Tag: Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Arenas warned Sixers not to hire Doc Rivers over Tyronn Lue

Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas warned the Philadelphia 76ers not to hire Doc Rivers over Tyronn Lue.

In two seasons as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, Doc Rivers has done a lot of good things on the sidelines for the team. He led them to the No. 1 seed in 2021, the franchise’s first since 2001, and he helped navigate murky waters in the 2021-22 season to win 51 games.

However, the Sixers have come up short in the playoffs. In 2021, they held a 26-point lead at home in Game 5 before blowing it to give the Atlanta Hawks a 3-2 lead, and then they lost Game 7 at home in the series.

Then Rivers made some comments about Ben Simmons when he was asked if Simmons can be a point guard on a championship team. Rivers answered with “I don’t know” and that set off a chain reaction as Simmons wanted out and that then led to him holding out and then he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden.

Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas warned Sixers GM Elton Brand not to hire Rivers when it came down to him or Tyronn Lue as Arenas pointed out on his podcast, “No Chill with Gibert Arenas”:

He was a losing coach before you gave him rock stars and then he won a championship now his legacy is built on that championship. Y’all value a championship. What did he do? After he won a championship. What did he do after that? Nothing. What has he done since then? Nothing. He has the same amount of talent. At least eight/nine years since then. He’s had impeccable talent on his team. What has he done with it? Nothing. You just standing on that one championship and I go about are you maximizing the player? Are you maximizing the talent? And that’s how I judge the coach. Are you maximizing? Are you putting the players in the right positions? If Elton Brand ever did an interview and he does an interview and he tells the truth, ask him. Ask him what I said. I said when he decided to get Doc, I said Doc is gonna ruin that team and Ben Simmons is gonna be out of there because he won’t know how to coach him when he hired him instead of Tyronn Lue.

Arenas’ points are valid. Rivers has had a ton of talent to work with as he has had the likes of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Joel Embiid, Simmons, and now James Harden since the 2008 championship. Yet, he has not reached the conference finals since 2012 with the Boston Celtics.

While Rivers has proven that he can get a team to the playoffs and have success in the regular season, he hasn’t proven that he can get a team over the hump outside of the Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett-Ray Allen Celtics. It will be interesting to see what Rivers and the Sixers do to bounce back in the 2022-23 season.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Gilbert Arenas, Ryan Hollins defend Rockets rookie Jalen Green from Bill Simmons criticism

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas and Houston’s current TV analyst, @TheRyanHollins, teamed up to defend Rockets rookie Jalen Green following recent criticism by Bill Simmons.

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas and Houston’s current TV analyst, Ryan Hollins, teamed up to defend Rockets rookie Jalen Green after recent criticism by NBA columnist, podcaster, and awards voter Bill Simmons.

In profane remarks, Simmons said he did not vote Green to the All-Rookie First Team ⁠— despite an electric and historic scoring stretch to end the 2021-22 season ⁠— and suggested that Green is not a “winning player.”

In a subsequent appearance on the “No Chill with Gilbert Arenas” show, Hollins and the three-time NBA All-Star had this exchange once the subject of Simmons’ harsh commentary was brought up.

Hollins: This is what I challenge. For one, know the direction of the organization which you’re seeing. Because the choice was to give these young fellows a chance to develop and play. Jalen Green became a better defender. He learned how to play off the basketball, and he started to learn how to use his speed. And I would challenge anybody who feels that way to go watch Rockets basketball, and then break it down. Because I’ve seen every game.

Arenas: That’s a bad tag. He doesn’t play ‘winning basketball.’ Who does, at 19, on a sorry team? The job is, technically, for them not to win. I need them to develop. … He has to learn. That’s why it’s a bad tag, because the reason we’re playing them is so they can learn. I need him to learn how to win. Go up 20, they come back, I’m not subbing him out. That was the point, this year. To understand winning, to understand losing, and the process of it all.

Hollins: There’s a difference in winning plays… the dude who dives first to the floor, sets the screen, takes charges. I saw him (Green) start to make those plays.

In his original comments, Simmons appeared to deem New Orleans rookie Herb Jones, who is playing now in the 2022 NBA playoffs, as more of a winning player than Green. Then again, Jones joined a team with big-name veterans like Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum to carry the load and take on larger responsibilities, which allowed him to be a specialist.

Green, on the other hand, was a 19-year-old joining a squad with the league’s worst record last season — and that was before shutting down five-time All-Star floor general John Wall! Apples, meet oranges.

The full segment on the Simmons/Green debate can be viewed below.

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Gilbert Arenas calls out Sixers for mishandling the Ben Simmons saga

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas calls out the Philadelphia 76ers for how they mishandled the Ben Simmons saga.

By now, the saga between the Philadelphia 76ers and former star Ben Simmons, now with the Brooklyn Nets, is well-known. Everybody remembers the poor playoff performance, the passed-up dunk, and the details of the stalemate between Simmons and the Sixers all day long in order to get a trade done.

