Although Simmons returned to the team a few days ago, he was still unwilling to back down in training and insisted on refusing to play for the team. Despite the team's blackmail over salary, Simmons was unmoved, and coincidentally, Philadelphia is currently 2-1 in the game.
Can you imagine a former champion, the backbone of the team, terrified after a defeat and being criticized by the home fans? The fact is that, despite the best of what the outside world says, how the team is backing down and understanding, as soon as Simmons plays, he will definitely be booed by the fans.
For several seasons, Simmons has been targeted in the playoffs, with opponents emptying him. Even if Philadelphia's record in the regular season is good, it will collapse in the playoffs, and Embiid, who was the other pillar of the team last season, is also talking about him. Embiid said Simmons has been reluctant to practice shooting, which is why the team lost.
Not only is the main force criticized, coach Rivers also puts the responsibility for the loss on Simmons, good guys, this head coach is really good. But Simmons is like that, his shooting problem has always been like this, from entering the league to now, everyone else is changing, as far as he is concerned.
James didn't shoot well at first, causing the Spurs to surround him on the inside, and now James is standing outside the three-point line how to shoot. And Simmons until now, not to mention the middle shot, even the free throw has been a mess. Simmons' role in Philadelphia may really only be to organize and defend, but now that there are people in the organization and others in the defense can do well, There is no need for Simmons anymore.
On the other hand, Irving has not played until now because of his insistence on individualism, and he is also in a state of breaking with the team. Like Simmons, both face salary and team pressure, but in the outside world and local media reports, Simmons is willing to exchange teams with Irving.
Speaking of the team, Simmons wouldn't explain much, saying only that he didn't like Philadelphia's home stadium very much. Compared to enjoying the boiling of home games before, Simmons is now reluctant to stay in Philadelphia for a second. The same is true for Owen, if the two are exchanged, it may really be a win-win situation.
Owen's ability needless to say, his coming to Philadelphia was naturally helpful, but did Simmons really go to the Nets? What the Nets lack now is only the inside line, the offensive side is already very sufficient, the firepower is very strong, that is, the defense of the inside line is not very good. It's clear that Simmons isn't a good fit for the Nets, and even if the two of them want to, the team owner won't be a fool.
Think about the sky-high price of Philadelphia's trade for Simmons, many teams came up with good chips but were rejected, and now Simonsy can't trade, which is good.