- Sixers coach Doc Rivers isn’t concerned by Joel Embiid‘s recent knee injury, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Embiid managed to play in Philadelphia’s loss against Brooklyn on Friday, recording 19 points (6-of-15 shooting) and eight rebounds in nearly 30 minutes of work.
NBPA executive director Michele Roberts is defending Ben Simmons against accusations that he might be claiming psychological issues as an excuse to avoid playing, writes Liz Roscher of Yahoo Sports. Simmons told his Sixers teammates and coach Doc Rivers on Friday that’s he’s not mentally ready to start playing for the team again. That prompted skeptics to question Simmons’ motives since he claimed a medical issue with back tightness earlier this week.
Roberts threw her support behind Simmons and blasted Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey for suggesting that it could take a long time to find an acceptable trade, possibly even the four years that Simmons has left on his contract.
“Really? Is it so hard to believe that Ben’s not mentally at a place to compete? Professional athletes — like the rest of us — have difficult periods in our lives that require time and energy to heal,” Roberts said. “We have and will continue to provide Ben with the support and resources he needs to work through this. Threatening the prospect of ‘another four years’ serves no one’s interests. Like Tobias (Harris), I say let’s respect Ben’s space and embrace him while allowing him the time to move forward. So, take a breath and count to 10: We are all too good to continue to play this perpetual game of chicken.”
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- Morey has called around the league in an effort to work out a trade for Simmons, but he hasn’t contacted the Nets to inquire about Kyrie Irving, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Friday on “NBA Countdown” (video link). Woj adds that Brooklyn GM Sean Marks has accepted calls about Irving, but he hasn’t reached out to other teams about the star guard, who is inactive because of vaccination issues.
- At a team meeting on Friday, Joel Embiid asked Simmons why he wants to be traded, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Simmons responded that he isn’t feeling like himself mentally and needs some time away from the team. Harris and other team leaders expressed support for Simmons, sources tell Charania.
- Soreness in his right knee is already an issue for Embiid, per Tim Bontemps and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Embiid was having trouble moving on Friday after a collision in the season opener, but he intends to continue playing if the pain doesn’t get worse. “I mean, after last game, that was a pretty good hit by the big fella, but we’ll see how it feels tomorrow, but I’m not planning on sitting,” he said. “I want to keep playing as long as there’s not any big damage on it.”
Sixers star Tobias Harris defended Ben Simmons‘ recent decision to remain inactive, explaining that it’s important to support Simmons as he privately addresses his situation, Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes.
Simmons addressed the team in a meeting this week that Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer referred to as a “step in the right direction.” The 25-year-old hasn’t appeared in either of the club’s two games due to his ongoing trade request, and his status for future games is unclear.
“I think it’s obviously a good start,” Harris said as part of a larger quote, according to Bontemps. “But as I said, at this time we have to respect his privacy, his space, and we’ve got to be there for him, with what he’s going through and this process.
“It’s easy to look at something on the surface and come to assumptions on a lot of things, especially athletes. In general in this space we’re depicted as superhumans, and you’re not really supposed to have feelings or go through anything. So I think we just have to really understand he’s a human first, and if he’s going through something at times, we have to respect that and go through that as a team, organization, fans, all the way down the line.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division today:
- The Nets reverted back to small-ball in the team’s victory over the Sixers on Friday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Brooklyn found success with a lineup that featured Kevin Durant at power forward and LaMarcus Aldridge at center, helping secure a 114-109 road victory. Durant finished with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists, while Aldridge recorded 23 points in less than 23 minutes.
- Knicks star Julius Randle is considering fighting the $15K fine he received for tossing the ball into the crowd after a win this week, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. “We’ll see what happens,’’ Randle said. “I didn’t know it was a thing, but it’s fine. That’s really all it was – more celebrating. I didn’t toss it anywhere or in any direction or trying to do anything. It was emotions. Excitement from the first game. And I was happy it was over with. It was two overtimes. Everybody was exhausted.’’
- The Knicks‘ decision to add more three-point shooting has benefited the team thus far, Ian Begley of SNYtv writes. New York made a franchise-record 24 threes in its victory over Orlando on Friday, receiving strong contributions from newcomers Kemba Walker (3-for-5) and Evan Fournier (4-for-9).
The NBA G League held its draft for the 2021/22 season on Saturday afternoon.
The 28 G League teams affiliated with NBA teams participated in the event, with the G League Ignite and Mexico City Capitanes sitting it out. The Ignite and Capitanes will be taking part in the NBAGL’s Showcase Cup this fall, but won’t be part of the 36-game regular season that tips off in late December.
