Anonymous wrote;
"I hope he never plays for the boomers."

Another one replied with;
"He can't play for anybody else but the boomers. Smh"

Not saying, just asking. Is that how "karma" works?
...If he ever decides that he wants an Olympic Gold and the Boomers deny him the chance, AND THEY DO COME HOME WITH THEIR FIRST GOLD!

What has he actually won? Of the top of my head it's probably just a high school championship? (and I'm only guessing he probably won that...)

https://www.news.com.au/sport/american-sports/nba/not-here-to-babysit-petulant-ben-simmons-kicked-out-suspended-by-76ers/news-story/acad09893f4d1ef511aa4025532ea0fd

Why does he have to be such a knob?
Why does he ooze so much attitude...
So talented, yet such an ass!

Lacks that Aussie grit and humble nature of Mills, Delly, Ingles

He's not a cultural fit for the Boomers.

Or any successful team.

Unless he quickly grows up.

I would love to know what the strategy here is by Klutch. Clearly they are not fools, and obviously Ben is acting out a role here. There has to be a bigger picture here, surely?

"To be honest I don't blame Ben, he was thrown out to the wolves and under the bus by his star team mate and his coach after the finals. Those comments were not needed to be made publicly, have your conversations with Ben and the team, don't hang him out."


No, fuck this take. The guy spent 5 years in the league and never made a noticeable improvement in his biggest deficit - his shooting - despite having specialist coaches to help him do it. His brain clearly wasn in that last playoff game, and there are reports now that he was trying to get out of playing Game 7 v Hawks by pretending he had a COVID contact. Now if the 76ers believe that, and they see the way he played out the end of the gamne, why wouldn't they criticize him? Any time anyone asked him about his shooting, he'd just arrogantly mention his stats, as though him having a glaring weakness didn't matter. Well it did. It did matter. Now he's getting what he deserves for it and reacting like an absolute clown in the process.

"I would love to know what the strategy here is by Klutch. Clearly they are not fools, and obviously Ben is acting out a role here. There has to be a bigger picture here, surely?"

I don't think this helps his career in the slightest. If the 76ers couldn't trade him before him being kicked out it'll be even harder now. I see this clown show getting even more silly before the end of the season.

"I hope he never plays for the boomers."

Safest bet is that he doesn't. The Boomers have created such a great culture and they dont need that sullied by a one-man show who thinks the world exists to cater to him. Josh Giddey will bring a lot of intangibles to the Boomers that Simmons otherwise would (bar the athleticism), so I am not too worried if Ben never plays a Boomers game. It's probably preferable that he doen't. There has been a lot of fiascos around Ben and the Boomers, including the strongarming of the team to get him to play the Melbourne series where Lemanis and the team were basically threatened by the Victorian government, and then when they agreed, he just disappeared into thin air. For Ben to play for the Boomers, I'd want to see that he's matured from where he is now, that he is committed, that he is willing to play the role the team needs (not just the role he wants to play), and that all of this bipolar type behaviour is done with before I'd even waste time putting him in camp. I think we can all appreciate that Ben's reality as an NBA All star is different to that of the other Boomers, but from what we can see his communication with the team for the entire journey has been piss poor at best.

I mean, he could have gone full Jimmy Butler and set fire to the practice gym. That'd be the best way to handle it if he had an ounce of competitive spirit.

I said it before the Olympics, the sooner Australia collectively forgets about trying to get this wanker to play for our National Team the better. We'll find more success from playing like a team with the culture that has been built than trying to graft in someone with (some) great skills and athleticism that doesn't want to be there or is only there for their own personal reasons. Same goes for Cambage in the Womens Team. Don't select them, don't chase them. Those that are hungry to play for their country will put it all on the floor and not be a constant distraction.

Poor Benny, I think it's terrible the way everyone is picking on him. He has always picked the team he played for. Up until the 76ers daddy has picked the team he played for that suited and spoilt Ben. Even when he came to philly, Brown was supposedly a family friend who gave him the keys to the team. Now it not going well it’s time to move on again. So what if he has a contract, he’s Ben Simmons.

"thrown under the bus by his star team mate and his coach after the finals"

Reviewing this, I'd argue he wasn't thrown under the bus. Rivers and Embiid were just refreshingly honest. Rivers was asked if Simmons could lead a team to the championship. He replied "I don't know". It's not the typical PR garbage we usually hear from coaches, but his answer ought to be a true and not so harsh assessment. Embiid said he thought the turning point was Simmons passing it off. An overrated moment, but that play certainly may have been a turning point. Embiid is known for his honest takes.

Agreed ME!!!

He's probably lost the few supporters in his corner now after his latest display of petulance. What a disgrace to show up to training with that attitude! Yeah the comments that were made publicly about him by coach and teammates were inappropriate. And i would be pissed about it too. But he's a professional athlete and he would have earned a lot of respect if he came back with a pro attitude and mended relationships and heaven forbid showed improvements in his game. So much time has gone by to still be holding onto a grudge. Deserves to be suspended.

