On other nights, or other circumstances, the scene of Ben Simmons sweating for hours at the 76ers training gym in Camden, New Jersey, didn't get much attention.
Simmons lives just about 15 minutes from the 76ers headquarters, and as a member of this team, he's free to train there at any time.
But it wasn't an ordinary night, it was a race night. The 76ers are playing an important game at wells Fargo Arena, where they have a 12-3 record in January, just half a win away from first place in the East. However, Simmons never showed up on the pitch with his teammates, but trained with his team of personal trainers 20 minutes away, trying to prepare for being traded to a new team.
Judging from all the sounds, his physical condition is very good. But according to sources close to Simmons and the 76ers' management, he still told the team and his endorsements that he was not mentally prepared to return to the game. Not now, not in Philadelphia.
It's been seven months since he asked the 76ers to explore a deal for him, and it's been nearly four months since he himself returned to Philadelphia. Since then, he has never participated in a real team practice or even a press conference. His body was back, but his mind was gone.
According to sources close to Simmons, he now trains only individually with his own team of trainers. He would organize some of his own matches with local players and build up his strength at a local gym open to the public. He would have met his own therapist but had not shared his medical information with the team. He now lives in a new house in Morsetown, New Jersey, and his house in Philadelphia was put up for sale a few months ago.
Everything he did was to part ways with the 76ers. But now, less than two weeks before the Feb. 10 trading deadline, Ben Simmons is training at the 76ers' training gym again. There's no ulterior motive, and the 76ers' training hall is probably Simmons' safest place when it's empty, because the other training sites he's been to will eventually be exposed. Before he was traded, people around him said he didn't want much attention. He didn't want to face the phone camera. I also don't want to face the noisy crowd.
A source revealed that Simmons recently trained with a group of current earthers at East Cherry Hill High School in New Jersey, including former NBA players Dean Waites and Deant Chrismas. As a result, photos of them playing a 5-on-5 match together were posted on social media. That's one of the latest reasons for forcing him to return to the 76ers training gym.
This photo didn't actually spread too widely. It was simply posted on the Instagram account of former Temple University player Semaj Inge, which has just 3,187 followers.
But Simmons himself saw it and knew that if he stayed here, sooner or later he would be watched by the good people again.
When the rift began to emerge last summer, neither side had any idea that it would last so long or that it would cost both sides so much.
Time has passed so long that it's easy to forget what triggered the impasse in the first place. Fourteen months ago, the 76ers discussed a deal with the Rockets to trade Simmons for James Harden, who was still with rocket star james Harden at the time, followed by his crash-level performance in Game 7 of the playoffs against the Hawks in June, and the criticisms that coaches Doug Rivers and Joel Embiid made about him after the game.
If anyone needs a full review, that's not all—as time goes by, the little things that were once insignificant begin to snowball.
According to sources close to Simmons, Simmons is a little sad because Embiid's remarks look like he blamed Simmons for last season's playoff losses because he didn't blame Embiid for his poor performance against the Raptors in the 2019 playoffs. It also frustrated him that Rivers didn't come to see him in person while he was training in Los Angeles last summer.
Simmons didn't deny that he didn't respond when Rivers texted and called him several times over the summer asking to meet him; but in hindsight, Simmons thought Rivers and the 76ers could have done more, such as volunteering to meet him at a well-known gym in the San Fernando Valley where he frequented.
People close to him say he is also skeptical about whether the 76ers' president of basketball operations will trade him, who has been pursuing Harden before, and Harden will become a free agent this summer. Of any trade that could theoretically happen, Simmons was the best chip the 76ers could send. In addition, the team still imposed such a harsh fine on him after he raised mental health problems when he returned, which also made him unhappy.
Last fall, Simmons' agent, Rich Paul, spent weeks trying to persuade the three-time All-Star to fly back to Philadelphia first to show good faith to the team.
Simmons was reluctant to go back under any circumstances.
But according to people familiar with the matter, Paul has told Simmons that while he understands that Simmons is mentally not ready to play, since he has four years left on his contract, if he can't at least return to the team first, then they won't have any conditions to talk about when negotiating.
Simmons said he understood. So when his brother Sean Trib agreed with Paul, he officially decided to fly back to Philadelphia. For Simmons, he felt it was a gesture of great sincerity. For the 76ers, it was a surprise (no one knew Simmons was coming beforehand), but they just thought it was the least a player with a contract had to do.
