Include Simmons Among the Bitter

[PosImpos]

You can include Bill Simmons among the sentimental Celtics fans still bitter about the Perkins trade and more bitter about all of this Rondo trade chatter.

BOSTON

The Trade: Chris Paul for Rondo, Jeff Green (sign-and-trade) and possibly one or two no. 1 picks.

The Verdict: No way. Why would you want to overpay Jeff Green if you're New Orleans? Why not just re-sign David West? How do we know Green even wants to play there? And if you're New Orleans, wouldn't you rather have Stephen Curry, anyway? For the record, Paul makes $16.359 million this season and Rondo makes $10.045 million; the Celtics have only six players under contract and, unless Green were involved, could include only Jermaine O'Neal ($6.226 million, expiring this season) to make the Paul/Rondo swap work … unless they wanted to get creative, use their amnesty on Kevin Garnett (knocking $21.2 million off their cap), then trade Rondo and O'Neal for Paul and Okafor. See? This is absurd. The Celtics aren't getting Chris Paul.

Quick Tangent: As a Celtics fan, I'm horrified by how they are handling this — publicly, they're saying they aren't shopping Rondo, and privately they're dangling Rondo to New Orleans and EVERYONE KNOWS THIS. Seriously, what are the odds they can pull that trade off? 20-to-1? That's worth putting Rondo in a funk for the entire 2011-12 season? Remember, this is the same guy who went into a shooting tailspin after one harmless Obama joke.3 And by the way, didn't Rondo take less money to stay last season? That doesn't matter at all? Really, it's all business all the time? That's the best way to run a basketball team?

In general, it feels like the Celtics organization has lost touch with what made that team special — the chemistry between their best guys and their coach — starting with Ray Allen getting shopped for two straight trade deadlines, continuing with last February's brutally cold Perkins trade, then cresting with this Rondo debacle. Why would any Celtic feel safe at this point? How can Doc Rivers preach "ubuntu" with a straight face after the past two years? Does ubuntu mean, "Togetherness … unless we're trying to trade you?"

Hey Danny? If you really want to blow this up, then have the balls to actually do it — use your amnesty on Garnett (who's never making it through that inhumane 66-game schedule they released yesterday, much less nine weeks of playoff games with one day's rest between each game), try to sign Tyson Chandler, then try to trade Rondo, O'Neal's contract, two no. 1 picks and $3 million for Paul, and hope that Paul and Chandler say, "Cool, let's play in Boston together!" Sure, you'd be taking a mammoth Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline. on Garnett — the guy who made basketball relevant in Boston again — but at this point, what's the difference? You Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline. on Perkins last February and you're Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.ting on Rondo now. Why not add KG to the list? Either way, the Celtics made their bed here: Chris Paul or no Chris Paul, they're probably going to have to trade Rondo this season just because they handled the entire year so poorly. If you were Rondo, would you want to remain with this franchise? I sure wouldn't.

Whew.  He seems far more passionate / biased than usual.

(also, he follows up that section with a slobberfest about Chris Paul on the Clippers, and how great that would be for him since he has season tickets every year -- I generally like Simmons, but come on)



Honestly, I'm surprised that people are surprised.  Haven't we been quoting Danny from the time of the KG trade as believing that Bird and McHale should have been traded before they broke down?  That he doesn't believe in riding the same players into mediocrity and then starting all over again?  Danny's not a sentimental guy, as much as he might talk about really liking the guys on the team.  He's willing to do whatever it takes to win, even if it makes him look like a jerk in the eyes of the players and the fans.

[Fafnir]

He's rapidly becoming a Clippers fan.

He's always been a huge "I know better than GMs" and a second guesser like many fans. But he takes it to extremes with his own teams because he's so involved, and his living in LA is clearly rubbing off on him.

If the C's have to full on rebuild he'll fully become a Clippers fan soon enough.

[Corey]

Simmons is an entertaining writer, but nothing more. His analysis of the game is p--- poor, he just does a good job writing about it.

[BigGovy]

he just needed something to write about

[PosImpos]

He's rapidly becoming a Clippers fan.

he's already there.  and im convinced he's a closet Lakers fan.  in the same article i quoted from, he slips up and refers to the lakers as "we."  hmmm.

