Okafor - The Ringer (article)

[LarBrd33]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

TP for the observation. 

I still find the situation fascinating, honestly.  While everyone is going small it will be kind of interesting to see if they try to go big... like really big.   Probably will not work, but they might as well give it a shot to see what happens.  If the trade value of their guys is really that low, they might as well wait anyways.  Embiid and Okafor might be able to play together. 

[Ilikesports17]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

Lebron is a far superior athlete to Ben Simmons.

Simmons has good lateral quickness and length. i think its possible he holds his own against non-elite pgs, but lets make it clear that Lebron is in another tier athletically.

[tankcity!]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

Lebron is a far superior athlete to Ben Simmons.

He's not far superior, but he is superior. The point is he is a notch below Lebron in terms of athleticism. Mannix just wrote an article today on the vertical comparing the two. And my eyes tell me Simmons should have no problem with quicker guards. Only time will tell but he's not a horse I would bet against. He would probably be the number 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. No reason for Celtics fans to be insecure. The guy is going to be a beast. Time to accept it, otherwise everyone here will look like an idiot.

[Evantime34]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

Magic Johnson played when you could hand check. He stayed with smaller quicker guards by pushing against whatever direction they wanted to go. The rules no longer allow for Simmons to do that.

Anyone that watched Simmons play in college would be shocked to hear he could guard any position, since he didn't guard any position in college. In college Simmons showed the ability to guard any position just about as well as Okafor did. Both played most of their times under the basket in a zone.

Maybe you can one day see him being able to guard wings and point guards but today is not that day. If they have him guard the perimeter, their defense is going to be historically awful. Run Simmons through a screen or two guarding a perimeter player and that player will be getting an open shot or layup.

[tankcity!]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

TP for the observation. 

I still find the situation fascinating, honestly.  While everyone is going small it will be kind of interesting to see if they try to go big... like really big.   Probably will not work, but they might as well give it a shot to see what happens.  If the trade value of their guys is really that low, they might as well wait anyways.  Embiid and Okafor might be able to play together.

I pretty much agree and it's why I want Okafor on this team. Milwaukee will also be interesting in the future. Timberwolves are very big and athletic as well.

[Ilikesports17]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

Lebron is a far superior athlete to Ben Simmons.

He's not far superior, but he is superior. The point is he is a notch below Lebron in terms of athleticism. Mannix just wrote an article today on the vertical comparing the two. And my eyes tell me Simmons should have no problem with quicker guards. Only time will tell but he's not a horse I would bet against. He would probably be the number 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. No reason for Celtics fans to be insecure. The guy is going to be a beast. Time to accept it, otherwise everyone here will look like an idiot.

I think Simmons will be terrific. Ben Simmons is a very good athlete, but just throwing out Lebron athletic comps is absurd. Lebron is a genetic freak.

[tankcity!]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

Magic Johnson played when you could hand check. He stayed with smaller quicker guards by pushing against whatever direction they wanted to go. The rules no longer allow for Simmons to do that.

Anyone that watched Simmons play in college would be shocked to hear he could guard any position, since he didn't guard any position in college. In college Simmons showed the ability to guard any position just about as well as Okafor did. Both played most of their times under the basket in a zone.

Maybe you can one day see him being able to guard wings and point guards but today is not that day. If they have him guard the perimeter, their defense is going to be historically awful. Run Simmons through a screen or two guarding a perimeter player and that player will be getting an open shot or layup.

First, I don't recall Johnson guarding oh say Isiagh Thomas in the finals. Another guard did. My point was if Magic Johnson can play the PG position on offense, so can Simmons because you can hide hime.

Second, I actually agree with you most of the time, but this time I think you're just plain wrong. He will be fine on D this year. He was guarding Jaylen Brown well in the summer league, and that guy has a great first step. I don't see what you're seeing visually and this year will prove it. Simmons is going to win rookie of the year and no one will complain about his D. You heard it hear first.

[MBunge]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

1.  Simmons is a pretty bad defender.  Worse, I believe, than LeBron at the same age.

2.  Even LeBron got exposed when they tried to put him on Jason Terry in the Finals that one year.  He chased him around all those picks and gassed fairly quickly.