I really want to see him play for the Boomers one day but i want to see him beg for the opportunity even more!

The question in my mind is, "Is it time we hand Ben Simmons some slack?"

Me, everything you wrote above is fairly right and I am hoping that you'll agree with me (small "m") that no sane person behaves like Simmons does, sacrificing his career, fame and fortune, with nothing to gain, like he is doing.

Is it possible that he is not sane?

What then? Do we flood these threads with teary apologies. "I'm sooo sorry, Ben. I didn't know."

I still want to know what's going on, just not what a prick he is, all the time.

If I'm right, get well soon, Ben. And help the Boomers to their 1st Gold. If I am not, then go ahead and burn him (no, not me, he's the prick, I'm just nuts!).

Finally, how would you feel if Simmons (even the prick one), was the difference between Boomers Gold and any other inferior metals? Would you really leave him out and deny the rest of us our 1st men's basketball Gold?

All Ben got was justifiable criticism but in his own head, he's above criticism and should be allowed to play however he feels. Nothing that was said about him was so unbelievably harsh that he should be doing what he's doing. I just think he's soft, he's been coddled all of his life, he has no concept of adversity, and childishness is the only way he knows how to react. If he had faced criticism in his younger years and didn't have daddy rescue him from every team and situation that didn't massage has ball sack then maybe he'd develop some coping mechanisms by now that would allow him to approach this situation like an adult. But all I am seeing is Ben acting offended by a pretty minor slight on behalf of 76ers players and management, taking it way too much to heart, and basically running away from the challenge rather than embrace it. You could easily consider the comments made as "tough love" and if he had a killer instinct, he would be out to prove it all wrong. But if anything he's displayed even more mental weakness than before, and he's dropping his trade value by the day.

But this impasse is quite interesting: Philly wont trade him for anything less than a superstar. No teams are willing to trade like that for him. Ben doesn't want to play. But if he doesn't play, he wont get paid. It's a question of who will budge first? Will Ben change his attitude for money or will Philly trade for even less?

I have a feeling Ben will have to budge before Philly do. If I were Philly I'd just keep suspending him. It's a messed up situation for them, especially, to be in., But the end result might be a superstar NBA talent that no team wants anymore.

If I were to give Ben a word of advice of any kind, it would be DROP YOUR MANAGEMENT. The people around you aren't guiding you right. This could ruin your entire career. Get your fucking head together.

"Is it possible that he is not sane?"

It's possible. Look at his sister and the bipolar circus her life is. That shit runs in families.

"Finally, how would you feel if Simmons (even the prick one), was the difference between Boomers Gold and any other inferior metals? Would you really leave him out and deny the rest of us our 1st men's basketball Gold?"

Well we cant know the answer to that. I'd take a cohesive team with full buy in over what Ben Simmons is showing at this point in his career. Lets see what things look like in 2-3 years.

Well, said.

All I can say is this isnt the behaviour of the great players. This is what the lockerroom cancers behave like. If Ben truly believes he is destined to be one of the great players in this game, there is NO WAY he could be behaving like this.

I volunteer to step in and be his conservator

https://screenrant.com/ben-simmons-basketball-76ers-kardashian-curse-kendall-jenner/

Klutch management get away with a lot of crap because they generally represent some of the biggest name so can pressure teams that way. I think we're seeing a consequence of thinking you're big enough to get away with that and being called out on it.

I think we need to get away from talk of "sane" or not. It isnt helpful. Someone can be battling issues, be getting poor advice, have negative influences around them which can explain (but not excuse) some decision making. IT doesn't come down to "should we feel sorry for them or rag them out?" Its far more complicated than that.

For Ben it's a pattern of behaviour. You might be able to excuse any one of the many things he's done that have pissed people off, but when you put it all together, it just indicates a personality flaw and one that runs pretty deep. People can blame his current activity on the fact that 76ers "threw him under the bus" (if you want to believe that), but then what about everything else? Not develpong a shot. Messing around the Boomers. The Crown Casino fiasco (which was as simple as him not wanting normal treatment and before anyomne says 'but his white brother's ID wasnt checked, his brother is in his 30s), and everything else. I feel like there is a mental health issue with Ben.

Again I don't think its about blaming anyone (or anything) its about understanding that decisions (good and bad) don't happen in a vacuum.

Well that's just absolving blame for Ben while he's been in the center of so many bad decisions.

I am reading this all as objectively as I can and I have to admit that some of you are making it really hard. And I don't want to be seen as just bagging other posters and their posts.

Love you, Me but on this one, you opened with;
"For Ben it's a pattern of behaviour. You might be able to excuse any one of the many things he's done that have pissed people off, but when you put it all together, it just indicates a personality flaw and one that runs pretty deep."
[EXACTLY! AND YOU DON'T TAKE A COUPLE OF ASPRINS FOR IT AND GET ON WITH LIFE.]

