In Philadelphia, Ben Simmons has been the star of the show — and for all the wrong reasons.
Over the past few months, the young star has made a mess of his relationship with the organization, his teammates, and the fanbase, who continue to be left wondering what will come next in this ongoing saga.
So, upon hearing the news that Simmons might start practicing with the team again, not even head coach Doc Rivers quite knew how to respond.
Here’s what he said:
“Do you expect Ben Simmons back at practice this week now?”
Doc Rivers: “I think he did his COVID test today from reports from Woj. I’m gоnna call Woj and find out what’s going on.”
Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid react to Ben Simmons' return to Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/XxGDrzlzrg
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 12, 2021
It was all smiles in the media room, but Simmons’ return does make for an awkward situation, not only for himself but also for Doc and the rest of the team.
For weeks, the story has been all about Simmons’ attempt to get himself out of town, and it’s fair to say he burned some bridges along the way.
The relationship between him and Joel Embiid, for example, will never be the same — and that much is clear, no matter how much the star big man tries to convince us otherwise.
“I personally haven’t talked to him since the season ended,” said Embiid. “Obviously, I tried but I wasn’t as successful as a lot of my teammates have been. Like I said, it’s unfortunate the whole situation happened but like I said we’re a better team with him on the floor. I think there’s going to be some adjustments but it doesn’t need to be awkward. We’re all professionals. We want to win. I want to win. He gives me the best chance to win, so that’s what I’m gonna go with. But as far as coming back and all that, we’ve made a few adjustments and you got to buy in and we’re fine. Last year we got the No. 1 seed, so like I said, you gotta buy in and we’re gonna be fine.
With years left on his deal, Simmons doesn’t really have a choice but to return to action, or he could lose out on millions.
However all of this ends, it has certainly been one wild ride. And, perhaps, the only thing more exciting than Ben’s ghosting of the team will be his highly anticipated return.
