Ben Simmons Will Play Against The Sixers For First Time Monday In Brooklyn
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Doc Rivers is tired of talking about Ben Simmons
The coach wishes the former disgruntled 76er well and wants to move on. The problem is that Simmons will continue to be a hot topic considering that he forced a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, an Atlantic Division foe. Not only will the Sixers face Simmons and the Nets four times this season, the squad will meet in Monday night’s preseason opener at the Barclays Center.
The 7:30 p.m. matchup will also mark James Harden’s first trip back to the Barclays Center after being acquired from Brooklyn in the Feb. 10 blockbuster trade for Simmons.
Rivers wants to turn the page. “We’re focused on the guys that want to be a Philadelphia 76er,” Rivers said of facing Simmons. “We’re not going to focus on anyone that doesn’t want to be one.”
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Meanwhile, Harden had a few words when asked Sunday of his thoughts about heading back to Brooklyn for the first time. Like Simmons, he forced a trade.
“Nah, I mean … it’s just a preseason game,” he said.
However, it’s hard not to focus on the 6-foot-10 point guard, who refused to play for the Sixers and was a huge distraction last season before being traded.
In August, Simmons and the Sixers reached a settlement that allowed him to recoup a portion of the nearly $20 million that was withheld after he failed to play in games before being traded. In an interview last month, Simmons told former Sixers teammate JJ Redick on The Old Man and the Three podcast that many within the organization did not support him as he struggled with his mental health.
“I was in such a bad place where I was like, [bleep], I’m trying to get here and you guys are, like, throwing all these other things at me to where you’re not helping,” Simmons told Redick. “And that’s all I wanted was help.
“I didn’t feel like I got it from coaches, teammates — I won’t say all teammates, because there’s great guys on that team that did reach out and are still my friends — but I didn’t feel like I got that, and it was just a tough place for me.”
Simmons missed all of last season while also dealing with a herniated disk. Things appear to be going better for the three-time All-Star as he is about to make his Nets debut. The 2018 rookie of the year has been working with a physical therapist following back surgery in May.
Now, he’s building cohesion with All-Star Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of his teammates.
“I’ve put myself in position,” Simmons, 26, said to reporters last week. “I’ve been working on myself this past year to get back on the floor and play at a high level. I deserve to take this opportunity to get back on the court, so I’m excited to team up with these guys, these coaches.”
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Sixers guard Furkan Korkmaz said he watched the podcast featuring Simmons on Friday.
“It’s good to see him feeling himself, being ready to play basketball, because at the end of the day he’s a good dude,” Korkmaz said. “Whatever happened, it was a long story. But that was not a regular trait. … It was something like a TV series kind of, because we all watched what was going on and we were all part of it.
“And it’s finally like good to play against him, good to see him playing. At the end of the day, I just wish him good luck. And I can’t wait to play against him and Brooklyn.”
Kieth Pompeii
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