3 things that must happen for the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons to mend their relationship
The Ben Simmons saga continues. Frustration abounds and enough to make someone's grandmother cuss. As the Philadelphia 76ers Turn added another dramatic episode today as Ben Simmons was kicked out of practice by Doc Rivers and subsequently suspended 1 game for conduct detrimental to the team. Man, this is something. I have to ask if the collective sanity of all within the Philadelphia 76ers walls is intact at this point. The last time Philadelphia had such a talented athlete be this dramatic in not playing was Terrell Owens of the Philadelphia Eagles. TO was so good that there was always hope that he would return and maybe help Eagles QB finally win a Super Bowl. How does this get fixed?
A little backdrop
I've talked to Ben Simmons dozens of times since his rookie season where the optimism for his game was off the stratosphere. Covering the team off and on over the last decade, the arena was never consistently sold out until Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons came into town. I was shocked walking into a sold-out arena for an Indiana Pacers game on a Tuesday. That rarely happened when Allen Iverson did his thing in Philly. This night, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were the draw. The anticipation after both sat out years with injuries to start their careers was something that made fans very anxious.
The development of chemistry, athleticism, skill and star power were evident in both, and many wondered if Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were the most talented duo as each early on made all-star teams and were named on various postseason teams documenting the season for time. The Philadelphia 76ers were onto something. "Eureka! The process worked!" Fans shouted "Trust the process! Trust the process!" at times during every game because the future was just so bright.
So what happened?
Something happened last season that changed that bright to dark, and I'm not speaking of the dunk not dunked. We'll never know what is going on with Ben Simmons until Ben Simmons speaks. His eyes look dead; dead in a weary sense. Is this all about not wanting to face the fans? That's what it seems to be. If Ben Simmons purposefully gets himself expelled from practice simply because of media availability, he must know he is only prolonging the inevitable. All the hard questions will be asked of Ben Simmons. Did Ben Simmons get kicked out of practice because he didn't want to address the media? A media that was told Sunday by the team that Ben Simmons would have media availability yesterday after the practice he was thrown out o? His temperament doesn't seem to allow for the media pellets coming his way, and again the question of mental health will be broached. Unfortunately, sports isn't at a time where it cares...
That said, let's take a look at three things that must happen for the Sixers and Ben Simmons to mend their broken relationship.
Ben Simmons doesn’t participate in the huddle with the team after practice and quickly leaves the floor
(h/t @JamieApody)
https://t.co/AY3VGYsh8b
#3 Ben Simmons and Rich Paul have to have a transparent sit down with the team
This may have happened, yet everything has to be articulated between each side with real honesty. The ridiculousness of all this is beyond appalling, and the Philadelphia 76ers are also accountable for not trading Ben Simmons at this point if this is beyond repair as it appears to be.
Shams mentioned how Ben Simmons was not responding to anyone at practice today before he was told to go home. 😬
https://t.co/hypTljCCJP
#2 Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons go into a room and don't come out until resolution
It's funny in a sense, yet not really, to see Joel Embiid's range of emotions throughout all this. Joel Embiid really wanted to play with Ben Simmons. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were tethered to each other. They share a common bond of having to sit out seasons to complete a dream of playing in the NBA. It's disappointing to see how this is playing out. It would make sense by now to have Joel Embiid reach out to Ben Simmons multiple times to figure this all out. What I see now is the resolution on Joel Embiid's face. So I jest with the subheading, because the thought of such is as realistic as Ben Simmons grabbing a mic and speaking to the media this very second.
#1 Elton Brand and Daryl Morey wave a wand to go back in time
It's extremely troublesome to witness such dysfunction in a city that hasn't won an NBA title in 38 years. If Daryl Morey and Elton Brand could go back in time and somehow modify Philadelphia's climate to the sunny vibe of Los Angeles, California, then maybe Ben Simmons would have no problems playing here in Philly. I'm trying to keep it together here people. This is so laughable and also fraught with angry tissues for collective Philly faces anticipating a championship not soon to come. What we are also seeing is the unmasking of a young athlete looking to publicly find his way as the public drags him all over social media in the most vitriolic ways. Team, what team? Ben Simmons needs a therapy session, and for this to be mended in the positive, only divine intervention could make that possible.
Also Read: What is Simmons’ Current Contract?