Simmons

[GooooMarquette]

Easy to see how he was the #1 frosh coming into the season.  Silky smooth for a 6'10" 18 year old.  Kid will be crazy good.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Yes. Dudes the real deal.

[Tugg Speedman]

The kid is great and will be the #1 pick

That said, the official stat sheet changed his numbers to 21 points and 15 rebs (not 20)

Source ... Homer just talked about it.

[jesmu84]

Wait. He played for LSU tonight? Weird. I would have expected the announcers to talk about him a little bit.

[fjm]

Wait. He played for LSU tonight? Weird. I would have expected the announcers to talk about him a little bit.

+1000

[GoldenWarrior11]

Absolutely shocked he didn't take the last shot at the end. 

[GGGG]

Would it make you feel better about yourself if the announcers talked about Marquette more?

[WayOfTheWarrior]

Those postgame commentators for the four letter network seemed disappointed in him about that last possession. Cry me a river!

[jesmu84]

Would it make you feel better about yourself if the announcers talked about Marquette more?

I don't think anyone watching that would disagree that they talked about Simmons excessively.

[GoldenZebra]

Its always the same rhetoric: if the 'star' takes the last shot and misses, he choked. If he defers, hes not being a star player. which is it?

[NCMUFan]

Network announcers were worthless.  Give me Homer and Mac.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Thought the game was called very uneven with Simmons.  He lowered his shoulder at will and Luke and Henry were whistled when they did it.  Simmons dive on Henry's fifth was bad.  I thought LBJ was on the Garden floor for a minute.

Great talent...would have liked Henry to have the same whistles.

[tower912]

Simmons is a great player.   He deserves all of the accolades and I agree he is a guaranteed lottery pick and likely #1.    He should have taken the last shot.   

[chapman]

It was nice to be able to attend his pro day.  Thought I thought there was supposed to be a game tonight.

[Nukem2]

What is really weird about Simmons is that he has yet to take a 3 point shot after 4 games including tonight.  Such a pure shot at the FT line.  but most of his hoops are dunks.

[GGGG]

I don't think anyone watching that would disagree that they talked about Simmons excessively.

He was the best player on the floor by a long shot. I thought they were fine.

[MomofMUltiples]

I thought the Lebron references were a little overkill. He's clearly very good, and he'll be an all-star some day.  But those announcers had their noses so far up his butt that they were smelling what he had for dinner.

[We R Final Four]

Looking for clarification--I think on HEs 5th that BS was pissed at Wojo who seemed to take a push at BS as he came by and BS was originally pissed at Wojo. Then Rowsey said something and BS responded. Anything I missed?

[jsglow]

He was the best player on the floor by a long shot. I thought they were fine.

Looooonnnggg shot.  Built for the NBA. Absolute star in the making.

[LAZER]

How is he such a bad shooter?

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

How is he such a bad shooter?

He shoots with one hand.

[MUSF]

He was the best player on the floor by a long shot. I thought they were fine.

Your first sentence is true. Your second sentence I disagree with.

They showed a replay of MU blowing the defense of an inbounds play and credited the entire thing on Ben Simmons' great pick. There commentary on Simmons was pretty excessive.

If MU had a great play, Kara would make no comment for several seconds before saying anything.  She clearly came in with a lot of Ben Simmons research and a prepared Ben Simmons narrative.  Anything outside of that left her searching for things to say.  Now, he played great and deserved plenty of comments but i do think it was excessive.

[warriorfan 14]

saw this on espn:

Dana O'Neil
ESPN Senior Writer

Some dude in a polo shirt on Marquette bench just jawed at Simmons after he drew a foul and nearly took out Steve Wojciechowski sliding by bench. Simmons responded ...
Share
 2h




Dana O'Neil
ESPN Senior Writer

Identified dude jawing at Simmons: Andrew Rowset, transfer from UNC Asheville who is sitting out this year



Makes me hopeful Rowsey can bring some toughness next year. that last foul on ellenson was rightly called, however simmons definitely flopped

[WarriorFan]

I agree with all the comments that he's a great player and that he'll be the #1 pick, etc... but the kid cannot shoot.  Name one successful NBA 3 or 4 these days who cannot shoot.  I wish him success, but as he is, he's Giannis, not LeBron.

[cheebs09]

I agree with all the comments that he's a great player and that he'll be the #1 pick, etc... but the kid cannot shoot.  Name one successful NBA 3 or 4 these days who cannot shoot.  I wish him success, but as he is, he's Giannis, not LeBron.

LeBron didn't have much of a jump shot going into the NBA. Wade's big knock entering the draft was he couldn't shoot. I think he's done ok. Shoot, Vander has altered his shot while being in the D-League. Shooting can be taught, especially with no practice time-limits and great coaches. What Simmons has loads of cannot be taught.

