Bogut can drop what he likes this is a guy who promoted the absolute batshit insane Pizzagate conspiracy theory, I wouldn't ask the guy for his opinion on the weather.

Bogut isn't as smart as he thinks he is.

Can we have a link to this or is it on the Rogue Bogues podcast?

You'll need to listen to the pod that dropped today.

Fwiw Bogey presented the story plainly with no sentiment. Up to the listener to come to their own interpretation on the matter.

Very interesting story. Makes Ben Simmons appear like he is pushed around by his agency/family. Indicates that Simmons is easily controlled. It appears he puts himself on his own island. No contact with other players. (I wonder if he is even still friends with Exum.) Shows the good character of Lemanis in prioritising grassroots funding instead of his own job when confronted with being blackmailed by the Victorian government. Demonstrates BA ineptitude in repairing relationships. Consistent with Bogut's no-nonsense attitude to want Simmons out of the preparation games if he isn't committed to the World Cup. Also the rest of the senior core group, that they understandably rejected the idea of Simmons playing in only the Melbourne preparation games. And makes the Victorian Government appear outright evil.

Worth listening to this story.

How do we listen to any of this, exactly?

Think it's obvious Simmons is controlled by his family. His agent is family, stories of his off season being run by uncle instead of the club....
All adds up.

Podcast - Rogue Bogues by Andrew Bogut, hope the link will work

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/rogue-bogues-by-andrew-bogut/id1541789772?i=1000527814971

Also here:

At what point in those two hours? I have zero desire to listen to the entire thing.

Sounds like a lot of fuckery and games being played between Ben, Ben's management and the Boomers.

I think it is fair to say Basketball Australia probably didn't do a great job recruiting Ben in the early days. Yes, they should have kept in touch and dropped in on him when he toured Victoria with LSU. I don't think he should have been just gifted a Boomers spot in 2014, but there is every reason to believe BA dropped the ball creating a relationship with him. Shit, I actually knew Mattise Thybulle was qualified to play for us way back in 2019 before anything had come out of BA about it. It seems like they're not always on the ball about who their best prospects are and who actually falls under their guise.

Anyway, I don't think Basketball Australia's ineptitude in this area justifies everything that has happened since.

You look at the whole World Cup thing, and there really was no valid reason for him to pull out. It is basically the same reason he's giving us this time, "yada yada yada, I have to work on my game." His game remains the same, and will remain the same I guarantee it.

Whether you blame Ben's agents or not, there has been a constant dance with Basketball Australia. Now that BA actually know what they could have in Ben, they've jumped every hoop, from hiring and firing coaches, to potentially even upending Australia's preparation to fir him into the USA warm up games. None have worked. He's been healthy at each major tournament of the past two years and he's appeared at none.

Victoria putting the hard word on the Boomers is beyond disgusting but I'd expect nothing less from their government.

As for Ben, sounds like in the end he just disappeared. He was at training for two training days, everything signed, sealed and delivered for him to play, then when it came time for confirmation nothing came of it, and Ben fluttered away.

Now you can blame his agents if you like, but his inability to contact the team and say anything solid falls directly on him when all is said and done. Ben is a grown man. His agents WORK FOR HIM. So I wont really be hearing any excuses about why he wasn't in contact.

Then we have the latest saga. It makes me wonder, did Ben ever actually contact the Boomers to say he wasn't playing or Brian Goorjian have to make that call himself after silence and evasiveness from Ben and his management?

Either way, I think the days of courting Ben Simmons should be over. The national team is either something he wants to do, or doesn't. I don't think we can afford to have governments basically extort us into playing him or not playing him, contracts hanging over our heads that we never signed, and the like.

Invite him to the camps. If she shows up, wonderful, he's in. If he doesn't, we have to move on.

As for anyone comparing this to Giddey, I don't see any correlation. I don't think Giddey is nearly as precious as Simmons has proven to be, and I think the relationship between him and Basketball Australia is probably much better than what it is with Ben. The stakes also aren't quite the same either.

Approx 1:12:45 onwards, koberulz.

So the short version is that Ben Simmons is a colossal bitch.

"So the short version is that Ben Simmons is a colossal bitch."

Pretty much. I know outwardly Goorj and Mills are supporting him but privately they'd all think he's a dick

I watched the press conferences for the quality tournament finals. Listening to Satoransky talk about his dream to play in the Olympics as a kid, Luka the same. Olympics even more than the NBA. Respect to Ben, his carefully stage managed journey has always been about the nba and nba only. Any national team participation seems to been filtered through 'how does this help me get to nba' and no different now. Perhaps as national team play was never a thing for his minders, you can understand it.

It’s ok, he just doesn’t want to play for the Boomers. There are plenty that do.

Hope he's enjoying working on his game, with the chick at Wimbledon. What a joke, there is no excuse, agents this, BA that.
It's about representing your country.

This guy is only interested in gold chains and poontang.

Well playing for the Boomers isn't necessarily profitable. It's something you have to want to do. Every time Ben has looked like he's on the cusp of playing there has been some deal tied to it, whether with the Victorian government, or four and twenty pies.

I don't really care about his agents and handlers, it comes down to Ben. He's a grown man now. He either wants to play or he doesn't. If he's so easily dissuaded then his passion isn't where it needs to be and he needs to stop toying with the national team.

And today, yet another photo pops up of him on another date with this Maya bird. Yeah, it's his off-season. Yes he has every right to go on dates and do what he wants to do. But what no one is seeing is videos of this "work" he's meant to be putting in on his game.

