He has strong opinions I don't always agree with and he'll take positions for entertainments sake that I think weaken his reputation as a pure basketball analyst. But I think it's absurd to claim he doesn't know the game or have as much understanding simply because he has different viewpoints.
No, its actually THE reason to claim he doesn't have as much understanding of the game. While kindergarten is all nice and PC where everybody is equally right and all that crap, that's not he way it works. Simmons is NOT a particularly good basketball man. He's not embrarassing. But his takes are off at least as often as they are on, and insight is rare if ever. He's caleld the Sports Guy or whatever for a reason -- he does general sports, think baseball may be his best, and there is simply no way for somebody to be an expert in all sports. He is not when it comes to the NBA. Even less so when to comes to our players.
People always get caught in cults of celebrity. As if somebow because the guy has the biggest stage he knows the most. Its normally exactly the opposite. The people who know the most are the specialists who concentrate on one sport, one league, even one team. A guy like Simmons is the ultimate generalist. Any sport any time. His opinion on your or any team's roster (witht he possible exception of the Celtics) is just another average fan's opinion. There are hundreds of people on this very board who could tell him all kinds of thing about this team and its personnel that he would have him going, oh, I see...didn't know that...interesting...
You don't see me going over to Pistons boards and opining on whether Knight or Stuckey should start at PG, or whether Jerebko is a PF or SF. I have opinions on those subjects and know quite a bit, but I don't know or have as much feel as the Pistons' fans and I have the good sense to know it. I don't watch them every game, don't know about that quote in the paper last week etc. You will even less find me heading off to opine on the Cardinals offseason moves, which I don't even know, or Barca's chances this year. Simmons being a national talking head though will take shots at all those subject because he's got a column to fill and a rep to maintain doig it. Does not remotely mean his knowledge is superior to the fans/commentators who follow those particular franchises/leagues/situations. Just means he's got the largest pulpit. On some things, sports leagues, teams, he is more knowledgible than others. The NBA is not one of them. The Sacramento Kings is CERTAINLY not one of them.