[Mutaman]

Dana O'Neil
ESPN Senior Writer

Identified dude jawing at Simmons: Andrew Rowset, transfer from UNC Asheville who is sitting out this year



Makes me hopeful Rowsey can bring some toughness next year. that last foul on ellenson was rightly called, however simmons definitely flopped

Great! Rowsey is my new favorite player. Wonder what he said. Simmons definitely lost it for a few moments.

[Lennys Tap]

Rowsey, not Rowset.

Simmons is special. Best freshman I've seen since Anthony Davis.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

saw this on espn:

Dana O'Neil
ESPN Senior Writer

Some dude in a polo shirt on Marquette bench just jawed at Simmons after he drew a foul and nearly took out Steve Wojciechowski sliding by bench. Simmons responded ...
Share
 2h




Dana O'Neil
ESPN Senior Writer

Identified dude jawing at Simmons: Andrew Rowset, transfer from UNC Asheville who is sitting out this year



Makes me hopeful Rowsey can bring some toughness next year. that last foul on ellenson was rightly called, however simmons definitely flopped

Rowsey is gonna be a stud. ESPN studio guys called him "some walk on". I wish we had him this year, and wouldnt* be surprised if he's one of our top 2 scorers next year.

[LAZER]

I agree with all the comments that he's a great player and that he'll be the #1 pick, etc... but the kid cannot shoot.  Name one successful NBA 3 or 4 these days who cannot shoot.  I wish him success, but as he is, he's Giannis, not LeBron.

He's also 18. Could be a special player with a jumpshot.

[brewcity77]

Love that Rowsey was jawing at Simmons. Great, great player, but they may have overemphasized him a bit. I was very glad to see us win the game and shut them up a bit.

[Herman Cain]

The kid has excellent court awareness. That is what impressed me the most.

[Golden Avalanche]

Great! Rowset is my new favorite player. Wonder what he said. Simmons definitely lost it for a few moments.

I liked that. Classic "my guy does it, it's cool, but the other guy did it? He's a punk" move. And Simmons definitely didn't like the words, which was easy to see as he's a pretty laconic kid.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Thought the game was called very uneven with Simmons.  He lowered his shoulder at will and Luke and Henry were whistled when they did it.  Simmons dive on Henry's fifth was bad.  I thought LBJ was on the Garden floor for a minute.

Great talent...would have liked Henry to have the same whistles.

This, this, so much this. Simmons got the celebrity treatment all night. Anyone touched a hair on his head, it was a foul. Meanwhile he trucked Ellenson and Fischer on separate plays and no whistle.

[jesmu84]

This, this, so much this. Simmons got the celebrity treatment all night. Anyone touched a hair on his head, it was a foul. Meanwhile he trucked Ellenson and Fischer on separate plays and no whistle.

So he's even more like Lebron than we thought

[keefe]

Thought the game was called very uneven with Simmons.  He lowered his shoulder at will and Luke and Henry were whistled when they did it.  Simmons dive on Henry's fifth was bad.  I thought LBJ was on the Garden floor for a minute.

Great talent...would have liked Henry to have the same whistles.

I agree, Blackie. It was frustrating how uneven the refs were.

[Mutaman]

Part of the problem with judging the officiating is ESPN makes such horrible use of the replay. too busy showing parents in the crowd or coaches on the sideline. In real time Luke seemed to be getting the short end which makes his effort that much more special.

[GGGG]

Ellenson clearly fouled Simmons for his fifth. No question. And I thought the game was called just fine.

[jsglow]

Ellenson clearly fouled Simmons for his fifth. No question. And I thought the game was called just fine.

Agreed.  Ragged possession where Wojo should have called TO.  Still plenty of growth necessary.  Coaches too.

[MUfan12]

Agreed.  Ragged possession where Wojo should have called TO.  Still plenty of growth necessary.  Coaches too.

Yep. Was screaming at the TV for a timeout after the nearly threw it away twice.

[MU82]

One of the bonus benefits to being at the game is that I didn't have to watch it on ESPN. I'm sure they talked about BS to a sickening level.

But ...

He is a special, once-every-few-years stud of a player. I'm thrilled I got to see him play in person. We were talking about him a lot at Barclays, and we're Warrior fans!

I do agree with those who said he got the star treatment all night from the refs. I thought Luke and Henry were called for barely fouling while Simmons was allowed to shove all night. But hey, that's going to happen sometimes and our Warriors overcame it in the end.

I'm with those who say that Simmons didn't HAVE to take the final shot to prove he was "the man." LeBron often doesn't. Jordan didn't in at least three of his most memorable games (set up Paxson for the winner in 93, set up Kerr for the winner in 97, set up Wennington for the winner in the famed "double-nickels game" at the Garden in 95). The great player makes everybody around him better and won't take on a triple-team if he has a wide-open teammate.

