Simmons definitely doesn't like Houston or the Rockets and it was transparent in his analysis throughout the Harden era. Even at the Rockets'/Harden's peak he was very reluctant to discuss the team in-depth and when his comments were begrudgingly positive, they were framed by negativity. This bias was fully evident in Simmons' refusal to acknowledge how the ref's enabled the Warriors to cheat during WCF and the impact that had on the outcome of the series. His attitude towards the Rockets has carried over. It's not that Simmons has a personal vendetta against Green, he just doesn't want to talk about the Rockets, which led him to undervalue Green. I think his "**** Green" was really "**** the Rockets". Unfortunately, these narratives actually have a real world impact and influence where free agents want to play. For that reason, the pushback against Simmons, which forced him to bring Jalen in for an extended interview, are really positive outcomes for the team.
I feel like unless you are a supernova type player Ja Morant or Zion W a lot of times the guys in your post dont make because once you are a kobe bryant type player you almost get grandfathered into the all nba teams because of past success/championships. so unless you really break through at a young age you get pushed out by older players.
Really liked what I heard from Jalen. I’ve questioned his temperament and approach to an extent. I think some it is just generational divide but either way lots of good stuff here. I’m in the middle on Simmons’ original comments. I think it was way overblown and out of context with way too much pearl clutching. But saying eff a specific player even as a joke isn’t great for someone in his position. Would have liked his original approach to be more defending that he was joking around with no malice but acknowledge maybe not the best word choice which happens when you do hundreds of podcast hours each year.
simmons wasn’t joking because he did vote for herb Jones over jalen and said jg wasn’t a “winning player”. He only invited jalen green on his pod to cover his ass, those voting privileges are like gold to these guys
The backlash from other players must have been really bad for Bill Simmons and his brand to even entertain this interview. Usually BS will just let it ride and laugh at the fans. Maybe Bill Simmons sees JJ, KD, Draymond and all these other players with pods coming for his side of the podcast universe.
it really wasn't only about the "**** you". Jalen's star was starting to spiral (narratively) IMO. They were saying he was a cocky, selfish, me-first player. They were ignoring his history-making accomplishments all ready. All this coming off a poor start to the season and a bad dunk contest. To me, the "**** you" felt like a tipping point. Felt like Jalen was about to be labeled forever. Did you see how they were hyping Herb Jones during the playoffs? it was nutty. Jalen's rookie class is stacked with talent and they were trying to find someone to hate and zeroed in on Jalen.
^ I didn't hear Simmons apologize. He just thought people "misinterpreted" what he said. 1) In the past, team winning was rarely bought up for rookies consideration. Most teams, who had top rookies are usually bottom/lottery teams. This line of thought is itself counter intuitive. 2) When Bill bought up Herb, Jalen politely reminds Simmons that Pels stunk until they traded for CJ 2nd half year. Basically saying their winning might be less because of Herb but because of his new teammate.
It wasn’t a joke like “let’s call a fat guy Tiny.” He explained his rationale for Jones over Jalen and wasn’t ranting against Jalen in an SAS type way. He said eff Jalen to get a laugh countering a pro Jalen argument. I think Simmons can be pretty annoying at times so I don’t want to cape for him much harder but over the top pearl clutching to make yourself or someone a martyr is annoying to me too so I’m stuck in the middle on it.
Key phrase there is Harden Era. Not saying I agree but alot in the media and online didn't like the brand of basketball Harden played and by necessity, the style the Rockets played. I doubt he hates the Rockets org and city of Hou. I'm not even a big Simmons guy but it's not some mystery or conspiracy. People just didn't think the Rox style of play was enjoyable and you could tell
My only issue with this is if a player says F a media member jokingly and it really is jokingly does he not get fined? Does he not get blasted by the media? Otherwise I understand people will say what they want and if your likable the narrative will more than likely be pushed in your favor in receiving the benefit of the doubt.
There's one angle that I haven't seen in all the discourse. From the very beginning, in the late 90s, Simmons made his name as talking like "the fan." Not some all-mighty media god. Just a regular dude. He sprinkled his articles with jokes, pop culture references, and low-key profanity when he could. That was his vibe. It was fun. (I was a loyal reader for years.) Now, however, he is far from the average fan. He's one of the most powerful figures in media. After the Spotify sale, he has a net worth that's more than many (if not most) players. But he still tends to speak in a breezy, who gives an 'f style. For the most part, frankly, I think that's fun. It's why I still enjoy his podcasts. (Most, not all.) But I don't think he's processed that shift in power dynamic. He's no longer the breezy outsider. He's an insider with tremendous clout. In some sense, he has more power than certain players. And it's a bad look when that power -- intentionally or not -- is directed at a rookie 30 years his junior. I'm generally in the ChillyPete32 camp, and think this was mostly overblown. He was clearly joking and immediately praised Green; when I first heard the convo, it reminded me of how you might be with several buddies, joking around and drinking beer and playing poker or whatever, and when your friend Michael goes to the bathroom, another friend asks if they should pause the game to wait for him and you say with a smile, "**** Michael, let's play!" That's how I heard it. Clearly light-hearted banter. I think that's how it was intended. BUT. This wasn't four buddies drinking beer playing poker. Simmons, whether he likes to assume the mantle or not, has an enormous platform. He has power. His words have consequences. Glad they did the podcast -- I enjoyed it and hope everyone moves past this.
so why call jalen who just so happens to be a rocket, “ not a winning player.” Harden era or not bill and the media have a history of crapping on the houston rockets. He thought he would get away with this slick jab, and more than likely was shocked by the pushback If you can’t see how bill is only interviewing jalen to get in the good graces of the players who criticized him, I can’t help you
I'm not saying he didn't have him on as damage control. I'm pointing out that all the outrage at the original comment felt manufactured.
To be honest, the way that Simmons has laid it on Houston in the past makes you think that he was actually soft-pedaling it while Daryl Morey was here out of respect for his friend, and once Tilman threatened Morey's job over Hong Kong and pushed Daryl out, he was now free to go all out on the team with the worst record in the league...
Like him or not, with his clout and audience, he did Jalen a solid by bringing him on and showcasing the kind of person JG is. That kind of PR is pure gold.
Hurts a bit to hear that Jalen is such a Kobe fan but hopefully he takes after him off the court rather than on the court. About the initial BS comments, I listened to that podcast (I listen to all his NBA podcasts, along with other NBA podcasts) and it was cleeeaarly a joke. I didn't even know people made a big deal of it till I saw this thread. He'd been praising Green for weeks prior. He just really really has an irrational obsession with 1-5 switchy defenders which explains his Herb Jones love.
