Celtics Writer Blasts Ben Simmons Idea: ‘Stop Trying To Cook’

The Boston Celtics are reportedly interested in Ben Simmons, but not everyone is feeling great about the news.

Boston’s interest in the free agent Simmons was revealed by The Stein Line’s Marc Stein this week, leading to a tornado of media reactions. FanSided’s Jack Simone isn’t a fan of the idea. Simone appeared on The Kevin O’Connor Show to explain why.

“Just play your young guys,” Simone urged. “Stop trying to cook in the free agency world. … Sign another young guy if you want, but … Ben Simmons is (at this point in his career) probably not the answer.”

Simone also delved into both ends of the Simmons experience. While Simmons’ ceiling as a versatile defender has always been enticing, the prevailing problem with Simmons has always been that he isn’t interested in embracing the role that would best contribute to winning.

“Best case, Ben Simmons turns into this decent connector you can play some switchable lineups with,” Simone said. “Worst case, he’s on a minimum, you never play him, (and) you buy him out at the deadline. … My perfect Ben Simmons is … as a center … let him be one of the best passing bigs in the NBA and one of the most versatile switching bigs in the NBA. (But) in Ben Simmons’ mind, that is not the world.”

Simmons, 29, has appeared in just 108 regular season games over the past four NBA seasons.

If the Celtics’ interest is real, it might be based on the belief that they can convince Simmons to embrace the type of role described by Simone. It’s not an outrageous concept, especially now with Simmons without a job. While Simmons was collecting every dollar of his five-year, $170 million extension he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, there sadly wasn’t much exterior motivation for Simmons to even make himself available for games.

If Simmons is at all interested in reviving his career and earning more money playing basketball in the NBA, he’ll be forced to buy into whatever his next team wants from him.