PHILADELPHIA -- Following Ben Simmons's meeting with his teammates and their first public address since his sitout, Tobias Harris, a 76ers forward, gave a passionate defense of Simmons following Friday night's 114 to109 loss to Brooklyn Nets.
Harris stated that Harris thought it was a good place to start. Harris said that while we should respect his privacy and his space at this point, we must also be there for him through this difficult time.
It's easy to see things from a surface perspective and make assumptions about a lot of things. Athletes in particular are often depicted as superhumans in this space. You're not supposed to feel or go through any emotions. We need to understand that he is a human being first. If he goes through something, we must respect that and work with him as an organization, fan, or team.
"Because he's here putting on shows and helping us win, everyone is cheering and praising. But we live in a What have you done lately?' world. It's difficult to change the world when this is not the case. He needs more support at this point. We have to support him as a group, and that is what I told the group. That message should be heard loud and clear by the fans and everyone in the organization. And, honestly, that includes you guys.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported earlier that Simmons will meet with doctors for an evaluation. He had previously told the team on Friday that he was not mentally prepared to play according to his expectations, and that he needed to take a break.
Sources said that Simmons met with Doc Rivers, his medical staff, and his teammates separately Friday morning at Camden's team facility in Camden, New Jersey. They began a process that will likely continue and prevent him from making it to the start of the season.
Sources said that Simmons told the Sixers' medical staff about his reasons for seeking help. The Sixers offered Simmons any resources they needed to help him.
Simmons has been fined by the Sixers for missing practices, games and meetings. This season's fines are close to $2 million. However, there is a clause in the collective bargaining agreement which protects salaries of players who fail to render services.
Harris had tweeted support for Simmons, saying, "When he is ready, we will embrace him with love and handle all our business on court."
Joel Embiid, the 76ers' superstar center, sent a similar message. Embiid addressed the crowd at Philadelphia's home opener by asking them to continue supporting Simmons.
"It's great to have you back!" After waiting for a chorus of "M.V.P!" Embiid retorted, he received another roar from the adoring crowd. Before speaking, chants were quieted.
He said, "On behalf my teammates, the organisation, and myself, thank you for all your support over the years." "A lot has been happening over the past few months. I hope you guys continue your support for us and Ben, as he's still our brother. Let's get going!
To the media, he relayed a similar message to them -- though he was frustrated at the length of time it took Simmons to get back to them -- postgame.
"It was great, finally that was the first thing any of us heard him," Embiid stated. It was good for the group, I thought."
When asked if he believed things could continue to move in the right direction with Simmons, he replied "Oh yes," That's a good first step. It's a start. I hope you remember that the front office is where it's at the top. They should figure out what is best for the team, as this is a business. We are trying to win, and we have a huge opportunity. I've always said that we are better together.
"I would play with him, but I know that my teammates wouldn’t. We're all trying to win at the end the day."
It was not surprising that Simmons, despite all the drama surrounding him going back to Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, had a similar ending.
Simmons has not yet addressed the media since his last-minute holdout to start training camp. After spending several days finishing his reentry protocol in accordance to the league's safety and health protocols, Simmons returned to practice on Sunday. Rivers later removed him from Tuesday's practice and suspended him for Wednesday's season opening at New Orleans.
Rivers, who also saw Friday's game as a positive step forward, went out of his way not to give any kind of timeline.
Rivers stated, "I feel good up-and-down all through, and I kept repeating that to you guys." "Things do change. It doesn't necessarily mean it will work out perfectly. It could. That's what I have believed all my life. That belief has never changed. That's what I've always believed, and that's why I continue to believe it.
Simmons was briefly seen on the screen during the Sixers' pregame hype clip, including throwing down two dunks.
Philadelphia avoided having to deal with Simmons' situation prior to the game and instead introduced only the five starting players. The entire roster is usually introduced before a team's home opener. The problem of dealing with Simmons' situation and the possible boos that could have come with announcing his name was solved by only introducing the starters.
However, there were many boos for the way the game ended. The 76ers failed to make any basket in the final 5:33 of quarter 4, allowing the Nets to score a 16-1 run and win the game.
Rivers stated, "The ball stopped moving." Rivers said, "Something we worked hard on, and it was disappointing. It seemed like we were walking the ball up the court, but then we did not execute the things we had worked on. The good news is how well we played. "The bad news is that we don't have the ability to finish games in this way."
