The Ben Simmons – Philadelphia 76ers saga has taken another turn again as the renegade player, his coach Doc Rivers, and his teammates including Joel Embiid held a meeting to discuss if the player will get back on the court anytime soon. Ben Simmons has been the topic of trade talks since the offseason and the situation has become progressively worse.
Simmons was reported to have said that Embiid “got in his way”, while Rivers threw him out of practice after a video revealed that during a team huddle Simmons just walked off the practice court ignoring his teammates. All of this coincides with Simmons putting his $5 million New Jersey residence up for sale in a clear move that he intends to leave Philadelphia.
Now all parties met after practice today to discuss Simmons future with the team, this is what occurred between Ben Simmons and his Sixers teammates and what the fall out is and what the Sixers have known for months.
Ben Simmons meets with Sixers and Doc Rivers
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
According to The Athletic, Simmons told his teammates that he is not ready to play yet and needs more time to become mentally prepared for the season. While many may interpret this as yet another hold out, Shams Charania reports that is not the case as Simmons wants to get out on to the court as soon as possible.
During the meeting it is reported that Embiid flat-out asked Simmons, “why do you want to be traded?”, Simmons responded that “mentally he is not feeling like himself right now and needs to take some time away.” It is reported that no one on the team responded back except Tobias Harris who stated that if Simmons needs time, then he should take it and come back when he needs to.
The Sixers will be back on the court against the Brooklyn Nets tonight and it is reported Simmons will seek professional help. It is also reported that the Sixers organization has known for months about Simmons growing mental issues and that the player could not return to the team under present circumstances.