However, I will say that I am glad he passed instead of taking it to the hoop and, most likely, drawing the foul!

[mug644]

Has anyone posted a more complete video of the final seconds, with Simmons not taking the shot? All I see on the ESPN highlights is Simmons receiving the ball and then passing out for the 3-pointer. I don't see the solid defense against Simmons at the outset that Homer and Mac talked about, 'forcing' him to make a pass instead of taking a shot.

As an aside, I also noticed that Johnson made absolutely no effort to block out Simmons, and if the ball had come off the rim in a slightly different way, Simmons was right there for the slam. Check it out.

[GGGG]

Has anyone posted a more complete video of the final seconds, with Simmons not taking the shot? All I see on the ESPN highlights is Simmons receiving the ball and then passing out for the 3-pointer. I don't see the solid defense against Simmons at the outset that Homer and Mac talked about, 'forcing' him to make a pass instead of taking a shot.

As an aside, I also noticed that Johnson made absolutely no effort to block out Simmons, and if the ball had come off the rim in a slightly different way, Simmons was right there for the slam. Check it out.

He shouldn't have passed the second time.  He should have put the ball on the floor to see what developed.  Instead he threw the ball out for an NBA range 3.

[MerrittsMustache]

He shouldn't have passed the second time.  He should have put the ball on the floor to see what developed.  Instead he threw the ball out for an NBA range 3.

Basically what I was going to say. He made the right pass the first time but when he got it back, he didn't even look to attack. He immediately kicked it out and made an inaccurate pass. IIRC, he had 6'5" JJJ off-balance in front of him. He likely could have gone right to the rim and, at worst, gotten fouled. Doesn't matter though. MU got the win!

[bilsu]

Ellenson clearly fouled Simmons for his fifth. No question. And I thought the game was called just fine.

Yes, Ellenson definitely pushed away the defender more than once on that play. I was complaining the night before when Koenig pushed away the defender several times and never got called for it. The offensive player should not get away with pushing the defender away, if they are not going to allow the defender to put his hands on the offensive player. It should go both ways.

[mug644]

Basically what I was going to say. He made the right pass the first time but when he got it back, he didn't even look to attack. He immediately kicked it out and made an inaccurate pass. IIRC, he had 6'5" JJJ off-balance in front of him. He likely could have gone right to the rim and, at worst, gotten fouled. Doesn't matter though. MU got the win!

Again, I've not seen the longer sequence, but the ESPN highlight seems to show that the defense was heavily on his side of the court, and he knew time was short. Yea, he could've and maybe should've taken it himself, but swinging the ball around to a wide open shooter is often the best play. And, as you point out, it worked for MU!

Just watched it again, and, since we are playing a speculation game (what would've happened if he hadn't passed it that second time?), I can't help but again fret about JJJ's lack of blocking out and worry about what would've happened if the ball had come off the rim differently.

[GGGG]

Yes, Ellenson definitely pushed away the defender more than once on that play. I was complaining the night before when Koenig pushed away the defender several times and never got called for it. The offensive player should not get away with pushing the defender away, if they are not going to allow the defender to put his hands on the offensive player. It should go both ways.

And that is why a defender exaggerates the contact like Simmons did.  It usually gives the ref no choice but to make the call.

[CTWarrior]

There was one play where Ellenson had his hands up and backed off and got called for fouling Simmons.  It was his 3rd or 4th foul and I thought it was a bad call.  Other than that, I didn't see anything I thought was too bad, and I can think of a few times where MU got away with some contact.  I thought the officials were fine.

I don't get worked up about the announcers because I don't pay much attention to them except to find out who fouls were on etc, and I often need them to tell me which of Duane Wilson or JuJuan Johnson it was that scored the latest hoop.

[MerrittsMustache]

I don't get worked up about the announcers because I don't pay much attention to them except to find out who fouls were on etc, and I often need them to tell me which of Duane Wilson or JuJuan Johnson it was that scored the latest hoop.

[CTWarrior]

I know, although it is really just old eyes.  Same build, same hair, similar games, whipping around at the same speed.  I've got to get used to looking at numbers, I guess.

[JWags85]

I liked that. Classic "my guy does it, it's cool, but the other guy did it? He's a punk" move. And Simmons definitely didn't like the words, which was easy to see as he's a pretty laconic kid.

Watching the replay and his lips, Simmons hit Henry with a "FOH" after drawing the foul. I think that and sliding into Wojo made Rowsey call him a flopper, or probably something a bit more choice.  And you said it, I loved it given he's in blue and gold.

