- better than any of us could have expected, he said. Not many of

Ben Simmons needed advice.Hurting - both physically and emotionally - the Australian phenom craved some reassurance that the Oct. 4 surgery for a Jones fracture of his fifth metatarsal was something he could overcome. So who better to ask about triumphing over similar injury adversity than an NBA MVP and one of the purest scorers in todays game?First guy I did speak to was KD [Kevin Durant], Simmons told media before the 76ers home opener against Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. He had something similar [and] he just said, Listen, get advice from everybody and [youll] be good. Its good to reach out to people like that that have gone through it.Durant, then with Oklahoma City Thunder, suffered the injury to his right foot just before the start of the 2014-15 NBA season, but he required three surgeries in six months before he returned to full health.The Sixers hope that wont be the case with Simmons. Since the injury, there has been much speculation that Simmons may miss the entire season, and just last Friday at Sixers practice head coach Brett Brown intimated that Simmons would return in January - that would mark three months since the injury - but later backtracked on his statement.I was just getting excited about how soon he might be able to come back, Brown said. There is so much speculation and dates as a coach you sort of want to hear what you want to hear at a time. I did mention a January hopeful return. That is premature. [...] That is a coach doing a lot more wishing than receiving instruction. So we will play this out. Everything is on track with his rehabilitation.Simmons, too, maintained he has no return schedule yet. Ill come back when Im ready, he said.Theres no timetable to getting healthy. Im just working hard to get back and as soon as they tell me I can play, Ill get out there.Simmons absence from the Sixers lineup clouded an otherwise optimistic beginning to 2016-17 for a franchise that has struggled in recent years. Center Joel Embiid made his debut against the Thunder, and there is hope that a young core consisting of Simmons, Embiid, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor could blossom into a force in the Eastern Conference.Simmons feels the team can do well this season.I think we can still be good, he said.Obviously those guys, theyre losing a player, but theyre still players themselves. Theyve still got to go out there [and compete]. Weve got a young team, and I think we can do well.A best-case scenario for Simmons is a January return; in the meantime he is looking at the positive side of things, saying he will use his time on the sidelines to absorb how the NBA game is played and how he can adjust his game to the professional level.Its not the best start to my NBA career, but now Im looking at it as a positive, Simmons said.It gives me time to learn about the game; the systems; offence; defence. Its a good time for me to work on my shooting, plays, everything about the game, and work on [learning] the scouting reports.It gives me time to work on my body, flexibility. Theres a lot of things Im looking at as a positive.Given he wont be cleared to resume basketball activities for some time, Simmons is focused on rehab, and being around the team as much as possible. He says hes at the practice facility daily, and its important to him for his teammates to see him putting in the work coming back from the injury.Im still a part of the team. Im in there every day rehabbing; my teammates see me in there putting in the work and theyre doing the same. The only thing I can do is rehab, and thats what Im willing to do. Buy Adidas Basketball Shoes Online . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Latest Adidas Basketball Shoes . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. http://www.cheapnmdsneakersireland.com/ .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. 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Paul Farbrace, Englands assistant coach, believes Ben Duckett could slot into the middle order for the Test matches against Bangladesh following his impressive first international series.Duckett, the Northamptonshire left hander who made 2,706 runs across all formats in the 2016 English season, struck 60 on his ODI debut in Mirpur then, after a duck in the second match, compiled 63 in Englands successful chase to seal the series.Prior to the tour, it was billed as a contest between him and Haseeb Hameed, the 19-year-old Lancashire opener, as to who would open with Alastair Cook in the Test cricket. While that could still be the case - both players will have the two two-day matches in Chittagong with Cook back in England for the birth of his second child - there is also a potential vacancy lower down with Gary Ballance having made an unconvincing return against Pakistan.Its a bit of a shootout but they could end up both playing, Farbrace said. Theres no reason why Duckett couldnt bat in the middle order, there are places going. In terms of balance, here [Chittagong] you might want three spinners in the team, Dhaka only two. We have half an eye on the India series as well.Duckett was a brand new face around the squad when they flew out for the tour, so much so that he admitted having not met the coaching staff on the eve of the departure. After such a stellar season, which culminated in him winning a host of awards, he came with a big reputation but Farbrace said the ease with which he has slotted in has been surprising.ddddddddddddHe has come in, and settled so well - better than any of us could have expected, he said. Not many of us knew that much about him as a bloke or a player, other than what wed seen on TV and what wed been told by David Ripley. His calmness around the game has shown he has the temperament. He has shown it straight away.Another option for the middle order is to play Jos Buttler as a specialist batsman. During the English season it was a notion supported by Trevor Bayliss who was unperturbed by Buttlers lack of red-ball cricket: he has played one four-day game since being dropped from the Test side in the UAE last year.His batting stood out in the one-day series as he made 63 off 38 balls in the first match, followed by a run-a-ball 57 in the second and 25 in the third. Farbrace said that it was as though he was batting on different pitches but also hinted that he remained lower down in the pecking order and would require injury or illness to find a spot.If he can play that way in red-ball cricket, theres no reason he shouldnt be seen as a batter. Hes on this trip as the second keeper to start with, but…if youre here in the squad, youre a genuine chance of playing. Broken finger, wake up ill, youre off and running. Hes showed real maturity with the bat and looked high quality. ' ' '