigue other organizations but not good enough to help one win championships.
Ben Simmons is one. James Harden is, too.