Now a member of the Nets, Ben Simmons is expected to file a formal grievance against the Sixers at some point in the near future, league sources tell Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. The goal will be to recoup some or all of the $20MM+ that Simmons lost in team fines during his season-long holdout in Philadelphia.
As Neubeck explains, the Sixers fined Simmons for each game he missed (costing him about $360K per game) because he didn’t meet with team doctors to discuss the mental health issues he cited as the reason for his absence and because the club never received documentation providing an explanation for his absence or details on his treatment plan. Neubeck’s sources likened the situation to a player suffering a physical injury and only consulting with an outside specialist, without keeping his team in the loop.
Neubeck suggests the reception Simmons gets in Philadelphia on Thursday when he sits on the Nets’ bench may play a part in his grievance — his camp will likely point to the vitriol he receives on Thursday as evidence for why he wasn’t mentally prepared to suit up again for the Sixers, according to Neubeck. Still, based on his conversations with league sources and people familiar with the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Neubeck says the 76ers appear to be in a “much stronger position” in a potential arbitration case.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- LaMarcus Aldridge, who had already been ruled out for Tuesday’s game in Charlotte due to a right hip impingement, returned to Brooklyn to undergo an MRI, head coach Steve Nash said today. As Brian Lewis of The New York Post tweets, Nash said the results of that MRI were mostly good, but Aldridge won’t rejoin the team on its current road trip, so he’ll miss Thursday’s game in Philadelphia too.
- Speaking to reporters following the Nets’ loss to the Celtics on Sunday, point guard Kyrie Irving likened the Boston faithful who booed him every time he touched the ball to a “scorned girlfriend,” as Adam Zagoria of NJ.com writes. Irving also said that he feels like New York City mayor Eric Adams is “on my side,” though the private sector vaccine mandate that prevents Kyrie from playing in New York remains in place for now.
- In a conversation with Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, Nets general manager Sean Marks admitted that it was frustrating to never really see the Nets’ Big Three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Irving together and healthy for an extended period, but said he’s excited to see what the new-look core looks like when everyone is available.
- As part of his NBA 40 Under 40 series, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic profiles Nets assistant GM Jeff Peterson, whom Marks refers to as a “great sounding board.” Peterson has played a key role in the Nets’ college scouting department and had a hand in the selections of Cam Thomas and Kessler Edwards last year, per Vorkunov.
“I made a BS excuse and lost money and now I want YOU to pay for it.”
” . . . a BS excuse . . . ” lol, a Ben Simmons excuse
Excused absences must be accompanied with a doctor’s note…Page 7 of the High School Student Handbook.
If I told the company I worked for I needed mental help before I came back to work they would give me a 5 week paid leave of absence plus my vacation time and any PTO I may have acquired then my insurance company would pay me for up to a year at a .75 percent rate on my therapists word. I certainly wouldn’t have to go to a company doctor.
A bit silly, but understandable on social media….
You would have to document to them your need for mental health consultation. Furthermore, no company / health care plan would pay mental health benefits just because an employee said they needed it. If that were true, a good percentage of America would be going to see a mental health professional periodically and spend the rest of the time doing whatever they felt like while collecting 75% of their salary.
As for giving you “a 5 week paid leave of absence plus my vacation time and any PTO I may have acquired” – I’d suggest you and your co-workers claim mental health stress from your superiors that expect you to do your job, and fly down to the Bahamas in the middle of the winter where you can stop off once or twice a week to see a mental health counselor down there, then come back to your job and sue your company.
This is better that printing money!
As for Mr. Simmons case…..
I’d love to be a spectator in court when the defense asks Mr. Simmons why it was that the day he was traded to another team he suddenly felt healthy enough mentally to begin working out and getting ready to play.
This is like the old story about the kid that killed his parents and threw himself on the mercy of the court because he’s now an orphan.
Bit of a joke people are still blaming Simmons. 76ers FO made it public they knew he was having issues before the PO last year.
He was training while still in Philly, just not with the team, with fair reason. The guy has mental health issues. If it was just a game to push a trade he’d already be playing. It took Kyrie a lot less time to “get up to fitness” he’s fit physically. I’ll be watching the game to see how he reacts, because apparently he’ll be on the bench to support Brooklyn.
Coming from someone who’s wife has mental health issues, It looks to me he felt Philly FO/coaching/ team etc were factors in his breakdown. which is why he hid from the team and trained alone. I doubt it’s just the money he’s filing grievance for. If it’s all true, he’s holding them accountable for not supporting a person going through mental crisis.
From my POV if it’s true, phillys FO and staff need to be held accountable. If it’s not true and he’s playing a game(which all signs say it’s true) He will be hung by his own stupidity.