In a month's time the Olympics will be over. In a few months he will be back on court.If he hasn't made major strides in his game, no one, not Boomers fans, and not NBA fans, will be happy with him. This "working on his game" stuff isn't just an expectation of Australians but of everyone who watches basketball. He's being paid 200 million dollars a year to work 7 months and put the ball in a ring. The more people keep seeing his lack of dedication towards those ends, the more he will be rightfully disliked for it.

I think Ben is a lost cause on a few fronts. He's a lost cause to the Boomers and a lost cause to the NBA. Yes, he will continue to "play well" within his skill set through the regular season, and will be an All Star again. And that's all great. But when the money is on the line he's going to continue to fall short because he lacks the killer instinct and drive that the truly great players have.

Well made points as always ME. I think perhaps Ben is also a bit burnt out hy the whole thing. You know everything in his life has been the push to get to the NBA, for him and heavily those around him. I reckon he's probably a bit over it and doesnt want to work hard wants to hang out, have some fun now, be a young man. That's all good. As per Anon's, just own it, stop the charade.

I for one don't think a Boomers singlet should be cheapened by any player picking and choosing if and when to wear it. The door should now be closed for mine.

As for Bogie, maybe he still carries beef with Vic over not being picked for that state side in under 16's....

Bogut disagrees with the Victorian lock downs and the far-left stances the government tends to take on things. I don't think his gripes with them is any deeper than that.

And today, yet another photo pops up of him on another date with this Maya bird. Yeah, it's his off-season. Yes he has every right to go on dates and do what he wants to do. But what no one is seeing is videos of this "work" he's meant to be putting in on his game.

One event is in public. Another would be in private. He didn't take or provide the photo. He's played dozens of basketball games under significant pressure and then looks to take a couple of weeks off. He might've had professional advice like "Take a bit of time. Don't touch a basketball, just clear your head. Then we'll start a new program mid-July."

If he's spotted with a female celebrity: "So typical."
If with an unknown female: "Can't even get celebrity ass any more."
With male friends: "Only cares about hanging with his entourage."
With family: "Typical. He's so coddled."
Alone: "Not even his family want to be seen with him now."

And when there has been video of him training, he gets rubbished for only putting up shots in training, or beasting on lowly scrimmage fodder or whatever else. "Look, they're putting out videos trying to pretend he's doing real shooting practice now." Write him off now and chill. Or give him the off-season. If he's no better in subsequent seasons, accept (then or now) that his disposition works against him like ours do for us and our foibles. Hell, right now I'm procrastinating. I'm GOAT-tier at procrastinating. I procrastinate by reading research on procrastinating. I'd get the yips on a court. I'd definitely say "I'm taking a break for a few weeks before I think about basketball again."

It wouldn't surprise me if Mills wasn't still privately supportive. He might wish they had Simmons with them, but I don't know that he'd trash him behind his back. Maybe, but I just can't remember him ever setting a foot wrong. Each year, I have more respect for him.

There was a story today about how Durant couldn't be convinced to ignore lame Twitter debates. One of the best players in the world, nothing to want for, and he just can't not create fake accounts to make sure he's mentioned in random top-five all-time talks or whatever. So he's getting distracted despite being one of the best. Imagine that, but for Simmons' post play-offs. I'd take some time off too.

Fair argument Isaac. I just think given Ben's history with the Boomers it's hard not to be irritated

Fair points Isaac.

I don't have any problem whatsoever with Simmons enjoying Wimbledon with his new girlfriend after a long season. Good on him.

But the frustration stems from the long history and the patterns. The pulling out of the 2019 World Cup, the constant changes of mind, the taking over a week after playoffs to make up his mind and properly inform Goorjian when he was already in London.

ME - no issue with being frustrated or disappointed. Or not expecting him to be there despite noises to the contrary. Mostly contrasting the reaction to mental health withdrawal of Broekhoff, and the likelihood the same is a factor for Simmons. The media runs stories about the Wimbledon girlfriend to get everyone fired up, and the bait is predictably taken. See new thread just posted.

Anon - the Ferrari doesn't drive itself!

Enough about Simmo allready. Let's move on.

Anyone checked in on Giddey ? Keen to be a Boomer but didn't make the cut. I hope he isn't disenchanted with the questionable? ommission for Sobey. Am a big Sobey fan and happy that he's been selected, but I'm not sure he'll play much and thus not sure what he brings over and above potential X factor Giddey and the investment in future engagement with the Boomers programme we may have gotten with taking him this time.

Spain started a 17 year old Ricky Rubio in an Olympic final v the USA in 2008. Gidds not at that level ??

The difference between Simmons and Broekhoff is that Broekhoff doesn't have a history of fucking people around, has put in time with the national team previously, and made a clear and immediate announcement.

Adams' grievances are exaggerated. He still benefited by playing in BBNZ tournaments. The people with whom he may have had an issue are long gone and there are others who assisted his journey. But at the end of the day, BBNZ funded no juniors at that time, including Adams. The $ involved in elite junior sport are sadly high, but Adams is not the only one affected by that.

He is doing some good with his camps, but he doesn't appreciate that national team performance affects funding and exposure for the sport greatly in NZ. If it wasn't for the 02 WC, we don't have the Breakers and the subsequent tournaments that the Tall Blacks participated in that greatly lifted participation. His participation would mean better results in the WC, possibly Olympic qualification, and overall more funds and exposure for the sport. He could then use that platform to criticise the sports funding model in NZ, the inequities therein, and how he'd like sports bodies to change. Instead, he's outside the tent just pissing on it.