Trouble has been brewing all offseason between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers.
It perhaps reached a climax recently on October 19, where head coach Doc Rivers felt compelled to kick the disgruntled star out of practice. Now, everyone is waiting for the fallout, because it doesn't seem possible that Simmons remains with the Sixers through the rest of the season. Especially after that.
Because as Paul Pierce said Wednesday on CLNS Media's "Cedric Maxwell Podcast," pushing a players' coach like Rivers to that point speaks volumes.
"If Doc kick you out of practice, then that's bad," Pierce said, as transcribed by Celtics Blog. "I think I've seen Doc kick somebody out of practice maybe once? Like Doc ain't gonna kick you out for nothing. You really gotta be an (explicit) for Doc to kick you out of practice. Cause Doc is one of the coolest coaches. He understands the player, and so I don’t know if that relationship can be mended back together. I feel like it's so far gone ... it's draining to a franchise. It's draining to your teammates if you're trying to win."
Pierce would know. Rivers was his coach with the Boston Celtics, where they won an NBA title in 2008, as well as the Los Angeles Clippers.
It sure seems like the Sixers have gotten sick of dealing with the Simmons drama, but we'll see how it all plays out.
