The Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated from the playoffs in embarrassing fashion, Sunday. The Atlanta Hawks beat them 103-96 behind Trae Young’s diverse scoring skills, and Ben Simmons inability to score. The game felt like a deflating end to the Embiid/Simmons era in Philadelphia, otherwise known as “The Process.” This could be good news for the Portland Trail Blazers who seem primed to move on from the Dame/CJ era, and start a whole new experiment that has plenty of risk attached.
Trade CJ McCollum for Ben Simmons. Straight up. Take the leap.
On its surface, many Rip City fans will view this trade as a scoring risk. Simmons seemed allergic to shooting during these playoffs, and posted an abysmal free throw percentage. But Portland does not need another scorer. They need a defender that can guard every position and distribute to Lillard in open space. Those are qualities Ben Simmons possesses in spades.
Another legitimate concern involves the point guard question; Who will run the offense? Damian Lillard is a ball dominant guard who has never known anything but controlling the scoring load. His efficiency playing off the ball has been well documented this season. It’s worth having Simmons run the point and let Dame play a hybrid role.
None of these ideas really matter unless general manager Neil Olshey decides to take a chance. His nine-year tenure with the franchise has been marked with safe roster moves that infuriate fans. But he can change that narrative with this trade. Olshey can go from being the most hated executive in Portland, to a calculated risk taker. It’s all up to him…
