Normally, we wouldn’t put too much stock into what Perk has to say, but he was actually the first person to report that Ben Simmons would hold out and refuse to show up when camp begins.

So we now lend credence to what the player-turned-analyst has to say.

Tuesday, he claimed Doc Rivers set up Ben Simmons to kick him out of practice:

Well, Rivers could obviously have walked into practice Tuesday thinking that he was gonna send Simmons home if he continued to half-ass it. You can’t take him to NOLA. So you nip it in the bud and just focus on your final preparations for the season opener.

Richard Jefferson says it’s not Simmons’ job to raise his value, and the concept of value I think is overrated. It’s certainly arbitrary. There is always somebody who is willing to take a shot on turning a player around, and so there will always be a suitor for Ben. You may not get an amazing haul in return, but you were probably not going to get Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal in the first place, so even if you “settle for less,” that was likely always going to be the outcome anyway.

Anyway, at least we get to watch basketball tonight. Meaningful basketball. The Sixers normally do not practice after playing a game, so I don’t think there will be any Ben update Thursday. We’ll probably get the latest news at Friday’s shootaround.

By the way, what’s your Mount Rushmore of Kendricks?

I’d go:

  • Kendrick Perkins
  • Kendrick Lamar
  • Anna Kendrick
  • Phillies legend Kyle Kendrick

Honorable mention to the late Eddie Kendricks.