NBA all-time great LeBron James, left, has been mentoring the Sixers' Ben Simmons for years.
By Jack Kerwin | ydkjack1@gmail.com
It sounds fantastic.
Almost too good to be true.
Then Philly sports fans or media members, speaking for the masses, or trying to, in their eyes, enlighten those same masses, open up, share some ideas – of the knee-jerk, non-thinking kind – and, suddenly you realize, yeah, it really is too good to be true.
Yo, not for nothing, but if the 76ers are gonna acquire LeBron James ... only they need to trade Ben Simmons in order to do so, no thanks.
The whole point of getting the best player in the NBA would be lost.
Lost?
Well, here's a clue or a few to get:
James' stay at the top of the game's heap, believe it or not, does have a shelf life. None of us may be sure exactly what it is, but at some point he will begin to fade from the elite. A bright mind, he is aware of this and entrepreneurial enough to want to be part of the passing-the-torch process if at all possible.
Despite all the hullabaloo surrounding Joel Embiid and his “successful” 31-game run last season, not to mention Markelle Fultz and his being the latest name on the tip of everyone's tongue, Simmons is the one potentially transcendental talent on the Sixers' roster, and he already is being mentored by James.
Umm, hello ...
Wake up, people. If you want the optimum advantage of having the King hold court here, then you want him guiding Simmons on the youngster's journey toward greatness – because if the latter is every going to get there, it's more likely to happen with a little help, some understanding, and a lot of first-hand examples.
Sorry, those whose memories only span back to the weeks leading up to this year's draft, but your 2017 No. 1 overall pick is a far better trade commodity in a situation such as this for multiple reasons. Chief among them being that his value will never be higher and, in this particular case, his being used as a chip could enable the James-Simmons connection to occur.
The inability for so many to struggle with grasping what the team may have in Simmons is mind-boggling. Yeah, he's been outtta sight, outta mind for a year now, but still ... he is the one guy who possesses a skill set so rare that the self-proclaimed geniuses can't stop racking their brains at the concept of a 6-foot-10 guy playing the point on offense and anywhere that suits him on defense.
Uh, that box you're stuck in ... trying stepping outside of it.
Might find a lot more opportunities out there.
More wins for the Sixers, too.
Especially if they keep Simmons while acquiring James.
Otherwise, nothing fantastic about it.
Just pointless then.
It sounds fantastic.
Almost too good to be true.
Then Philly sports fans or media members, speaking for the masses, or trying to, in their eyes, enlighten those same masses, open up, share some ideas – of the knee-jerk, non-thinking kind – and, suddenly you realize, yeah, it really is too good to be true.
Yo, not for nothing, but if the 76ers are gonna acquire LeBron James ... only they need to trade Ben Simmons in order to do so, no thanks.
The whole point of getting the best player in the NBA would be lost.
Lost?
Well, here's a clue or a few to get:
James' stay at the top of the game's heap, believe it or not, does have a shelf life. None of us may be sure exactly what it is, but at some point he will begin to fade from the elite. A bright mind, he is aware of this and entrepreneurial enough to want to be part of the passing-the-torch process if at all possible.
Despite all the hullabaloo surrounding Joel Embiid and his “successful” 31-game run last season, not to mention Markelle Fultz and his being the latest name on the tip of everyone's tongue, Simmons is the one potentially transcendental talent on the Sixers' roster, and he already is being mentored by James.
Umm, hello ...
Wake up, people. If you want the optimum advantage of having the King hold court here, then you want him guiding Simmons on the youngster's journey toward greatness – because if the latter is every going to get there, it's more likely to happen with a little help, some understanding, and a lot of first-hand examples.
Sorry, those whose memories only span back to the weeks leading up to this year's draft, but your 2017 No. 1 overall pick is a far better trade commodity in a situation such as this for multiple reasons. Chief among them being that his value will never be higher and, in this particular case, his being used as a chip could enable the James-Simmons connection to occur.
The inability for so many to struggle with grasping what the team may have in Simmons is mind-boggling. Yeah, he's been outtta sight, outta mind for a year now, but still ... he is the one guy who possesses a skill set so rare that the self-proclaimed geniuses can't stop racking their brains at the concept of a 6-foot-10 guy playing the point on offense and anywhere that suits him on defense.
Uh, that box you're stuck in ... trying stepping outside of it.
Might find a lot more opportunities out there.
More wins for the Sixers, too.
Especially if they keep Simmons while acquiring James.
Otherwise, nothing fantastic about it.
Just pointless then.
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