Is Ben Simmons time as a Brooklyn Net done?
Ben Simmons, Rangers vs. Senators recap, Jalen Carter (03/03/2023)
Bye bye Ben?
To say the Nets loss to the Knicks 142-118 on Wednesday was bad is an understatement. Across the board, the entire team looked like they were 5 steps behind the Knicks. Defensively, they looked out of touch. Offensively they were not good either, shooting 46% from the field and 38% from the arc. They were out rebounded 46-31, allowing the Knicks to score 16 more points in the paint then them, and were down by as much as 30 at one point. Since trading away both KD and Kyrie, the Nets have lost 2 out of their last 9. There are only a few bright points to talk about. Cam Johnson looked really good on Wednesday, scoring 33 points missing only 5 of his 18 attempts. If Brooklyn is going to attempt to make any postseason moves with the current roster they have, it starts with Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Cam Thomas, and Nicolas Claxton. Bridges put up 21 points along with Thomas’ 15 off the bench, but it still was not enough. Look, the scoring is definitely there, however the lack of defense is going to run the Nets right out of the playoff picture. I mean for the Knicks to put up a 142 points on the Nets, there has to be some type of change. Sadly, that defensive spark doesn’t look like it will come from Ben Simmons. Just just two short years ago , Simmons finished second to Rudy Gobert in the Defensive Player of the Year race. Reports have come out saying that Simmons is being shut down for the remainder of the year and very well could’ve played his last game as a Brooklyn Net. When Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn was asked about Simmons chance of being shut down he said, “That’s a zero on that one.” But the question here is: should the Nets shut Simmons down and just move on from him after the season?
As of now, there is no specific timeline for Simmons to return from his knee injury that has sidelined him since mid February. To say that Simmons has been disappointing is a complete trivialization. He still looks scared to shoot the ball, has bad decision making, and lackluster defense nowhere near where it used to be. The three time all star averaged just 5.7 points in the month of February, shooting the ball only 10 times once in the whole month which came against the 15-47 San Antonio Spurs. Simmons who is getting paid, hold your breath, 35 MILLION dollars a year, is set to be making over 40 million by the time his contact ends in 2025. The 2017-2018 Rookie of the Year signed a max contract when he was apart of the 76ers in 2019. He even got better the year after that and was even argued by some to be a top 20 player in the league at that point. However anyone with a pair of eyes could tell that Ben is currently a shell of himself now and deserves virtually no minutes in a game. Vaughn could be attempting to keep Ben’s morale high and not come out and say “Hey Ben, we are benching you and then eventually buying you out.” I mean as the head coach of the team, do you think that he is really going to come out and say that. I mean he should but in my opinion it’s kind of comparable to how the Jets are handling their dumpster fire of a number 2 pick Zach Wilson. However the Nets fanbase is clearly fed up with Ben Simmons’ shenanigans, and for a team who is slowly climbing out of the playoff race the drama surrounding them certainly doesn’t help. On top of Bens horrible play, his former teammate George Niang sounded off on Ben’s antics and how the altered the team dynamic in Philly. Niang appeared on 97.5 The Fanatic last week and when was told that the Sixers were 5 wins ahead of their pace last year, replied “We are? Well, Ben Simmons kind of handicapped us at the beginning of last year. I mean, I wasn’t gonna say it, but now, you know what I mean?” He went on further to say that the drama surrounding him bled into the locker room and created an uneasy feeling between the players. With all this being said if I am Sean Marks, I would shut him down immediately and avoid the drama. This is one of those scenarios where you can either bite the bullet and force a buyout in the offseason, or try and rejuvenate a badly beaten player. In a team in some dire need for some spark, they are not going to get it from Simmons. The Nets (+11) take on the Celtics tonight in Boston with Jaylen Brown set to return. Even with all this said, I still think the Nets cover. Boston has been super shaky the last few weeks and while they are still winning, they are not DOMINATING the same way they have all year. I do believe the Nets are due for a bounce back game led by a 25+ point performance from Mikal Bridges and a highly productive defensive performance by Claxton.
