"I'm trying to win," Embiid said after Simmons had been tossed from Tuesday's practice by 76ers coach Doc Rivers. "And to win, you have to have that relationship with your teammates. I do have that relationship with all my teammates.
Showing up to practice later this week after a long hiatus on the team
It came as a huge surprise when 76ers point guard Ben Simmons suddenly shows up to practice after he cut all communication on his current team and has always been showing major interest in choosing another path to move on. Philadelphia 76ers head coach, Doc Rivers chooses to approach this upcoming NBA season as if Simmons is still playing for the team, so he gave the young player another chance.
“Well we have to,” Rivers explained. “As a coach, I’m literally in a tough spot, right? But we literally have to.”
The Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons's agent are close to reaching an agreement on the guard's strike, which might see him return to action this week.
Simmons has passed the COVID-19 requirements, thus he will continue to play with the Sixers' current roster until otherwise instructed. Rivers recognizes that the Simmons Saga is definitely not perfect and has a lot of flaws to work on. After telling the Sixers brass he wanted to be traded and wouldn't report to training camp, the point guard finally concluded his 14-day strike on Monday.
Simmons has passed the COVID-19 requirements, thus he will continue to play with the Sixers' current roster until otherwise instructed. Rivers recognizes that the Simmons Saga is definitely not perfect and has a lot of flaws to work on. After telling the Sixers brass he wanted to be traded and wouldn't report to training camp, the point guard finally concluded his 14-day strike on Monday.
Doc Rivers: The first step was getting him through the protocol, next is getting him integrated with the team
It's still unclear as to why he decided to show up again after the intentions and actions that he clearly presented beforehand. But one thing is sure: the situation isn't great and damage control needs to be done.
Following his offseason trade demand, Simmons missed training camp and the preseason, leaving the Sixers without their three-time All-Star and Simmons out millions in salary and fines. The 25-year-old Australian has four years left on his deal, which is worth $147 million. As the Sixers pursue their first NBA title since 1983, Simmons, the No. 1 choice in the 2016 draft, had been partnered alongside Joel Embiid as the franchise's pillars. However, Simmons bore the ultimate responsibility for the Sixers' second-round playoff loss last season, scoring only 34% in the field.
However, Joel Embiid still seems optimistic and wants to go along and give Simmons another chance as well. “I believe that he gives us the best chance to win,” Embiid said. “We’re a better team with him than without. That’s for sure. I’m happy that things have resolved and we can move on and can try and be a better team.” So if whether or not Ben Simmons is finally committed and determined to be a better player again, he'll be ready to play when he comes.
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