76ers’ Doc Rivers shares his thoughts on difficult Ben Simmons situation
With the 2021-22 season underway, the Philadelphia 76ers are still dealing with the lingering cloud of star point guard Ben Simmons’ future.
The 25-year-old has returned to the fold, but there remains drama around him. It’s quickly led the team to suspend him for the season opener after head coach Doc Rivers threw him out of practice.
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On Wednesday, Rivers spoke to the media, providing more context to the situation as he stated that he received plenty of support.
“Obviously you don’t want any of those things. You get a lot of texts, “great job” and all this stuff and it’s not,” Rivers said via ESPN. “I don’t think people understand … you want all your players to do well. You cheer for your players. Even when they’re in a tough spot, you want it to go well for them, you do. When you’re put in positions like [Tuesday], it’s no fun.”
Although the 76ers have Simmons back in the fold, he’s clearly disconnected from the franchise. He has shown all the visual signs that he doesn’t want to be with the team.
His return has only occurred to avoid any financial losses, while the 76ers have struggled to handle the trade chatter. The front office is sitting firmly on wanting a significant offer from another organization.
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Meanwhile, it hasn’t led to any team meeting the lofty demand of another All-Star talent in return. All that has guided the matter to Simmons waiting in limbo while the 76ers figure out what lies ahead.
