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Joel Embiid would welcome Ben Simmons back but won’t ‘babysit’ teammates: ‘You got to want to be there’

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1 year ago

February 9, 2022

With the clock ticking down on Thursday’s 3 p.m. EST trade deadline, it’s looking increasingly likely that Ben Simmons will remain in Philadelphia for at least the rest of the season. That doesn’t mean he’s going to play. It just means he’ll still be on the 76ers roster.

Simmons could play, of course. There has long been a quiet hope that when faced with the reality of not being traded, Simmons, who stands to forfeit $32 million if he sits out the full season, might give in and return to the team and court to make one last playoff run before a trade is likely facilitated this offseason.

Might Joel Embiid reach out to Simmons to encourage such a compromise? It doesn’t sound like it. When asked whether Simmons would be welcomed back if he’s not traded by Thursday’s deadline, Embiid said “whoever wants to play is welcome” but added he doesn’t “get paid to babysit” before finishing his lengthy thoughts by putting the ball in Simmons’ court. “You got to show up,” Embiid said. “You got to want to be there.”

Here’s Embiid’s full answer:

“Like I’ve been saying since the season started. I’m happy. Whoever wants to play is welcome. If someone wants to play, they’re welcome. But we’ve got guys here that want to be here, that show up every single night. Like I said, it might be, I don’t know what other word I can use, but I get paid to bring results and win games. I don’t get paid to, you know, babysit Tyrese. I get paid to challenge him to try to help me win games. I get paid to, you know, do the same thing to Tobias and all the other guys and they respond to it, every single time. And just like the same way they challenge me, they know that it is never personal. I always go at them, and they always come back at me, because we all got the same goal: we want to win.

But anybody is welcome to play. And if you want to be part of us, I’m sure everybody is going to be fine with it. But you got to show up, you got to want to be there, and I’m sure everybody’s going to accept whoever that is. But, you know, to answer your question, I’m just worried about the guys that are here. For the guys that are here – if you’re here, I’m going to challenge you and we’re going to challenge each other to be better and try to win a championship.”

Meanwhile, Doc Rivers, who was named one of the 15 best coaches in NBA history on Tuesday, was very clear after Philly’s loss to Phoenix about a current hole on the Sixers’ roster, which just so happens to be a hole Simmons could fill.

“We have to get another guard,” Rivers said. “We just do.”

It remains a shame to play a full season in the middle of Embiid’s prime, when he’s playing at an MVP level no less, at anything less than full strength if you don’t have to.

But Simmons feels rooted in his decision to never play for the Sixers again, and Daryl Morey is equally adamant about not trading him for anything less than what he feels to be proper value. If Embiid isn’t going to try to build a bridge between the two — which to be clear, he shouldn’t have to — then the unfortunate reality is everyone might be stuck where they are.

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Related Topics:babysit Ben Embiid Joel Simmons teammates Wont

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Gordon sacrificing stardom during Nuggets' title hunt:'I care about the wins'

Published

2 hours ago

June 2, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

Aaron Gordon’s decision to focus on team success as opposed to individual stardom has helped Denver land on the cusp of its first NBA title.

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Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Panic or Patience? | Flippin' Bats

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3 hours ago

June 2, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

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Avon’s OT winner lifts Petes to win over Blazers, Memorial Cup semifinal berth

Published

4 hours ago

June 2, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — J.R. Avon scored the game-winning goal 10:54 into overtime and the Peterborough Petes beat the Kamloops Blazers 5-4 on Thursday, earning a semifinal berth at the Memorial Cup.

Connor Lockhart, Brennan Othmann, Samuel Mayer and Brian Zanetti had the others for Ontario Hockey League champion Peterborough. Michael Simpson made 43 saves.

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Logan Stankoven, Olen Zellweger, Harrison Brunicke and Logan Bairos replied for host Kamloops. Dylan Ernst stopped 25 shots.

The Petes will next meet the Western Hockey League champion Seattle Thunderbirds in Friday’s semifinal for a chance to face the Quebec Remparts in the final on Sunday.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Remparts earned a berth into the final after opening the tournament with wins over Kamloops and Seattle.

Quebec later fell to Peterborough — which staved off elimination and forced Thursday’s tiebreaker with the victory — 4-2 on Tuesday in both teams’ final round-robin game.

Lockhart opened the scoring 7:52 into the first period. Chase Lefebvre sent the puck across the end boards to Jax Dubois, who found Lockhart with a slick pass into the slot and he beat Ernst five-hole.

Stankoven evened it up 11:20 into the frame, sending the Sandman Centre crowd into a frenzy. Connor Levis took a point shot and the rebound came out to the Blazers captain, who scored his second of the tournament.

Zellweger put Kamloops ahead 12:45 into the frame on the power play. The CHL Defenceman of the Year nominee saved the puck from getting out of the Petes’ zone, moved into the slot and wired one past Simpson for his first.

With 2:27 remaining in the first, Brunicke piled it on for the Blazers. Peterborough’s Konnor Smith attempted to clear it from the end boards but the puck ended up with Brunicke at the point, where he got around a defender and beat Simpson just over his right shoulder with little room to spare.

Bairos gave Kamloops a 4-1 edge 4:23 into the middle frame. He fired a point shot that ricocheted off Simpson’s blocker, then over him and in.

Just over three minutes later, the Petes began to swing the momentum back in their favour.

Othmann stripped Bairos of the puck as the Blazers defenceman tried to skate out of his own zone. Othmann then turned around and roofed it past Ernst as he fell to one knee.

Mayer made it a one-goal game on the power play with 2:23 left in the second. He took a pass from Lockhart and fired in a one-timer from the point.

Zanetti knotted the contest just over a minute later. He tipped in a pass from Tucker Robertson while streaking toward the net and beat Ernst five-hole.

Both sides struggled to capitalize on prime scoring opportunities leading to a scoreless third period and extra time to settle the winner.

Following a dazzling effort by Zellweger that just missed, Owen Beck took the puck up ice for Peterborough and dropped it off for Avon, who put it past Ernst to seal the win.

WE MEET AGAIN

Kamloops defeated Peterborough 10-2 when the two last met on Sunday. But with 7:05 remaining in that game, Othmann laid a hit on Blazers defenceman Kyle Masters, who fell awkwardly into the boards.

Masters had to be stretchered off the ice and was taken to Royal Inland Hospital. Head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston said Monday that the blue liner was out for the tournament with a lower-body injury.