Ben Simmons didn’t say
shut up, but I did for him. I’m
referring to the legion of folks who refuse to recognize Simmons as a
rookie. If you believe Donovan Mitchell
of the Jazz should be Rookie of the Year I have no argument with you. My disagreement is with those who say; “He’s been in the league for over a year”,
technically they are correct he was drafted in 2016. They fail to take into consideration Simmons played
not one regular season game in the 2016-17 NBA season. I believe if you check me out you will
discover he suffered the “Jones fracture” in the Sixers last exhibition game.
The response from
Simmons exceeded mine and was much kinder.
He said: "But at the end of the day, this is my
first year in the league. If you're a guy coming from overseas, you're still a
rookie and you can be 30 years old. So, there's a rule
in there.” This is not intended to
be a knock at Euro players however most have played extensively at the
professional level yet are considered rookies that first year in the NBA. If we use the naysayers guidelines a Euro
player would never qualify for Rookie of the Year and shouldn’t even be
included on either the first or second All-Rookie team.
The End
I’m reminded of the
1967 hit by the late Jim Morrison and the Doors, I remember reading he wrote “The End” after breaking up with a
girlfriend. Several NBA coaches might be
breaking up with their teams, some coaches might be unsure if this is “The End.” Who are they you might ask, they are coaches
expected to compete for the championship and the teams failed to make the
playoffs. Then how about the coaches
whose teams won but under-achieved.
I can go no further with
my speculation because we often have no idea what is going on in the coaches’
mind. A couple of examples, George Karl
and Mike D’Antoni left the Nuggets and Lakers at a time we believed they were
in place. The Nuggets fired Karl after
they could not agree on a contract extension.
As for D’Antoni it was a money issue as well however he chose to resign
rather than remain head coach of the Lakers.
There we have it a sketch of action likely to unfold over the next
several weeks and months.
Long shots for the 2018 draft
We
might hear the name Sagaba Konate on draft night, don’t worry if your
unfamiliar with his name NBA scouts know him. We heard plenty of news during the season
on DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and others however its likely Konate is an
unknown. Konate hails from the West
African nation of Mali, he’s a 6-foot 8-inch 260-pound power forward and plays
for West Virginia. Konate is in his
sophomore year and its possible he could remain in school. He’s only an average scorer but his defense
is exemplary, Kontate must believe every opposing shot must be
blocked. He reminds us of the play of Bismack
Biyombo.
His
name is Mitchell Robinson, he stands 7 feet tall and checks in at 233 pounds,
he’s got a 7-foot 4-inch wingspan. Robinson
was a 5-star prospect and McDonalds All-American while in high school and
that’s where the positives end. We may hear
the commissioner or deputy commissioner announce his selection in the 2018
draft, then again, we may not. Robinson
is an enigma, an athlete who appears truly talented but also confused and
perhaps a portion of the decision making is likely impacted by his youth. As reported earlier he was enrolled at
Western Kentucky then left school, later he returned only to leave once again. When he left for the final time Robinson
indicated he would begin training preparations for 2018 the NBA draft. As indicated earlier scouts believe he’s got
NBA potential, as for the part that remains in the questionable category.
The barbershop
A
barbershop visit always entails brisk conversation and much of it on the
NBA. The television was tuned to ESPN’s
SportsCenter and the previous night’s highlights. After seeing the Sixers highlights I said: “The Sixers were not stockpiling draft
choices, they just suffered from injuries.
Embiid really didn’t play until
this season and look at Simmons?” My
barber went on to say; “Robert Covington,
Dario Saric and picking up J.J. Redick.”
I’ve concluded departed GM Sam Hinkie was unfairly blamed for the poor
play of the Sixers while he served as GM.
Hinkie
directly or indirectly drafted several highly skilled players while he was in
Philly. The jury is still out on number
one pick Markelle Fultz, as for Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel they might not
be talented enough or have enough heart to play in the NBA. As mentioned previously the Sixers have 2
first round picks and 4 in the second round, they are not going to add 6
youngsters to an already youthful team.
Is it possible a package deal might be in the works to acquire LeBron in
exchange for those draft picks?
