Where does Ben Simmons go next?

[rman112]

From 10/5. A lot of prescient stuff in here:

https://www.phillyvoice.com/sixers-b...l-latest-news/

The highlights:

Despite assurances through various media members of note, a league source says the financial significance of holding out is starting to take hold in Ben Simmons' camp.

After being fined for missing Philadelphia's preseason loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday night — a penalty of roughly $360,000 — Simmons' representation had another discussion with the players association in which it was reiterated they would be unable to recoup the money being deducted from the $8.25 million sitting in escrow, sources say, and it was communicated to the Sixers that these early fines were perhaps higher than they expected.

Simmons has the right to seek arbitration for 30 days and can move for accelerated arbitration after the loss of the hefty game check. Few believe that will be a successful route for Simmons, who has no-showed for work while his camp drip-feeds stories in the media about his desire to play elsewhere. With signs of uncertainty out there, the Sixers have set themselves to prepare for just about anything, up to and including Simmons deciding to show up for work in spite of previous insistence that it wouldn't happen until he's traded.

At every turn, league insiders have gossiped about what the next angle might be to leak from Simmons' camp to the media. Each successive leak has been met with eye rolls in some circles..

The Sixers have had formal and informal discussions with Simmons' camp recently, which sources familiar with the situation characterize as scattered in message based on the day and the person speaking. As of yet, there seems to be no uniform consensus on what is best for Simmons.

A source familiar with the conversations between Simmons' camp and the Sixers told PhillyVoice that the only consistent or clear message this offseason was about the accelerated timeline Simmons has been evaluated on compared to other No. 1 overall picks. (and nothing about anything mental or mental health related.. hmmmmm)

... The expectation is that there will be another attention-seeking headline generated in the days to come as they assess their options of what to do next.

.......

So you take what the situation was a few weeks ago, you take what Simmons and his camp have done since, you take what Morey's said/done in response, and here is the situation today - desperation from Simmons and Paul.

[rman112]

Originally Posted by TSonn

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/st...63500639145987

Looks like out indefinitely because he's "not mentally ready to play". This could very well be a way for him to just not play but I think the general consensus [salute] is that he's struggling with some mental health stuff.

It will be interesting to see how the 76ers handle a mental health injury. IMO it should be treated the same way any other injury is treated.

Shams switched his backing to United Talent Agency 2 years back.

Now who became involved with UTA a few months before that? To lead UTA's new sports division? Oh yeah...

https://www.unitedtalent.com/news/ut...-sports-group/

[drobfan8]

Originally Posted by rman112

"Mental health" / "Mental illness" is the new taboo thing in society that people can't ever question unless they're a terrible person. Simmons and Paul (likely Paul...) are fully aware of this and are looking to take advantage.

The problem is, Ben Simmons has a case for the mental health route. I said that to a friend weeks ago.

Philly tried to trade him.
Doc said Simmons' free throws were a factor in their ATL loss (neglected Embiid's 16 to's in 2 games which is ridic)
Embiid said the turning point was with 3:30 left in the game.

There is no court in America that would blame Simmons.

What a mess.

Does Simmons need to toughen up? Yes. But you can't tell fragile people to do that.

[rman112]

Originally Posted by drobfan8

The problem is, Ben Simmons has a case for the mental health route. I said that to a friend weeks ago.

Philly tried to trade him.
Doc said Simmons' free throws were a factor in their ATL loss (neglected Embiid's 16 to's in 2 games which is ridic)
Embiid said the turning point was with 3:30 left in the game.

There is no court in America that would blame Simmons.

What a mess.

Does Simmons need to toughen up? Yes. But you can't tell fragile people to do that.

Oh No! A coach pointed out a player who had a historic meltdown as a factor in their losing the game, and series. Just awful stuff. And then they tried to trade him! Those bastards!

And therein lies the problem. Simmons is fragile.

[drobfan8]

Originally Posted by rman112

Oh No! A coach pointed out a player who had a historic meltdown as a factor in their losing the game, and series. Just awful stuff. And then they tried to trade him! Those bastards!

And therein lies the problem. Simmons is fragile.

As a Spurs fan for 20 years and watching a class organization. They would never do this.

Morey also tried to make HOU a contender chasing GS. He didn't come close. He'll do the same with Philly

If you seriously think Philly have done the right thing by their player. You're a fool and clearly haven't been a part of a team before.

Edit.

Historic meltdown while being a +1 when on the court in game 7 and PHI being a -8 in the 12 mins he was off. Haha.

Embiid having 8 turnovers isn't a historic meltdown?

Simmons restricting Trae means nothing?

Just LOL.

Goes to show how many fat, unathletic guys we have following basketball on this forum.

[rman112]

Originally Posted by drobfan8

As a Spurs fan for 20 years and watching a class organization. They would never do this.

Morey also tried to make HOU a contender chasing GS. He didn't come close. He'll do the same with Philly

If you seriously think Philly have done the right thing by their player. You're a fool and clearly haven't been a part of a team before.

Edit.

