Ben Simmons is hurt.
That is all this is.
His feelings are hurt, and like a scorned lover, he can’t find it in his heart to forgive, so he is ready to move on. The Sixers keep saying they want him back, but why would they want someone around who refuses to change.
Someone who wants a center to stay out of the paint, according to The Athletic.
People who have intimate knowledge of how he sees this situation continue to insist that he’s done playing with Embiid. There’s nothing personal about this choice, it seems, but the 25-year-old Simmons has clearly decided that his career is better off without Embiid blocking the runways in the paint that he so badly needs to succeed.
Rivers’ suggestion that Simmons was shying away from the tough Sixers fanbase didn’t help much, either.
If the Sixers want him back, they should do it the old fashion way.
Hold his money from him, and eventually, even if he is mad, he will come back because no one likes losing a check.
Flip the page for Doc Rivers and Embiid talking about Simmons at media day.