[pearljammer10]

Hmmm, i actually agree with most of what he says here...Odd?

[ManUp]

Let me put it this way, what was the last thing the Celtics did that he didn't p--- all over?

[RyNye]

I used to really like Bill Simmons, and still do in terms of his entertainment value (he is a very funny guy), but I am often amazed at the sheer idiocy of some of his predictions and opinions about what is going on. More so in the NFL than in the NBA (he thought St Louis and Tampa Bay would be legitimate playoff contenders this season!!!), but still, I am often flabbergasted.

[bruinsandceltics]

Makes me want to do it even more. Get the f out of my fanbase you fairweather punk, Simmons.

[Who]

Gotta enjoy his passion. Very enjoyable reading (his C's passage above).

[Roy H.]

I don't like Simmons.  He's barely a Celtics fan (a bandwagon jumper at best) but presents himself as Super Fan #1.  He's always critical of others, but has ultra thin skin.

As for this article, his logic is just ridiculous.  First, Rondo didn't "take less money to stay in Boston".  He got a very fair offer that protected his long-term security; it's not like he went out of his way to give a hometown discount. 

Second, Rondo is the guy he wants to build around, while arguing that he's so mentally weak that he's going to tank the entire 2012 season?  Guys who are headcases like that should be shipped out of town immediately. 

Third, if he looked at our cap situation, he'd see that we can't sign Tyson Chandler even if we amnesty KG, unless we're willing to walk away from Green, BBD, etc. 

Lastly, the "why would Rondo want to stay with the franchise" argument is weak.  Rondo should act like a professional; he signed a contract to play basketball to the best of his ability, and that contract is the only justification necessary for why he should want to stay.  Nobody promised him he'd never be shopped; it comes with the territory.

[PosImpos]

I don't like Simmons.  He's barely a Celtics fan (a bandwagon jumper at best) but presents himself as Super Fan #1.  He's always critical of others, but has ultra thin skin.

As for this article, his logic is just ridiculous.  First, Rondo didn't "take less money to stay in Boston".  He got a very fair offer that protected his long-term security; it's not like he went out of his way to give a hometown discount. 

Second, Rondo is the guy he wants to build around, while arguing that he's so mentally weak that he's going to tank the entire 2012 season?  Guys who are headcases like that should be shipped out of town immediately. 

Third, if he looked at our cap situation, he'd see that we can't sign Tyson Chandler even if we amnesty KG, unless we're willing to walk away from Green, BBD, etc. 

Lastly, the "why would Rondo want to stay with the franchise" argument is weak.  Rondo should act like a professional; he signed a contract to play basketball to the best of his ability, and that contract is the only justification necessary for why he should want to stay.  Nobody promised him he'd never be shopped; it comes with the territory.

yeah, his logic was tortured and the writing was actually below his usual standard.

honestly, i can't think of a better way to put this, but simmons actually comes across as nothing so much as "butthurt" in the quoted passage.

[Jeff]

can I get that link?

[quidinqui33]

Simmons has been an idiot for a while.  I agree with some of the other posters on the fact that he is still a good writer and his articles are fun to read, but most of his opinions and suggestions are outlandish.  Very similar to Barkley in this way.

He is criticizing the Celt's handling of the situation.  He as part of the media should understand that it is not Danny and Doc running around telling everyone about their interest in trading Rondo.  The media is the one going crazy reporting every single rumor out there.  

Danny and Doc are doing exactly what they should be doing.  Saying they love Rondo, but working the phone lines as they should be doing.  What is simmon's solution...do nothing?  That is the only way rumors won't get out about potential trades, and even then with people like Chris Broussard and "his sources" there still would be some type of Rondo rumors floating around.

If a trade does not happen, Rondo needs to show up and play.  Plain and simple.  Stephen Curry came out today and said he is flattered that his name has come up in trades and is not upset by it.  Doc and Danny can't be worried that his feeling might be hurt as Simmon's suggest.

Simmon's is an idiot.  Two weeks ago, he said he was shifting over to NHL for the year even if NBA came back, and now is dedicating 12 days of christmas to the NBA.  The funny part is, even his co-workers call him out on his idocracy.

[RebusRankin]

Simmons has been bad for years. How he has a whole Grantland site is beyond me. There are at minimum 5 better writers than him on this site.