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All season, the Ben Simmons cloud has hung over the head of the Philadelphia 76ers. The team has done a fine job not letting it have a major effect on their campaign, but the elephant in the room has been hard to avoid. A little over two months into the NBA season and there has yet to be even a whisper of the three-time All-Star possibly rejoining his Sixers teammates on the court.
After the opening weeks of the season, questions regarding the former no. 1 pick began to die down. That was not the case before Monday's meeting with the Boston Celtics, as Doc Rivers was once again asked about Simmons and his absence.
“We don’t know what we are yet. Ben hasn’t played in a game. You can see the glaring holes that he leaves us. And you know, he may or may not play. If he does, great. If he doesn’t, then whoever we get can help us,” Rivers said, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
A lot of this is stuff we are accustomed to hearing, but there is one eye-opening part to take away from this quote. It is the first time Rivers has brought up the idea of Simmons potentially never stepping on the court this season.
As we know, general manager Daryl Morey has remained patient throughout this saga. He has no intentions of selling low on Simmons and is eyeing a high-level player in return. The rumor mill has picked up again over the last week, but there had been signs Simmons could still be a Sixers player past the trade deadline.
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Since he stepped foot in Philadelphia, Rivers has been one of Simmons' biggest supporters. Even as the stalemate got uglier, he took the podium during training camp and said repeatedly that he would welcome the 25-year-old back with open arms—although it was met with criticisms as well because of his critical comments on the Australian guard after the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Simmons eventually made appearances at practices, but the results were not positive.
Based on his comment, it appears Rivers is done beating around the bush. When someone close to the situation is openly tossing out the idea of Simmons sitting the whole season, the writing is on the wall. The Sixes have done all they could, but at the end of the day, the decision comes down to Simmons himself. Until that happens, it is doubtful things change regarding this matter.
People have speculated on the idea for months, but someone like Rivers speaking on it gives weight to it. He is an NBA lifer, and he would not have dropped that tidbit if there wasn't some truth to it.
All the Sixers can do is continue to move forward with their season. Teams do not care about their off-the-court dealings, and neither should they. Keeping their focus and energy on basketball is the best approach to handling this situation, no matter how long it drags out.
