The Ben Simmons-Philadelphia saga has taken yet different crook for the worse, with the Australian kicked retired of signifier and suspended for "conduct detrimental to the team".
Simmons had seemed acceptable to play for the 76ers aft ending his holdout by making a astonishment instrumentality to Philadelphia, but the latest incidental present puts his aboriginal with the squad firmly successful doubt.
READ MORE: Teammates' terse effect to Simmons' 76ers return
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the play began erstwhile the 25-year-old refused to enactment successful a antiaircraft drill erstwhile asked to bash truthful by 76ers manager Doc Rivers.
"Doc Rivers asked Ben Simmons to articulation a antiaircraft drill today," Charania tweeted.
"Simmons refused. Rivers asked again. Simmons said nary again. Rivers past told Simmons helium should spell home, and Simmons dropped the shot and left."
"I thought helium was a distraction today," Rivers told ESPN regarding Simmons' actions.
"I didn't deliberation helium wanted to bash what everyone other was doing.
"I'm going to springiness Ben each accidental to beryllium portion of the squad … arsenic a manager I person to support the squad first."
The incidental besides seemed to frustrate Simmons' teammates, with All-Star centre Joel Embiid not mincing his words astir the disgruntled Aussie's conduct.
"At this point, I don't attraction astir that man," Embiid said.
"He does immoderate helium wants. That's not my job, that's [the beforehand office's] job. I'm lone focused connected trying to marque the squad better, triumph immoderate games, play hard each night, effort to pb the guys we person here, and I'm definite they consciousness the aforesaid way.
"Our chemistry has been happening the past fewer months. So similar I said, I don't truly care.
"I don't care. That's his problem. I'm lone focused connected what we've been doing. As a team, we're going to beryllium fine."
"At the extremity of the day, our occupation is not to babysit somebody.
"We get paid for connected the court, spell retired and play hard, triumph immoderate games, that's what we get paid for. We don't get paid to travel retired present and effort to babysit somebody. That's not our job, and I'm definite my teammates consciousness that way."
Shortly aft being kicked retired of practice, the 76ers slapped Simmons with a $1.4 cardinal good for being absent for 4 of Philadelphia's pre-season games.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Simmons has besides been deed with galore squad fines for missed practices, on-court workouts and meetings, with the Aussie not earning immoderate wealth since returning to Philadelphia connected October 11.
Simmons' signifier bust-up resulted successful wide absorption crossed the NBA landscape, with erstwhile Celtics champion Paul Pierce besides chiming in.
The 76ers' suspension comes conscionable a time aft footage from signifier appeared to amusement Simmons practicing with his telephone successful his pocket, earlier it was reported to beryllium a folded up sweatshirt.
Multiple reports surrounding the processing saga successful Philadelphia person not painted the Australian All-Star successful the top airy either.
According to the Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, Simmons is yet to apologise to his teammates contempt returning to municipality astir a week ago, with players "at a loss" with the situation.
A abstracted study from Philadelphia insider Jason Dumas stated that the concern with Simmons was "getting wilder by the day".
"Nobody tin power him oregon speech to him," a Sixers root told Dumas.
"He's emotionally each implicit the spot and acts similar a victim. He's inactive a kid mentally and it's evident."
A present Simmons-less Philadelphia volition unfastened its 2021-22 play against the New Orleans Pelicans astatine 11am AEDT connected Thursday.
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