The Senator top the Rangers 5-3 in Patrick Kane’s debut
The Rangers (-158) lost to the Senators by 2 goals last night 5-3. I am not going to focus too much on this game because I truly believe that this is not a “sound the alarm” type of game. To start, there was a lot of pressure on this game. And by a lot I mean a lot a lot. You could sense Kane’s shakiness in the post practice pressers, and that all affects a team dynamic. I am not concerned about the lack of defense due to being short handed these last two games by missing both Lindgreen AND Miller, two of your best defenseman. The Rangers lacked defense throughout the whole game, and at the end of the day that’s why they lost. However, I am concerned about the power play performance. The Senators are 6th in the league on the PP kill, and it truly showed last night. Yes the Rangers did have Kreiders short handed goal to tout about on special teams, but other than that, it was bad. The 5 minute major commuted by Austin Watson at the end of the 1st, which by the way was 100000% a dirty hit, should’ve been converted into a goal. The play eventually sidelined Tyler Motte the rest of the game with an “upper body injury,” leaving the Rangers even more sidelined than they had already been.
After that, the power play never turned into anything, with the Rangers unable to convert on any of their 4 power plays. Like I said, I don’t want to focus too much on last nights game because I really don’t think it was that big of a deal. The Rangers are on a back to back, with no practice nor rest, against a very hot Senators team in a game that was described by Sam Rosen pregame as “bigger than opening night.” I can’t say I am nervous about the team, especially with the nerves running through MSG. I will say, tomorrows test against the Bruins will be a good judgement of what is to come in the playoffs. The Bruins, who are currently up 15 points from the next closest team in the league, are the first team to cross 100 points and are most definitely the team to beat in the league. Lets see how the Rangers play after a day off in a game without the hometown crowd nerves.
If somehow, some way, Jalen Carter falls to #13, is he a no brainer?
On Wednesday, Jalen Carter, the star defensive tackle from Georgia and a consensus top 5 pick, had an arrest warrant issued for his alleged involvement in a fatal car crash which killed a fellow player and staff member. All of this came as Carter is in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine preparing for next months draft. Carter returned home to Athens shortly after the news broke where he was booked late on Wednesday. He posted $4,000 bail just 15 minutes after being booked before eventually returning to Lucas Oil Stadium.
Carter, who has been considered by some as the potential number 1 pick in this years draft class, now faces an uncertain situation. Top draft picks having an unforeseen issue right before the draft is not unusual. In 2016, top draft pick Laremy Tunsil had a video of him smoking a bong out of a gas mask leaked on his own Twitter account DURING the draft. Tunsil was eventually picked #13 by the Dolphins, but many reports came out later stating the Ravens were inclined to pick him with their #6 pick. The situation with Tunsil is not the exact same, but definitely a very similar experience we have seen. With that all being said: do the Jets take him if his draft stock plummets to #13.
In no way or form am I saying that Carter had nothing to do nor anything to do with the tragedy that occurred in Athens earlier this year. However, I am speaking from a purely hypothetical football scenario asking whether or not the potential talent outweighs the possible consequences. I mean at 6’3 300lbs, him and Quinnen Williams would absolutely demolish offensive lines. Trust me, I know we need an O-line, I am just saying that if he’s there at 13, do you think JD does not take him? If I was him I sure would. Nfl.com has him ranked as a 7.11 on their scale, which would categorize him as a “perennial All-Pro.” I don’t think any competent GM passes up on him in this draft unless some new information comes out which really really hurts his draft stock. I don’t even believe he will fall out of the top 6, but at this point its all speculation. No club wants to sign him and potentially lose their first round draft pick due to him not being able to play, so his stock could potentially be hurt. I do believe with Carter on the Jets D, they would have probably the best defense in the league. They were ranked top 5 in most major categories this year and they would rise even higher with Carter. If he isn’t there or some new news come out, I am completely fine with another Georgia player, Broderick Jones being our pick in the first round pick.