NBA Rumors Roundup: Ben Simmons' lack of aggressiveness comes from fear of getting fouled; Utah Jazz still unwilling to trade Jordan Clarkson, and more| October 28, 2022
Ben Simmons has struggled in the first two weeks of the season. The latest NBA rumors suggest that Simmons' lack of aggression comes from fear of getting fouled. The Brooklyn Nets star has also fouled out twice this season.
Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz might be unwilling to trade former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson. The Jazz are supposed to be in a rebuilding year, but Clarkson has helped the team to a 4-1 start.
On that note, here's a look at the latest NBA rumors roundup for October 28 brought to you by Sportskeeda:
Spencer Dinwiddie might start off the bench
Spencer Dinwiddie started for the Dallas Mavericks in the first four games of the season. He has stepped into a new role following the departure of Jalen Brunson in free agency. He's averaging 16.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
However, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd could start experimenting with his starting lineup. Kidd said before the game against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday that he might bring Dinwiddie off the bench soon.
"We can go in a lot of different directions with our lineups," Kidd said. "At some point we probably will look at Timmy (Hardaway) or someone else starting just to see how it looks and check the box."
The Mavericks are 2-2 to start the season. They could easily have been 4-0, as their two losses were very close. They squandered a big lead against the Phoenix Suns in their season opener and only lost by two points against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Ben Simmons' lack of aggressiveness comes from fear of getting fouled
Ben Simmons is off to a rough start with the Brooklyn Nets this season. Simmons has fouled out twice in the first four games and has failed to reach double digits in scoring in all of them.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on "NBA Today" that scouts might have found the reason for Simmons' lack of aggressiveness on the court. NBA scouts reckon that Simmons is afraid to get fouled. He's 4-for-10 from the free throw line this season.
"The scouts who have been dispatched to watch Ben Simmons closely — and there have been a lot early in this season — believe that the reason Ben Simmons doesn't go aggressive isn't because he's afraid of missing the shot as much as he’s afraid of being fouled," Windhorst said. "I mean you look at Kyrie telling him to shoot. He was in a position where he would very likely be fouled, not afraid necessarily of missing the shot."
Doc Rivers favored to be first NBA coach to be fired
Two weeks into the new NBA season, there are coaches who might already be living on borrowed time. According to a report released by Reuters (h/t Inquirer), Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers is the favorite to lose his job first.
The Sixers are off to a terrible start this season, going a dismal 1-4. They have lost to contenders like the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. They were also beaten by the San Antonio Spurs, a rebuilding team that traded their best player last summer.
Second on the list is Steve Nash of the Brooklyn Nets, who are also 1-4 on the season. Dwane Casey of the Detroit Pistons comes in third, while Darvin Ham of the LA Lakers is also feeling the heat, as the Lakers are winless in four games.
Utah Jazz still unwilling to trade Jordan Clarkson
The Utah Jazz have emerged as the most surprising team this NBA season. The Jazz were supposed to be weaker after trading their two superstars in the summer. However, Jordan Clarkson has the Jazz off to an impressive 4-1 start.
Clarkson, a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, is averaging 18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists this season. ESPN's Zach Lowe reckons the Jazz are open to keeping Clarkson despite the player being linked with several NBA rumors in the offseason.
"I've heard the same stuff that other people have reported that they are just super reluctant to move Clarkson," Lowe said. "They're really fond of him for whatever reason, so I would peg him as the least likely of all these Jazz guys to get traded."
Former POTUS linked as possible buyer for Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are for sale, and there have been many rich individuals linked as potential buyers. Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Disney's Bob Iger, Oracle's Larry Ellison and Steve Job's widow, Laurene Jobs, are all reportedly interested in becoming NBA owners.
Bill Simmons of The Ringer added a new name to the list of potential buyers for the Suns. Simmons said that former United States president Barack Obama could be part of a group that could purchase the NBA franchise.
"I heard Obama's involved in one of the groups," Simmons said. "That's the one guy I feel like, they would make him the actual face, and the money guys would be so happy to have him at the front that they would just be like, 'Cool."
Obama served as the 44th US President from 2009 to 2017.