Brennan: LSU is wasting Ben Simmons
- Thread starter Smashcat
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Simmons playing for Jones is like giving a Rolex to a hobo.
Ben Simmons decided to waste his one year of college. That was his choice.
I'm glad he chose it though because he wasn't going to come here. I'd much rather he be there than Kansas, Duke, UNC or one of the other big time programs.
I'm glad he chose it though because he wasn't going to come here. I'd much rather he be there than Kansas, Duke, UNC or one of the other big time programs.
Simmons isn't wasting his year of college. He's putting up great numbers and looks like an absolute lock for the #1 pick. Now if he had a do-over I doubt he'd choose LSU again, but he's making his minutes there count. However, LSU is certainly wasting an opportunity in which they have more talent than they've had in a while.
As a player, IMO the bigger waste is Malik Newman. He plays for a bad team, and unlike Simmons he isn't putting up numbers good enough to keep himself in the media. I literally haven't heard a word about him since he went to MSST. Another example of why if you are a top 10 recruit with an offer to UK, Duke, Kansas, Arizona, or UNC, you better take it. Skal has been terrible but people still hear his name. Brandon Ingram hasn't been great (getting much better though) yet he's still in the media. You can go these schools and even if you struggle you still are on a good team and get plenty of publicity. These guys think they'll go to mid-level school, play for a second-rate coach, and all of a sudden they will be an all-star and turn the program around. Then they quickly find out why these coaches aren't at one of the elite schools.
As a player, IMO the bigger waste is Malik Newman. He plays for a bad team, and unlike Simmons he isn't putting up numbers good enough to keep himself in the media. I literally haven't heard a word about him since he went to MSST. Another example of why if you are a top 10 recruit with an offer to UK, Duke, Kansas, Arizona, or UNC, you better take it. Skal has been terrible but people still hear his name. Brandon Ingram hasn't been great (getting much better though) yet he's still in the media. You can go these schools and even if you struggle you still are on a good team and get plenty of publicity. These guys think they'll go to mid-level school, play for a second-rate coach, and all of a sudden they will be an all-star and turn the program around. Then they quickly find out why these coaches aren't at one of the elite schools.
Here's my point when I said he's wasting his one year of college basketball.
He may not even get a chance to shine on the biggest stage....the Big Dance. He was going to be the #1 pick regardless and that's obvious now. But has he even been on national TV for people to see? Maybe once so far. How many times is LSU on national TV the rest of the season? Maybe 3 or 4? I'm sure they are both times they play UK, but that's because it's UK.
He had a chance to get a head start on building his brand while in college. Much like John Wall and Anthony Davis did here at UK. Of course he'll build his brand once he's in the league but he could've gotten a leg up on it with a year of college. I'm sure though Nike or Adidas is ready to offer him some insane amount of money as soon as they can.
At least the hobo would be able to use the watch in order to tell time or to sell it for something useful of equal value.
Simmons playing for Jones is more like giving a non-braille Rolex to a blind man.
I agree with everything you said there. If he had gone to Kansas or Duke he would be hyped up 100 times more than he is at a 4-4 LSU team
We've heard these arguments before about certain players being a lock for the NBA lottery and coming to UK not doing them any more good than any other coach. Simmons could be a possible proof for that theory. He's clearly the best player on that team and he's getting his numbers. But you have to look a little closer and think about it more to see the real value of having Calipari for a coach.
Simmons' improvement is coming purely from having to play through these losses while carrying the weight of the team on his shoulders. But this kind of improvement won't help much at the next level. He's learning how to be a one-man wrecking crew. He's not learning well about being a part of a team.
The other question a player needs to consider before going to a place like LSU is to consider how successful that coach and team has been and how good that team will be with a particular recruit added to the mix. What has that coach done with the talent he's had? How has the team fared? LSU has had some excellent talent under Johnny Jones. What have they done with it? Not much. One could argue LSU had the second most talented team in the SEC last season, behind UK. Jordan Mickey and Jarrell Martin were as good as any frontcourt tandem in America not from Lexington. But what did LSU do with that? Not much.
I have to agree with the assessments of Johnny Jones. People think having great talent makes coaching easy but it really only changes the kind of work someone has to do. Managing egos is not simple. We hear incessantly about how Calipari just rolls the balls out there, but we know better. Motivating a group of talented players and getting them to play as a team is a very difficult task, especially given the fact that these recruits have played AAU ball and on other traveling and all-star teams, they don't want to play defense, they don't want to share the ball, the don't want to give up minutes, they want to be showcased and featured. Jones clearly is struggling with these things and obviously isn't able to do what must be done. It's like a parent wanting to be buddies with their kids. When it comes time to discipline, it doesn't work.
