PHILADELPHIA — Nine hours forward of tipoff in entrance of followers that may assuredly jeer him, towards the workforce that threw him underneath the bus earlier than buying and selling him to the Nets for James Harden, star ahead Ben Simmons mentioned he can’t be anxious about salty 76ers followers.
Simmons, who will play on the Wells Fargo Center in entrance of a world-renowned rowdy Sixers fan base for the primary time because the 2021 NBA Playoffs, shrugged off the concept followers are nonetheless disillusioned he and Joel Embiid had been by no means capable of make it previous the second spherical of the Eastern Conference playoffs throughout their time as a dynamic duo in Philly.
“What do I think about that? I mean, I can’t worry about everybody’s feelings,” he mentioned at his outdated dwelling area after Nets shootaround on Tuesday. “At the end of the day, I’m not here to make everyone happy.”
And but it’s a demon Simmons might want to exorcise: the vitriol assured to spout from a fan base whose final reminiscence of the All-Star ahead was him turning down an open dunk on a game-swinging play that Embiid mentioned price the workforce the collection in that fateful Game 7 towards the Atlanta Hawks two seasons in the past.
The feeling in direction of Simmons is so ingratiated within the metropolis that Stateside Urbancraft — a neighborhood Philadelphia vodka distillery — allowed followers to trade-in their Simmons jerseys for a $20 retailer credit score.
Just in order that they may very well be petty and donate all of the Simmons jerseys to the homeless in Brooklyn.
“It’s going o be a hostile environment for Ben like it was last year,” mentioned sharpshooter Seth Curry, who additionally arrived with Simmons in Brooklyn as a part of the blockbuster Harden commerce. “Philly fans are passionate. I’m sure they got some stuff they want to get off their chest when Ben’s out there on the floor.”
Simmons shortly mentioned it’s not about him, that it’s concerning the workforce staying locked in to safe a victory that may inch them nearer to .500 on the season. When pressed, he mentioned he has no selection however to separate private agendas from workforce success.
“Yeah, if we want to be a great team, I’ve gotta do that,” he mentioned. “That’s on me to do that. Obviously, there’ll be a lot [of emotions from the fans], but I’ve got to do that as a leader of the team.”
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn mentioned after Sunday’s victory towards the Memphis Grizzlies that the surroundings ready on the Wells Fargo Center might be “great for” Simmons. As a reminder, Sixers followers waited exterior of the Nets’ lodge to boo Simmons when the 2 groups confronted off on March 10.
They additionally booed him whereas he was on the court docket for pregame warmups in a recreation he wasn’t taking part in.
“It’s just like Portland, where he had to step up and make free throws when they tried to foul, [and he] makes three out of four,” Vaughn mentioned on Sunday. “It’s the same sort of mental and physical hurdle that he’s going to have to get through. Which is great. He’ll have his teammates behind him. He’ll have a coach that believes in him and overall we’re looking forward to going and play.”
Simmons says he nonetheless has plenty of love for Philadelphia. He mentioned it’s the place he “became a man,” calling the Sixers fan base particular.
Despite Embiid throwing Simmons underneath the bus after Game 7 — blaming Simmons with out naming him by saying “I don’t know how to say it, but I thought the turning point was we had an open shot, we missed it and we made one free throw” — Simmons mentioned there isn’t any dangerous blood between the 2 former teammates, although their relationship isn’t as sturdy because the bonds different co-stars have shaped throughout the league.
“We had a lot of highlights and we got a lot of great times,” Simmons mentioned. “I got a lot of love for Joe too. Obviously didn’t work out but that’s life. Not everything works out in your favor. So I wish him the best. Obviously not a championship against us, but the best.”
Simmons mentioned he hasn’t spoken to Embiid because the two had been teammates. For reference, Curry mentioned Embiid FaceTimes him “every once in a while” and he nonetheless has relationship with each him and Sixers budding star Tyrese Maxey.
“I mean, you’re not cool with everybody. You’re not texting everybody,” Simmons mentioned. “I think there are certain people that you just don’t talk to all the time. I got friends that I will talk to all the time, but we’re [Embiid and Simmons are] still cool, but that’s just how life went.”
Embiid is out towards the Nets with a mid-foot damage, as are each Maxey and Harden.
Is it anticlimactic for Simmons to make his return towards his outdated workforce whereas they’re lacking their three finest gamers?
“The fans will make up for it. Yeah, so I’m looking forward to it. It’s gonna be fun,” he mentioned. “I’m so excited to play. I’m so excited. I can’t wait. It’s gonna be fun. This is gonna be an opportunity for me. I’ve never been in this situation. So I gotta appreciate it and really take it all in.”
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com