Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers speaks out publicly on ESPN to say that the organization wants Ben Simmons to stay.
What will be the next team that Ben Simmons plays for? Will he stay with the Philadelphia 76ers? Doc Rivers appeared on ESPN Wednesday morning to make it known that the Sixers want Simmons to stay. It’s up to Simmons if he wants to show up to participate or not, but if he doesn’t he’s in danger of being fined.
With training camp beginning in Philadelphia next week and Ben saying that he isn’t going to be there, there seems to be a lot that has to happen for Rivers to get his wish of having Simmons back on the court.
Doc Rivers says that the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t giving up on Ben Simmons
In an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Doc Rivers made it clear that him nor the Philadelphia 76ers want to move on from Ben.
Doc Rivers is on First Take on ESPN. Couple of takeaways:
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) September 22, 2021
-PHI isn't giving up on Ben Simmons
-Rivers confirmed Simmons has told 76ers leadership that he wants out
-Rivers says "We would love to get Ben back...We want him back."
-His post-G7 remarks on Simmons were misrepresented
Simmons seems to be maintaining a solid position on his end of the holdout, but he may very well be in New Orleans on Oct. 20 when the Sixers take on the Pelicans for their first regular season game.
More from Doc Rivers:
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) September 22, 2021
-Simmons' biggest issue is free throw shooting. PHI hired a FT and a shooting coach to help
-When asked how much pressure he feels to get things right with Simmons, Rivers said "Umm...let's say I slept well last night. We have a chance to get back at it."
Nonetheless, Rivers appears to be in high spirits about Ben stepping back onto the court at Wells Fargo Center for Philadelphia. Rivers seems to feel a lot different now than he did following the Sixers Game 7 loss in the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks.
Doc Rivers says “I don’t know the answer to that question right now” when asked if Ben Simmons can be a PG on a championship-winning team #Sixers
— Justin Grasso (@JGrasso_) June 21, 2021
If all that Simmons wanted was to hear his coach talk highly about him on national television, he got it. It seems like he needs something more than just having his ego stroked, though.