Sixers head coach Doc Rivers appeared on a pair of ESPN shows on Wednesday to address the Ben Simmons situation, expressing on both ‘Keyshawn, JWill, and Max’ and ‘First Take’ that he wants to see the 25-year-old return to Philadelphia for the coming season.
Simmons is reportedly adamantly opposed to the idea of reporting to training camp or playing another game for the 76ers, but Rivers said in his first ESPN appearance on Monday morning that he hopes he and the team can “change that thought.” He later explicitly stated during his First Take appearance that he’d “love” to see Simmons returns to the club, adding that the team hired a shooting coach to help him improve that aspect of his game.
“There’s been so many times this has happened (in sports) that hasn’t been reported…and the guy comes back,” Rivers said, per Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. “So listen, we’re going to go through it. We’re gonna always do what’s best for the team, but I can tell you up front, we would love to get Ben back, and if we can, we’re gonna try to do that. Ben has a long contract, so it’s in our hands and we want him back.”
Rivers confirmed reports that Simmons told team leaders – including Rivers, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, and club owner Josh Harris – in a meeting last month that he wanted to be traded. According to Rivers, it was a “good conversation” and Simmons provided reasons why he didn’t want to return, but the Sixers “obviously didn’t agree” with his arguments.
One of the most interesting aspect of Rivers’ media appearances today was his insistence that his comments about Simmons following Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals were misrepresented by the media. Asked at that time whether he believed Simmons could be the point guard for a championship team, Rivers replied, “I don’t know that question or the answer to that right now. You know, so I don’t know the answer to that.” Today, he attempted to reframe that response.
“My answer was, ‘I’m not answering any of that stuff right now, guys, I don’t even know how to answer that,'” Rivers told Stephen A. Smith on First Take. “… I was basically just saying, ‘I’m not answering that crap, those questions.’ It was being portrayed that I was out there saying, ‘I don’t think we can win with Ben,’ and I do. I told Ben that the next day. What really disappointed me was the next day I went on and said, ‘Guys, y’all knew exactly what I was talking about,’ and no one heard it. They just kept running their narrative.”
While Rivers insisted today on ESPN that Simmons and agent Rich Paul know what he meant, a report earlier this month suggested that Simmons’ camp wasn’t thrilled with Rivers’ comments, so it’s unclear if everyone is on the same page.
Assuming Rivers’ efforts to get Simmons to camp are unsuccessful, this situation will start to get especially interesting next week, when players are scheduled to report to training camps. As Bobby Marks of ESPN explains in an Instagram video, the 76ers would likely be comfortable assessing Simmons a series of small fines if he misses media day (on Monday) and the team’s first few practices. After that though, the financial decisions become more complicated.
Simmons is owed 25% of his $33MM salary for 2021/22 on October 1, and Marks suggests that withholding that payment would be an option for the Sixers if they don’t expect to mend fences with Simmons and are willing to enter an arbitration battle. Suspending Simmons would be another option — in that scenario, he’d lose 1/145th of his salary (about $228K) per game for the first 20 games he misses, then 1/110th of his salary per game after that.
It’s odd how the media almost seems to be ignoring the whole Simmons’ situation.
It’s odd your obsession with Houston and making up horrible trade ideas for everyone that would be on the other end of a trade with them.
You mean you don’t think Ben Simmons plus four 1sts for John Wall is a fair deal??
It’s odd you think he is obsessed and not just a good troll.
Or a good robot, seeing everything from a Houston angle without apparent self-awareness. Unfortuntely this seems to require being anti-Cali.
Almost as odd as you constantly badmouthing GWP and contributing very little else. I mean, do you just sit around and wait for him to post so you can have something to do?
Daryl Moron needs to gtfo of the NBA.
Please stop
His original words were very clear. Doc is gaslighting. Poorly at that.
Doc Rivers is so out of his depth.
Mediocre coach at best.
He did throw Ben under the bus, Ben has weaknesses in his game, Morey screwed the pooch. That’s all there is to it.
