The Philadelphia 76ers have given Ben Simmons a number of reasons to want to leave the team. According to reports, one of them involves Sixers head coach Doc Rivers and a controversial remark he gave moments after Philly was eliminated from the playoffs last season.
For starters, here's how Rivers responded after he was asked if he thought Ben Simmons could be a point guard for a championship-winning side:
“I don't know the answer to that right now,” Rivers said.
To be fair, you have to take into context the details of the situation when Rivers was faced with this daunting question. The Sixers had just suffered a crushing Game 7 loss against the Atlanta Hawks. For his part, Ben Simmons was disappointing throughout, to say the least. Then again, you can't deny that Rivers threw his star under the bus with his refusal to back him, so to some extent, it does seem like Simmons' animosity is warranted.
According to NBA insider Keith Pompey, this is one of the main reasons behind Simmons' desire to jump ship. Not only does he want to leave, but it sounds like the former NBA Rookie of the Year wants Doc Rivers and the Sixers to pay for their views:
“There are teams that are interested in Ben Simmons, they just don't want to pay the steep price,” Pompey said during an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic Monday morning, via Justin Grasso of FanNation. “Ben Simmons knows that, so they are saying why should we help the 76ers out when they feel like when Doc Rivers said what he said, nobody apologized, and Doc was never reprimanded.”
It does seem that Simmons has ill feelings against Doc Rivers and the organization in general, which actually isn't surprising at this point. This only further indicates that right now, there's virtually no chance Simmons is going to be a Sixers player next season.
Follow Us
Subscribe