No More Babysitting?: Joel Embiid Backtracks on His Words and Says Ben Simmons Is ‘Still Our Brother’

The narrative around Ben Simmons is changing every week. Today, he will be the most disliked star in Philly and tomorrow he will show up to the practice as if nothing happened. However, all of that changed when coach Doc Rivers recently showed him the exit door and the entire Sixers squad went condemning the young rebel.

Now, Ben has put his New Jersey home on sale and his first game in the 2021-22 season is still far away. So, there’s no reason to believe that he has any place in the hearts and minds of the Philly players. But Joel Embiid recently gave all the more reason to expect yet another turnaround in the tale.

Joel Embiid recently covered up for the Ben Simmons mess

Recently, right before the game against the Brooklyn Nets, 76ers leader Joel Embiid took to the floor to address the audience. In front of a full capacity roaring crowd at the Wells Fargo Center, The Process said something totally unexpected.

The 27-YO said at the top of his lungs, “Wassup guys, it’s good to have you back. On behalf of my teammates, the organization, and myself, I say thank you for your support all these years. And then, a lot has happened in the last few months. And, I urge you guys to continue to support us and our teammate Ben, coz he’s still our brother. Let’s go!”

This comes a day after his comments that sang a completely opposite tone. From “Our job is not to babysit” and “don’t care about that man” to a U-turn. 

Read more: “Leadership”: Fans Hail Tobias Harris For Heartwarming Stand on Ben Simmons

Daryl Morey and his contribution to the equation

With the chaos building up at this level, it’s as much about the Philly organization as it is about Ben Simmons. The reason this rocky relationship is still continuing is more or less related to team president Daryl Morey. 

Jan 27, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) celebrates with guard Ben Simmons (25) and center Joel Embiid (21) after scoring the game winning basket during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

He recently made his stand clear by acknowledging, “Would you rather eliminate what people perceive to be a distraction, or would you rather have better playoff odds? I’ll take playoff odds. … Whatever we have to deal with that helps the Philadelphia 76ers win the title, we’ll do it.” 

So this means that the Sixers organization is willing to stretch this episode as long as they don’t get the desired returns on investment. And until then, they won’t hesitate from penalising Ben and all this can make things worse. 

Well, even without Ben, the team is winning and so maybe there’s no hurry to iron out things. What’s your take on all this? Help us know in the comments section below.

Watch this story: NBA Stars Who Must Prove Themselves in the Next Season

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