Historic meltdown while being a +1 when on the court in game 7 and PHI being a -8 in the 12 mins he was off. Haha.

Embiid having 8 turnovers isn't a historic meltdown?

Simmons restricting Trae means nothing?

Just LOL.

Goes to show how many fat, unathletic guys we have following basketball on this forum.

If a coach acknowledging something so blatantly obvious that everyone who watched the games already knew is enough to send a player into a downward spiral, then he shouldn't be playing professional basketball. Do something that doesn't involve you being in the spotlight every day.

And yes, historic meltdown. I have never seen a player refuse to try and score in the way that Simmons did late in games during that series.

Something something LeBron Tim Duncan Spurs.

The funny and ironic thing about this is though.. If Simmons didn't disappear so often, Morey would've already succeeded in making the Sixers contenders.

Imagine being so triggered that you resort to personal shots. They don't even make any sense! I played sports through college..

[ballhawkdawk]

Originally Posted by rman112

If a coach acknowledging something so blatantly obvious that everyone who watched the games already knew is enough to send a player into a downward spiral, then he shouldn't be playing professional basketball. Do something that doesn't involve you being in the spotlight every day.

And yes, historic meltdown. I have never seen a player refuse to try and score in the way that Simmons did late in games during that series.

Something something LeBron Tim Duncan Spurs.

The funny and ironic thing about this is though.. If Simmons didn't disappear so often, Morey would've already succeeded in making the Sixers contenders.

Imagine being so triggered that you resort to personal shots. They don't even make any sense! I played sports through college..

rman always gets it.

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by rman112

"Mental health" / "Mental illness" is the new taboo thing in society that people can't ever question unless they're a terrible person. Simmons and Paul (likely Paul...) are fully aware of this and are looking to take advantage.

Because the NBA and the Nets allowed Kyrie to use it unchecked last year. So why can’t Simmons do the same?

[ballhawkdawk]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Because the NBA and the Nets allowed Kyrie to use it unchecked last year. So why can’t Simmons do the same?

It’s only allowed if you can connect your mental health issues to a political matter the league is backing.

[jcardstore]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

It’s only allowed if you can connect your mental health issues to a political matter the league is backing.

Being super woke is a really tough job.

[daeve]

Originally Posted by rman112

If a coach acknowledging something so blatantly obvious that everyone who watched the games already knew is enough to send a player into a downward spiral, then he shouldn't be playing professional basketball. Do something that doesn't involve you being in the spotlight every day.

And yes, historic meltdown. I have never seen a player refuse to try and score in the way that Simmons did late in games during that series.

Something something LeBron Tim Duncan Spurs.

The funny and ironic thing about this is though.. If Simmons didn't disappear so often, Morey would've already succeeded in making the Sixers contenders.

Imagine being so triggered that you resort to personal shots. They don't even make any sense! I played sports through college..

First time "debating" with drob? It's his typical emotionally-crippled defense tactic when he isn't winning the argument [which is most often].

[Kobefan]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Because the NBA and the Nets allowed Kyrie to use it unchecked last year. So why can’t Simmons do the same?

Cause Kyrie did it with the Nets' blessing.

[ballhawkdawk]

For what it’s worth, I’m still rooting for a Simmons return to Philly. NBA players are expected to professionally mature faster than the average person. Life can be messy and complicated and often is. I’m not going to pretend that I could handle the pressure of playing a sport with millions watching and scrutinizing or that I would bounce back from an all time disappointing performance any better, but I also didn’t sign up for that, so while I’ll give Ben the benefit of the doubt and try to empathize, this is what he signed up for. It’s not like he’s living some modest lifestyle out of the spotlight, either.

[tjforce]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

Why should it be? And what kind of mental health issues qualify? Because if we’re equating physical injuries to mental illness/disability, I’d argue that anxiety is a disability the same way being 5’6” is a disability for a professional basketball player and that you should pursue a profession that jives with all of your skills, abilities, and shortcomings across the board.

When I think of “mental health injury” I think of something like the loss of a loved one, for which many employers offer bereavement time, not being really bummed that your coach and team and fanbase were largely disappointed with how you performed and publicly deuced on you.

I think mental and physical health are equally important, but they’re vastly different and need to be treated as such. Otherwise, I can have the “Mamba Mentality” but none of the ability to go with it and still be qualified to play in the NBA. The way I see it, mental health is part of your identity, not this thing that requires a trip to the IR periodically.

And I agree that the brain is part of the body. The term for a brain injury is a “concussion.”

Originally Posted by drobfan8

The problem is, Ben Simmons has a case for the mental health route. I said that to a friend weeks ago.

Philly tried to trade him.
Doc said Simmons' free throws were a factor in their ATL loss (neglected Embiid's 16 to's in 2 games which is ridic)
Embiid said the turning point was with 3:30 left in the game.

There is no court in America that would blame Simmons.

What a mess.

Does Simmons need to toughen up? Yes. But you can't tell fragile people to do that.