The first player selected in today’s draft was former St. John’s point guard Shamorie Ponds, who was picked by the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers‘ G League affiliate. Ponds has a little NBA experience, having appeared in four games as a rookie in 2019/20 while on a two-way contract with Toronto.
Among the other notable picks were Nate Darling by the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario at No. 5 and LiAngelo Ball by the Greensboro Swarm at No. 14. Last week, the Clippers and Hornets signed and waived Darling and Ball, respectively, in an effort to secure their affiliate rights, but were unable to get those rights for procedural reasons. The two teams had to use the draft to make sure they landed those players.
The Knicks also signed and waived veteran guard Brandon Knight during the preseason and were unable to get his affiliate rights due to a procedural issue. However, Westchester passed on Knight with the No. 4 overall pick today, and the Heat‘s affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, snatched him up at No. 6. We’ll see if Knight is no longer in the Knicks’ plans or if the Skyforce intend to trade his rights to Westchester.
Lance Stephenson to the Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets) at No. 13 and Dwyane Wade‘s son Zaire Wade to the Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz) at No. 10 were a couple of the other notable picks that played out as expected.
Here are the full 2021/22 G League draft results:
Round One:
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Shamorie Ponds
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Tyler Hagedorn
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Gabe York
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Justin Turner
- Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): Nate Darling
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Brandon Knight
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Eddie Stansberry
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Jaylen Johnson
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Michael Gbinije
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Zaire Wade
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Loudon Love
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Alan Griffin
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Lance Stephenson
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): LiAngelo Ball
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): TJ Haws
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): B.J. Taylor
- Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Scottie Lindsey
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Isaiah Ross
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Ruot Monyyong
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): Marlon Stewart
- Stockton Kings (Kings): Joe Young
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Samir Doughty
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Chudier Bile
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Rodney Pryor
- Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Tim Bond
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Tyree White
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Montell McRae
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Cullen Russo
Round Two:
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Karim Mane
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Kalob Ledoux
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Gerard Tarin
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Barra Njie
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): Tahj Eaddy
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Trevon Duval
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): Gary Chivichyan
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Ryan Daly
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Keaton Wallace
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Pedro Bradshaw
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): Alexis Wangmene
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Ian DuBose
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Mike Smith
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): Jaire Grayer
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): Blake Francis
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Jack Pagenkopf
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): Devonte Patterson
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Jordan Allen
- Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Devearl Ramsey
- Long Island Nets (Nets): Chris Walker
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Eric Demers
- Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Derrick Griffin
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): JaQuan Lyle
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Jachai Taylor
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Lydell Elmore
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Ikenna Ndugba
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Tevin King
- Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): Kammeon Holsey
Round Three:
- South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Elijah Cain
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Landon Taliaferro
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Will Vorhees
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Asante Gist
- Stockton Kings (Kings): Princepal Singh
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Trevor John
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): Tristan Jarrett
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Devon Baulkman
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Jaylen Bland
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): J.C. Show
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): No pick
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Joel Ntambwe
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Lamonte Bearden
- Stockton Kings (Kings): No pick
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Lindsey Drew
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Artur Labinowicz
- Long Island Nets (Nets): Jaylen Fisher
- Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): Randy Onwuasor
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Seth Allen
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Jovan Mooring
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Jermaine Haley
- Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Kerwin Roach
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Isaiah Blackmon
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Marlon Taylor
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Jimond Ivey
Teams will fill out their rosters with affiliate players, returning-rights players, tryout players, and players who are assigned to the G League from the NBA roster (including those on two-way contracts).
G League training camps open on Monday, with the Showcase Cup tournament tipping off on November 5.
Sixers star Ben Simmons spoke today to head coach Doc Rivers, the team’s medical staffers, and his teammates, informing them he’s not mentally prepared to resume playing and needs more time, according to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links) and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Simmons reported to Philadelphia’s shootaround on Friday and “was seen engaged around the team,” per Charania, who says the 25-year-old expressed that he wants to play once he’s mentally ready to do so. Sources tell Wojnarowski that the next steps for Simmons will be based on the determination of medical professionals.
Prior to skipping a scheduled individual workout on Thursday, Simmons complained of back stiffness and briefly received treatment, but team doctors reportedly cleared him to participate in workouts. So it sounds like Woj’s note about Simmons being evaluated by medical professionals is more about the three-time All-Star’s mental health than his physical health. The team has offered Simmons whatever resources are necessary to assist him, sources tell ESPN.
The 76ers suspended Simmons for their regular-season opener on Wednesday after he showed little engagement in practices earlier in the week and failed to sub into a defensive drill during Tuesday’s practice.
