**Official Philadelphia 76ers Thread 2022/2023 Regular Season*

[mayanh8]

That'll help restore some trade value. 

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

23 minutes ago, Shepard Wong said:

Jo saying the right things, even though it’s probably meaningless

 

 

[mayanh8]

 

Here we go. SMH.

[4for4EaglesNest]

34 minutes ago, mayanh8 said:

 

Here we go. SMH.

Yeah. Hardly saying "the right things”.  

[iladelphxx]

 

 

That sounds like a shot at Ben 

[mayanh8]

1 minute ago, iladelphxx said:

 

 

That sounds like a shot at Ben 

It is. But I don't think he intended it to be.

[DaEagles4Life]

40 minutes ago, mayanh8 said:

 

Here we go. SMH.

I dont see it as a negative because he knew he sucked and had to be better so he put in the work. I think these are subtle shots at Ben. 

[mr_hunt]

jojo is doing damage control....the sixers probably asked him to do that.  constant bashing of simmons on social isn't helping his trade value.    

[Shepard Wong]

1 minute ago, mr_hunt said:

jojo is doing damage control....the sixers probably asked him to do that.  constant bashing of simmons on social isn't helping his trade value.    

Or they think there is a chance he starts the year here and are trying, fruitlessly, through Jo to get the fans to not go off on Simmons if that happens.  

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

51 minutes ago, mayanh8 said:

 

Here we go. SMH.

I’m guessing the boo’s were in that Raptors series where he got sick and we lost homecourt advantage in game 4. Unless he is referring to 2019-2020 season as two seasons ago. Even then the sixers were awesome at home so he and the team really didn’t get boo’d at home. They were awful on the road 

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

25 minutes ago, iladelphxx said:

 

 

That sounds like a shot at Ben 

I think he meant it as he could take what’s dished out cause it drives him. I think it wasn’t meant as a shot towards Ben but definitely reads like that. 

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

Thanks joe giglio the dope that never stops giving (was retweeted by embiid)

 

[Shepard Wong]

 

 

 

 

[Shepard Wong]

This is good news.  Perkins is obviously well connected at Klutch so I trust this is a message being put out by them, hopefully because Maxey didn't like what he heard.

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

5 minutes ago, Shepard Wong said:

 

 

 

 

How was it a half assed commitment they gave him a max contract when he couldn’t shoot and still didn’t say a word about it supporting up until they lost game 7. Sounds like rich Paul and Ben Simmons are a bunch of d***heads who can’t seem to take any blame for their current situation and want to shift it all on everyone else. 

[Mat]

39 minutes ago, Shepard Wong said:

Or they think there is a chance he starts the year here and are trying, fruitlessly, through Jo to get the fans to not go off on Simmons if that happens.  

It's this and a follow up on what Danny Green said. They know the fans are pissed with Simmons and don't want them booing him relentlessly since he is already a mental midget.

34 minutes ago, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

I’m guessing the boo’s were in that Raptors series where he got sick and we lost homecourt advantage in game 4. Unless he is referring to 2019-2020 season as two seasons ago. Even then the sixers were awesome at home so he and the team really didn’t get boo’d at home. They were awful on the road 

I remember the game. It was the Horford season when he was struggling to get going. The crowd had been booing while Embiid struggled to hit a shot in the game. He finally hit one and put a finger to his lips

[Mat]

Just now, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

How was it a half assed commitment they gave him a max contract when he couldn’t shoot and still didn’t say a word about it supporting up until they lost game 7. Sounds like rich Paul and Ben Simmons are a bunch of d***heads who can’t seem to take any blame for their current situation and want to shift it all on everyone else. 

After the Noel news this isn't a surprise. Doesn't he only have the job because he is friends with Bron?

[Mat]

This is the game 

 

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

2 minutes ago, Mat said:

After the Noel news this isn't a surprise. Doesn't he only have the job because he is friends with Bron?

