Some Nets Nuggets As Offseason Mercifully Comes To An End

Simmons Speaks, Kyrie Tweets, & A Dwight-mare Rumor Encore

Some final offseason Nets thoughts with Media Day set for Monday…

The Ben Simmons Rehabilitation Tour got under way on Thursday at the friendly confines of former Sixers teammate J.J. Redick’s “Old Man and the Three” podcast. While Redick and co-host Tommy Alter did a fine job of humanizing some of Simmons’ complex issues, it also sometimes veered into revisionist history and denial.

Simmons, who skipped all of Philadelphia’s contests last season because he wasn’t “mentally prepared to play” and then injured his back while ramping up in Brooklyn following the February 10 blockbuster trade for James Harden, is a brilliantly athletic, top-notch playmaker/defender—who can’t shoot straight.

In 275 career games, Simmons is 5-for-34 (14.7%) from behind the three-point line. He took 31 shots outside the paint during his final year in Philly and made just 10 (32%), per NBA.com. His mid-paint field goal attempts were converted at a rate (40%) more in line with the league-average mid-range efficiencies. Most troubling has been his approximately 60% free throw shooting percentage which hasn’t appreciably improved since his No. 1 overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft.

When discussing Simmons’ final games in a Sixers uniform during the seven-game series loss to Atlanta in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals, the podcast neglected to delve into how much his devolving free throw stroke affected his aggressiveness—not just on the infamous pass to Matisse Thybulle late in the fourth quarter of a close Game 7. Simmons acknowledged that in hindsight he should have gone up for the virtually uncontested dunk in that spot, but what about the other 35 minutes he played where he took just 4 shots and only got to the line for one pair when the Hawks gave up a foul to prevent a fast break? Sure, he dished out 13 assists against just two turnovers and delivered his usual A-game on the defensive end, but to Sixers fans, it looked to them like he was playing scared because he didn’t want to get fouled after bricking 30-of-45 at the line during the series. That’s a no-no anywhere, but especially in Boo City.  

Much of the vitriol directed at Simmons during his Sixers days and since has been way overblown, especially in light of what he was dealing with off the court. However, for Simmons not to understand the strain such a flaw, particularly from someone who has the ball in his hands a ton and has had like a half-dozen offseasons to work on it, puts on an entire offense continues to be off-putting. Nets fans still haven’t wiped away the nightmares from watching Boston stifle superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving during its four-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs because Brooklyn often utilized lineups that featured two players who didn’t have to be guarded on the perimeter. Simmons may be vastly superior overall to Bruce Brown, but he still brings the same conundrum to the offensive game plan.

Simmons, who seems like he is at least trying to mend his reputation, has been sending out nothing but positive vibes this offseason in Brooklyn. He said he put in the rehab work following microdiscectomy surgery in May and is focused on getting back to playing like a three-time NBA All-Star.

He was able to say all these wonderful things about being in a new Nets uniform because he hasn’t missed a clutch free throw yet. Hopefully, the surgery takes (it doesn’t always) and he now has the tools to deal with blips during the season. New York crowds can be as unforgiving as those in Philly.

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Pardon me for asking, but why does anyone care what Irving says anymore?

Much ado has been made of Irving’s social media posts—you know, the ones spouting wackadoodle conspiracy theories and continued anti-COVID-19 vaccine resistance.

Been there. I say let him vent.

The bottom line is that this is a season where Irving needs to show up. He had to feel disrespected after the Nets reportedly did not offer a straight-up max extension this offseason, and when there were no partners around the rest of the league willing to complete a sign-and-trade, he was forced into opting into the final season of the four-year contract he signed in 2019 free agency.

As if his lengthy injury history hasn’t made Irving a high enough risk, any more extended absences over protests and the like could cost him even more money on his next deal. That’s his business.

However, Nets General Manager Sean Marks intentionally mentioned “availability” during last season’s recap with the media. He was clearly pointing at Irving, who kneecapped Brooklyn’s season before it started when he refused to get vaccinated in compliance with New York City’s mandates and was limited to 29 regular season games. In total, Irving has participated in just 103 of 226 Nets games.

So far, it appears the Nets made a Faustian deal in the Clean Sweep, for the mercurial Irving and washed-up DeAndre Jordan were necessary adjuncts in order to secure the services of the sublime Durant. The results show one playoff series victory in three years and much heartache. This season could be Irving’s last chance to change the narrative.

Just remember that Irving is a virtuoso with a basketball in his hands, but off the court, he isn’t always worthy of the highest praise.

I suggest that went it comes to Irving, Nets fans should compartmentalize this season.

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And finally, has there ever been an offseason where Dwight Howard WASN’T linked to the Nets?

Some pundits, including Bally Sports’ Brandon Robinson, have reported that the Nets are mulling over whether to add the free agent center to their mix in light of their depth problem at the position. The only “true 5s” on the roster are Nic Claxton and developing sophomore Day’Ron Sharpe, with Markieff Morris, Simmons, and Durant able to log some minutes in short stretches against certain small-ball matchups. The team lacks a big with serious beef to take on the Joel Embiid’s of the league.

Unfortunately, Howard, once the NBA’s most dominant center, is no longer a guy you want out there for more than 15 minutes per game. He doesn’t solve the Nets’ spacing issue when Simmons shares the floor nor can he defend well without fouling.

That means that should they sign him, Howard would join a growing cast of past Nets marquee acquisitions that came two-to-four years too late, like Jordan, Paul Millsap, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, et al, all the way back to Jerry Stackhouse and Andre Kirilenko. Those relationships didn’t end well.

Actually, the Howard flirtations started all the way back during the 2011-12 season as the Nets were looking to bring in an attraction for their move from New Jersey to Brooklyn. Howard remained in Orlando, but it seemed like the next few years thereafter a Howard-for-Brook Lopez-plus rumor would trend on Twitter.

Ironically, Howard did make it to Brooklyn in 2018—for all of about 15 seconds. He was the return on the Timofey Mozgov salary dump to Charlotte but then the Nets bought out his expiring contract. He subsequently inked a deal with Washington only to miss most of that season with a gluteal injury that required surgery.

He hasn’t been the same player since, though he did earn a championship ring during his last three seasons with the Lakers. At this stage, the Nets should view the possibility of obtaining Howard as something he does sparingly on the court--a pass.