Key Sentence:
- Ben Simmons returned to Philadelphia from Los Angeles after a two-week training camp.
- And 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said the team would love to bring him back.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Simmons returned to Philadelphia on Monday to take a Covid-19 test. Simmons reportedly sold two of his Philadelphia residences, including his place at the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Philadelphia and his home in Moorestown, New Jersey, not far from Philadelphia. He trains in Los Angeles.
Whether Simmons will return to the Philadelphia market to rejoin the team or make more diversions until retail demand is met remains unclear, but Rivers says the franchise wants him back. “Look, we said what we wanted from day one,” Rivers told reporters before the Sixers beat the Brooklyn Nets 115-104 at the Wells Fargo Center. “We want to return it.
“Plus, to be honest, there’s nothing to report. Our position has not changed at all. “
ESPN reports that Simmons will lose $1 million after missing a Nets game. He has $33 million to make this season and has four years and $147 million under contract.
Most of the Sixers fan base was furious with Simmons in last season’s NBA playoffs when he attempted an open goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks and, at first sight, was afraid to shoot. Rivers has since said his comments were misinterpreted.
“Doc Rivers was like, ‘I’m not answering this shit,'” Rivers said last month. “Those questions. That disappoints me, and I don’t do this media thing very often.
“The situation is disappointing, very disrespectful to all those who fought for their lives here,” Embiid said. If Simmons returns to the franchise, ESPN NBA analyst Doris Burke said on the show; he’ll have to be humble when he returns. Regarding the Simmons/Embide situation, one longtime Sixers fan said, “Someone has to leave their ego at the door to fix it.”