People try to defend him like he’s done a great job building himself into what he has. But frankly he and windhorst only have the jobs and ability to be in the market they have cause of lebron. If they didn’t know Lebron, neither of them are in the positions they find themselves in. That’s not to say he hasn’t done a nice job with the opportunity presented. 

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

6 minutes ago, Mat said:

It's this and a follow up on what Danny Green said. They know the fans are pissed with Simmons and don't want them booing him relentlessly since he is already a mental midget.

I remember the game. It was the Horford season when he was struggling to get going. The crowd had been booing while Embiid struggled to hit a shot in the game. He finally hit one and put a finger to his lips

Might be the only time they did that during a home game that season cause they were really good at home They were terrible on the road and he’s lucky most of their bad performances were on the road. 

[DaEagles4Life]

You look at his list of players he represents and it isn't that great after the top 3 to 4. This definitely could backfire on him. 

https://hoopshype.com/reps/rich-paul/

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

4 minutes ago, DaEagles4Life said:

You look at his list of players he represents and it isn't that great after the top 3 to 4. This definitely could backfire on him. 

https://hoopshype.com/reps/rich-paul/

I had a similar conversation with my friend yesterday. When LeBron is finally gone I tend to think the NBA is going to go after rich paul more and put him in his place. I don’t think they can do that at the moment because of LeBron’s power over the league and catering to him at the moment

[mr_hunt]

lots of simmons talk on siriusxm nba radio right now...and pompey is supposed to be on in about 15 min. 

[mr_hunt]

https://www.phillyvoice.com/nba-trade-rumors-ben-simmons-trade-request-klutch-sports-rich-paul-daryl-morey-doc-rivers/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

To let his defenders tell the story, the key to unlocking Ben Simmons is always in the hands of someone else. If only he had more shooters around him. If only he had better teammates at LSU. If only he played with one of approximately two other big men on earth who could do as much to aid him as Joel Embiid. If only, if only, if only. 

Twenty-five years in, Ben Simmons’ basketball life is defined by myth making as much as anything else. There is no better example than this anecdote from a piece by the great Jackie MacMullan in 2020, detailing the sort of person Ben believed he needed leading him: 

 

Simmons stoically absorbed the wrath of Boyle -- his favorite coach of all time, he says -- then followed his own mantra: learn from it, put it away and move on, same as he did following that gutting elimination by the Raptors last May. His inner circle knows how much that playoff loss wounded him, but how Simmons feels in those moments is not for public consumption.

"I don't like to express myself too much in front of everyone else," Simmons says, "because then that lets you know how I feel."

His family frets that by internalizing all the brutal commentary centered on his lack of perimeter prowess, it has obscured the amazing accomplishments of his blossoming young career. They worry whether he's able to enjoy it, how he blocks out the noise, which is relentless, often deafening. Even those closest to him find themselves occasionally wondering, what is Ben thinking?

One notion the young Sixers star doesn't mind sharing: He craves being challenged, even admonished. He knows he needs it, even though he wishes he didn't.

"My weakness," Simmons says, "is I need to have someone make me accountable. The goal is to be accountable to myself.

"That's been a bit tough. It takes time."  [ESPN]

 

And please don’t remind anyone that when faced with something as ultimately meaningless as media critique about his style of play in the moments after Game 7, Simmons would eventually bark back that he piled up assists and defended Trae Young well.

It is the sort of story that sells well. That his coach at the time had publicly demanded for Simmons to shoot more by calling out his agent, his family, and his loved ones didn’t seem to matter. Never mind that his relationship with Doc Rivers broke down after one public display of uncertainty following a season’s worth of water carrying. Forget that he committed to a school where he knew he would have familial influence on the coaching staff. Trivial details.

What Ben Simmons needs, according to Ben Simmons himself, is Someone Who Would Push Him. Unfortunately, the hand-chosen family and associates who have worked with him during his off-seasons haven't proven they can clear that bar either. 