As for what the intentions behind Simmons' return to the team, the controversy may be forever. There are those on both sides who believe simmons were open to playing for the 76ers again. Other skeptics see it as a gimmick designed to save the millions of dollars he will lose as a result of the fine.
Whatever the case, this return has not gone well.
According to those close to him, even though Simmons had rushed to the arena before kickoff from the last preseason game, the 76ers still fined him for not playing, which made him feel offended. He believes that no matter what sincerity he shows, he has not received the recognition he deserves.
Simmons' meetings with team officials and the coaching staff were short and fruitless over the next few days, according to sources. But eventually Simmons opened up and told management, the coach and his teammates that he felt he wasn't mentally prepared. After that, the team immediately changed its posture and began to speak to him. Tobias Harris has publicly expressed how meaningful Simmons is to confide in his teammates. Embiid even shouted to the crowd at the Wells Fargo Center on the night of the opener: "I hope you can continue to support us and our teammate Ben because he is still our brother." ".
However, this kindness did not last long. Simmons did not accept the team's mental health services, instead telling the 76ers he was consulting a mental health specialist from a players' union, but declined to give specifics.
Now it's the turn of the 76ers to make trouble. It is common practice in the league for players to go over to team doctors to seek medical advice on their own, but under normal circumstances, these doctors outside the team also have to update their diagnosis and treatment recommendations to the team.
Everything fermented to its peak on October 19. Simmons was scheduled to meet with the media after training. It was an obligation under the contract, and Simmons agreed. However, he didn't communicate with the team's public relations staff (he had always maintained a good relationship with them before). Instead, he simply discussed with the people in his camp what he intended to say. Sources close to Simmons said what he was meant to say was actually very simple:
I'm not in a very good mental state. I don't feel comfortable playing in this environment and I'm looking forward to a different environment.
However, Simmons failed to convey this message. Earlier in the day, Rivers asked him for an intra-team training session, which Simmons refused, and he was quickly sent home. Soon after, he was banned from the 76ers for acting detrimental to the team.
Simmons has lost more than $19 million in fines since the start of the season (he's fined $360,000 for every game he misses). He has not received his salary since receiving the $8.25 million (25 percent of his $33 million salary) due by Oct. 1. Every two weeks, the team sends out a notice explaining how much simmons have accrued fines for failing to perform his contract, not just not getting a salary of $1.375 million. By the end of the season, Simmons could lose another $12 million if he fails to play for the 76ers or any other team.
That's an astonishing number. All the sources involved in the matter believe the issue will eventually be resolved through arbitration, but those close to Simmons insist that Simmons, who has earned more than $60 million in his career so far, was never financially motivated by his decision to file a trade application and then refuse to play before being traded. He wanted a fresh start, away from a team he felt no longer comfortable playing.
"We don't care about the damn money," said a source close to Simmons, "and that's not the problem." It's hard for people to understand. But if you firmly believe in what you're doing right now and feel the need to change circumstances and are trying to go to a place that's better for you, then money doesn't matter. Obviously, this is an economic blow. But you have to adjust. "
Another source close to Simmons said: "When a man has a plaster cast on his arm, it is easy to see that he is injured; but his problem is mental health and cannot always be clearly visible. Ask yourself, how many people would lose a dollar because of this sort of thing? When you think about it, you should understand. "
For the 76ers, the impasse could be damaging in other ways — they could have wasted the best season of embiid's career, who is already a favourite to win MVP.
In terms of its length and cost, this impasse is unprecedented in NBA history. Sources say the 76ers have studied all the similar examples in an attempt to find some insight into how to resolve Simmons' situation — in addition to trading him. They found the best contrast in the NFL, when star running back Le Vien Bell refused to play for the entire 2018 season because of a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, Bell's case was actually not resolved, he simply gave up the 2018 season and signed a $52 million contract with the New York Jets immediately before the start of the 2019 season. At the end of the season, Simmons still has a three-year, $114 million contract. What he tells the team and his representatives now remains the same: he is not mentally ready to play again.
Both sides have admitted publicly and privately that they have made some mistakes in the process. According to sources, if the deal does not materialize by the Feb. 10 deadline, the parties will meet again, and the determination of the two camps on the matter is unanimous.
But for now, Simmons and the 76ers are still tied together, and the rift between them is bigger than ever.
