re: LSU Fans - Thoughts on Ben Simmons?

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I’ll never forget, at one of the home games I went to this season, walking by the student section and getting a tap on the shoulder. It caught me off guard, because I didn’t think anyone would be able to reach that far from the student section to where I was standing. But then I turned around … and saw someone with, let’s just say, a pretty long reach.

It was Ben Simmons.

Standing there, at the front of the student section, roaring and cheering with the rest of the Tiger faithful: Ben Simmons. And he nodded at me, and I nodded at him. And then he pointed up at the crowd — like they were some wild orchestra he was conducting with his seven-foot wingspan — and shouted, “Drake! You know you want to be here. You know!”

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I like him off this alone. Off topic but man reading the Drake Davis commitment article again made me really hope he breaks out next year. Probably the most impressive commitment announcement you'll ever see.

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Is this how Joey Albert Belle was viewed in the 90s?

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No, Belle actually wanted to be at LSU, he cared about the school but he was just a crazy person.

Ben Simmons never wanted to be here he couldn’t have cared less about the school. Wouldn’t surprise me if he never comes back to BR.

I wish him the best of luck but I don't think of him as a former tiger.

He easily could have made his point without dragging the university that he attended through the mud.

I wouldn't go across all sports, but it definitely highlights a real issue with basketball and the one and done mentality.

Simmons was hardly here, so it's unfair to be critical of him for playing the game and system as it allows him to do.

Furthermore, it's unfair for him to be critical of LSU, too only being in BR for a matter of months.

Will always love being able to add him to the LSU all-time lineup conversation.

PG: Pete Maravich
SG: Marcus Thornton??
SF: Ben Simmons
PF: Bob Pettit
C: Shaq Diesel

Yeah I think we can take any other schools all-time starting 5.

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PG: Pete Maravich
SG: Marcus Thornton??
SF: Ben Simmons
PF: Bob Pettit
C: Shaq Diesel

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uh, you're forgetting one of the very best.

he is one of the most talented players in lsu history.

That disappeared during critical moments of games.....

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The hate on Ben Simmons stems from the fact that he said LSU was a waste of his time and he didnt learn anything.

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He could have said it better, but is there any reason to think the above statement is not true? It was a waste of time in that he still went on to be the #1 pick despite the fact his time at LSU did nothing but DECREASE his potential draft stock. Fans and the media unfairly blamed him for LSU's disappointing season. Simmons put up the best overall numbers of any LSU player since Shaq. He had a stat line that would have made him the national player of the year had he been a member of a team with a semi-competent head coach. Everyone knew he was only going to be at LSU for one year. Yet, it was a waste of time because LSU didn't even make the NCAAT---the ONLY team ranked in the preseason top 25 not to do so.

On that note, does anyone really think he learned anything from Johnny Jones? It was abundantly clear his basketball IQ far exceeded anyone else's, including Jones! I don't think it's hyperbole to say that Johnny Jones was one of the few coaches in America who could keep that LSU team out of the NCAAT. He was utterly useless as a head coach other than his ability to recruit. Once the game started LSU's play was the equivalent of a YMCA pick-up game. Jones just watched like everyone else in the arena. Thank God Simmons was able to create enough plays for both himself and everyone else on the team to give LSU a shot in most games.

He was a generational talent that was completely wasted. So if he says LSU was a "waste of time" and that he "didn't learn anything", I tend to believe him. LSU won the lottery to get that guy for one season (along with two other players that went on to make NBA rosters) and he personally lived up to expectations. The only downside is so did Johnny Jones.