The Philadelphia 76ers’ star Ben Simmons is practicing with the team, but it’s unknown if he will play in the regular-season opener on Tuesday.
The “where is ben simmons from” is a question that has been asked numerous times. The status for Ben Simmons’ return to the NBA opener is unknown.
CAMDEN, N.J. (WABC) — Doc Rivers sought to make Ben Simmons’ return to the Philadelphia 76ers as unobtrusive as possible, just introducing the irritable point guard to the squad during practice with a joke as he would for any other NBA player returning after a long layoff.
Rivers said, “That’s how it is.”
The only issue was that this wasn’t your average comeback from injury or any other lame explanation.
Simmons practiced on Sunday for the first time since requesting a trade — in other words, he reluctantly donned a Sixers jersey with a franchise he no longer wanted to play for and players he no longer wanted to play with.
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Isn’t it a little awkward?
Tobias Harris, the forward, joked, “No.” “It went off without a hitch.”
On the All-Star guard’s first day back, Harris remained tight-lipped and refused to divulge what he said to Simmons upon his return (“I’m not giving you that answer”), while Rivers was scant on details.
Simmons’ status for Wednesday’s season opener in New Orleans has yet to be determined.
“He’ll play when he’s ready,” Rivers added.
The actual test might come in the 76ers’ home opener against Brooklyn on Friday, when 20,000 raucous fans are ready to boo him out. “Follow Gods plan and execute Lil bro @BenSimmons… #PhillyUnite #BestFansInTheWorld,” Hall of Famer Allen Iverson tweeted to Simmons.
Who has the best fans in the planet?
Perhaps most whimsically, when supporters began tape off the initials “MMON” on their No. 21 jerseys and replacing them with “XER.”
In the aftermath of his summer trade demand, Simmons sat out training camp and the early part of the preseason. On Monday, the three-time All-Star guard made an unexpected comeback to the squad. Simmons was authorized to practice after passing the NBA’s health and safety requirements.
Another concern is air purification.
“You know, he just came up. It wasn’t like it was anything out of the ordinary “Furkan Korkmaz, a 76ers guard, stated. “‘Hey, how are you doing?’ ‘How are you doing?’”
Plenty.
When practice was available to the media on Sunday, Simmons, the No. 1 selection in the 2016 draft, was not on the floor, but the Sixers indicated the guard was anticipated to speak at some point this week.
Simmons has a lot of questions to answer, including whether or not he still wants a trade and whether or not he is willing to play for the Philadelphia 76ers this season. Was it the scathing criticism from Rivers and Joel Embiid, who remained silent after the team’s Game 7 defeat, that drove him to want out? Simmons hasn’t spoken publicly since his offseason trade demand, and when he does, he’ll likely skirt around the subject.
If Simmons plays in New Orleans, Rivers said he’ll “wait and see.” Over four seasons with the Sixers, Simmons averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists.
“Just looking at him, I thought he looked good,” Rivers remarked. “Obviously, I’m still not in game form.”
When the 25-year-old Australian opted to trade, he had four years and $147 million remaining on his maximum deal. Simmons had no option but to report since the Sixers were unable to reach an agreement, and monetary losses in pay and losses were stacking up.
“It was the feeling,” Harris said. “Was it flawless? No. But we’re all here to accomplish one thing: win basketball games. We put on our big boy clothes and go down on the ground to do our thing.”
Simmons “looked amazing” in Sunday’s exercises, according to Harris, and the Sixers will let bygones be bygones if it means winning a title.
He said, “We’re adult guys here.” “‘Oh, you did this to me,’ this isn’t middle school, seventh grade, eighth grade. No. It’s simply basketball as soon as we get on the court. To be honest, that’s how it should be.”
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