Just over a week has passed since the Celtics traded Anfernee Simons and a 2nd round pick for Nikola Vucevic and a worse 2nd round pick. There haven’t been enough games to fully judge the results, but we’ll get a look at both players on the same court on Wednesday night when the Bulls come to town to face the Celtics in each team’s final game before the All-Star break.
For Simons, it will be his first game back in Boston since being dealt. He was putting together a solid campaign for 6th Man of the Year and had really taken off in recent months, helping carry the Celtics offense in spurts.
Now, he’s getting to start on a Bulls team that appears headed to the bottom and may be looking to add another high lottery pick this offseason. But for Simons, he’s become a key figure on this bizarre Chicago team, and you can bet he’ll come into Boston looking for his offense early and often.
I can’t imagine there’s a ton of animosity. I’m sure Simons will get a nice ovation, and he is quickly becoming a fan favorite. But surely, he understands the business element of the league, and he must have recognized that there was a good chance he’d be traded from the moment he was acquired last summer on a $27.7 million expiring deal.
The partnership proved to be beneficial as SImons got to revive his value while helping the Cs win some games, but I’m sure he’d love to stick it to his old team. The Bulls don’t have much going for them, but Ant would love to win this game and will likely try to drop 50 points in the process against his recently former squad.
Vucevic should have great opportunity to get on track with Celtics
For Vooch, he’s facing the team that employed him for the last several years. He should be thrilled to be on a true contending team and grateful that Boston has rescued him from that disastrous Chicago situation.Â
The current Bulls roster is overloaded with guards, and Vooch should have a massive advantage down low. After finally getting to practice with the team in recent days, expect Vucevic to come out firing on Wednesday night and look to make his mark now that he has a little experience with his teammates and coaches.
Add that to the fact that he’s facing a familiar and vulnerable opponent, and this should be a great chance for Vooch to really get on track and make his mark with the Cs. Look for them to feed him on the post and try to get him into a nice rhythm.