Joel Embiid Denies Report Of Rift With Ben Simmons, Hopes 76ers Don't Trade Him

[RealGM Wiretap]

Joel Embiid has publicly denied a report that there has been an escalating rift between he and Ben Simmons.

Jeff Zillgitt of the USA Today reported on Tuesday that "the issue was deeper than one play, one game, one series." Zillgitt's report suggests that the Philadelphia 76ers have essentially been forced to choose between Embiid and Simmons.

Embiid recently signed a four-year, $196 million extension with the 76ers while Simmons is publicly on the trade block.

Sources “Trust me bro”!! Stop using my name to push people’s agendas. I love and hate drama. I love playing with Ben. Stats don’t lie. He’s an amazing player and we all didn’t get the job done. It’s on me personally. I hope everyone is back cuz we know we’re good enough to win https://t.co/1kq9VI9byE

— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) September 1, 2021

Via Jeff Zillgitt/USA Today

[phillynative]

Why would he want Ben back , can't win with him refusing to shoot.

[br7knicks]

Tough to believe the second biggest bitch and cry baby in the NBA.

[Furinkazan]

Why would he want Ben back , can't win with him refusing to shoot.

So Ben is a pacyfist?

[Lee in Oregon]

Joel throws the guy under the bus Doc's driving, and now it's all lovey-dovey? He's right about one thing- "they all lost". The whole situation has been poorly handled. I hope Ben makes a nice comeback out west. Meanwhile, Embids prime is winding down, won't be long till he demands a move too.

[phillynative]

Joel throws the guy under the bus Doc's driving, and now it's all lovey-dovey? He's right about one thing- "they all lost". The whole situation has been poorly handled. I hope Ben makes a nice comeback out west. Meanwhile, Embids prime is winding down, won't be long till he demands a move too.

Ben threw the team under the bus by refusing to shoot and hiding in the paint.

Embiid just entered his prime.. Will Ben ever reach his Prime while unwilling to add to his offensive game?

[23artest23]

Joel throws the guy under the bus Doc's driving, and now it's all lovey-dovey? He's right about one thing- "they all lost". The whole situation has been poorly handled. I hope Ben makes a nice comeback out west. Meanwhile, Embids prime is winding down, won't be long till he demands a move too.

Ben threw the team under the bus by refusing to shoot and hiding in the paint.

Embiid just entered his prime.. Will Ben ever reach his Prime while unwilling to add to his offensive game?

I genuinely hope your right that Embiid just entered his prime because he is a great talent. I think there is a really good chance that your wrong though...with Joel's injury history, I think his prime might've been what we have seen the past few years.

Ben on the other hand...I hope he retires a 76er. I don't want anyone bailing Philly out of paying superstar money for a role player. I don't want to see any other team blow their offense up to acquire Ben either. I want Philly to suffer through Ben and vice versa.

[phillynative]

Joel throws the guy under the bus Doc's driving, and now it's all lovey-dovey? He's right about one thing- "they all lost". The whole situation has been poorly handled. I hope Ben makes a nice comeback out west. Meanwhile, Embids prime is winding down, won't be long till he demands a move too.

Ben threw the team under the bus by refusing to shoot and hiding in the paint.

Embiid just entered his prime.. Will Ben ever reach his Prime while unwilling to add to his offensive game?

I genuinely hope your right that Embiid just entered his prime because he is a great talent. I think there is a really good chance that your wrong though...with Joel's injury history, I think his prime might've been what we have seen the past few years.

Ben on the other hand...I hope he retires a 76er. I don't want anyone bailing Philly out of paying superstar money for a role player. I don't want to see any other team blow their offense up to acquire Ben either. I want Philly to suffer through Ben and vice versa.

Embiid started playing ball late . His trajectory is that of a player who will continue to grow and his worth ethic is elite. Even as great of a player he is already there are little nuances to his game that are raw and can get better. Him being injury prone is obviously a concern but he is a MVP candidate every season when healthy.

[shrink]

“Joel, what was the turning point of the game?”

I thought the turning point was when we — I don't know how to say it — but I thought the turning point was just we had an open shot and we made one free throw and we missed the other and then they came down and scored...

“Joel, what was the turning point of when Ben Simmons decided to not be a Sixer?”

The exact second I said that.

Okay, the second part was never said, but it’s probably true. And while Embiid’s initial quote was also true, NBA players do not throw teammates under the bus, to the media, after a huge playoff game. Sure, Doc didn’t help by not defending Ben, and Morey tried to trade him hurts too. But Embiid’s comment was unprofessional, and it’s too late to say now what he should have said then: “We didn’t get the job done, and it’s on me personally.”

I completely understand Embiid being upset with Simmons in the moment, but I hope it felt good for him to say it, because it’s looking more and more like his comment is going to cost the Sixers for several years.

[23artest23]

Ben threw the team under the bus by refusing to shoot and hiding in the paint.

Embiid just entered his prime.. Will Ben ever reach his Prime while unwilling to add to his offensive game?

I genuinely hope your right that Embiid just entered his prime because he is a great talent. I think there is a really good chance that your wrong though...with Joel's injury history, I think his prime might've been what we have seen the past few years.

Ben on the other hand...I hope he retires a 76er. I don't want anyone bailing Philly out of paying superstar money for a role player. I don't want to see any other team blow their offense up to acquire Ben either. I want Philly to suffer through Ben and vice versa.

Embiid started playing ball late . His trajectory is that of a player who will continue to grow and his worth ethic is elite. Even as great of a player he is already there are little nuances to his game that are raw and can get better. Him being injury prone is obviously a concern but he is a MVP candidate every season when healthy.

Definitely an MVP candidate when healthy and I think he still fits that bill at times when unhealthy. Truly a generational talent. I hope that your correct and we have many more years of Embiid at his current level or even better.

On a sidenote, I hope that you have many more years of Ben too