I mean... then there's the whole sister/brother in law thing that happened, and it came out right around the start of the playoff last year and just progressed through the summer.

I don't know all the details of it, of course.... I don't want to know, but if ever there's a sensitive subject that could tie Simmons to having mental health hardships (whether its true or not), there it is.

[Siberian13]

Curious, How’s Simmons’ cards doing compared to 8 months ago?

[ballhawkdawk]

Originally Posted by tjforce

I mean... then there's the whole sister/brother in law thing that happened, and it came out right around the start of the playoff last year and just progressed through the summer.

I don't know all the details of it, of course.... I don't want to know, but if ever there's a sensitive subject that could tie Simmons to having mental health hardships (whether its true or not), there it is.

I honestly have no idea about any of that. I should probably take some time to educate myself. I had heard something about family drama somewhere, but never looked into it.

Checking earlier, his pre and post All-Star break numbers were vastly different last season. But then in the playoffs his FT % just completely dropped off, and his willingness to score was non-existent against the Hawks.

Apparently he had a genuine meeting with the team and coaches a day or two ago and got everything out there. I know Embiid had the pre-game speech to the fans last night where he said something along the lines of “Ben is still our brother and we support him.” It’d be a wild story if Ben came back and the 76ers picked up where they left off at the end of the 19-20 regular season.

[ballhawkdawk]

So apparently Ben’s sister accused their brother of molesting her and was ruled to pay him $550k after insufficient evidence was provided to substantiate the accusations. Yikes.

[ballhawkdawk]

Originally Posted by Siberian13

Curious, How’s Simmons’ cards doing compared to 8 months ago?

Checking Prizm PSA 10 rookies… pretty good. Somehow his cards hold up well. His fanbase exceeds his achievements. Similar to white Harden in that regard.

[Siberian13]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

So apparently Ben’s sister accused their brother of molesting her and was ruled to pay him $550k after insufficient evidence was provided to substantiate the accusations. Yikes.

Half brother and it was last month that happened right?

[Siberian13]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

Checking Prizm PSA 10 rookies… pretty good. Somehow his cards hold up well. His fanbase exceeds his achievements. Similar to white Harden in that regard.

Now that’s impressive. An NBA player that can’t shoot a basketball and surrounded by drama and his card prices hold up. Then end is near

[ballhawkdawk]

Originally Posted by Siberian13

Half brother and it was last month that happened right?

Half brother. And the lawsuit was filed in April with the ruling coming in September.

[Siberian13]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

Half brother. And the lawsuit was filed in April with the ruling coming in September.

Yeah last month. Thanks

[ballhawkdawk]

Originally Posted by Siberian13

Now that’s impressive. An NBA player that can’t shoot a basketball and surrounded by drama and his card prices hold up. Then end is near

It really is amazing. All things considered, I’m probably at breakeven on my Simmons stuff. Maybe a small loss. Some I sold, most I still have. The overall card market increase saved me a bit.

I’m sour on collecting current Philly stars anymore with the way things went for Wentz and now Simmons. You figure these guys should have long, meaningful careers here, and then it just goes south. I’m not even saying Wentz had to be Aaron Rodgers or Simmons be Lebron for me to collect them, but at least be on the damn team. Embiid is awesome, but he’s not in many insert sets and as a result just isn’t as fun to collect.

[Siberian13]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

It really is amazing. All things considered, I’m probably at breakeven on my Simmons stuff. Maybe a small loss. Some I sold, most I still have. The overall card market increase saved me a bit.

I’m sour on collecting current Philly stars anymore with the way things went for Wentz and now Simmons. You figure these guys should have long, meaningful careers here, and then it just goes south. I’m not even saying Wentz had to be Aaron Rodgers or Simmons be Lebron for me to collect them, but at least be on the damn team. Embiid is awesome, but he’s not in many insert sets and as a result just isn’t as fun to collect.

Yeah I hope Trae and Collins stay with the Hawks as long as possible. I don’t have much of them but still want them to be there for as long as possible. Went through the few cards I had and was surprised by the Collins green pulsar Prizm /25. People make fun of my Matt Ryan PC but it’s just nice he’s been with the same team since 2008 so I have someone to collect. Julio just got traded so now I’m dumping most of his stuff.

[ballhawkdawk]

Originally Posted by Siberian13

Yeah I hope Trae and Collins stay with the Hawks as long as possible. I don’t have much of them but still want them to be there for as long as possible. Went through the few cards I had and was surprised by the Collins green pulsar Prizm /25. People make fun of my Matt Ryan PC but it’s just nice he’s been with the same team since 2008 so I have someone to collect. Julio just got traded so now I’m dumping most of his stuff.

Matt Ryan is a local legend where I live. He was born and raised here, so his Falcons jersey still makes it into a lot of the local bars.

I actually have a few decent Trae cards because I love his game. It’s so much easier to collect players that aren’t on your team. Once I stop being lazy I’m selling my Trae and Ben and moving it all to Curry with a side of Giannis (likely to sell down the road for more Curry). I have way more fun collecting my son’s favorite player.