Philadelphia 76ers: No Need To Cave For Ben Simmons
It hurts my heart to say this as a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers. Especially when this could have long-term effects on the team in the future, but there is no way they should trade Ben Simmons. Well, at least this season that is.
It’s time for teams to take a stand against spoiled athletes like Simmons. What’s missed in all this is that this is a scenario that Simmons created himself. This is not a GM or team owner doing something disrespectful to a player and he’s fed up. This is not Phil Jackson writing a tell-all-book or Gilbert Arenas playing a winner-take-all-card game on a plane. This is a player with hurt feelings who can’t handle criticism or the truth about himself or his game.
Simmons is a good talent. Good but not great. He’s a great defender but the rest of his game is average. Where the 76ers faltered with Simmons is by agreeing to pay him as if he was a top 10 talent in the NBA. He’s been voted to three All-Star teams and that’s still a head-scratcher.
The Philadelphia 76ers have a championship-winning roster but not everyone has brought into that. Yes, Joel Embiid is injury-prone. Tobias Harris has disappeared in some games, but Simmons was supposed to be the one to bring it all together. Instead, he has taken the team down the wrong path. The Process is over, and he killed it.
Ben Simmons wants to be traded and the report is that he won’t play another game for the 76ers. That’s good for both parties. However, trading him will give him exactly what he wants. He wants out of Philly and this is where the organization should put its foot down.
Tell his agent no.
Simmons misses games, he gets fined. Oh well. Where does it say they MUST trade him? He’s under contract for four more years. Trading him now may rejuvenate his career and Philly will regret this.
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But keeping him will show Simmons he needs to grow up. The NBA is a privilege that people would kill for and he’s taking his opportunity for granted all because his feelings are hurt.
Fans, analysts, and players are just asking him to shoot. He doesn’t have to make every shot, just shoot the damn ball. But since he refuses to and basically quit on his team in the playoffs, he wants out. Yes, he was thrown under the bus by Embiid and Doc Rivers but that’s what leaders are supposed to do. Hold you accountable for your mistakes. Simmons just can’t handle that and that’s something he’s not used to. So, instead of accepting the lumps and growing, he wants to run.
Don’t give him that satisfaction. Make him sit for an entire season and watch. Make him learn to love and respect the game, again.
Look at Tyrese Maxey. The high-octane young guard entering his second season is in the gym this summer working on his weaknesses. Simmons is doing the same but he’s been doing that for the last three offseasons but has yet to translate that to actual gameplay.
It’s like he’s playing mind games with his team. “Look what I can do but refuse to do it”. What player in their right mind will want to go to battle with a person like that as a teammate? He’s simply not giving his all and laughing in everyone’s face while doing it.
Trade him? Hell no. Let him sit and squirm on the bench or in his home. But do not give him what he wants. What has he given the team?
Keeping him on the roster may cause friction and the 76ers will be short-handed. But isn’t that better than caving and possibly watching him succeed elsewhere? It’s a risk but it’s one that not only the Philadelphia 76ers must take, but one that other teams must take as well.
He’s under contract to play for a team. Either play or watch from the bench. Simmons put himself in this situation. No team wants to give the 76ers the haul they want for him. So, the team will get the short end of the stick regardless. If Elton Brand and Daryl Morey want payback, they can let him sit and ignore the calls that his agent will be sending to the office.
At the end of the day, isn’t that what Simmons has done all offseason to the 76ers?
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