3.  When LeBron guarded a healthy Derrick Rose in the playoffs that one time, he got plenty of trapping help.  He used his size to pressure Rose, but there were other players there to prevent Rose from blowing past him.

A super-athlete with decent technique and effort can briefly guard anyone.  If LeBron tried to spend an entire game guarding John Wall or Marc Gasol, for example, he'd wind up looking pretty bad.

Mike

[tankcity!]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

Lebron is a far superior athlete to Ben Simmons.

He's not far superior, but he is superior. The point is he is a notch below Lebron in terms of athleticism. Mannix just wrote an article today on the vertical comparing the two. And my eyes tell me Simmons should have no problem with quicker guards. Only time will tell but he's not a horse I would bet against. He would probably be the number 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. No reason for Celtics fans to be insecure. The guy is going to be a beast. Time to accept it, otherwise everyone here will look like an idiot.

I think Simmons will be terrific. Ben Simmons is a very good athlete, but just throwing out Lebron athletic comps is absurd. Lebron is a genetic freak.

I said he's a notch below. So is Wiggins...Anyways, let's just watch his career and then we'll see who is right. Players get more athletic...Watch Westbrook highlights in college and same with Blake Griffin if you don't believe me.

[tankcity!]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

1.  Simmons is a pretty bad defender.  Worse, I believe, than LeBron at the same age.

2.  Even LeBron got exposed when they tried to put him on Jason Terry in the Finals that one year.  He chased him around all those picks and gassed fairly quickly.

3.  When LeBron guarded a healthy Derrick Rose in the playoffs that one time, he got plenty of trapping help.  He used his size to pressure Rose, but there were other players there to prevent Rose from blowing past him.

A super-athlete with decent technique and effort can briefly guard anyone.  If LeBron tried to spend an entire game guarding John Wall or Marc Gasol, for example, he'd wind up looking pretty bad.

Mike

I disagree. We are seeing the player differently with our eyes. Not much I can do with that.

[ThePaintedArea]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

In fact, he cannot guard 1's, 2's, or 3's - he's the starting 4. Your original point was that there are plenty of minutes at 4 and 5, but I'm not persuaded. There's a logjam at both positions. It's a problem whether Simmons runs the offense or not.

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.

I count six rotation guys at the two positions. It's untenable.

[Ilikesports17]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

Lebron is a far superior athlete to Ben Simmons.

He's not far superior, but he is superior. The point is he is a notch below Lebron in terms of athleticism. Mannix just wrote an article today on the vertical comparing the two. And my eyes tell me Simmons should have no problem with quicker guards. Only time will tell but he's not a horse I would bet against. He would probably be the number 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. No reason for Celtics fans to be insecure. The guy is going to be a beast. Time to accept it, otherwise everyone here will look like an idiot.

I think Simmons will be terrific. Ben Simmons is a very good athlete, but just throwing out Lebron athletic comps is absurd. Lebron is a genetic freak.

I said he's a notch below. So is Wiggins...Anyways, let's just watch his career and then we'll see who is right. Players get more athletic...Watch Westbrook highlights in college and same with Blake Griffin if you don't believe me.

I think Wiggins is also a notch above Simmons. Do you disagree?

I mean im OK with saying Simmons is a notch below Lebron as long as its acknowledged that there is a VERY BIG gap between the two. Lebron James is one of the greatest athletes in the history of the league.

[Evantime34]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Have people watched Simmons play? He's pretty much Lebron without the shooting and finishing. He's athletic enough to basically guard any position. The guy is a positionless basketball player. If he puts effort on D, I wouldn't be concerned about him guarding midgets he can swat from behind like Lebron.

Magic Johnson played when you could hand check. He stayed with smaller quicker guards by pushing against whatever direction they wanted to go. The rules no longer allow for Simmons to do that.

Anyone that watched Simmons play in college would be shocked to hear he could guard any position, since he didn't guard any position in college. In college Simmons showed the ability to guard any position just about as well as Okafor did. Both played most of their times under the basket in a zone.

