Ben Simmons Is a Horrible Teammate
Is there a more unlikeable athlete right now than Ben Simmons? You would probably be hard-pressed to name one. Through years of criticisms regarding his inability to shoot (valid) and his inability to be a major contributor to a championship team (also valid), Philadelphia fans defended him. Vigorously. Eventually, these fans turned on him after Simmons proved to be an absolute disaster in the NBA playoffs. Ben decided he couldn’t take it anymore. He refused to contact anyone in the 76ers organization for the entirety of the offseason, refused to report to team events to start the season, and has not engaged with anyone about his issues with the situation. It’s a mess, and it got way worse earlier today.
Simmons finally reported to practice in Philly, ending a holdout that everyone believed would result in a trade. He was kicked out of practice by Doc Rivers for refusing to participate in drills and being completely disengaged.
What a selfish whiner. There’s really no other way to put it. Philadelphia should have traded him way earlier than this. His play on the court was bad enough, but it’s laughable how much Philly is putting up with. Simmons has proven to be a horrible teammate, and it’s to the point where even Joel Embiid is tired of having him around.
Simmons has been suspended for the season opener by the 76ers because of conduct detrimental to the team.
Who Is Crazy Enough to Want Ben Simmons on Their Team?
Is there any situation where an NBA team actually wants this guy? Simmons clearly doesn’t want to play for the 76ers and is trying to force a trade. But at the same time, he’s tanking his value by being a toxic presence and selfish teammate. It’s hard to envision a scenario where another NBA franchise can look past that and put together a package of assets to trade for him. There were whispers that Portland might offer CJ McCollum for Simmons a few months ago. If I’m the Trail Blazers front office, there’s absolutely no chance I touch Simmons with a 20-foot pole. Ironic considering you could effectively guard Simmons on the perimeter from 20 feet away.
After coddling him for years, the Philadelphia 76ers would have to be absolutely insane to try and keep Simmons around. The problem is, there aren’t a ton of reasons why any other team would be willing to bring him in either. The Sixers should have traded him for James Harden back when that was on the table. Would have saved them a ton of headaches.
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