The Philadelphia 76ers held media day Monday afternoon at their training facility in Camden, N.J., where Doc Rivers was on hand before starting training camp on Tuesday. Similar to most of the offseason, Ben Simmons was a major topic of conversation for the Sixers.
Head coach Doc Rivers and Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey kicked things off with a joint press conference. Reporters wasted little time asking questions regarding the former number one overall pick.
Last week, Rivers was on ESPN and continued to plead his case on how things have gone in his eyes. From the beginning, he felt his comments were misinterpreted, and he still wants Simmons on the Sixers' roster moving forward. That stance did not change when discussing Simmons again during his availability.
I still think the world of [Ben Simmons]. I think the world of him as a player. Just because he doesn't do certain things that you want him to do doesn't mean he's a bad player.
One storyline that emerged during this offseason saga that made little sense is how the relationship between Rivers and Simmons had gone sour. All throughout last season, Rivers publicly defended Simmons on a nightly basis. During the Sixers' first-round series against the Washington Wizards, he even went as far as saying the 25-year-old is a treasure. Despite all the positive things Rivers said all year, the focus remains on indirect comments following the Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
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Rivers was always high on Simmons' game, and that doesn't appear to have changed. Even after the mercurial player asked to be traded elsewhere and held out from the Sixers, Rivers still wants to try and rectify the situation with the three-time All-Star.
When Rivers and Morey first arrived in Philadelphia, they both cited Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons as key factors in their decision to join the Sixers. They do not appear to be in a rush to split up their All-Star duo following a season where the team finished atop the Eastern Conference for the first time in twenty years.
The comments might have fallen on deaf ears, but Rivers remains focused on doing everything he can to cause a change of heart in Simmons and alter the Sixers' future.
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