Maybe you can one day see him being able to guard wings and point guards but today is not that day. If they have him guard the perimeter, their defense is going to be historically awful. Run Simmons through a screen or two guarding a perimeter player and that player will be getting an open shot or layup.

First, I don't recall Johnson guarding oh say Isiagh Thomas in the finals. Another guard did. My point was if Magic Johnson can play the PG position on offense, so can Simmons because you can hide hime.

Second, I actually agree with you most of the time, but this time I think you're just plain wrong. He will be fine on D this year. He was guarding Jaylen Brown well in the summer league, and that guy has a great first step. I don't see what you're seeing visually and this year will prove it. Simmons is going to win rookie of the year and no one will complain about his D. You heard it hear first.

Guarding Jaylen on on a couple possessions in one game doesn't make up for the fact that he was a bad defender in college. Does he have a high defensive upside? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean you can attribute his defensive potential to what you will see this upcomming season.

Simmons probably will win rookie of the year, because a lot of writers vote simply based on standard box score stats. His defense might not get called out because every writer/announcer is going to be gushing about his potential and athleticism. That doesn't mean his defense will be good. If he produces positively in any legit defensive metrics this season you can have all my TPs.

[ThePaintedArea]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Mostly he didn't. In the lineup most familiar to fans, it was Byron Scott who took the 1's.

[tankcity!]

They are fine for now.  They can experiment with this for a few months.

PG - Simmons
SG - Bayless/Henderson/Stauskas/Rodriguez
SF - Saric/Convington
PF - Okafor
C - Embiid
---
PF/C - Noel

Plenty of minutes for Okafor, Noel and Embiid to all get 30+

Simmons surely is the starting 4. He is never, ever going to be able to guard 1s.

Also, you have Okafor listed here as a power forward. That is a recipe for disaster, as he will be predictably awful trying to guard more mobile players out on the floor. But, in any case, his coach played him at center virtually every minute last season, and that is not likely to change.

Also, you didn't list Carl Landry, who is signed through 2017 on a good contract, a power forward who has transformed himself into a very nice stretch four;  he played rotation minutes last season, and that's not likely to disappear .

 Also, Saric, at 6'10", is not likely to be able to take on small forwards in the NBA.  A good rule of thumb here is the old tweener rule: "If you have to ask, he's a four."

Not surprisingly,  given the logjam at power forward, they let Christian Wood depart, despite a very promising season.

They'd be wise to see if Okafor improved from his rookie to sophomore season (as typically happens with 20 year olds) and whether he plays better alongside Embiid who supposedly has range.  They'd also be wise to see if Okafor flourishes with Simmons passing the ball.  Lot of stuff they can play around with.  There's not enough data yet.  They need to make educated decisions here.

So I wouldn't count on Okafor being traded for a role player.  That'd make no sense whatsoever.

 Looks like a buyer's market to me. It does look like he's got a great body, ample evidence of a work ethic, and some exceptional skills. 

They could especially use a point guard who can play off the ball.

honest to goodness folks, i love how this kid can pass the ball, but does anyone realistically think simmons can guard pgs in the nba?

next, one of the many challenges facing philly is how to give minutes to embiid (assuming he can play), noel, okafur, and simmons. oh, and possibly saric as well.

a trade would seem to be a good solution for this embarassment of tall riches. but given the offering prices for okafur, that may not work out as philly had hoped.

None of that matters right now.  They just need to develop the kids and wait out the decade-long Golden State dynasty.

Simmons doesn't need to guard opposing PG's... he just needs to be the guy controlling the ball on offense.  THey can have a smaller guy slotted in at SG (like Bayless).   

Point is, minutes aren't an issue out of the gate.  Embiid will likely be on a minute restriction.  Fans will be buying tickets.  Should be fun to watch for the time being.

How did Magic Johnson guard Point Guards? 

Mostly he didn't. In the lineup most familiar to fans, it was Byron Scott who took the 1's.

Read through the board, that was my point. You can hide Magic, then you can hide Simmons.

Second point was that imo he is more athletic than Johnson so he should be fine on D.

So either way, Simmons should be fine and that was my point kind sir.