Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., October 23, 2008 Tishrei 24, 5769 | | Israel Time: 02:07 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Basketball / Maccabi lacks patience, but Tre Simmons may have too much By Yaniv Orgad Chester Simmons has plenty of patience to sit on Maccabi Tel Aviv's bench. "If I could make money sitting on the couch, I'd do it," the 1.98m swingman told Haaretz in a recent interview. The problem for Simmons, known as Tre, is that Maccabi, which is used to getting immediate results, is losing its patience. The team this week brought in Marcus Brown, whose arrival could foreshadow the end of Simmons' brief tenure in Tel Aviv. The problem is less Simmons' laziness than his indifferent personality. One of his teammates at Hapoel Galil Elyon during the 2006-07 season recalled how coach Oded Katash benched Simmons for nearly an entire quarter, yet the quiet American didn't open his mouth once. "A little bit of an overly nice guy" is how the former teammate described him. Advertisement "He comes on time, does the job, showers and goes," the player said. "He's sociable and funny but not competitive enough." He added that Simmons is not the kind of guy who will get up and make demands for more playing time, which you can get away with in a small club like Galil Elyon or Holon - where Simmons played last season - but not in Maccabi. This cool demeanor should have raised alarm bells for the heads of Maccabi before they picked up Simmons, but one can't ignore the lack of hierarchy that characterized the first two months of coach Effi Birenboim's term in Tel Aviv. Simmons' inability to impress the pros despite his shooting talent - he was, after all, first team in the Pac 10 during the 2004-2005 season with the Washington Huskies - is well documented. Percy Allen of the Seattle Times once wrote that he saw Simmons try out twice with NBA teams, impressing them with his three-point shooting and working incredibly hard yet being one of the first to be cut. The Seattle Supersonics dropped the Washington-state native in 2005, while the Atlanta Hawks cut him during tryouts in July 2007 despite a warm recommendation from Atlanta's assistant coach Bob Bender, who had coached Simmons with the Huskies. According to Allen, Simmons is neither a leader type nor the kind of guy who thrives on setting up his own shots. He wrote two years ago, when Simmons was playing in the summer league for Atlanta, that coach Bender likened him to a poor man's Richard Hamilton, referring to Detroit's three-time NBA all-star. Talent isn't enough "Simmons displayed his trademark long-distance shooting ability as well as an array of untapped skills, including deft passing, playmaking ability, ball handling and on-the-ball defense," wrote Allen after one game, but correctly predicted these skills would not secure him a seat on Atlanta's bench. At Maccabi, it's not exactly clear which of these talents the team wants to get out of him. It has yet to design a play that sets up a shot for Simmons or puts him at the center of the play, which he finds disappointing. Is he supposed to be a member of the starting five who won't score very often, or part of an ideal rotation of 11-12 players, as Birenboim once declared as his goal? "From the start it was clear there would be games where Tal Burstein would start and Simmons would come off the bench," explained assistant coach Ro'i Hagai before rumors leaked that the guard might be headed out the door. "Simmons will have to contribute every time off the bench, and I'm sure he will." Simmons scored five points, including one three-pointer and two unforced turnovers in less than twenty minutes last week in a preseason game against Rishon Lezion, a sure sign of his lack of self-confidence. However, he improved against Ramat Gan, scoring 13 points and pulling down six rebounds. Perhaps the knowledge of Brown's arrival was a motivator. Still, a player from another team said that Brown told him he did not see his job as demanding more minutes. The player added that Simmons said if Birenboim doesn't give him the PT and his career at Maccabi doesn't manage to get off the ground, everybody will suffer. "My success is in the team's interest," said Simmons. That may be, but the question remains who is going to insist he step up his game, Maccabi or him. If he doesn't, time may run out for Simmons. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hitting Hezbollah Iraqi site reports Nasrallah was poisoned last week and Iranian doctors saved him. Terror as support Al-Qaida-linked Web site supports McCain for president by means of welcoming terror.

Read & React Top Iran officials recommend preemptive strike against Israel Responses: 227 Editorial: We must not tolerate settler terror against Palestinians Responses: 83 Report: Hezbollah chief poisoned; Iranian doctors saved his life Responses: 71 Natasha Mozgovaya: 'Joe the Plumber' worth as much as Powell endorsement Responses: 105 More Headlines 01:58 IAF cadet, instructor killed in training flight in Negev 02:01 Crash involving reliable Zukit plane takes Air Force aback 00:31 Barak to AG: Limit Hamas prisoner visits as pressure for Shalit release 23:20 Report: Hezbollah chief poisoned, Iranian doctors saved his life 23:30 Iranian official: Tehran proud of its support for Hezbollah, Hamas 22:05 Israeli rightist wounds soldier guarding Palestinian farmers 22:58 U.K. Jewish students to protest Uganda child abductions at Jerusalem rally 09:51 Al-Qaida-linked Web site backs John McCain as president 12:52 Syria envoy: Future generations will pay if Israel scuttles peace talks 22:03 Police recommend trying Pensioners Party member for fraud 12:05 Top Iran officials recommend preemptive strike against Israel 23:28 IDF offers rare glimpse into training of elite canine unit 11:12 Report: Egypt source denies Hezbollah officials invited to Cairo for talks 19:22 Owner of car involved in fatal T.A. hit-and-run to be released from police custody 19:21 Number of new cases of cancer drops in Israel 23:01 Underground cattle trade thrives in Gaza smuggling tunnels Previous Editions Select Day 22 oct 21 oct 20 oct 19 oct 17 oct 16 oct 15 oct 14 oct 13 oct 12 oct 10 oct 09 oct

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Living in Israel Studying in English Click & Meet our students from all around the world Dial 013 for your long-distance calls and get all your money back US CITIZENS Vote for real change. Request your ballot today! Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved