The ongoing feud between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers seems to be getting worse with each passing day.
This is where things stand currently: Simmons is threatening to go to extreme measures to ensure a trade occurs; Philly has rejected two teams’ proposals for the 25-year-old and is prepared to wait as long as it takes to get the right deal; and Simmons is currently at war with fellow star Joel Embiid.
Part of the problem, from an outsider’s perspective at least, appears to be a lack of understanding from both sides regarding the other’s position. In the case of the Sixers, specifically, it genuinely seems like they don’t understand that Simmons was deeply hurt and betrayed by how the organization threw him under the bus after this year’s playoffs.
During a recent appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic this past week, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer dropped an interesting nugget.
According to him, after everything that transpired, Simmons was very miffed by the fact that head coach Doc Rivers never apologized to him for essentially throwing him under the bus after the Atlanta Hawks loss.
“There are teams that are interested in Ben Simmons, they just don’t want to pay the steep price,” Pompey said. “Ben Simmons knows that, so they are saying why should we help the 76ers out when they feel like when Doc Rivers said what he said, nobody apologized, and Doc was never reprimanded.”
Brittany Matthews responds to the idea that she does nothing all day. https://t.co/bq6ZPXT2Zo
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 6, 2021
You will recall, when Rivers was asked about whether Simmons could play point for a championship-level team after that Hawks series, his reply was: “I don’t know the answer to that right now.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
At this juncture, it feels like things have crossed the point of no return. Reconciliation seems unlikely. In recent days, a dark horse candidate emerged for Simmons’ services. If that deal can get done, everyone will walk away happy. If it can’t – this entire mess has the capacity to get much, much uglier.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
