Ben Simmons: What's Really Going On?

ChillyDawg

ChillyDawg

New Fish
After the 76ers were bounced from last season's NBA playoffs by Atlanta Doc Rivers & Joel Embiid threw Ben Simmons under the bus shortly afterwards he asked for a trade. Ben Simmons told the 76ers he wouldn't report for training camp but when they withheld an eight million dollar lump sum payment along with fining him for missed practices Simmons eventually showed up for training camp. Ben Simmons practiced half heartedly when he showed up to training camp as captured by videos taken of the practices. The 76ers stop fining Simmons upon arrival. Subsequently Simmons claimed to be suffering from mental issues as the 76ers failed to trade him after his appearance at training camp. 76ers team president Darly Morey has said in the media he will wait as long as four years to trade Simmons if he doesn't get back in return what he desires (a NBA all star caliber player, multiple first round draft picks) all the while Simmons trade value is at an all time low due to his current situation which is being exacerbated by Morey not trading him when he had the chance to get a good return. Also, the 76ers began fining Simmons once again after he failed to accompany the team on a road trip during the regular season. This is a no win situation for the Morey and Simmons. Morey should have traded Simmons before this situation got out of hand. Both will better off once this situation is resolved so both the team and the player can move forward instead of stagnating in no man's land.

SB Nation (Ben Simmons Trade Demand Timeline)https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2021/1...mons-timeline-trade-demand-philadelphia-76ers

The Sixers opened trade talks on July 13, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. If another team wanted Simmons, he wasn’t going to come cheap. Charania reported Philadelphia was seeking an All-Star player in return.

Philly’s offers were rejected around the league. The Raptors reportedly turned down an offer based around Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and the No. 4 overall pick. The Warriors reportedly rejected an offer from Philly for Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, the No. 7 and No. 14 overall picks, plus two additional future first rounders. The Spurs reportedly turned down a deal, too. League executives said Morey was making “totally outlandish offers.”

It was easy to speculate the Sixers were waiting for Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard to become available. Only one problem: neither player hit the trade during the offseason despite plenty of rumors.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1406813534151970821
Joel Embiid Blames Ben Simmons For Game 7 Loss
Ben Simmons Top 25 Plays Of Career
 
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Sporting News (click for full article)https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba...-2021-nba-playoffs/1a36rqljosdvt1lxnlg0s68s2e

June 20, 2021. It's a date that 76ers fans won't soon forget.

Late in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals, Sixers star Ben Simmons had the ball in the post against Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari. Simmons backed Gallinari down toward the block, spun away from him toward the baseline and found himself standing right in front of the rim. With only Trae Young (6-1, 164 pounds) in Simmons' (6-11, 240 pounds) general vicinity, it appeared that Simmons had an easy two points — and perhaps an and-one opportunity if Young swiped at the ball.

And then...

Yikes. Simmons threw a surprising pass to Matisse Thybulle, who got fouled and ended up making one of two free throws. Instead of tying the game with less than four minutes to go in regulation, Philadelphia trotted back on defense down by one. Atlanta never lost the lead after that possession, ultimately winning by a final score of 103-96 and advancing to the Eastern Conference finals.

"I mean, I'll be honest," Embiid said after the loss. "I thought the turning point was when we — I don't know how to say it — but I thought the turning point was just we had an open shot, and we made one free throw. And we missed the other, and then they came down and scored."
https://twitter.com/rich_hofmann/status/1466992034875596801
Embiid was referring to Simmons and Tobias Harris both missing the rematch versus Atlanta. Simmons was out due to what the team is calling “personal reasons” as his side claims he is mentally ill. Harris sat out with the flu after battling a hip injury and COVID-19 in recent weeks.

To be clear: Embiid’s issue is with Simmons, not Harris. The big man’s math was slightly off, too. The $400 million he referenced was in regard to the combined contracts of Simmons ($170 million) and Harris ($180 million).
 
Bleacher Reporthttps://bleacherreport.com/articles...cans-discussed-deal-involving-1st-round-picks

ESPN (click for full article)https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...major-happenings-philadelphia-76ers-star-2021

Ben Simmons timeline: All of the major happenings with the Philadelphia 76ers star in 2021[/i]

It was almost 11 months ago that the Brooklyn Nets completed a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets for James Harden -- which, as a result, meant All-Star guard Ben Simmons would remain with the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I mean, this is a business," Simmons said then. "Things like that happen. Only thing I can control is, you know, how I approach my workouts, the games and my day-to-day thing. So, you know, I'm just trying to be professional and to do the right thing and help my team get wins."

That quote came after a Sixers game in Philadelphia against the Miami Heat on Jan. 14. The Heat returned to Philadelphia on Wednesday -- but this time, Simmons wasn't playing. Instead, he has turned the tables on the 76ers, first asking to be traded in the offseason and then spending the past two-plus months engaged in a contentious holdout to attempt to make that request a reality as soon as possible.

The year 2021 has been a chaotic one around the 76ers -- not that that's anything new for this team in recent seasons. But to see how things reached the point they have today between Simmons and the 76ers, one doesn't need to go back to the Harden negotiations, but instead to this past spring -- and yet another failed Philadelphia playoff run.
Jalen Rose and David Jacoby discuss Ben Simmons trade rumors, with Jalen suggesting that Daryl Morey hold onto Simmons and wait for James Harden.[/i]

Simmons tells 76ers he's not mentally ready to play[/b]

Simmons had planned to meet with medical professionals for an evaluation after telling the team on Oct. 22 that he wasn't mentally ready to play to his expectations and needs time to step away, sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Simmons meets separately with Rivers, medical staff and teammates at the team's facility in Camden, New Jersey, and starts a process that is expected to keep him from making his season debut, according to sources. After he tells the team's medical staff of his reasons for needing to seek help, the Sixers reportedly offer Simmons whatever resources are necessary to assist him. He is officially ruled out of Friday's game with Brooklyn for personal reasons.

The Sixers have been fining Simmons for missing games, practices and meetings -- nearing $2 million this season -- but there is a provision in the collective bargaining agreement that protects players' salaries for failing to render services "if such failure has been caused by the player's mental disability."

Oct. 23: In the wake of Simmons addressing his teammates in person for the first time since his holdout, Harris gives an impassioned defense of Simmons after Philadelphia's 114-109 loss to the Nets on Oct. 22. "At this time we have to respect his privacy, his space, and we've got to be there for him, with what he's going through and this process," Harris says. "It's easy to look at something on the surface and come to assumptions on a lot of things, especially athletes. ... So at this time he needs more support. I just think we have to be there for him as a team, and I relayed that to the group."

Nov. 2: The 76ers have been increasingly frustrated with Simmons' refusal to accept organizational assistance to address his mental readiness to play, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Simmons has been working with team doctors to treat a back ailment. But, he has been working with mental health professionals via the National Basketball Players Association since the summer.

Nov. 5: The 76ers fine Simmons his $360,000 game salary for missing the victory over the Pistons on Nov. 4, and plan to continue fining him until he cooperates with team physicians on his mental health and fulfills other basketball-related obligations, sources tell ESPN.

Nov. 8: After initial resistance, Simmons meets with a team-recommended medical specialist to discuss his mental health, sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Simmons meets with the 76ers' medical specialist after regularly showing up to the team's facility for daily basketball activity with coaches and individual teammates.
 
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