Someone order Rach a batch of chill pills

New Ben Simmons rules:

Not allowed to smile or appear happy until he plays for the Boomers and/or makes 70% of free throws.
After mental breakdown, physically disallowed from having a break.
Must immediately commence internationally telecast shooting workouts.
Expressly disallowed from seeing his partner in any public space.

I know some people treat national sport service like people volunteering for the front line of a world war, and some athletes find it a lot more important personally, but let's relax the outrage, and maybe consolidate to existing threads where possible. The countrymen risk injury, but they do get paid to (*angelic choir*) "sweat", check out the Olympics and go for glory.

Great comment Isaac

"New Ben Simmons rules:"

Or just advise Ben Simmons to be straight. Don't BS around. Look how everyone responded when Broekhoff withdrew for mental health reasons. Everyone was behind him.

Simmons has a history here. It's not like his mucking around is something new. All this talk of Lemanis and BA destroying their relationship with Simmons, but there is a more simple commonality here. And it's not BS. Well, yes, it is BS.

But Isaac, athletes make sacrifices that ordinary folk like us simply don't have to make. When it will it end!!!

I prefer this new Ben rule:

"just advise Ben Simmons to be straight. Don't BS around.“

It's totally understandable for a player to want time away from the game. Recharge. Clear the mind. Enjoy your life. Go out with your girl. It must be mentally draining to go through that with so many expectations on you from the 76ers organisation, his coach, his teammates, not to mention the notoriously critical 76ers fans. But all he needs to do is announce that. "I need time to recharge mentally from a draining NBA season and playoffs, so I will not have the capacity to represent Australia at the Olympics so soon after the completion of the NBA season". Done.

He doesn't need to say he will never play for the Boomers again, but it's far better than teasing fans and the national team then pulling out again at the last minute.

It's annoying Ben hasn’t even spoke to the media and us yet. He has to stop making promises and be clear.

I understand Ben would be mentally drained at the end of the season with the 76ers, but seriously Ben, speak up and let us know what’s going on?

Crazy you would turn down playing for the Boomers for their first ever medal.

Boomers are in Group B with Germany, Italy and Nigeria. Fun group to be in. Especially with Nigeria who are the only African nation to compete in the Olympics.

No, people just need to get the fuck over it, put away their Ben Simmons Fantasy Fan-porn collection, and stop spending the four (or 5) years between Olympics jitzing about how wonderful Ben is, how he's the greatest basketballer Australia has ever produced, and how he's going to play every position from 1 to 5 and win us a gold metal.

The world cup Simmons fiasco showed us the reality. Heck, the boomers went and hired his then coach, just to try and get him to play. Once that fell over, the chances of him representing Australia were effectively nil.

He doesn't want to play for Australia. End of story. That's his choice, he doesn't owe anybody any further explanation. And so what he is doing with his time now, is completely irrelevant.

I hear you, I'm over Ben anyways...

A guy with a transactional mindset, a globalist in a country that rewards such an approach. I say let's use this episode to value those guys who love their country and go out of their way to represent it with honour. Guys like Ingles, Mills, Bogut, Baynes. As for tranactional Ben, well he has benefitted from local interest and goodwill, there will be less of that from here on.

Why does he need to make media statements about his plan after the post-season? He notified Goorj/BA and I'm sure he's had post-mortems with his coach/etc. Doesn't really owe anyone else much. I'd bet the Atlanta series was all a deer-in-headlights experience he'd hate to continue in public. He made comments about his performance, acknowledging it at the time. He's likely embarrassed.

From an article:

Despite the tight schedule, Goorjian said he spoke to Simmons himself five weeks ago and his manager just two weeks ago, and both reaffirmed the NBA star's commitment to the Boomers.

Speaking of, hope Mills gets to carry the flag in Tokyo

Simmons best be working on developing a jump shot from further than 3 feet AND his free throws. He should have been working his tail off on these things for the past 3-4 years but thought he was good enough to live off dunks downhill as his only scoring options. I think the harder you work the luckier you get and by looking at his paltry sub 35% from the free throw would lead some to say he was very unlucky. Not me though, I just think he is a lazy big head who has overachieved on a bare minimum of extra work.... Time catches up with that strategy…. Boomers no loss. Can't lose what you never had…..

Agree, KET

Isaac, I think some sort of proper message from his camp would've been nice. Other players have done it, even if it was just a tweet. All we've heard coming from his camp was a source claiming 'skill development', and while some were still hanging onto some hope he'd play in Tokyo, Ben was on a flight to London.

I understand why he's not playing (the real reason, not skill development), and am fine with it, but I can also understand why a lot of people, who are fans of his only because he is Australian, are pretty annoyed about the way he has handled things. Especially since this isn't the first time the Boomers have been let down by him.

And again, no. If anybody has been let down, it's by their own foolish assumptions & assertions.
Simmons isn't required to apologise and explain every time he doesn't do something that somebody dreamed of him doing.

If he wants to bludge with his girl and have smoke blown up his arse about how great he is by his people, great, do that, but this latest instance isn't the first time he's prick teased playing for the Boomers, so people are well within their rights, at least in my opinion, to be able to voice their disappointment...

The biggest problem is messaging, and sure, no-one is entitled to hear anything from him at all, but he doesn't mind the attention when he wants it, so I'm sure that he SHOULD be able to see the benefit of putting proper messaging out... Aussies are pretty decent people in general, if he's honest about everything, I think most would be fair enough... Those getting their panties in a bunch about people having an opinion on it are just as bad as the people they're complaining about...

The thing is, that if he IS about developing his skills, like every other off season, how has THAT worked out for him? What could be better than actually competing on the world stage with an experienced coaching staff and some of the best Aussie competitors and teammates you could ask for? Just being around Joe and Patty would be a breath of fresh air for the kid who sounds like was up against it in Philly (whether of his own making or not). The pressure to score would be off him, he could blossom doing what he's best at and be surrounded by support and a great environment.

Sounds like he's been getting suss advice for a while now, which after getting told you're Gods gift from a young age, is pretty detrimental...

"Simmons isn't required to apologise and explain every time he doesn't do something that somebody dreamed of him doing."

It wasn't just a dream. He did commit some time ago.


"He was just like the others, not a whimper; it was 'I'm in, I’m looking forward to it and want to be a part of this’," [Goorjian] said of Simmons.

https://7news.com.au/sport/olympics/hopeful-simmons-named-in-olympics-squad-c-2084636.amp