Focus, Rest Key Simmons’ Encouraging Start
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Rookie big man Cedric Simmons has provided rebounding and interior defense off the bench during the Hornets’ fast start to 2006-07.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
November 24, 2006
If you give a young, 20-something guy a few hours, maybe a day, in great American cities including Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles, you can be fairly confident that he could relate a few tales – however hurried they may be – about his time in fancy restaurants, charming “local” establishments and entertaining encounters with the cities’ people.
But when you ask Hornets 20-year-old rookie Cedric Simmons about his adventures in the previously named cities, he will tell you about the comfort level of the beds at the Ritz Carlton-Marina del Rey in Los Angeles. Not about spotting an A-lister at a famous haunt along Rodeo Drive.
Or Ced can tell you about his on-court adventures that are now nearly one month old. Many of which have come in cities where young people would be more interested in shopping and exploring than resting up for their next workday.
Twelve games into the 2006-07 season, the Hornets have been road-bound, playing eight of those 12 away from home cities New Orleans and Oklahoma City. For a first-year NBA player, the demanding travel schedule can be one of the toughest adjustments between college and professional basketball.
“It’s been a lot of traveling and playing every night,” Simmons says. “That takes a toll when you are not used to it. I’m still adjusting to playing two or three games in a week.” And one or two games more per week than he played collegiately at North Carolina State.
“I sleep a lot,” he explains. “That is pretty much what I do on the road, in the plane and in the hotels. I need the sleep to keep my body ready to play.”
Simmons is seeing significant time off the bench and at 14.5 minutes per night (he has appeared in every game this season), he sees more action than rookie counterparts Hilton Armstrong and Marcus Vinicius.
“I have been playing more minutes than I was expecting to play this early in the season,” Simmons says.
And in order to make sure that he stays in the rotation and continues to improve his game, he refocuses with each day, each practice and each game.
Simmons: “Every day I just try to come in and refocus myself.”
The focus and an ample amount of sleep have been a successful combination. All Hornets fans have to do is watch Simmons in action.
Early in the season, Simmons is the first to admit that he didn’t always know what he was supposed to be doing: “I was in the wrong places on the court and not knowing where I needed to be to make plays. I was committing stupid fouls.”
But as the season has progressed and Simmons has remained focused on improvement, his confidence has increased.
“Now, when I foul somebody, I’m fouling on purpose,” he says, smiling.
And back to those stories he could tell.
He could tell you about the time, in L.A., when he went out and hit four jump shots, finishing with eight points, two rebounds and one block.
When asked about the game, in which the Clippers’ broadcasters commented that they did not know that the young Simmons had that kind of perimeter shooting ability, he smiles and says that it’s all about the confidence he has been able to build by getting minutes and learning the system.
“I definitely work on my shot and my game,” he says, “but it’s also a matter of being confident in what I can do and knowing that my teammates and coaches can count on me to do my job.”
Last Saturday, when the Hornets defeated the Timberwolves 99-96 on a Peja Stojakovic three-pointer with 0.6 seconds left, Simmons could tell you about his Hornets-high nine rebounds and six points.
In fact, over the last six games, four of which have been in hostile territory, the Hornets, with Simmons’ help, have gone 4-2 and the 6-foot-9 forward has averaged 4.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 1.0 bpg.
So while Simmons may not be able spin a tale about evenings out and about in Boston or lazy hours on a beach in Los Angeles, he can tell you how focus, confidence and a lot of sleep are the keys to having a successful start to a rookie season in the NBA.
If you give a young, 20-something guy a few hours, maybe a day, in great American cities including Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles, you can be fairly confident that he could relate a few tales – however hurried they may be – about his time in fancy restaurants, charming “local” establishments and entertaining encounters with the cities’ people.
But when you ask Hornets 20-year-old rookie Cedric Simmons about his adventures in the previously named cities, he will tell you about the comfort level of the beds at the Ritz Carlton-Marina del Rey in Los Angeles. Not about spotting an A-lister at a famous haunt along Rodeo Drive.
Or Ced can tell you about his on-court adventures that are now nearly one month old. Many of which have come in cities where young people would be more interested in shopping and exploring than resting up for their next workday.
Twelve games into the 2006-07 season, the Hornets have been road-bound, playing eight of those 12 away from home cities New Orleans and Oklahoma City. For a first-year NBA player, the demanding travel schedule can be one of the toughest adjustments between college and professional basketball.
“It’s been a lot of traveling and playing every night,” Simmons says. “That takes a toll when you are not used to it. I’m still adjusting to playing two or three games in a week.” And one or two games more per week than he played collegiately at North Carolina State.
“I sleep a lot,” he explains. “That is pretty much what I do on the road, in the plane and in the hotels. I need the sleep to keep my body ready to play.”
Simmons is seeing significant time off the bench and at 14.5 minutes per night (he has appeared in every game this season), he sees more action than rookie counterparts Hilton Armstrong and Marcus Vinicius.
“I have been playing more minutes than I was expecting to play this early in the season,” Simmons says.
And in order to make sure that he stays in the rotation and continues to improve his game, he refocuses with each day, each practice and each game.
Simmons: “Every day I just try to come in and refocus myself.”
The focus and an ample amount of sleep have been a successful combination. All Hornets fans have to do is watch Simmons in action.
Early in the season, Simmons is the first to admit that he didn’t always know what he was supposed to be doing: “I was in the wrong places on the court and not knowing where I needed to be to make plays. I was committing stupid fouls.”
But as the season has progressed and Simmons has remained focused on improvement, his confidence has increased.
“Now, when I foul somebody, I’m fouling on purpose,” he says, smiling.
And back to those stories he could tell.
He could tell you about the time, in L.A., when he went out and hit four jump shots, finishing with eight points, two rebounds and one block.
When asked about the game, in which the Clippers’ broadcasters commented that they did not know that the young Simmons had that kind of perimeter shooting ability, he smiles and says that it’s all about the confidence he has been able to build by getting minutes and learning the system.
“I definitely work on my shot and my game,” he says, “but it’s also a matter of being confident in what I can do and knowing that my teammates and coaches can count on me to do my job.”
Last Saturday, when the Hornets defeated the Timberwolves 99-96 on a Peja Stojakovic three-pointer with 0.6 seconds left, Simmons could tell you about his Hornets-high nine rebounds and six points.
In fact, over the last six games, four of which have been in hostile territory, the Hornets, with Simmons’ help, have gone 4-2 and the 6-foot-9 forward has averaged 4.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 1.0 bpg.
So while Simmons may not be able spin a tale about evenings out and about in Boston or lazy hours on a beach in Los Angeles, he can tell you how focus, confidence and a lot of sleep are the keys to having a successful start to a rookie season in the NBA.
