Philadelphia's Ben Simmons legend took another turn for the worse on Thursday, with Daryl Morey, the philadelphia 76ers' president of basketball operations, making concessions in a radio interview about his possible decision to shift the disgruntled star guard.
Morey has long said he hopes Philadelphia will get a "difference maker" in return from any team that trades simmons. Morey reiterated this in an interview Thursday that 97.5 fanatics a local Philadelphia radio station said at the start of the boot camp that it would not force him to move to appease Simmons.
"Ben Simmons was a difference maker," Mohr said. "I know there are people who are upset with Ben Simmons right now, and for good reason, I think that's true from multiple aspects on and off the pitch. But the reality is that this guy is multiple All-Stars. ”
Morey went on to say that swapping Simmons for role players doesn't make sense for the organization.
"So, people should buckle in. It's going to last a long time because my only job is to help us get the best chance of winning the championship. Ben Simmons is a difference maker. So, if we can get him back, he'll help us win the championship. If we could trade Ben Simmons for a difference maker, we'd do it. I think in this case, it's best for everyone. ”
Simmons reportedly appeared at the team's training base on Thursday for personal training, but he did not attend due to back discomfort. Simmons was reportedly treated by the Six's medical staff, which also allowed him to exercise.
Sources told Sport magazine's Shams Charania Simmons is currently mentally unprepared to return to the court to act with the team and that he will miss the team's home game against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Charania also reported that Simmons is not expected to play in the pending matches.
When asked about the reports, Morey said, "I don't want to go into the details." We are actually looking forward to his shooting competition tomorrow. He did come today. This day, for those with fewer or no minutes, is a day of individual workouts. We bear it all day in and day out. At the end of the day, Ben Simmons is a difference maker. We hope he can reintegrate into the team. ”
Simmons' refusal to attend all of Tuesday's training led to Rivers firing him, and the team subsequently fired him from a suspension of disgruntled guards for a game of pernicious behavior for philadelphia to enter Philadelphia 117-97 in a 117-97 win over New Orleans in the season opener.
Simmons reportedly asked for a trade in the offseason, and he has not spoken to the media since.
Meanwhile, Morey made it clear that the Six are ready for future Simmons' eccentric behavior as the guard struggles to get him out of Philadelphia.
"Actually, sometimes reading Twitter is a form of entertainment, and it's tough because it's not tough for our players and coaches (because) it's not tough. They came in. They are very professional. For them, they are united. They are in a great place... As far as the team is at the moment, we feel good about our chances. As a member of the team, Ben Simmons will make us feel better. ”
Simmons, a three-time NBA All-Star, has averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game for the six-man team over the past four seasons, leaving him drafted from Louisiana State in 2016 as number one.
The current turmoil sweeping Simmons and the 76ers dates back to Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks. Later in that game, Simmons crossed a dunk that could have been wide opened under the basket that would have left the game tied.
After the game, Simmons took responsibility for the 76ers series loss to the Hawks, while Rivers and team core Embiid commented, pointing to the guard's contribution to Philadelphia's early playoff exit in game seven.
After Simmons was banned on Tuesday, Embiid answered a question about Simmons with "At this point, I don't care about that guy." He can do whatever he wants. ”
Morey, meanwhile, remains bullish on keeping Simmons on the 76ers if the team can't get what it deems fair when traded for the disgruntled defender.
"You'd think I was joking and I wasn't," Morey said. "It could be four years. We are in the heyday of Joel's career. We have to get back Ben Simmons, who played well for us — that will help us win the championship — or we have to find the people who made a difference for Ben Simmons. "If you like it, you can click a attention ha!