Bill Simmons' awful Wembanyama take will have Spurs fans ready to revolt

Oh, that's not...
Basketball - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 13
Basketball - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 13 | Gregory Shamus/GettyImages

Bill Simmons went on his podcast and made an irresponsible comment about Victor Wembanyama by questioning his durability based on the deep vein thrombosis that sidelined him this season. Expressing some uncertainty based on his body type is one thing, but Simmons took it a step further, and it comes off as tone deaf and ill-informed.

"I personally don't think going to San Antonio guarantees him anything. I don't know if Wembanyama... Do we even know he's going to be playing 60 games a year? His body makes me nervous, he's already gone down once." - Simmons on potential destinations for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Simmons should know the DVT isn't a long-term issue

Well, we know that Vic played in over 70 games in his rookie year, and would have played in more had the staff not been overly cautious with him. We also know that he was on pace for 73 games this year, and what sidelined him had nothing to do with his body type.

To conflate DVT—which can happen to anyone—and injury issues that have plagued the giants of the past is ridiculous. The medical experts advising the Spurs have already confirmed that the condition was caught early enough to rid him of it completely. Wembanyama is on the record saying that the ailment is "behind him."

This is all public information that someone as deeply entrenched in the NBA as Bill Simmons should know. There's no need to fear-monger the public about an exciting young player who everyone is excited to see reach his potential.

This was a poorly crafted thought by someone with a large platform

The premise of Simmons' argument was that the Greek Freak should make a request to be traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for an easier path to another title. He suggested that the Cavs trade Evan Mobley to Milwaukee for the services of Giannis, as if that would be enough. Mobley is an awesome player, but recent reports indicate that the Bucks plan to "gut" the team that trades for their franchise star.

Mobley is not going to get it done, and they wouldn't want to give up too many pieces, which they'd have to do because their first-round draft assets are almost non-existent. Not to mention that it's highly unlikely that Milwaukee's front office would want to trade him within the conference. Throwing this idea around doesn't even make sense.

There are no guarantees in sports (unless you form a super duper team like the Warriors did with Kevin Durant, but the new CBA makes that close to impossible now). However, choosing an organization with a reputation for putting together great teams, reinventing itself, and taking care of its stars is a safer bet than most.

Wembanyama is extremely deliberate with his training regimen. It's unlike anything we've seen from a player his size. That should help him stay on the court and reach the heights we imagine for him: the GOAT. Why wouldn't Giannis want the chance to play next to that?