Sounds like Samuel consulted his “friends who are mental health professionals” about Simmons, and was disappointed in what he heard back. Now he can just pace and grumble and recall unrelated adages and imagine what-if-Sam-was-right expressions.
Don’t worry folks he has me blocked.
BTW Simmons is not ready to go. That may not happen, all the Nets players at one time raring to go. Oddsmakers still like them.
Lol. Good luck nets with Ben Simmons. He is so SOFT
Softer than an anonymous commenter on the internet talking about him behind his back? Hmm…
Nope, not that soft.
What is he supposed to do? Track Ben Simmons down and deliver this comment to him personally?? Out of all your dumb comments, this is the dumbest. Setting new bars everyday my friend.
For someone who thinks he is so smart, you really have a hard time figuring out when you’re getting toyed with.
He is a little soft ….. Bklyn will toughen him up. Imo he and KD could make one of best mixes ever. Certainly for Nets. Their gms complement each other perfectly. Chemistry wise he’s a better fit than Harden. Just forget playing PG.
Who are you talking to? Simmons prefers playing PG.
(sigh)…. that @KnickerbockerAl.
Randle got a message for you. And all the incompetent haters.. it’s amazing how uninformed the gang of clowns are. I doubt you guys ever bounced a ball.
46 pts an 10 reb in 33 mins.
I’m sure that will be hard to trade. Or who that makes more money has done that this yr. Being critical doesn’t have to show how FSUR ……..
I am not a Randle hater. That AL post got misplaced… repeated later
You know I get you might not understand. But by now you should know. I’m my own voice. I don’t need anyone to tell me about this gm. I tell you and all about this game. When you know you know.
Ben is not a PG. That’s his and Sixers failure. Just cause you got a handle and can pass. Doesn’t make you a PG. I trust Nash, and with Kyrie there. They will do the right thing.
I am sure they will, and your opinion is mud in comparison.
Ben forget playing PG …. Haha.
Yea. Ok
Here’s hoping he gets every penny the 76ers fined him. After that I’d sue their butts off if I were him.
what’s it like working for Klutch?
Ask Adam Silver…
@LilD
You Do realize the NBA can fire Silver if they thought AT ALL that he was under the thumb of a player agent? A Black player agent at that? The NBA is a player league and works almost the opposite of the larger player roster sports in the NFL and MLB which are much more controlled by the owners. Players have influence, especially now in the social media age. who would’ve cared what kind of drip a top 5 rookie wore to the game tonight? If you’re a multi-sport fan the “more power” you see an nba player have, feels like wayyyyy too much power for ANY player to have compared to the MLB/ NFL players dynamics. But any way the point is Adam Silver gets his check cut by the owners not an agent.
I don’t think he is under their thumb, but I do think he is letting them gain too much power. The article recently about someone from there becoming a GM.
I am not against players having power but I am against an agency manipulating the market and game, and also against the people in charge standing around letting it happen. It’s a slippery slope.
@LilD
If the Lakers were to hite an ex-Klutch agent as their GM then Silver cant, and shouldn’t, do anything about it. That hire is up to the Lakers and really has no bearing on thr other teams. LBJ does NOT have the power to force Buss to hire a current unless she thought it would improve the team. Owner’s do not have to pander to ANY player on thst level and I can’t even imagine LBJ/Klutch even trying to raxh that far. If thr have THAT much juice thrn they can force their will now.
The more power the players have acquired in the NBA has made me less of a fan of MLB and the NFL. MLB service time and arbitration rules will hopefully get better with the new CBA if MLB can recover anytime soon from the lockout. Until recently NFL contracts were next to meaningless and even the recent changes there close to worthless unless you are a star QB or an elite offensive tackle. The amount of punishment those guys put their bodies through and the ability the team to cut them on a whim with no repercussions is total B.S.
I still watch and follow baseball more than the average fan but I barely follow the NFL anymore
Where as I could’ve told you who the backup RG for 49ers 10 years ago(Adam Snyder) I had to look up Cooper Kupp after I read that he was closing in on Calvin Johnson’s single recieving yards record.
Owners fire Silver when the owners start losing money. Silver works for the owners as do every the commishs in NFL and MLB.
Nice D by Ball tonight. Kyrie was glad to see ya. Dropped 50 tonight. I guess he took out his bad gm against the Celtics on Hornets.
LOL
In a nutshell – Ben Simmons is what is prevalent all over America today…..
Detail: Rookies Thomas & Edwards were drafted this year, not last year.
as in really last year, 2021.
It’s a matter of semantics, I guess, but I feel like “last year” is more accurate than “this year” since the draft did technically happen in 2021 and was considered part of the 2020/21 league year.