Yup. That’s an awfully weak attempt by Doc to pull his words back … and three months late too. Thing is, everyone (both Sixers and Simmons) knows that the Sixers want to trade him. They just want him to return, play well, and increase his value. Simmons actually has the opposite incentive. Sixers, like all NBA team, understand this is a players’ (specifically, star’s) league, and if they screw Ben they’ll never get another star player to consider Philly again.
The last thing Philly wants is him to show up for camp, imo. That would just increase his leverage. He can not only mail it in if he wants (there’s no contractual penalty for perceived lack of effort), but also influence the younger players against the coach, management, and on and on. They need to get what they can, now, or else just let him sit all season long until they realize they’re only penalizing themselves by being stubborn. The league is run by its stars. You can’t fight uphill against that, and you get burned for trying.
@seamaholic
This won’t deter ANY nba free agent to go to Philly as long as the money is right and the roster is solid. Most professionals understand that Simmons is extremely flawed and seemingly doesn’t care to put the work in. If you’re a capable star player that’s not going to be your concern and Doc’s reputation as a player’s coach is strong enough to withstand this situation.
Man get off your high horse, please!
Can you quote/give solid proof that “Most professionals understand that Simmons is extremely flawed & seemingly doesn’t care to put the work in”?
I know you can’t, as this is just you spewing your hate for one of the top 20 players in the league, that for some odd reason you just dislike & love to hate on!
My advice get a life & leave Simmons alone!
This situation gets more laughable by the day.
They already passed laughable some time ago, and now it has become ludicrous. Whatever comes after that can’t be good.
Anybody else not blaming Ben for acting the way he is? Coach & best player on the team threw him under the bus. Now they want an arm & a leg for him. Morey should have traded him for harden last season, oh well.
I’m blaming him for acting like a child instead of being a man and working on the poor aspects of your game like a professional should do. Use them calling you out as inspiration, don’t tuck your tail between your legs and ask to leave. This city isn’t easy to play in, for any sport, but that sure as s**t isn’t the way to handle it. Be a man, work hard to do better at your job.
Thug has it right. He is acting like a child being unwilling to take criticism and listen to anyone. When people who are world class shooting coaches or shooters emphatically tell you that you need to switch shooting hands and you’re Ben Simmons who can’t consistently hit a shot and your response is “I’m good” you have a major attitude problem.
I’m pretty sure he works on his game(They’re videos on the internet). F*** philly and there fans he doesn’t owe them jack. If he goes back and does well they will trade him to any team willing to give them the best players/assets. The sixers need him more than he needs them and he is doing the right thing by sitting out.
Real. Yeah of him shooting 3s in an empty gym. Same tiresome BS for the last 5 years. And you have the audacity to say F Philly and their fans? You don’t know anything about the city or the fansWe cheered this dude for 5 years and wanted him to get better and he didn’t have the stones to play aggressive when his team needed him the most. Instead he buckled like a belt and was scared to death. WE don’t owe him jack. He needs the sixers WAY more than they need him. You want to bitch and complain about the pressure yet want to take your ball and go home? Have fun sitting on your ass while your game wilts like a prune and dries up like dirt.
If you’re a grown ass man and you blame others for your shortcomings, then you’ve got way more important things to worry about then a game
Where tf do you want him to shoot at ? An outdoor court in Chicago?? How will his game wilt like a prune if he is still working out ? He’s an actually in a better situation than player who is injured. I don’t recall him ever blaming anybody(my mistake if I’m wrong) he just wants to go somewhere where he can play his game and not be thrown under the bus by his own coach & teammates.
Where tf do I want him to shoot at?
Well an actual GAME for starters would be nice :-)
So you mean to tell me he wants to go somewhere where he won’t get thrown under the bus by his coach and teammates?
Hey Ben, sorry they hurt your feelings because you decided not to show up and got called out for it. Do I agree with the comments by Doc and co? Maybe not, but I don’t support a dude who wants to take his ball and go home instead of being better and proving everyone wrong.
