Doc Rivers, Sixers Trying to Save Face in Ben Simmons Saga
By Peter Dewey
Ben Simmons reportedly never plans to play for the Philadelphia 76ers again, but that didn’t stop Sixers head coach Doc Rivers from trying to make amends.
ESPN Sources: Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons will not report for opening of training camp next week and intends to never play another game for the franchise. Simmons hasn’t spoken to team since a late August meeting when he communicated this message to Sixers officials.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 21, 2021
Rivers sat Simmons in the fourth quarter of several playoff games last season because of the All-Star’s refusal to look to score on the offensive end, and superstar Joel Embiid was quick to throw Simmons under the bus after the team lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the second round last season.
After Game 7, Joel Embiid made a not-so-subtle reference to a late fourth quarter possession when Ben Simmons passed up an open look at the rim. ? pic.twitter.com/lRLUb2gNaO
— theScore (@theScore) June 21, 2021
Rivers also said after the team’s Game 7 loss that he wasn’t sure if Simmons was the point guard of the future or could be the point guard on a championship Sixers team.
Rivers went on ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday to offer an olive branch to Simmons, but there’s little chance that it will actually change things after the organization mulled shopping him all offseason.
Doc Rivers on Ben Simmons informing the 76ers that he wants to be traded;
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 22, 2021
"I can tell you up front, we would love to get Ben back. And if we can, we're going to try to do that. pic.twitter.com/JeWoIE3W7U
"We're not going to give up on that," Rivers said of Simmons. "You know how I feel about Ben. I've always defended him, I just love how he plays, I love a lot of the things that he does for our team. Unfortunately, we focus so much on his offense and we don't focus on a lot of other things he does. Ben's been under a lot of pressure in Philadelphia, we know that. Having said that, we were one game away from the Eastern Finals last year. No one picked us to be where we were at. And so I look at last year as the first step, not the last step...we have to go through all of this to get him back, there's no doubt about that.
"There's been so many times this has happened [in sports] that hasn't been reported and the guy comes back. So listen, we're going to go through it. We're gonna always do what's best for the team, but I can tell you up front, we would love to get Ben back, and if we can, we're gonna try to do that. Ben has a long contract, so it's in our hands and we want him back."
No matter what Rivers says now, it’s clear that the damage in the relationship has turned Simmons away from playing for the franchise. The problem is Philadelphia doesn’t want to sell low on the former No. 1 overall pick.
Philly was the No. 1 seed in the East in the 2020-21 season, but it’s hard to see the Sixers getting back to that spot if Simmons isn’t in the lineup, unless they are able to trade him for a significant return.
However, Philadelphia hasn’t found a deal that it deems worthy to move Simmons, but it’s hard to see his value increasing given his recent play and the demands he has placed on the Sixers.
WynnBET Sportsbook currently has the Sixers’ odds to win the NBA championship in the 2021-22 season at +1800 which is good for seventh.
Maybe Philly ends up getting the return it desires on Simmons, but this situation is about as messy as it gets with training camp just around the corner.
Can the Sixers win the title without Ben Simmons? What about with him? Make your pick at WynnBET.