This week has been a very dramatic one for the Philadelphia 76ers. Their star player Ben Simmons was kicked out of practice by Doc Rivers, and recently, he said he was suffering from back pain all while also dealing with mental hangups. Fans weren’t too happy with this news as it appeared as though Simmons was purposely trying to avoid the team.
Things got worse yesterday afternoon when team President Daryl Morey claimed that Simmons won’t be traded anytime soon and that they want to find the best deal possible. In fact, Morey said Simmons could be with the Sixers for four more seasons if that’s what the franchise wants.
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Now, Simmons is owning up to everything and has officially addressed his teammates. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Simmons spoke to the team today and said that there is plenty of blame to go around for this situation. He realizes that he needs to be held accountable for all of this, although, at this stage, he is still not mentally prepared to play and that he wants to wait for a while before getting back on the court. For now, there is no timetable for an official return.
The Simmons saga is one that Sixers fans just want to see come to an end, although for now, it doesn’t appear as though that’s going to happen. There is still a lot that needs to be figured out, and Simmons is planning on taking his time with all of it.