There has been plenty of blame to go around. A lot of people blame Simmons while others will blame the Sixers for what happened with the 25-year old 3-time All-Star. A lot has been made of the comments made by coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid after the team lost Game 7, although Embiid denies he called Simmons out specifically, but that bothered Simmons.

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas called out the Sixers for the way they handled the whole situation:

I can understand where Ben Simmons is coming from. It wasn’t the media saying he can’t win, his own coach said ‘don’t know’ if the Sixers can win with him. Teammates know each other weaknesses they know Ben struggles with shooting and confidence issues. Putting him out there like that wasn’t right.

Right or wrong, the situation is over. Simmons is now with the Nets and both sides have moved on with James Harden now in Philadelphia.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Gilbert Arenas says Nets shouldn’t trade James Harden for Ben Simmons

Gilbert Arenas says the Brooklyn Nets shouldn’t trade James Harden for Ben Simmons.

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets are at the forefront of the trade talks around the league right now with superstar James Harden heading to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons as the centerpiece of the speculated deal.

The Sixers have had an interest in Harden for some time due to team president’s Daryl Morey’s connection with Harden from their days together in Houston. The Sixers want to team him with Joel Embiid despite the recent whispers about a possible decline in Harden’s performance.

However, former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas says he wouldn’t trade Harden for Simmons:

If I’m the Nets and I’m going to give up a bona fide superstar offensively for a superstar defensively. Why? Why? Like why? Why? Even though the Nets are not playing very well, when they’re all on point, or even two of them, they’re hard to stop, you know? So it’s like having Golden State. You got three scorers and then if you can get a Draymond Green, Ben Simmons over there, boom. So, I’ll give you Blake Griffin. I’ll give you Joe (Harris), I’ll give you two coaches, a chandelier, I’ll give you whatever you want. I just want to keep them three, add Ben, and we’re good.

One has to question Arenas’ logic here. While he was obviously once a feared scorer in this league and he understands how basketball works, it is confusing to see him suggest Blake Griffin or Joe Harris for Simmons. In order to get Simmons, there has to be equal value in return and that is where Harden would come in.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas latest to defend Sixers star Ben Simmons

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas is the latest player to come to the defense of Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons.

The Philadelphia 76ers and 25-year old 3-time All-Star Ben Simmons have been going back and forth with each other since the team was eliminated in Game 7 by the Atlanta Hawks in the East semifinals. Simmons wrapped up another poor playoff performance and the rumors went flying.

Simmons then officially requested a trade from the organization in late August and he began a holdout. He ended that holdout on Oct. 11 when the heavy fines came in and he has not been exactly cooperative since then. He has been thrown out of practice, suspended for the season opener, and then has since claimed he is going through it mentally and he has stepped away to go see a mental professional.

He then failed to keep the Sixers in the loop and the team grew frustrated with him again. That has led to the team resuming their fines against him and NBA legend Charles Barkley ripped into Simmons for his actions.

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, who is no stranger to controversy himself, called out both Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal for their criticism of Simmons. He is the latest player to defend Simmons after Dwight Howard did so earlier.

Arenas stated that they were both prima donnas during their time in the league as well and he even discussed Simmons as a shooter on former teammate Etan Thomas’ podcast.

The Sixers will certainly have to find a way to figure this situation out, but when it comes to the criticism Simmons has received, maybe Arenas does have a point. Mental health is a serious issue, but on one hand, it is not that hard to send a text to Simmons’ employer and keep them in the loop. At this point, Philadelphia may just need to trade him and get this thing over with.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Watch: Gilbert Arenas and Matt Barnes on 76ers and Ben Simmons

Former NBA players Gilbert Arenas and Matt Barnes speak on the Ben Simmons situation with the Philadelphia 76ers for Fubo Sports.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons have been entangled in a trade back-and-forth for some time now, with each party waiting for the other to give in.

Former NBA players Gilbert Arenas and Matt Barnes commented on the Simmons situation on the “No Chill with Gilbert Arenas” show for Fubo Sports Thursday.

Barnes focused more on his hope that Simmons finds himself in a better situation, while Arenas broke down the lead-up to the situation between the two entities.

“It’s going to get ugly and I hope they can lift him out and just let him have a fresh start because that bridge is burned and it’ll never be rebuilt,” Barnes said.

This is a sad thing that owners and management does. They don’t understand how the world actually works. You have a product, you don’t want the product anymore, right? So what you try to do is you try to damage the products to the world, so ‘Ben Simmons can’t shoot, he don’t work out’ you say everything that you need to get rid of him, but then you wonder why the buyer – the next team – don’t want him.

– Gilbert Arenas

Simmons recently declined a meeting with his Sixers teammates to help better the situation with the team, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Chris Paul on James Harden: ‘Can’t nobody score the ball like he can’

Chris Paul admits that he has never seen a scorer like James Harden before.

One of the best point guards of all-time, Chris Paul, recently opened up about his time playing with his former teammate James Harden. The two spent two seasons playing alongside one another in 2017 and 2018. The all-star tandem made it as far as the Western Conference Finals, but fell short of advancing to the NBA Finals.

