Doc Rivers does not appear to be playing around with Ben Simmons.
The disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers star spent all offseason angling for a trade, but the team never got what it was looking for in return. And after staging a holdout from camp, he finally showed up with the regular season opener nearing.
That was great and all, up until Tuesday, when head coach Doc Rivers booted Simmons from practice, which resulted in a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.
While the particulars of what happened in the practice aren’t immediately clear, multiple reports indicated that he was not “mentally or physically” engaged in practice. Rivers appeared to have had enough and gave him the boot.
Who knows if this will accelerate a trade, or if Simmons will serve his suspension and end up playing a game for Philly at some point. After Wednesday’s opener, which he obviously will miss, Simmons’ next opportunity to play will be Friday.
No matter what happens, it’s clear drama will not be far from Simmons or the Sixers until some sort of resolution is reached.
