So with the Sixers eliminated out of the bubble we can now look forward and see what the Sixers should do with
the NBA Draft looming. From not wanting to listen to suggestions from Jimmy Butler last season to refusing to shoot at least 1 3 pointer a game a challenge set out by coach Brett Brown I think it’s time the Sixers find a new home for Ben Simmons. I don’t believe the Sixers firing Brett Brown is the answer, I mean look at the hand he was dealt without Ben Simmons. Tobias Harris as your second option is not going to cut it if you are looking to win a championship which is why I believe the Sixers should trade for Anthony Edwards a combo guard who’ll be able to provide the floor spacing and be that go to scorer alongside Joel Embiid that the Sixers sorely lacked in the bubble. I honestly think with Ben Simmons out there the Sixers push the Celtics to 6-7 games but ultimately lose simply because the Sixers are not built accordingly to Ben Simmons’s skillset. The Sixers sorely lacked shooting this season and that was one of the reasons Ben Simmons was able to flourish when he had shooters the caliber of a JJ Redick,Ersan Ilyasova, and Marcon Belinelli he could kick the ball out to for 3’s on fastbreaks.
The fit on the Timberwolves for Ben Simmons would be much easier since D’Angelo Russell and Karl Anthony-Towns are pure shooters and he could play point-guard as D’Angelo Russell can just slide over to the shootint-guard position or the Ryan Saunders could use Ben Simmons as a small-forward or power-forward alongside Karl Anthony-Towns. You look at the Timberwolves and they look like a team that could possibly get 7th or 8th seed next season with a duo of D’Angelo Russell and Karl Anthony-Towns but they need someone like Ben Simmons who could bump them up to a top 5 seed in the West. With Ben Simmons being able to guard point guard through power forward and also play multiple positions on the court he would be that third piece Minnesota needs to contend for a title over the next 4-5 years. D’Angelo Russell and Karl Anthony-Towns are both locked in to their contracts for at least the next 3 years and Ben Simmons would be on the same timeline as he signed a 5 year-deal with the Sixers last year. I’ve heard rumors about Devin Booker possibly forming a Big 3 with Karl Anthony-Towns and D’Angelo Russell but at best they make a Conference Finals appearance, your 3 best players can not be below average defenders which Towns,Booker,and Russell all are at the moment barring change going forward.
As far as the Sixers go I don’t believe trading Joel Embiid is the solution and I just feel a disconnection between Brett Brown and Ben Simmons exists. We’ve been hearing for years how if Ben Simmons decides to shoot the ball the Sixers will start piling up titles but I never got the feeling Ben Simmons wanted to be a Sixer from the get go or play alongside Joel Embiid. Ben Simmons is pretty silent and avoids the media but how much more longer are the Sixers going to keep playing the same tune? What coach out there would make Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid the dominant duo every one has been expecting for years? I don’t see him out there unless Phil Jackson decides to make a return to coaching. Usually the franchise player gives hints of having the head coach fired but Joel Embiid seems like he wants Brett Brown around and they should keep him around at least 1 more year with a different roster before cutting ties with him. I would like to see Anthony Edwards in a Sixers uniform next season, I think he could win Rookie of the Year and average 21-22 ppg his very first season assuming Brett Brown starts him and gives him 30-35 minutes a night and throws him into the fire right away.
To conclude I liked watching the inside out game between Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid last season and I believe Anthony Edwards can be that second option alongside Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. As for Ben Simmons I hate to have to move him because I believe if he gets past his fear of shooting the ball and starts taking guys off the dribble he could be a top 10 player in the NBA possibly top 5 or maybe even the best player in the game down the line. It’s just surreal how a guy that physically gifted with long arms,quickness,athleticism,and court-vision is reluctant to shoot the ball from 20 feet out and not realize him shooting the ball is what is holding back your team from having a chance at winning. Maybe if Elton Brand had kept Jimmy Butler around I would say keep Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid together but what is the ceiling for Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid in the Philadelphia going forward? Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will be back next season and look to take control of the Eastern Conference, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are taking over Boston, and Jimmy Butler is on a team with a ton of cap-space and Pat Riley at the helm, good luck making it out of the East Ben and Joel. Give me your thoughts on this Sixers and Timberwolves trade, till next time.
D-NBA 