thelesterlee
The Sixers are on a cute little 2 game win streak right now. They currently sit at the 6th seed as they hover 2 games above .500. All while their All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, Ben Simmons, refuses to suit up for the team because they shit on him after last season’s playoff loss and essentially blamed him for the team’s impenetrable ceiling.
Shams, Woj, Neil Olshey and Damian Lillard are in the midst of an extremely strange and an extremely annoying fatal-4-way match of misinformation and rumors and trying to control the narrative about what is happening in Portland.
I have zero desire to write in detail about what’s happening but essentially Shams reported that Damian Lillard wants to play with Ben Simmons while Woj had a report that Lillard wants to be the highest-paid player in the NBA. It’s clear that the recently fired Blazers GM, Neil Olshey, was responsible for feeding Woj some negative info mostly because Woj doesn’t mention why Olshey was fired or that he even was fired.
Weird shit is happening in Portland and the press but what is clear outside of all that nonsense is that CJ McCollum doesn’t fit with Dame anymore, they have the worst defense in the league, a brand new head coach that seems to have no idea how to coach and nothing can change until the team hires a new GM because their former GM was an asshole.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic is still stuck in Dallas playing with a roster full of guys who should be coming off the bench. The Mavs are 11-12 right now and were just bodied by the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
Since day one, it’s been clear that Luka desperately needs to play alongside another playmaker. Both Luka and Ben Simmons have been miscast as point guards when they’re forwards who can make players around them better but they should not be stuck with the sole responsibilities of running an offense for 40 minutes.
Prior to the season, they were linked to Goran Dragic who is one of Luka’s best friends but at this point, the only hope they have to acquire Dragic is if/when he gets bought out by the Raptors after the trade deadline. The Mavs could be the 11th or 12th seed if they wait that long to make a move.
Much like Portland, Dallas has a terrible defense and a new head coach who doesn’t know how to coach.
The Blazers and the Mavs could jet up to homecourt advantage if they pulled the trigger on Simmons. All while the Sixers are middling in the East because they refuse to apologize to Simmons and make him a part of the team again.
Please trade Ben and hand one of these teams and conference finals appearance.