[RushmoreAcademy]

ESPN did talk about Simmons essentially the whole game, which to me, as an MU fan, was very annoying.  That said, the guy is a complete beast and I was looking to see what he would do every time down the court.  Very exciting player. 

[KenoshaWarrior]

Its always the same rhetoric: if the 'star' takes the last shot and misses, he choked. If he defers, hes not being a star player. which is it?

The media wont let anyone enjoy a great player without getting into the utter minutia of their game

[fjm]

Lebron Simmons!

[MerrittsMustache]

ESPN employees were just happy to have a positive experience dealing with a Simmons.

[warriorchick]

Deadspin getting in on the act, too.  If you don't read carefully, you'll miss the fact that LSU actually lost last night.

http://deadspin.com/if-you-arent-up-on-ben-simmons-yet-its-time-to-change-1744404777?sidebar_promotions_icons=testingon&utm_expid=66866090-67.e9PWeE2DSnKObFD7vNEoqg.2&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fdeadspin.com%2F%3Fsidebar_promotions_icons%3Dtestingon

[bradley center bat]

Deadspin getting in on the act, too.  If you don't read carefully, you'll miss the fact that LSU actually lost last night.

http://deadspin.com/if-you-arent-up-on-ben-simmons-yet-its-time-to-change-1744404777?sidebar_promotions_icons=testingon&utm_expid=66866090-67.e9PWeE2DSnKObFD7vNEoqg.2&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fdeadspin.com%2F%3Fsidebar_promotions_icons%3Dtestingon

The story was a bit wrong as LSU has been on national TV before tonight. I think one was ESPNU & the other was on the SEC Network.

[warriorchick]

The story was a bit wrong as LSU has been on national TV before tonight. I think one was ESPNU & the other was on the SEC Network.

Let's not start that argument again on this thread.

[bradley center bat]

Let's not start that argument again on this thread.

It's not an argument, it's just fact are the facts, let's get them right. (Deadspin)

[Pakuni]

This, this, so much this. Simmons got the celebrity treatment all night. Anyone touched a hair on his head, it was a foul. Meanwhile he trucked Ellenson and Fischer on separate plays and no whistle.

I didn't have much of a problem with the officiating for the most part, but what drove me nuts is that, seeing Simmons as a surefire NBA guy, the officials were letting him get away with NBA steps much of the night.

[LAZER]

I didn't have much of a problem with the officiating for the most part, but what drove me nuts is that, seeing Simmons as a surefire NBA guy, the officials were letting him get away with NBA steps much of the night.

He was driving to the basket in transition and took 4+ steps on an eventual 3pt play.

[MUMountin]

Yes, Ellenson definitely pushed away the defender more than once on that play. I was complaining the night before when Koenig pushed away the defender several times and never got called for it. The offensive player should not get away with pushing the defender away, if they are not going to allow the defender to put his hands on the offensive player. It should go both ways.

My problem was not that Ellenson got called for pushing off--was clearly an offensive foul.  But Simmons had gotten away with a hand check prior to HE pushing off that should have been called under the new rules.  I think HE reacted to that hand check with his own aggression, resulting in an offensive foul.  Either call the first, or don't call either and let them play.

[brewcity77]

Simmons with another double-double tonight...and he hasn't scored from the floor. 10 assists, 11 rebounds with under 4:00 to play against NC State. His only 2 points came at the line. If it helps, he's the only guy the announcers are talking about. At least this time it's while his team is winning.

[Skatastrophy]

Simmons with another double-double tonight...and he hasn't scored from the floor. 10 assists, 11 rebounds with under 4:00 to play against NC State. His only 2 points came at the line. If it helps, he's the only guy the announcers are talking about. At least this time it's while his team is winning.

That lady announcer is quickly becoming one of my least favorite announcers. Once Simmons fouled out in OT she ran out of content.

[jsglow]

That lady announcer is quickly becoming one of my least favorite announcers. Once Simmons fouled out in OT she ran out of content.

Okay, drinking game for mentions during MU/ASU.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Yep. Was screaming at the TV for a timeout after the nearly threw it away twice.

Coaches can't call a timeout when the ball is in play. That's on the players now.

[4everwarriors]

Dude only put up 4 pts. today vs NCSt. Clearly, he ain't ready for da NBA, ai na?

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Okay, drinking game for mentions during MU/ASU.

"Marquette, who got here today by beating the Ben Simmons Aussies, will be playing Arizona St. Who managed to avoid the Ben Simmons Aussies by beating NC State who beat Ben Simmons and the Aussies earlier tonight."

[brewcity77]

Announcers terrible without Simmons too. On consecutive trips, had the comments "On cue, Cohen knocks down the...err, tries to knock down the three" followed by "and inside with the dime" as the shot rolled off the rim.