Working out is all fine and dandy but the body needs game shape. You wont take the punishment and the wear and tear in a gym
It’s a little of both. You don’t throw your own employees under the bus if you want them to still be your employees. But Ben Simmons has had plenty of time and chances to step it up and actually work on his game so I agree with Philliesfan215 that both sides look pretty bad here.
The amount of people that don’t know Morey thought he was going to trade Ben for Harden is mind boggling.
Also, I don’t blame Ben for being upset by the comments, I blame him for being an egotistical guy who is unwilling to work on his profession in order to improve. There is plenty of blame to go around on both sides.
The most important thing doc said was 4 more years on his contract. Simmons can’t run and hide from the fact he is bound to the Sixers and after pouting will report.
I disagree. This is quickly becoming, with the help of the media, podcasts, comment sections, etc, an all-out circus for Philly.
And this isn’t a team that’s just treading water with nothing better to do. Ostensibly this is a team with an MVP-talent in his prime, trying to win a championship.
Simmons and his camp are doing a good job at pushing him out the door, IMO, whether or not we agree with their methods.
Exactly. This team had the best record in the East last year and Embiid has an extensive injury history. Their window may potentially be only a few years long. There’s immense pressure on the front office, particularly after all of those years of awful basketball.
I have a simple solution to the situation, if they really want him back, offer him a addendum to his contract, a no trade clause. Then he’s sure he’s there for the next 4 years and Philly is committed to him.
@sdbaseball
then what incentive would Ben have to improve?
Why does he have to improve?
How many under 25’s in the history of the league are All-Star, All-NBA & All-Defensive???
I mean he is one of the best already, yes he will get better, but is not like he must get better, he is having a great career!
he is not good . More jerseys should be burnt in philly
There’s a reason he said what he said and didn’t say, “I’m not answering that question.” It’s because he was being honest and realized he was putting his foot in his mouth. It was the “narrative” though… K.
Why Philly would allow Doc to make these comments is beyond me. If I’m Philadelphia the LESS attention the better when it comes to Ben Simmons.
There’s already a dearth of topics to talk about, NBA wise, which is exacerbating the situation. Having your head coach reply to his bone-headed comments from three months ago with more bone-headed comments is only making the situation less tenable than it already is.
I mean, I don’t know maybe I am wrong, but I don’t think Philly knows what Doc is going to say at any given point and time.
Doc Rivers is a joke. He has to say he wants Simmonds back. They have no legs to stand on now in a trade. Ha ha ha. Simmonds for all the Raptors starting team when Lowry was here was a joke. Who is laughing now Morey!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!
I must’ve been a terrible person in a former life since I was born and bred to be a Philly fan in this one.
Usually you wanna do damage control… you know… right after the damage. But it’s nice of Doc to clarify stuff 99 days later I guess.
Rivers was increasingly coming under attack by, for instance, me, but also many others. Check out the last Simmons column comment section on HR; there is more Rivers content than previously. Rivers does not want to be drawn into the Simmons-Morey fiasco. It is already an “incident” on his personal record, whether he is right, wrong or not really very involved.
I’m not surprised he is trying to nip it in the bud, even 99 days later, as circumstances have revived those days.
I think Rivers’ comments were legit and even a bit soft considering Simmons was in a sense sabotaging. Rivers’ fault was in alternating PGs by quarter. However I’m the only outsider even noticing he did that and so I could be wrong.
I can’t wait for him to get traded and then return to Philly with his new team. That will be must see TV!
The return of Simmons
Is just what
The DOC ordered !!
Morey should have either kept his China comments to himself or arrived at the same time the Lakers did to answer for his tweets. Doc never should have covered our banners. Karma is a b$tch. They deserve each other
LOL
I just want to see more simmons jerseys on fire!
Rivers threw Simmons under the bus not because he wanted to motivate Simmoms and make him a better player, but to cover his own butt for doing a terrible coaching job in postseason. Rivers is lazy and lacks character and integrity.