It’s not a secret that Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t end their relationship on good terms. But, as questionable as Simmons’ actions and attitude were, Doc Rivers didn’t exactly have his back over the process.
Rivers and Joel Embiid threw Simmons under the bus after his meltdown in the playoffs vs. the Atlanta Hawks. And, while he was partly to blame for the team’s shortcomings, that’s just something you’re not supposed to do.
Unsurprisingly, even Simmons recently admitted that Rivers’ words had a lot to do with his desire to leave the organization. But, when asked about that, Rivers simply couldn’t care less about the situation.
NBA News: Doc Rivers Doesn’t Care About Ben Simmons Anymore
“I really didn’t watch him (Ben Simmons), I was watching our guys,” Rivers told NBA Today. “Having said that, Now listen, I wanted him to do well but he’s no longer a Sixer, so I’ve completely moved on from it.”
This isn’t the first time that Rivers dicusses the Ben Simmons saga. And while he did his best to try and stay out of the controversy, he did acknowledge he may not have been assertive enough when he delivered that message:
“It’s all posturing. That’s why you haven’t heard me – I don’t get involved in all that stuff. I’ll leave that up to the front office and Ben’s camp. I’m staying out of that part,” Rivers said in February.”But, listen, some of this stuff I laugh at and I feel bad. I think Ben’s a good kid. I want Ben to do well. We need people to tell us the truth. Unfortunately as a coach in the NBA, I have to do it a lot. I’ve accepted it as a coach over the years. Some handle it well (and) some don’t. Sometimes I don’t deliver it well, even though I try. I’m not perfect, either.”
“At the end of the day, everything I try to do is about winning,” Rivers added.”The people who can handle that, can handle me very well. The people that can’t, probably don’t handle me well. And I don’t lose an ounce of sleep over it.”
Notably, this divorce might be the best thing to ever happen to both parties. Simmons now gets a fresh start somewhere he feels appreciated, and the Sixers have a fully motivated James Harden, so it was a win-win.