So, if you're a recruit, you've gotta ask yourself what is truly best for your career. I think the answer is obvious. Now, Simmons is gonna get drafted, and he will be high in the lottery, maybe #1. But spending a year at LSU is like spending another summer in AAU.
Simmons' improvement is coming purely from having to play through these losses while carrying the weight of the team on his shoulders. But this kind of improvement won't help much at the next level. He's learning how to be a one-man wrecking crew. He's not learning well about being a part of a team.
The other question a player needs to consider before going to a place like LSU is to consider how successful that coach and team has been and how good that team will be with a particular recruit added to the mix. What has that coach done with the talent he's had? How has the team fared? LSU has had some excellent talent under Johnny Jones. What have they done with it? Not much. One could argue LSU had the second most talented team in the SEC last season, behind UK. Jordan Mickey and Jarrell Martin were as good as any frontcourt tandem in America not from Lexington. But what did LSU do with that? Not much.
I have to agree with the assessments of Johnny Jones. People think having great talent makes coaching easy but it really only changes the kind of work someone has to do. Managing egos is not simple. We hear incessantly about how Calipari just rolls the balls out there, but we know better. Motivating a group of talented players and getting them to play as a team is a very difficult task, especially given the fact that these recruits have played AAU ball and on other traveling and all-star teams, they don't want to play defense, they don't want to share the ball, the don't want to give up minutes, they want to be showcased and featured. Jones clearly is struggling with these things and obviously isn't able to do what must be done. It's like a parent wanting to be buddies with their kids. When it comes time to discipline, it doesn't work.
So, if you're a recruit, you've gotta ask yourself what is truly best for your career. I think the answer is obvious. Now, Simmons is gonna get drafted, and he will be high in the lottery, maybe #1. But spending a year at LSU is like spending another summer in AAU.
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Well, you know, he's an Australian kid, so I don't think he grew up with "big dance" dreams anyways. Hell, he probably never paid attention to or saw any American college basketball until he started getting recruited.
Let's be realistic, the main reason the kid is spending a year playing American college basketball is to solidify himself as the No. 1 overall pick, not to pursue tourney glory, and he's getting EXACTLY what he wants from the experience--putting up huge numbers, has locked himself in as the No. 1 overall pick, has captured the attention of Nike and Adidas, and I'm guessin is having a damn good time off the court with those LSU beauties. He's not missing out on anything he seriously wanted.
You may think he "decided to waste" this year, but I doubt he sees it the same way. And that's the only opinion that really matters here. It's his life, not yours.
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He would have put up those numbers at any school and his status as the potential number one pick would not have changed.
But if he had come to UK and we got that production from him..................
But if he had come to UK and we got that production from him..................
I never played major colleges sports. I was never a highly recruited athlete. But I have played and the one thing I wanted to do was win. Guys drafted into sports leagues can't help who drafts them or who the coach will be. Seems winning is secondary to some.
Choosing a school like LSU and a coach like Jones was strange. It was his choice though. Simmons seems like a good kid but either got some bad advice or someone lied to him.
Choosing a school like LSU and a coach like Jones was strange. It was his choice though. Simmons seems like a good kid but either got some bad advice or someone lied to him.
Gone are the days of a player having "winning" as his top priority. I understand that getting kids to the NBA is what keeps the top recruits coming in, but I still cringe a bit when recruits talk about wanting to come to UK because of Cal's track record with getting players to the pros. Just one time I'd love to see a kid say, "I came to UK because I want a chance to win the national championship".
So far I'm not impressed with this kid. How sure is it that he's got a great game? His stats look other worldly but why? I think he could end up being one of those guys who has monster stats because he's the only decent player on his team. Michael Beasley was a monster and had the same stats as Kevin Durant during the lone year he was at Kansas State. I'd love to see this kid play on a team with other potential superstar players. Since Cal has come here we've seen several guys come in who could have had absolute monster numbers but didn't because they played with equally talented teammates and valued winning more than stats.
Most players have mentioned Cal's track record of getting guys to the league and a chance to play for a national championship. I guess that can't be the case? That they see Cal as the best coach to get them to the league and UK gives them a shot to win a national championship? You're awful btw.
When Bam chose Kentucky a month ago on ESPN, he said he wanted to win a National Championship.
Now that's what I'm talking about very well said the kid will be much better off money wise then anyone on this board is that's for sure good coach or bad coach money baby.
I bet after this year he can buy Jones and himself a island and 2, boats along with some good old dry land you just hate the fact that the coach is B- - - - That's all hate is still alive.
Idiot.
![[laughing]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/classic/laugh.r191677.gif "Laughing [laughing]")
Michael Beasley was obviously talented. He was just a head case. Simmons has yet to show he has off the court issues. He's currently clearly better than anybody on our team.
We'll probably win the game, but I don't see how it's arguable that Simmons is the better player, at least at this point.
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