The main target for the Houston Rockets in trading their superstar James Harden has been Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers. This stems from conceived tension last season between Simmons and fellow star Joel Embiid.
This perceived tension over last season has been confirmed by ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan. According to the senior sportswriter, the 6’10” point guard Simmons was pushed to the point of isolating himself from his other 76ers teammates.
“In fact, team sources say, Simmons became so disillusioned with the Sixers staff, he did much of his work outside the facility under the watchful eye of trainer Chris Johnson. That erosion of trust only further contributed to the splintered chemistry on the floor and tension among coaches and players.”
Later in this very season, Simmons became hurt, leading to Philadelphia being swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. After that, the 76ers made several front office changes, hiring Rockets GM Daryl Morey and firing 7-year coach Brett Brown.
In Brown’s place, Philadelphia picked up Roc Rivers, who was let go by the Los Angeles Clippers after they suffered a 3-1 comeback at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. The new change in the front office and coaching personnel may bring renewed chemistry among fellow stars Simmons and Embiid.
“The vibe is so much better,” Simmons said to Mac Mullan. “Everybody wants to come to practice. Everybody shows up early. When I see Joel in there working on his game, it makes me want to work that much harder.”
It will be interesting to see if this chemistry will hold out following a failure by the 76ers management to agree on a trade for James Harden. Simmons and Embiid make their season debut with their new look 76ers today, December 23 against the Washington Wizards.
