it isn't nonsense. It's actually a much better package. You rebuild with a budding prospect, possible fill in young players, probably some pick assets, unload harden's massive super max. That by far is not nonsense. Thinking ben simmons as your best player is that valuable is actually what's nonsense. a player who is content at not getting better, struggles with peers, and settles in as a low level all star. it's laughable
Herro at his best will be a middle of the road starting caliber player and not an all-star. Simmons is already an all-star and can be more.
Simmons isn't even a 1/3 as fast as Giannis which is why he's so limited. He's an intriguing point forward, although I've yet to see him create that well, but with no motivation to shoot or improve it's a dead end tunnel for him in today's game. Not as athletic as Giannis by any stretch and then no shot. Uh oh.
this is the same take ppl had when morey traded for harden. "why did morey give up so much for a 6th man?!" if a 19 yr old avged 13-14ppg shooting nearly 40% on 3s, several game winners in the regular season, and torched playoff defenses not just with his own shooting but with his playmaking and shot creation... and helped that team get to the finals as a 19 yr old!? i'd think more people would take notice. it's a risk bc he's still unproven, yes, but that's where miami needs to include a handful of unprotected firsts and possibly duncan robinson and others. take a look at herro's tape.. he's taking over games in the 4th quarter as a 19 yr old rookie in the nba...even in the playoffs. he's not some potential no.1 pick who hasn't stepped foot in the nba so we don't know how his game will translate... he's already proven that he can do well and then some. and it wasn't just a one off thing, or a linsanity moment. lin had terrible mechanics and low iq... not even close to comparable
OP, I think this is an interesting debate. While many dismiss it as Simmons is a no brainer compared to Herro, I think otherwise. I won't rehash all of the pros/cons of each player, I like them both for different reasons. If we were starting from scratch, I'd probably say Simmons, but we're not. As a rookie Herro played like a vet with a chip on his shoulder. He brings an attitude that is rare in sports today--this is why I chose him. He also is not just a shooter, but he's a scorer and a facilitator. He would be perfect with Wall, Cousins, Woods, etc. Plus at 20, we still don't know how good he can become. Few envisioned Harden becoming the kind of player he's evolved into. I said several weeks ago, I think Miami is a sleeper for Harden because of Riley. However, the Miami lifestyle and having Jimmy B as the leader makes Harden the perfect addition. Bam stays, but we should be able to gather enough assets to make this a really good deal for us. I'd rather James stay, but if he's made up his mind and doesn't want to be here then lets get an offer that allows us to still compete, but build at the same time.
I don't think we should choose based upon who fits best with Wall and Cousins. Neither of those guys are franchise cornerstones, and no one would be shocked if they played fewer than 40 games this season. Yes, I realize Wall is on a 3 year deal, but again - he's not a guy to build your team around, not anymore. So I think this is basically a question of who you'd rather build your team around from scratch. And for me, it is Simmons.
To the original question, it is a no-brainer in that the answer is Simmons. The main "problem" with getting Simmons is the John Wall trade. Simmons and Wall can't co-exist in the same backcourt. 2 PGs who can't shoot. Yikes! I realize rebuilding means getting the best player available, but realistically we'd be trading down on Simmons or Wall just to free up space for the other to operate. I can't see anyone taking Wall's contract, so we're stuck with that for at least 2 years That would mean flipping Simmons on for something? But then we are almost back to where we started with Harden - how do we get assets, and from whom? Perhaps the easier thing to reconcile is that Simmons hasn't demanded to be traded to a contender, and just not turned up. So recouping assets for him should be an easier exercise. It would have been great to get Simmons at the start of this fiasco, and then give away Russ for spare parts and build around Simmons. But as it stands, Philly have no assets to attach with Simmons beyond what is currently on their roster. We really need picks to rebuild - the picks are a part of the assets we can use to trade for a star down the track.
Simmons and Wall are equals .. I'd have to go with Herro for the shooting ability But if Wall has been working on his jump shot and it looks playable .. then I'd switch to wanting Simmons.
This. To be fair, having looked at the available destinations, Boston has the best 'piece' for us right now in the form of Jaylen Brown. The problem is that Ainge is unlikely to give as many 1sts as we would want (like 1 at best imho). Which makes it an uncomfortable trade - Brown/Smart and a first is a poor return for Harden. Simmons is a better player, and a better chance at being a genuine top 5 superstar - but his contract expires well before Wall's albatross deal, and so we run the risk of taking back Simmons and no picks (what have Philly got?), and the rebuild fizzles out in 2 years. You could make the argument that Simmons/Wall combo stifles the offence and limits the effectiveness of Wood and Cousins. Are we thinking EGo will shoot us to the playoffs?
I’ll take the 6 10 dude point guard, please. But really I’m not sure I even want him. Wouldn’t hate it, but his inability to shoot limits him. But he’s better than Westbrick as a player. If he had a decent shot he’d be better than Harden soon.
