Ben Simmons refused to be subbed into a drill and was sent home by head coach Doc Rivers; Player now suspended for Sixers' opening game of the season; Star center Joel Embiid: "It's not our job to babysit someone"
Tuesday 19 October 2021 18:59, UK
The Philadelphia 76ers announced that Ben Simmons has been suspended for one game after being thrown out of practice by head coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday.
Simmons will now miss Philadelphia's season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
According to reports, Simmons was not engaged during practice and even refused to be subbed into a defensive drill. Eventually, he was removed from the session by Rivers, who told him he should go home. Simmons reportedly dropped the ball and obliged, leading to his eventual suspension for the season opener.
NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski added that Simmons has not been mentally or physically engaged during training sessions since returning. The 25-year-old reported back to the Sixers last week after missing pre-season in an attempt to force a trade from the franchise which drafted him first overall in 2016.
He missed all four of Philadelphia's pre-season contests and was fined $360,000 for each of them, along with incremental fees for each practice session he chose not to attend.
While Simmons did not meet the media and is no longer conducting interviews, Rivers and 76ers center Joel Embiid attempted to explain the situation on his behalf. Embiid, in particular, delivered a scathing assessment of his teammate's behaviour.
"I just thought he was a distraction today," Rivers said. "I didn't think he wanted to do what everybody else was doing. It was early. It wasn't a big deal. I just told him he should leave. We went on with practice.
"Every day, every single moment, I'm going to give Ben a chance to join the team and be part of the team," Rivers added.
"He's under contract to be part of the team and that's not going to change. Sometimes it happens quick and guys join back in. Sometimes it doesn't. I've been in both situations and I'm fine with that.
"At the end of the day, as a coach I have to protect the team. Team first, and then we get to the other part. Today I thought it was more important to focus on the team."
While his coach was level-headed about the situation, which has dragged on for some time now and threatens to disrupt the Sixers' goals as a contending team in the Eastern Conference, Embiid was evidently frustrated by the disruption.
"At this point I don't care about that man, honestly. He does whatever he wants. That's not my job. That's not those guys' job. I'm only focused on making the team better," Embiid told NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"Our chemistry has been excellent despite everything that's been happening the last few months, so like I said I don't really care... At the end of the day our job is not to babysit somebody."
After their trip to New Orleans, the 76ers host the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center on Friday night.
