PHILADELPHIA, PA — The day before tipping off down in New Orleans, Philadelphia 76ers point guard, Ben Simmons was reportedly thrown out of practice and suspended for one game for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
According to Coach Doc Rivers asked to join a defensive drill at practice and the point guard refused. Rivers asked again and Simmons said “NO”! River told Simmons to go home and the 25-year-old left.
Thanks to such a contentious and completely unsalvageable relationship between the former top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of LSU, is it time for both the Sixers and Simmons to part ways? According to ESPN sources, The Sixers have fined Ben Simmons $1.4M for his absent from four preseason games and numerous team fines for missing practice, on-court workouts and meetings.
Simmons has made no money since his return to the team. Since scoring five points in a Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the East semifinals and being heavily criticized by teammate in center Joel Embiid and head coach Doc Rivers.
In addition to his potential trade stock dropping, his current salary was not paid by the Sixers on Oct. 1, with a part of his salary being put into escrow. Now, in the present, it is looking like a nasty divorce coming in The City of Brotherly Love.
It’s clear that the Sixers need team players, and obviously Simmons doesn’t want to comply with team rules. Could trading Simmons be the answer? At this point, the Sixers may either have to drop their demands in a trade, as the more Simmons doesn’t play, they lose leverage, or pay him to stay away.
Simmons deserves some blame for his actions, inability to shoot a simple jumper and blatant selfishness, but the Sixers also deserve some blame in enabling his attitude in paying him $147 million over four years, to which they are on the hook for $30-plus million this season.
Ultimately, Philadelphia will have to eat the bullet and take the L in giving him what he wants, and cut their losses before it’s too late.
This article also appears over at our sister blog, The Spectator here.