Gilbert Arenas, who was a certified bucket back in his day playing in the NBA, sat down with Paul on his show “No Chill with Gilbert Arenas” to reflect on their time together. Arenas admitted some truths to CP3 on why he believed they were unable to reach their peak:

“I remember when you were over in Houston and I said, ‘The only way they make it out is if James actually understands his gift and your gift.’ As a coach, you have to have that hard talk. And the hard talk is this, ‘James, up until the fourth quarter, last five minutes, it’s your game. The last five minutes, the ball is in CP’s hands.’”

Paul acknowledged Arenas’ comments and it made him regret not having these conversations with Harden. At the same time though, the Phoenix Suns guard made sure to give props to the Beard’s gift as a scorer:

“Can’t nobody score the ball like he can. It’s crazy man — I wouldn’t trade any experience or what not, but I wish we would have had more of those conversations.”

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Russell Westbrook won’t wear No. 0 with Wizards — but it’s not because of Gilbert Arenas

He chose a different number.

The newly-acquired Russell Westbrook won’t wear No. 0 with the Washington Wizards, as he’s done in his entire NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.

There was a lot of speculation that he might not end up with that number because the last player to wear it in Washington was Gilbert Arenas.

But Arenas actually gave his blessing to Westbrook to wear No. 0 in an Instagram comment (see below). So it wasn’t due to Westbrook knowing how much Wizards fans loved Arenas.

Instead, he’s chosen No. 4. The reason? It was his high school number and one he wanted all along, per ESPN’s Royce Young:

At UCLA Arron Aflalo wore No. 4, so Westbrook took No. 0. In Oklahoma City, Nick Collison had it. When Westbrook arrived in Houston, Danuel House Jr. owned it.

So there you have it. Agent Zero lives on, and Westbrook finally gets No. 4.

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Tyrese Haliburton detailed the ‘best’ advice Gilbert Arenas gave him

The projected first-round pick has been working out with several current and former players in Las Vegas ahead of the NBA draft.

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Projected first-round pick Tyrese Haliburton has been working out with several current and former players prior to the NBA draft but it was Gilbert Arenas that gave him the best piece of advice on the transition to the next level.

Haliburton, like many other prospects, has been training at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas prior to the draft. The facility often hosts workouts with several prospects during a typical offseason and they have all taken part in various drills in recent weeks.

The former Iowa State guard works out three times a day at Impact Basketball and has trained with the likes of Arenas, Troy Brown and Kyle O’Quinn among others. However, Haliburton thought the advice Arenas offered about getting to his spot on the court was the best.

He talked about, ‘You can shoot the ball really well, that’s what you do at a high level, the only thing you’re going to have to work on is getting angles and finding spots to get to that you can really get your shot whenever you want. Not making things more complex than they have to be. Simplify things: One dribble, two dribbles.’ His words of advice were basically, ‘When you shoot it, it’s going in for the most part if you can get it off. The most important part is just about getting to your spot.’

Of course, Arenas had an incredible run with the Washington Wizards during the mid-2000s and was one of the most electrifying players in the league at the time, earning three All-Star appearances. He has often helped mentor younger players and appears to be flourishing in that role.

Haliburton earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors last season after averaging 15.2 points, 6.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals in 22 games. He shot 50.4% from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range on 5.6 attempts per game.

Given his 6-foot-5 frame, and 7-foot wingspan, Haliburton is viewed as perhaps one of the most NBA-ready 3-and-D prospects in the draft. His ability is loved by several teams and is a huge reason why he is expected to be a high draft pick.

The NBA draft is scheduled to begin on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN.

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Gilbert Arenas provides update on Kevin Durant: ‘He’s gonna come out attacking’

Former All-NBA guard Gilbert Arenas got the chance to play Kevin Durant recently. He likes what he saw from the Brooklyn Nets star.

Team schedules haven’t been set yet, but Nets fans now at least have an idea of when they’ll see Kevin Durant suit up for the first time in a Brooklyn uniform with the NBPA tentatively agreeing to the league’s proposed start date of December 22 fro the 2020-21 season on Thursday.

But there’s are still questions surrounding Durant since the forward is coming off a ruptured right Achilles.

Some of Durant’s Brooklyn teammates got a look at him before the pandemic in 3-on-3, while players around the league have seen the forward throughout his work in preparation for 2020-21.

Among those who have seen Durant are Washington Wizards guard John Wall and former All-NBA guard Gilbert Arenas — the latter of which had nothing but good things to say about how the Nets star looked on The No Chill Podcast:

“In-season, he’s gonna come out attacking. He’s gonna hit you first. That’s what he’s taught, hit you first, then dial it back down and hit you again, then dial it back and go. So here, when I see him, that’s all I’m waiting for. Because you gotta remember, he’s coming off an injury, too. So, the mindset is most important. How is he gonna start the game? Let’s me know where he’s at, at this point.

“As soon as he comes out, he shoots the first [five] shots, goes 5-for-5. OK. there we go. … So, both the boys (Durant and Wall) [are] back That’s all you’re trying to make sure: you’re mentally back. you done did this part. Making sure all the doors [are] unlocked, so when the season hits, you have an open game.”