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Ben Simmons Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: F
Born: 07/20/96
Height: 6-10 / 2.08
Weight:240 lbs. / 108.9 kg.
Salary: $8,113,929
Born: 07/20/96
Height: 6-10 / 2.08
Weight:240 lbs. / 108.9 kg.
Salary: $8,113,929
Serena Winters: Glenn Robinson III said even though he’s only shared the court with @Ben Simmons a couple of games, he’s “really one of my favorite players that Iโve played with... “He finds you in ways, other guys donโt.” #Sixers
Serena Winters: Brett Brown said he will likely be more ‘frugal’ with minutes for his high-minute guys (like Ben, Joel, Tobias) in the scrimmage games, but expects ‘normal numbers’ once the regular season (8 seeding games) get underway. #Sixers
Serena Winters: Joel Embiid on Ben Simmons: “Weโre going to need him…Iโm going to do my best to keep helping him & create some space for him. At the end of the day, itโs all about winning a ๐ & I feel like he has the right mindset. I know one thing about him, he wants to win.” #Sixers
Check out Simmons these days on Instagram. Heโs muscular, spry โ and throwing down dunks without a wince on his face. The All-Star guard who watched the Philadelphia 76ers from the bench during the final days in March is now healthy, confident and ready to dominate. โIโm feeling better than I was at the start of the season,โ Simmons said Thursday. โIโve been working since I had the injury, working until now to be prepared for whatever happens and wherever we go. Iโm feeling great and been rehabbing this whole time, so Iโve been feeling ready and Iโm very comfortable.โ
And if the Sixers win it all, the title will be unlike any other in league history. Theyโll spend three months living in a quasi-bubble at the Disney complex after an entire postseason is played without fans, with most if not all of that time away from friends and family. โI trust in the NBA and those older vets like โBron, like CP3, who are ready to go down there,โ Simmons said. โThis is our job. I donโt have any problems with people who want to sit out. Everybodyโs personal stuff is different. I want to get out there and play. I feel like itโs my responsibility to go down there and represent Philadelphia in the highest way possible. I think this is the right way to do it.โ
As a side effect of the long layoff, a number of players have recovered from injuries that slowed them down or kept them out back in March. Among teams invited to Orlando, the Milwaukee Bucks (+74 rating points), Philadelphia 76ers (+66) and Portland Trail Blazers (+55) gained the most points in our talent ratings (which estimate the current state of each team). For the Bucks, the reason is simple: MVP front-runner Giannis Antetokounmpo has recovered from a sprained knee that was affecting him around when the break happened. Likewise, Portland will get back a healthier Jusuf Nurkic; Nurkic, whom RAPTOR considered an elite player last season but who hasnโt played yet in 2019-20, was set to come back in limited fashion in March, and our depth charts have him set to play normal minutes now.2 And for Philly, Ben Simmons should be at 100 percent again after a back injury had landed him on the injured list in February.
Kyle Neubeck: On Zoom call with reporters, Ben Simmons says he feels โbetter than I was when I started the season.โ Says he put on a lot more muscle during the downtime
Keith Pompey: #Sixers’ Ben Simmons: “I’m feeling better than I was when I started the season.”
Tim Bontemps: Ben Simmons says he trusts the NBA and trusts older veterans like Chris Paul and LeBron James for putting the players in the best possible position to be healthy in Orlando. Says he feels he has a responsibility to play, though has no issue with anyone who decides not to play.
Tim Bontemps: Ben Simmons says he’s feeling great, and has added more muscle during his rehab for his back injury. Said overall he’s added “more strength.” Says he feels more explosive and more controlled in what he’s trying to do with his body. Says he’s ready to go when team can practice.
Brian Seltzer: Simmons on expectations with season restarting: “We’re not worried about what other people are saying. We’ve beaten the best teams in the league. We’re looking to grab this opportunity and go all the way. We know what we’re capable of.”
Brian Seltzer: Ben Simmons’ media session begins with him reflecting on racial injustice: “It’s not fair. I believe in equality. At the end of the day, everybody deserves the same opportunities.”
Tom Moore: #Sixers coach Brett Brown: ‘Heโs doing a lot better than (previous tentative comments) would indicate. Heโs good to go. Heโs put in a tremendous amount of work.’
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Ky Carlin: Looks like Ben Simmons approves of the Ryan Broekhoff addition #Sixers
Marc J. Spears: #Sixers star @Ben Simmons is an executive producer of the sports doc, โThe Australian Dream, about Australian Rules Football star Adam Goodes, who is indigenous and dealt with extreme racism.โ Airs on @espn tonight at 10:30 PM EST. Ben Simmons on the doc: bit.ly/2N4DyED pic.twitter.com/RHaHxDm5dL
Marc J. Spears: #Sixers star @Ben Simmons is an executive producer of the sports doc, โThe Australian Dream, about Australian Rules Football star Adam Goodes, who is indigenous and dealt with extreme racism.โ Airs on @espn tonight at 10:30 PM EST. Ben Simmons on the doc: bit.ly/2N4DyED pic.twitter.com/RHaHxDm5dL
Though he hasnโt played a basketball game in about four months, Ben Simmons has not lost his ability to throw down acrobatic dunks. Trainer Chris Johnson shared a video Thursday on Instagram of Simmons looking very springy after a workout in Los Angeles.