I find that confuses draft discussions, or thinking about drafts, but “last year” is technically right, and Bas.Ref. agrees… Officially the draft is like the last thing in an NBA year, and free agency is the first.
called it weeks ago but that’s like saying the sun sets everyday
I’m not trying to troll here but I have a real issue with Ben Simmons using mental health as an excuse for not playing. If it was really a mental health issue, those generally don’t get fixed by switching teams. And if it was mental health, I’m guessing his Doctor can confidently and confidentially provide info to Philly’s doctors.
Can you explain how you confidentially tell someone a secret? Not trying to be a troll.
@lily
he never used the word “secret ” he said “info”. And with certainty (confidence) they can deliver the info “without public disclosure” (confidentiality).
Conversations between healthcare professions is protected by HIPAA.
I’m certainly not an expert but if you search mental illness symptoms, the most common are clinical depression and anxiety disorder. I read the section in the CBA and it does not define mental illness. This is the 20+ Million question that the law suit will try to answer.
But that could explain why switching teams could alleviate these symptoms. The environmental stresses causing the mental illness are removed. Whether that was the intent of the CBA is another question, but it seems to me the conditions Simmons found himself in were extraordinary. It will be in the best interest of the NBA to clarify what constitutes mental illness .
I appreciate that explanation. Without more clarity, that becomes very murky and probably opens a significant can of worms. For arguments sake, if an NBA player got anxious getting booed on the road and didn’t want to play- say they miss more free throws on the road- can they claim anxiety, be exempt from playing road games but still get paid?
Will this end up increasing the amount of players who follow suit to force themselves out of situations?
I know many people who have clinical mental health issues and are fully functional members of society and work jobs (for a lot less than $30 million a year.
I’d be really curious what Kevin Love thinks about this as someone who is very open about his mental health struggles in the past.
I think this potentially can open up a big can of worms.
With Love there was a past clinical history that can be proven through treatment and possibly medications.
Simmons eventually got to this decision after he made the decision to not rejoin the team, after he was kicked out of practice, after not showing up for games, after refusing to take a team physical, and eventually settling in on mental health as a way to avoid being fined. His therapy is also going to be looked at as well.
Does Ben have some type of mental health issue? Probably. My thought is it is more of an internal performance issue that related to the fans. It’s almost like he is afraid of failure. Remember in his presser he said it wasn’t the fans. Yet Klutch will run him out there Thurs and try to now use the fans in his defense.
The environmental stress of playing in Philly is so tough yet the Nets and Klutch will have no problem on Thursday “exposing” him to those same environmental factors.
I wonder if facing his fears is part of his treatment plan?
It’s either a medical decision to have him sit out there or a financial one where he will try to spin it to recoup money.
Like any of you care about Ben or NBA. Go back to your 9-5 and and scratch . All noise.
Ben didn’t want to play in Philly. It doesn’t matter why. It’s a team sport. Sixers or any team doesn’t want a guy that doesn’t want to play there. The rest is politics. All you have never played obviously ……..
Ben told the Sixers after Hawks series he was gone. Sixers knew after that choke he was gone. And a year later you guys still making noise.
Bunch of tools. Morey used this to get what he wanted. Even if he had to wait till next yr. He was all in on Harden.
You really think Sixers and Harden didn’t communicate. After Kyrie show in Bklyn, it was over for Harden too. You think this was by accident. This trade has been orchestrated since the day Ben chk out. This is so old it’s nauseating.
Julius Randle got a message for all the geniuses here. Who only ball they ever bounced were theirs ……. Get some gm
46 pts …. 10 reb …. In 33 mins
At 27 yrs old. I’m sure there’s a team that can use that. I just pray he doesn’t change our focus. Rebuild around RJ. Stay the course and draft well ……. It’s so lonely at the top.
Heh heh
Knicks are in NBA purgatory.
Shame of PHI! How low can they fall? I mean when you stop paying your workers… no shame, no words to describe the bunch of thugs they are!
Remember when Ben Simmons played basketball. Haha
Can fans, season ticket holders, people that bought his jersey file a grievance or sue him for $20M for pulling this BS in the first place? Dude is a crumb.
Sign me up for that lawsuit.
So this dude is going to try and use the fans to get his money back? Further proof this was never about his mental health. Nothing but a con man
All it proves is that he wants money which is consistent with every other human being in the world.
You sure about that? Every other human?
Yep, literally every human.
For the record I oppose BS geting the fines back. Basically he just did not make much money in his transition year. Plus, he might be able to extend his career a year this way.
He did sign a contract with Philly to work for them… although he could argue he had to, to keep his “slot”. Realistically all contracts are with the NBA via the CBA… indeed players do not have that much market value without the league!
Complicated