You know that old NBA/social media meme: "There have been X number of days since there was unnecessary drama in the NBA," and the "X number of days" eventually gets crossed out with a zero?
Yeah, well, no meme has ever been truer.
As you've probably heard by now, there is drama in Philadelphia with the team and Ben Simmons.
We all know the history: Simmons got mad at the team last season - after you know, he refused to shoot in the playoffs. Afterward he demanded a trade, the team refused, and Simmons - set to lose millions of dollars, finally reported to training camp.
Well, Simmons is clearly unhappy and essentially threw a temper tantrum in practice today. Here are some details, and video of the whole deal:
And here is a little video, of said lack of engagement.
So that's the part of the story you've probably heard.
What you might not have heard however, is this: Joel Embiid absolutely destroying Simmons in his post practice media availability.
First, he dropped this gem - "I don't care about that man."
And then he took it a step further, adding "We're not here to babysit."
HELLO!
First off, credit to Embiid, Doc Rivers and the Sixers for refusing to put up with Simmons' non-sense. The NBA remains the only place on planet Earth where you can be paid millions of dollars, with years left on your contract, and refuse to show up to work and get paid for it.
And it appears as though a team and organization have drawn a line in the sand.
What makes it worse however, is that in this case Simmons has no one to blame but himself. This isn't about organizational incompetence, bad teammates, a bad coach, bad system. This is about one guy, with a bad attitude.
As mentioned above, if Simmons had simply performed during the NBA Playoffs last year, the 76ers would've been in the Eastern Conference Finals, with homecourt advantage throughout. Yet he's trying to play the victim and it's clear no one has any sympathy for him.
Now, it will be interesting to see what happens next. It's clear Sixers aren't budging, and it seems like the locker room is on Doc Rivers and Embiid's side. And it's clear Simmons has no intention of being a professional either.
Again, say this for the NBA: It can't go more than a few hours without unnecessary drama.
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