However, Charania’s latest report suggests Simmons put a little more effort into today’s shootaround, which means Philadelphia will probably just make him inactive for Friday’s home opener rather than suspending him again. As long as he remains engaged in practices and is working in good faith toward rejoining the club for games, that could be the plan for the immediate future.
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey made it clear during a radio appearance on Thursday that he’s not rushing to find a trade for Simmons and won’t move the former No. 1 pick unless the team gets a “difference-maker” in return. Morey expressed a hope that Simmons would participate in practices and games for the 76ers, noting that getting him back on the court would be better for the club’s title chances than trading him for 25 cents on the dollar.
According to Wojnarowski, Simmons has accumulated nearly $2MM in fines so far for missing games, practices, and meetings. There is a provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that protects players’ salaries in the event they’re unable to render services “if such failure has been caused by the player’s mental disability,” Woj notes.
- Prosper Karangwa, who holds the role of VP of player personnel in the Sixers‘ front office, has been named the general manager of the Delaware Blue Coats, the team’s G League affiliate (Twitter link). Karangwa’s first task will be leading the team through Saturday’s draft — Delaware currently holds the first overall pick.
Knicks guard Evan Fournier made an impressive debut against his former team, posting 32 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists in a double OT victory over the Celtics on Wednesday. Fournier struggled with his shooting in preseason games, but coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t fazed, according to Zach Brazilier of the New York Post. “I was never worried about him making shots,” he said. “To me, he has proven throughout his career that that is who he is.” Fournier was acquired in a sign-and-trade with his four-year contract worth up to 78MM.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Julius Randle‘s first game after signing a four-year, $117MM extension showed that he’s not resting on his laurels, Ian O’Connor of the New York Post writes. The Knicks forward racked up 35 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. “Julius had that monster year, got a new contract and all that and he’s hungrier now than last year, which I thought was impossible,” Thibodeau said. “He comes in every night like clockwork. You know he’s going to be in there.” Randle was fined $15K by the league for throwing the ball in the stands at the end of the team’s opening-night win, Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press tweets.
- Chinese video-streaming giant Tencent won’t show Celtics games in the foreseeable future after comments made by center Enes Kanter, according to Eva Dou and Lyric Li of the Washington Post. Kanter posted a video voicing his support for Tibetan independence. In response, Tencent cut the live broadcast of Wednesday’s game between the Celtics and the Knicks. Sixers president and former Houston GM Daryl Morey created a firestorm between the Chinese government and the NBA with his public support in 2019 of Hong Kong pro-democracy protestors.
- The Ben Simmons saga with the Sixers even has NFL players in Philadelphia voicing their opinions. Eagles center Jason Kelce said Simmons needs to own up to his shortcomings, ESPN’s Tim McManus writes. “I don’t want to crush any other players, but what’s going on with the 76ers, Ben Simmons, stuff like that, all of that is because of a lack of accountability, a lack of owning up to mistakes and a lack of correcting things,” Kelce said. “If all that got corrected, if you’re fixing free throws, if you’re getting better as a player, none of this is happening. So everybody can b—h and complain about how tough this city is to play in. Just play better, man. This city will love you.”
Appearing today on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey made it clear he’s in no rush to trade Ben Simmons for less than what the Sixers believe he’s worth.
“People should buckle in, this is going to go a long time,” Morey said, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link).
Morey added that if the Sixers can trade Simmons for a “difference-maker,” they’ll do it, but confirmed the club has no interest in moving the three-time All-Star for role players. In Morey’s view, Philadelphia’s best chance to win a championship would be by either getting Simmons back on the court or waiting until an impact player hits the trade block.
“I would ask the question to Sixers fans: would you rather eliminate a distraction or have lower playoff odds?” Morey said, per Neubeck and Rich Hofmann of The Athletic (Twitter links). “I’m willing to go through mud, muck, barbed wire…we’ll go through whatever it takes…what we’re doing right now gives us the best chance to win the title.”
The standoff between Simmons and the Sixers has seemingly grown more uncomfortable this week. The 25-year-old reported to the team, but has resisted engaging physically or mentally in practices and was suspended for the season opener for conduct detrimental to the team. Reports today indicated that he will meet with team leadership on Friday to discuss his playing status after skipping a scheduled individual workout on Thursday.
While Simmons seems to have little interest in suiting up again for the 76ers after demanding a trade in the offseason, Morey’s comments on 97.5 The Fanatic today suggest the club won’t be pressured into making a deal sooner rather than later.