โMy opinion, and this is not confirmed yet, is that we are going to be able to inch him back into this,โ Brown said. โIs he going to be 100%, I donโt expect that. But I think he is going to be available.โ Brown has kept busy the last few months. When the NBA shut down, Brown put his staff to work. He searched for reasons why a team that was 29-2 at home could be a dreadful 10-24 on the road. Everything from travel schedules to hotels to team meetings were dissected. He studied the offense, which failed to click, especially in the half court. He studied the defense, which slipped into the middle of the pack after Christmas. โIt was what did we do well and what didnโt we,โ Brown said. โAnd letโs fix the stuff we didnโt.
NBA Central: Ben Simmons has been working out with DWade during the pandemic ๐ฅ pic.twitter.com/3jzLgemmcN
Ben Simmons: This is not what a leader looks like. His actions and cold words are cowardly. Do not allow these messages of hate and divide draw your attention away from the REAL goal of UNITY and EQUALITY which is achieved through LOVE and COMPASSION. I love yโall, stay safe
Like anyone missing basketball, Embiid watched โThe Last Danceโ documentary. There are some parallels to be made as Embiid and Ben Simmons have had their share of disappointment in the postseason. Much like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did with the โBad Boyโ Pistons, the Sixersโ All-Star duo may have to overcome their playoff boogeymen in Boston and Toronto. Embiid believes he can push his teammates the same way Jordan once did. โI did watch it. It was interesting,โ Embiid said. โI saw a lot of similarities and a lot of people have told me that. โฆ I can also be that guy, I just need to keep putting in the work and thatโs what Iโve been doing.โ
Ben Simmonsโ Nike Blazer Mid โ77 Motivation debuts Thursday at House of Hoops by Foot Locker and online at footlocker.com. The 76ers point guardโs new sneaker is part of a Nike series recognizing the motivational phrases and pregame rituals of standouts that include Simmons, Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Donฤiฤ, Sacramento Kings point guard DeโAaron Fox, and Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner.
The Motivation has a gray-cracked suede upper with the phrase โHeart in the Game” on one side and โPride & Passion” on the other. The back heel tabs read โDedicationโ and โMotivation.โ The swoosh is yellow and the shoeโs tongue is green, the national colors of Simmonsโ native Australia.
Last year, Trindle was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkinโs lymphoma. Following more than six months of chemotherapy, her bell-ringing tweet went viral and caught the attention of the team. โI think Tobias Harris was the first one, that was in the morning and I was like, โOh my God.โ And like Ben Simmons,โ Trindle said. โJoel Embiid did.โ That short six-second video of perseverance has been viewed over 600,000 times, and it also led to an invitation from Mike Scott and the Sixers.
“[Matisse Thybulle] has been great [this season],” said Ben Simmons, on Brian Seltzer’s ‘Reel Talk.’ “He is willing to learn. Everyone has that kind of rookie bump, as they say. But I haven’t really noticed a bump with him. I think he’s been very solid overall. He has gotten a lot better, his confidence is getting better and better. Defensively, his confidence is there — he knows he’s one of the best defenders in the NBA.”
06 May
Keith Pompey: #Sixers GM Elton Brand is optimistic that Ben Simmons (back) will return if or when the season resumes. But Brand was asked if the PG would be ready if the playoffs were today: “Itโs tough because of him not playing 3-on-3, 5-on-5 just to speculate there. But when I FaceTime him during his workouts, during his treatment and I see him, Iโd be highly encouraged that his ramp up would be different. We took our time. Weโve been methodical and thoughtful about his recovery and rehab just to make sure, because we werenโt in a rush. Itโs hard to speculate, but heโs been working hard, and I know heโd be closer or ready.”
Keith Pompey: #Sixers GM Elton Brand: “Ben and others have been given permission to use our facility. It is essential that they can get the proper equipment to work out and rehab. So thatโs where heโs been. Heโs been doing that ever since the first week. We were able to get him access there.”
Jeff Zillgitt: Sixersโ Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid weโre allowed to use teams practice facility for some rehab, Iโm told.
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.”
Brown’s NBA peers agree with him. A sampling of league coaches insists that even if Simmons began routinely making two or three 3s a game, when the score tightened, particularly in the playoffs, teams will still back off and dare him to shoot. “Just like with Giannis [Antetokounmpo],” says one Western Conference coach. “It’s great he’s working on his 3-point range, but we’re still giving him that shot every single time — and hoping he takes it.”
Simmons attempted just two in the subsequent three months. “Some people put so much emphasis on it,” Simmons says. “It’s a little too much. It made me back check and say, ‘Let me focus on what I’m good at.’ There are things I do on the court where nobody can stop me, when I’m putting up steals, assists, scoring in the paint.” Brown is asked if he feels his declaration to his point forward backfired. “I said it because I meant it,” Brown says. “It was my way of trying to give him a nudge.”
“We’ve had conversations, especially when it comes to shooting,” Embiid says. “Ben can help me a lot. I feel like I’ve helped him a lot with his game. People keep saying, ‘Oh, you have to stop spending time on the 3-point line,’ but I do it because Ben is such a good driver, going to basket, that I’ve got to help open that up for him. “I would like if he would do the same for me, to start shooting [3s]. But I also know how uncomfortable he is with it.”
Brown reports that he and Simmons had a discussion following the All-Star break that suggested his young star was ready to be more proactive in the final weeks of the season regarding his shot selection. But then he got hurt, dampening that optimism. “I am disappointed for him and our team,” Brown says. “I wish Ben did [shoot 3s]. More so, his teammates do.”
This is what Simmons must navigate, a cauldron of controversy — whenever play resumes. The hope of a mid-April return for the playoffs has been deferred, though sources tell ESPN that Simmons will be good to go as his lower back impingement has all but dissipated. “If the season resumes,” says a team source, “we’re expecting to have him.”