Give Simmons and his people credit for this: they understand the power of timing and branding. It was easy to sell the need for accountability as Brett Brown rather clearly lost control of the team, just as it is to package a flashy string of highlights from hours of no-pressure summer pickup games in L.A. Setting their sights on the governing NCAA body few people respect was a savvy documentary pivot, avoiding the fact that scouts identified the same endgame issues in the SEC that have dogged Simmons for the last half decade in the NBA. 

 

[HazletonEagle]

4 minutes ago, mr_hunt said:

https://www.phillyvoice.com/nba-trade-rumors-ben-simmons-trade-request-klutch-sports-rich-paul-daryl-morey-doc-rivers/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

To let his defenders tell the story, the key to unlocking Ben Simmons is always in the hands of someone else. If only he had more shooters around him. If only he had better teammates at LSU. If only he played with one of approximately two other big men on earth who could do as much to aid him as Joel Embiid. If only, if only, if only. 

Twenty-five years in, Ben Simmons’ basketball life is defined by myth making as much as anything else. There is no better example than this anecdote from a piece by the great Jackie MacMullan in 2020, detailing the sort of person Ben believed he needed leading him: 

 

Simmons stoically absorbed the wrath of Boyle -- his favorite coach of all time, he says -- then followed his own mantra: learn from it, put it away and move on, same as he did following that gutting elimination by the Raptors last May. His inner circle knows how much that playoff loss wounded him, but how Simmons feels in those moments is not for public consumption.

"I don't like to express myself too much in front of everyone else," Simmons says, "because then that lets you know how I feel."

His family frets that by internalizing all the brutal commentary centered on his lack of perimeter prowess, it has obscured the amazing accomplishments of his blossoming young career. They worry whether he's able to enjoy it, how he blocks out the noise, which is relentless, often deafening. Even those closest to him find themselves occasionally wondering, what is Ben thinking?

One notion the young Sixers star doesn't mind sharing: He craves being challenged, even admonished. He knows he needs it, even though he wishes he didn't.

"My weakness," Simmons says, "is I need to have someone make me accountable. The goal is to be accountable to myself.

"That's been a bit tough. It takes time."  [ESPN]

 

And please don’t remind anyone that when faced with something as ultimately meaningless as media critique about his style of play in the moments after Game 7, Simmons would eventually bark back that he piled up assists and defended Trae Young well.

It is the sort of story that sells well. That his coach at the time had publicly demanded for Simmons to shoot more by calling out his agent, his family, and his loved ones didn’t seem to matter. Never mind that his relationship with Doc Rivers broke down after one public display of uncertainty following a season’s worth of water carrying. Forget that he committed to a school where he knew he would have familial influence on the coaching staff. Trivial details.

What Ben Simmons needs, according to Ben Simmons himself, is Someone Who Would Push Him. Unfortunately, the hand-chosen family and associates who have worked with him during his off-seasons haven't proven they can clear that bar either. 

Give Simmons and his people credit for this: they understand the power of timing and branding. It was easy to sell the need for accountability as Brett Brown rather clearly lost control of the team, just as it is to package a flashy string of highlights from hours of no-pressure summer pickup games in L.A. Setting their sights on the governing NCAA body few people respect was a savvy documentary pivot, avoiding the fact that scouts identified the same endgame issues in the SEC that have dogged Simmons for the last half decade in the NBA. 

 

I have referenced that piece over and over again in here, where he admits he needs to be pushed like that.

But the problem is Brett Brown as a players coach, and if he tried to call out Simmons publicly, Simmons still did the opposite to spite him.

Then, what to the 6ers do to replace Brown? Simmons needed a rah rah guy, and they went and got Doc Rivers instead. Had Doc done any research on his team prior to taking over, he would have known this. But what did he do? He doubled down on the coddling.

The one time he publicly called Ben out- after our playoff loss- what does Ben say? The relationship is irreparable and he wants out.

 

So, on one hand, the 6ers havent given Ben the type of tough love he says he needs to make him better. While on the other hand, anytime Ben got even a slight dose of that, he has gotten mad and responded exactly the opposite way.