“You’re going to think I’m kidding, I’m not. This could take four years,” Morey said (Twitter link via Neubeck). “… We’re in the prime of Joel (Embiid)’s career…this is not a day-to-day (issue). Every day, we are going to expect Ben Simmons to be back here, or we trade him for a difference-maker.”
Multiple reports today indicated that Simmons complained of back stiffness and received minor treatment before being cleared by the team’s medical staff. That back tightness hadn’t been treated or mentioned as an issue before today, a source tells Neubeck.
If he has a legitimate injury, that would be a reason for Simmons to miss practices and games while still being paid. However, it sounds like the team doesn’t view Simmons’ back tightness as a serious issue. Multiple sources who spoke to PhillyVoice about Simmons’ suspension earlier this week were prepared for him to use a health-related explanation to avoid playing in Friday’s game, Neubeck says.
3:25pm: Simmons is expected to come early to the 76ers’ shootaround on Friday to meet with team leadership to discuss his playing status, reports Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
2:08pm: Simmons told Sixers staff members he was experiencing back tightness on Thursday and briefly received treatment for it, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Being diagnosed with a legitimate injury would be one way for Simmons to avoid participating in practices and games while still being paid. However, the team’s medical staff cleared Simmons to participate in his scheduled workout today after he received treatment on his back, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Charania (Twitter link), Simmons won’t be available for Friday’s game and isn’t expected to play for an “undetermined amount of time.”
1:39pm: After being suspended for the Sixers‘ regular season opener on Wednesday, Ben Simmons showed up at the team’s practice facility on Thursday, but left without taking part in his scheduled individual workout, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
Simmons’ status for Friday’s game in Philadelphia vs. the Nets remains up in the air, but it seems unlikely that he’ll play in the 76ers’ home opener since he has yet to fully engage in a team practice, says Wojnarowski.
Simmons, who has pushed for a trade for months, ended his holdout and reported to the Sixers 10 days ago, then resumed practicing with the team over the weekend. However, he has reportedly not been physically or mentally engaged in those practices. On Tuesday, head coach Doc Rivers threw Simmons out of practice when the 25-year-old refused to sub in during a defensive drill. His one-game suspension was announced shortly thereafter.
Subsequent reporting from Shams Charania of The Athletic indicated that the Sixers don’t expect to find a trade they like for Simmons in the coming days, and want him to show up for – and engage in – practices and games. Sources tell Charania that the three-time All-Star isn’t against the idea of playing again for Philadelphia as he awaits a trade, but isn’t mentally prepared to do so yet.
The Sixers didn’t hold a practice today, but Simmons is scheduled to return to team activities on Friday, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. It’s unclear if the team would continue to suspend him if he remains disengaged.
As Windhorst details, the rest of the Sixers were able to escape the Simmons drama for a few hours on Tuesday night when they gathered for a team dinner in New Orleans in an effort to clear the air.
“It’s good to just go out and kinda not talk about basketball and talk about life,” Joel Embiid said. “That’s also an evolution for me, because I usually, when I used to go on the road, I’d just like to stay in my room and be on the phone and play video games.”
The 76ers followed up that dinner with an impressive road victory on Wednesday over the Pelicans. They’ll face a stiffer challenge on Friday against Brooklyn.
The ongoing Ben Simmons drama, including a suspension, has sucked some of the energy out of the Sixers’ opener, coach Doc Rivers admitted to Brian Windhorst of ESPN and other media members. Simmons was suspended for the opener after refusing to participate in a practice drill.
“It’s a predicament that we’re in and that part is no fun. It really isn’t,” Rivers said. “We get to play right now and Ben is not. I want Ben to be playing. That’s his job.”
Simmons will be fined $330K for missing Wednesday’s game, increasing his fines for missed games — including the preseason — to more than $1.7MM.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown, who had been sidelined due to a positive COVID-19 test, will be in the starting lineup against the Knicks tonight, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Brown said he experienced “some mild symptoms for the most part” and used meditation to recover from the virus. He’ll have an inhaler at the ready if he has any breathing issues. Al Horford, who also recently contracted COVID-19, remains sidelined to start the season, though head coach Ime Udoka said the veteran center is doing well physically.
- Celtics guard Josh Richardson will not play in the opener due to a migraine, the team’s PR department tweets. Richardson was acquired in a trade with Dallas in late July.
- New York native Kemba Walker is thrilled to be playing for his hometown team at last, Bontemps writes in a separate story. He’s hoping to prove the knee issues that plagued him with Boston won’t be a major factor with the Knicks. “Perfect timing. [I’m] really motivated,” he said. “Super excited that these guys have belief in me. I just need somebody to believe in me.”