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Charles Barkley Wants Sixers to Kick Ben Simmons Ass, Instead of Kissing It
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Has Charles Barkley ever minced words? Probably not.
Here’s his latest take on the Ben Simmons situation:
"This dude has done everything he can not to be re-recruited."
Chuck talks about Ben Simmons and how the Sixers should move going forward. pic.twitter.com/hVvxHDDRJZ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 10, 2021
The thing that’s hurting Simmons more than anything is the timeline on which all of this took place. If he had come back to media day and training camp and then started down the mental health trail, it would be infinitely more believable, with an extra million dollars or so in the bank. But he didn’t come back. He held out, began to be fined, and then showed up two weeks later. He practiced with his phone in his pocket, then started to half-ass it and got kicked out of the gym and suspended. Then the mental health stuff started to become a thing.
That’s why people don’t believe him, even against the grain of a now-taboo topic.
The latest update is that Simmons finally agreed to see a team-appointed mental health specialist, after allegedly waving off Sixer attempts to get a status update from him on that front. The Sixers are 8-4 as COVID cripples teammate availability, with a six-game road swing looming.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com