The Ben Simmons saga doesn’t have a clear ending, even though the player and the Philadelphia 76ers came to some sort of agreement, waiting for him to be mentally ready to return to the action.
In the past couple of months, the Australian player was subject to criticism after his shooting struggles appeared during the 2021 NBA playoff. Ben couldn’t deliver for the Philadelphia 76ers, earning plenty of nasty comments for his inability to make shots when they mattered the most.
After requesting a trade from the team, he returned to Philly only to star in more controversies. He was kicked out of practice by Doc Rivers; fans trashed him after he refused to train and more. The Sixers want to trade him, but they’re waiting to receive an appealing offer to let the point guard go.
This situation hasn’t been easy for the team or the player, and even though the rest of Philadelphia hates him, Simmons has found an ally in one of the biggest legends of the team, Allen Iverson.
AI recently weighed in on this situation, explaining what he sees as the most significant issue between Simmons and the team.
“I think the connection with the fans got out of hand, and that’s what (Ben) didn’t want to have to deal with. My whole thing with our fans is we with you if you with us. But when we feel like you don’t want to be with us…”
Allen Iverson STRONG on #BenSimmons
“I think the connection w/ the fans got out of hand and that’s what (Ben) didn’t want to have to deal with. My whole thing w/ our fans is-we w/ you if you with us. But when we feel like u don’t want to be with us…”#Sixers #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/KIU49Lk94D
— Ducis Rodgers (@duciswild) October 27, 2021
Several people believe this situation can get fixed, but it’ll take some time and a lot of understanding from both parties. Simmons’ teammates have stated they will patiently wait for the player until he feels ready to take the court again.
Iverson is on the same page, as he recently defended the player and sent an encouraging message to him.
This won’t be the end of this situation, and the Sixers hope to solve this. Daryl Morey recently said it could take four years before they deal Simmons elsewhere, but that would be crazy.