Every night around 10 p.m., Simmons receives a schedule from the team for the next day. According to a source close to him, to avoid being fined for missing out on team activities, he would show up at training grounds and video conferences when and where he needed. But he rarely stays long and rarely deals with other people.
The COVID-19 containment rules that established a segregation between Simmons and the players are no longer a problem. As an unvaccinated player, Simmons had to take a nucleic acid test every day to get into the arena. But sources said Simmons had opted for vaccination, a request that was subsequently canceled.
In the first few months of his return to Philadelphia, Simmons had been conducting personal training with his own trainers at nearby St. Joseph's University, the sources said. Former 76ers assistant coach Billy Lange, who is now the university's men's basketball head coach, helped Simmons find a training ground away from the spotlight. But when photos of Simmons training here appeared on social media, he decided to look around the city for other places to train.
Of course, he probably doesn't have to. Everything he needs can be found in the 76ers' training gym. But he didn't feel well there then, so he went somewhere else.
This is not only very inconvenient, but also very inefficient. Over the course of a day, he would play in a gymnasium, then practice his strength elsewhere, and finally report back to the team's training gym.
"It's actually quite annoying." A source close to Simmons said.
The 76ers believe Simmons can and should return to the team, not only because he signed a contract, but also because his elite-level defense and talented organizational skills are exactly what the team needs.
Some within the team believe That Simmons has done a lot of preparation for his return, and the reality is simply insignificant compared to what he imagined.
"He may be booed by the fans a few times, but if he plays well, everyone will choose to turn the page," one team source said. "The fans also booed Embiid and Harris, and they all carried it."
Others doubted whether Simmons would be able to face the home crowd.
"No," another team source said. "Whether it's the fans or his feelings for the team, it's hard to see."
Since reporting to the team after the training camp, Simmons' behavior has shown no sign that he wants to return to the 76ers. He has been separated from the team, but fortunately nothing is destructive.
If anything, it's that since the day Rivers kicked him off the training ground for refusing to participate in the joint practice, he seems to have been trying not to make himself a distraction to the team.
"He's right there, but you're almost never going to notice him again," a source on the team side said. "The team has started again. We focus on the game and we are a very good team. ... No one wants his stuff to distract the team any more. "
Twelve days ago, the president of the 76ers was interviewed by local radio host Mike Misanelli, a "half-revelation, half-confessional" conversation.
Few team executives will openly admit that they have had a specific deal discussion with a particular team (the Sacramento Kings) and that the other side's plan is acceptable — or that he made a mistake in handling a situation.
"I think everyone needs to look in the mirror. I reflect in the mirror. The president said, "Could I have done better?" Can I have a better relationship with Ben? I would say, yes. "
The president presumably meant something like this: Embiid had a similar personality to him and had a close relationship early in his tenure. Both are chatty when satisfied with their social environment. When there is a conflict, both will also take the initiative to communicate with each other.
Simmons is quieter and may become quieter when conflict arises. He had a good personal relationship with general manager Elton Brand. Brand played for the 76ers as a player and was quickly promoted to management after retiring in 2016 because of his intelligence and sociability. As for the president, he didn't have a very good relationship with Simmons.
He was less attentive to his personal relationship with Simmons, which was one of the reasons for the lack of trust between the two sides since the situation began to deteriorate.
"Anyone knows that no matter who is dealing with a difficult situation like ours, you can't make progress without first having a basis for dialogue." He said in an interview, "I think action comes from dialogue... That's our goal. We need to continue to do so and hope that it will make us something. We will wait and see. "
Much of this conversation took place in his exchanges with Simmons' agent, Rich Paul. But recently, especially since Simmons reappeared in the team's training gym to train, the conversation between them has become more direct, though the president said they haven't gained so far.
"I can tell you with certainty that there is no progress in these conversations," he said.
There have been some sporadic deal talks, and the president is already lobbying around for deals. Simmons will continue to train to be ready to be traded at any time.
In many ways, he himself has looked forward. He still lives with his Italian mastiff Bane in the house near Philadelphia. Although he had put the house on the market a few months earlier, he had hoped that the house would be his home forever. He also recently proposed to his fiancée, Maya-Jama, a British television personality.
Even so, according to those around Simmons, no matter how much he says he doesn't want to stay in Philadelphia, no matter how much he's upset with Philadelphia's team management — in both real and emotional sense — he watches every game with the 76ers.
"At the end of the day, it's still his team," the source said, "and he still wants to play." ”