After an April report suggested that Sixers star Ben Simmons is expected to return from his back injury if the 2019/20 season resumes, general manager Elton Brand was asked today during a call with reporters about Simmons’ status.
According to Derek Bodner of The Athletic (Twitter link), Brand confirmed that the former No. 1 overall pick is doing “really, really well” in his recovery and that the club is optimistic about his outlook.
“It’s tough (to speculate about a timeline) because of him not playing three-on-three (or) five-on-five,” Brand said, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (all Twitter links). “… But when I FaceTime him during his workouts, during his treatment and I see him, I’d be highly encouraged that his ramp-up would be different. We took our time. We’ve been methodical and thoughtful about his recovery and rehab just to make sure, because we weren’t in a rush. It’s hard to speculate, but he’s been working hard, and I know he’d be closer or ready.”
Here’s more on Simmons and the Sixers:
- Simmons and center Joel Embiid were permitted to use the team’s practice facility during the hiatus for rehab purposes, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Brand confirmed as much today, as Pompey details in a tweet of his own.
- The Sixers lost their senior vice president of player personnel to Chicago last week when Marc Eversley was hired as the Bulls’ new general manager. Asked today about Eversley’s departure, Brand said no decision has been made yet about whether the club will directly replace the veteran executive. According to Bodner (Twitter link), Brand suggested that the 76ers are always looking for ways to improve the organization, but are happy with who they have in the front office.
- In an article for The Athletic, Bodner poses the most pressing question facing each of the Sixers’ five original starters this season. Bodner looks at Embiid’s conditioning, Simmons’ jump shot, and also raises questions for Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, and Al Horford.
Joel’s prob looking like an inflatable elvis, basketball eating walrus. Definitely on the cheesburgers.
Ben simmons should this year be in the all defensive first team…
Leads the league in steals, 2nd in blocks for a point guard, 2nd in rebounds for his position, 5th in defensive W/S for his position, 10th in defensive rating for starting point guards.
Funny how he’s quite gone off an had a great defensive season without any noise and Joel going into the season and during the season was going on about how he wants to be DPOTY.
Embiid is 5th in rebounds for his position, 5th in steals for his position, 13th in steals for his position and so on….
Still really hope Buddy Heild and Harrison Barnes becomes Sixers soon
Embiid and simmons wont be a great duo.sixers need to build around simmons not embiid.hield and simmons will be good duo backcourt.slasher and shooter.i dont know why people think simmons isnt a good player.he cant shoot but he is great defender and playmaker.he can drive with his big body.so underated player.
Yeah I’ve always preferred Simmons but I think keeping Embiid for now is now.
End of the day he’s a top 3 centre and we need him for the tough match ups.
If you look at the other top 5 teams (Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, Raptors and Celtics) your going to want Embiid. We need him against the Lakers to take AD. Need him against the Clippers cause no one can guard him, need him against the Bucks for Giannas, need him against the Raptors against Siakim and need him against the Celtics cause no one can guard him.
Simmons plus shooters sounds like an amazing idea but once you put a Kawhi, Middelton, Smart, Bron defender on him then your going to need a capable second star to carry some of the load. You can’t just have 1 game plan of Ben plus shooters.
But I do agree if they did have to chose I’d take Ben. But they don’t have too and it makes sense to keep him for now
Embiid is 2nd best center now.only fat jokic better than him.if sixers trade him, its would be for another star or future star plus severall 1st rounds.
Exactly the second best centre in the game you want to give that to another team and then be left with no one to match up against him. How does getting rid of someone people struggle to match up with make us better?
Even if we get back a bunch of picks and a star, Embiid is a top 10 player are no one is giving us back another top 10 player for him. No one is giving up a top 5 young player (Williamson, Doncic, Young) type player for him.
We are better off to keep him for now and trade Horford and JRich out for shooters like Heild and Barnes on the kings
I agree completely. Trade embiid and build the team similar to the Bucks. Put Simmons in Giannis’s role to maximize his athleticism and decision making
But look at the Bucks now…
Giannas might be looking at making a super team at GSW, they got beat by Kawhi and the Raptors and that’s was their best opportunity. The reason they lost to the Raptors Kawhi locked up their best player and they didn’t have enough weapons outside of him to win.
With Simmons and shooters once Simmons is locked up you have a bunch of shooters but can they get off their own shots and be enough. Atleast win Embiid no one on the Clippers or Celtics stops him. And against the Lakers Bucks and Raptors we have that second star.
I think we should trade Horford and JRich plus a first and some second to the kings for Harrison Barnes and Buddy Heild. Giving us a starting 5 of
Simmons Heild Barnes Harris and Embiid.
Simmons has the shooters and when he’s out of the game Embiid has shooters that can get off their own shots. Against the Bucks put Embiid on Giannas and Barnes on Middleton we win the other match ups, against the Lakers Embiid on AD, Barnes on Bron we win the other match ups big time, against the Raptors put Barnes on Siakim and Simmons on Lowry we win the other match ups easy.
Embiid is needed as insurance, he’s needed as that cheat code, if this starting 5 doesn’t make the final the look at trading him.
The reason they lost against raptors last season is the coach.sixers had enough star last season.simmons,buttler,embiid are allstar player.and there are haris and jj redick too.embiid was locked by gasol.and the coach still used him as 1st option.the coach should used simmons as 1st option at that time.and boom…kahwi punished them and i lost my money.