Ben Simmons Exciting Return – Round Up & Hardaway’s Frustration With Weigh-For-Pay

 

Ben Simmons, the former All-Star guard, plans to return to the Brooklyn Nets this season, and NBA.com’s John Schuhmann examines his potential role with the team. Simmons’ won the Rookie of the Year award for the 2017-2018 season during his first appearance as an NBA All-Star, solidifying his position as one of the league’s best players. 

 

Last year, the Nets acquired Simmons from the Sixers in exchange for James Harden, but Simmons did not partake in any games due to concerns over his health and injuries. James Harden is one of the most astute on-court players in the NBA. Perhaps he understands the game’s regulations more than anybody else and has devised a scoring strategy that fully uses these guidelines.

 

Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry, Kevin Durant, and Nicolas Claxton are all candidates for the starting lineup for the Nets to consider. Simmons, who is 6 feet 11 inches tall, will play the power forward position, putting himself between Durant and Claxton. Because of his defensive versatility and passing, he might be able to play a role comparable to that played by Draymond Green for Golden State. 

 

It is well recognized across the whole NBA that Draymond Green is one of the top leaders in the league. Although he was selected in the second round in 2012, the four-time NBA All-Star has established himself as one of the most effective glue players in the league’s annals. His best game yet is possible, given that he would be surrounded by some of the best shooters in the league, including Irving, Curry, Durant, Joe Harris, and Patty Mills.

 

Nonetheless, Green does have the ability to open up the floor. Even though he is not an excellent three-point shooter, opposition defenders respect him enough to allow him to score enough points. On the flip side, Simmons has made five three-pointers in his career. This next season, it will be essential for Brooklyn to play with a lot of transition. The club will most likely choose Simmons in the position of the dunker and utilize him in an on-ball role. And it’s possible that he could get some playing time in the center position.

 

ROUND-UP

 

Staff writer Brian Lewis of the New York Post predicted the rotation of the Nets. As was previously said, Brooklyn is versatile and can play Simmons in either the four or the five position. The team players to watch out for include Mills, Harris, Royce O’Neale, and T.J. Warren.

 

Heat legend Tim Hardaway, five-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA Team selection, defends Kyle Lowry, six-time NBA All-Star, over allegations that he weighed too much this season. Hardaway watched Riley make a pointed comment in June about how Lowry needed to report in better shape for his second season with the Heat. Hardaway had said at the time, “To me, it’s a bunch of bs.” Hardaway had been in the same situation as Lowry. 

 

Hardaway told the South Florida Sun Sentinel ahead of his trip to Springfield, Mass., for his Hall enshrinement, “I’m glad you asked that question… I’ve been asked that question at least 10 times this year by friends and by people, and they said, ‘Pat put Kyle Lowry out there to dry,’ or said something bad. I said, ‘No, he didn’t.’ I said, ‘I’m going to tell you what Pat Riley said. Pat Riley is not saying he’s not in shape. Pat Riley is saying that he needs to stop getting injured so he can play and help the team. And getting in shape prevents all the injuries.'”

 

Hardaway became frustrated with the weigh-for-pay system. By the following year’s commencement, he had parted ways with the Heat and signed a free-agent contract with the Dallas Mavericks. 

 

The free-agent deal that Kyle Lowry signed a year ago for three years and $85 million does not include any weight stipulations, and Lowry has two more seasons left on the deal, including the one about to begin.

Despite everything, Lowry was able to put together a good season. However, he was hampered by an injury that kept him out of action for the entirety of the postseason.

 

Known for covering the Miami Heat for the Sun Sentinel during each and every one of the team’s seasons, attending more than 2300 of the team’s games throughout the course of their career, Ira Winderman investigates the possibility of the Heat making a move before the trade deadline this season in the most recent installment of his “Ask Ira” mailbag series. 

 

Pat Riley, president of the Heat, who held the position of head coach from 1995 to 2003, and then from 2005 to 2008 respectively, is known for being receptive to making significant changes. Still, this summer, Miami elected to keep the same roster intact (except for losing P.J. Tucker to Philadelphia). 

 

The Miami Heat, much like the majority of current NBA teams, places a higher premium on talent than size. The difference is that despite their smaller roster, The Heat still has the power to compete with much larger teams. The squad has a lot of talent, but with their abundance of small power forward possibilities, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them sign a real deal.