But did You stop there? That would have been ok. No way. Here's your next paragraph;
"People can blame his current activity on the fact that 76ers "threw him under the bus" (if you want to believe that), but then what about everything else? Not develpong a shot. Messing around the Boomers. The Crown Casino fiasco (which was as simple as him not wanting normal treatment and before anyomne says 'but his white brother's ID wasnt checked, his brother is in his 30s), and everything else."
[BACK TO BAGGING HIM. STRAIGHT AFTER YOU ADMIT "A PERSONALITY FLAW AND ONE THAT RUNS PRETTY DEEP".]

You finish with, "I feel like there is a mental health issue with Ben."
[THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL DRAWING ATTENTION TO THE NEGATIVES?]

Sorry, Me. I generally like your comments and going back and forth with you but on this one, you baffle me. I actually don't know which side you are on (and that really doesn't matter to me), that he's a prick or he's sick (in this discussion, one or the other, can't be both).

WHICH IS IT?

[I have to admit that I was as pissed as most of you over the Boomers' saga. Then the Phillie bit erupted and I thought to myself that's good. He hates others as well as us. Then I went all hypothetical with a "what if he's not sane" in Simmons' defence. Now, I just don't know so the bagging is no longer (never was) appropriate.]

I have lost the anger, I have won a Bronze.

Simmons is still losing, EVERYTHING.

"Well that's just absolving blame for Ben while he's been in the center of so many bad decisions."

I very specifically did not do that

that he's a prick or he's sick (in this discussion, one or the other, can't be both).

Well depends how you define "personality flaw" RobT. I believe he has a mental problem of some sort, maybe a personality disorder, but none of that absolves him of his behaviour. It wouldn't surprise me if most of the population has some sort of mental issue but that doesn't mean they're blameless either. Ben is an adult and he understands right from wrong. He's not so insane that he has no concept of what he is doing. He'll have to wear the consequences like the rest of us./

That, I can and do respect, Me. Thanks. I agree with that. Not that it matters whether I agree or not. But I do!

What Doc and Embiid said at the end of their last game vs the Hawks was quite tame.

Its hardly throwing anyone under a bus.

Doc said he wasn't sure if Ben is a person that can take him to the promised land. Given that series, that rings true, and he never said Ben CAN'T do it or is a poor player.

Embiid identified a crucial play where the game turned (against them), again probably a valid observation and does not say Ben is poor or useless.

In the end, blame is with Ben. Secondly it's with the circle Ben has put around him.

This reminds me of Michael Jackson almost, when a guy gets too big for his boots and the norms of reality seemingly no longer apply to him. As soon as someone in his camp questions him, he fires them, and then before long he's having sleepovers that no one dares question him on which, regardless where you stand on guilt or innocence, is something any advisor with balls would have advised strongly against (Side tangent, I know)

Feels the same for me with Ben. He's created a circle of people who will just parrot his weird feeling back to him. There just doesn't seem to be a voice of reason in that camp telling Ben that his behaviour is causing irreparable damage to his brand. He'd be better off requesting a trade but actually PLAYING for the 76ers and proving his worth than doing this.

Mental health and personality are very different to separate. Which comes first? Or does another factor influence both?

BUT he made The Betoota Advocate today, at least:

"This generational talent who has spent his whole life around people telling him he's a god needs to be more grounded"

“It’s like it’s gone to his head or something”

Coming back to training just to collect a pay cheque, then putting in a half effort to me is even more disgraceful than not showing up at all.

At least with the latter you have shown conviction.

It seems we have a few time bombs when they become stars. Nick Krygios and his mate kokannassis, , LLeyton Hewitt, Mark Phillippoussis.

This guy looks like a locker room cancer. Who is going to spend big coin recruiting him in the future? Likely no one is paying top price ever again.

Did he buy his flight tickets to London to attend Wimbledon before he started game 6?

Once he's out of Philly, I doubt he'll ever go back.

Nba should step in, cancel the remain g years on contract and he becomes free agent.
Teams can then determine his worth.

"The guy spent 5 years in the league and never made a noticeable improvement in his biggest deficit - his shooting - despite having specialist coaches to help him do it."

Yeah, what a total arse, he plays sport and doesn't do what you want him to.

If players were allowed to choose their team, and weren't traded like commodities, maybe there'd be a bit more loyalty. Who knows.

It's not like he's been offered more money by team X, and has demanded to go there. Clearly there is a deep rift between him and the organisation. Either the coach, management, or both.
He wants out, and the smart thing would have been to make that happen. WTF did they think was going to happen if they try to force him to play? He's going to play his arse off for a coach he clearly has a massive problem with?

This speaks volumes.
https://twitter.com/chrisanstey13/status/1450740703009468416?s=21

Didn't Simmons also have problems with his LSU coach playing him at the 4? And Lemanis because he was cut from the 2014 team? And now Rivers? Did he have issues with Brown, or did Brown being a family friend help in this?

He had issues with Brown too - there was a story how Brett had to call his parents up to tell them about Ben not listening to him.