No deadline: The Simmons ‘wow’ factor behind Boomers’ open invitation
By Roy Ward
Australian Boomers coach Brian Goorjian has reiterated that NBA All-Star Ben Simmons has an open invitation to attend selection camp on August 1 if he is fit to go.
Goorjian dismissed reports that the national team had set deadlines for Simmons to commit for the FIBA World Cup in Asia starting in late August.
Boomers coach Brian Goorjian.Credit: Getty Images
He made it clear that should Simmons’ work to rehabilitate his back injury allow him to join the Boomers for the first time since 2014, he will be welcome.
“The media ... I keep reading different things, but the message is he wants to play and I really do believe that it’s something he wants to do, and right now, he’s in a process of getting healthy, and there’s no timeframe for him on it,” Goorjian said at a Melbourne United business lunch on Friday.
“He’s got an open end on it, an invitation to August 1st, and if you can come through the door and perform at his level, he’s going to be in there and giving us a much better chance to win.”
Simmons has had a horrendous past two seasons, which saw him traded from Philadelphia 76ers to the Brooklyn Nets before that team was beset by unrest, while back surgery and then a further back issue left Simmons far from his best form.
Ben Simmons has an open invitation to the Boomers’ selection camp.Credit: AP
Goorjian had enjoyed a long relationship with Simmons going back to his teenage years when he played for Goorjian’s brother Kevin at Box Hill Senior Secondary College.
“When I first took the national job we spoke, and I said ‘let me start here – I’m not recruiting you’,” Goorjian said.
“I think this would be great for you. I think you would be lucky to be a part of this and there is a respect in this group that if he plays, these guys all respect him and what he could bring to us.
“Right now, we might have an issue with some size, but he could guard one through five [point guard to centre] for us – imagine him and [Josh] Giddey together? It’s like ‘wow’.
“It’s something he wants to do. It would be great for him to play with his mates, no baggage, walk in the front door with your mates and be you, play your game, be with your friends and enjoy basketball. I think he sees that and wants to do it.”
Fitness remains a big question mark for Simmons, but the open-ended offer will give him the best chance to play.
The Boomers have 10 NBA players in their 18-man squad, with Goorjian needing to cut the team to 12 players for the World Cup.
Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Xavier Cooks and Jack White are in line to play their first major tournaments for the Boomers although Goorjian admits he is almost certain to have to cut some players with NBA experience.
He has already left long-time Boomers centre Aron Baynes off the roster. “This sport is brutal and father time is a part of this thing,” Goorjian said.
“Giddey, Josh Green, Matisse [Thybulle] they have to have an opportunity to blossom and to do that, guys have to move at the top end.
“The timing has to be right, so does role definition. The aspect now is moving them at the right time and that is a nice situation to be in.
“People say ‘I don’t envy you’ but sport at the top level is brutal and there has to be aspects there if you are legitimately talking about winning a gold medal.
“If picking the 11th and 12th players isn’t a tough call, how the hell are you going to win a gold medal?
“You think USA don’t have to make tough cuts? Is LeBron [James in]? That is where that’s at.”
The Boomers will play three games at Rod Laver Arena before heading to the World Cup, facing Venezuela on August 14, Brazil on August 16 and South Sudan on August 17.
Basketball Australia chief executive Matt Scriven said on Friday that about 21,000 tickets already sold over the three games.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.