Ben Simmons Anyone?

[bdictjames]

Simmons is probably on the bottom quarter percentile of the league, as far as talent. He didn't have a lot of skill when he was athletic; take away the athleticism with his injury, he's pretty much a handball player who cannot shoot. He needs to make a Kobe-like mental at ude to change.

[exstatic]

Simmons is probably on the bottom quarter percentile of the league, as far as talent. He didn't have a lot of skill when he was athletic; take away the athleticism with his injury, he's pretty much a handball player who cannot shoot. He needs to make a Kobe-like mental at ude to change.

1. I’ve done a 180 since his mental problems have manifested, and no longer want him on the Spurs. He’s broken.

2. To say that he is a bottom quartile NBA talent is the worst kind of claptrap. He’s a wizard with the ball in his hands, a preternatural ball handler and passer, world class. He’s a world class defender. He can literally do everything on an NBA court but shoot.

[Drom John]

As late as the 1970s the NIT and NCAAT were still somewhat rivals and teams were still picking the NIT instead. As the decade went on and leading into the Bird Magic game, the nationwide attention for the NCAAT was cementing itself. Maravich winning the NIT was still pretty important.

The big break was 1974, when the 4th ranked Maryland (which had just lost the ACC championship to N.C. State in OT, in what many have called the greatest NCAA game), declined the invitation to the NIT. The NCAA's were a 16-team tournament, and only conference champions and independents were allowed.
Marquette was the last team to choose the NIT over the NCAA tournament in 1970. In 1974, Marquette switched to the NCAA's, losing to N.C. State in the finals.

[Drom John]

Followup on 1974, NBA players

1) N.C. State: Tom Burleson, Monte Towe, David Thomposn (and MLB pitcher Tim Stoddard)
2) UCLA: Ralph Drollinger, Marques Johnson, Greg Lee, Andre McCarter, Dave Meyers, Bill Walton, Richard Washington, Jamaal Wilkes
3) N.D.: Gary Brokaw, Adrian Dantley, Toby Knight, John Shumate
4) Maryland: Len Elmore, John Lucas, Tom McMillan
5) Marquette: Bo Ellis, Maurice Lucas, Earl Tatum, Lloyd Walton

[talkspurs]

I am going to say something that I think a lot will disagree with. Ben Simmons has not gotten much worse. he just was never very good. He had the hype and that is why people thought he was good. He also got solid playing time. He was never very good. Got his accolades off of his name and hype not off of actually doing anything.