Sixers Notes: Morey, Simmons, Lue, Embiid

Daryl Morey set off an international firestorm last year with a tweet supporting protestors in Hong Kong, and he says in an interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan that he feared it would cost him his NBA career.

The Sixers‘ new president of basketball operations was still general manager in Houston when he sent the tweet in October of 2019. Although the Rockets resisted demands from Chinese officials to fire Morey, he understood that he put the league in a difficult position considering the business dealings it has in China.

Morey explained that he had gotten to know several Hong Kong residents in business school and wanted to show solidarity for their cause. Although he said he’s still “very comfortable” with his decision, the tweet caused a huge controversy and cost the league hundreds of millions in international revenue.

“In the last 12 months, I had moments where I thought I might never work in the NBA again, for reasons I was willing to go down for,” Morey said. “But I love working, I love what I do, and I didn’t want that to happen.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

  • Ben Simmons has heard his name mentioned as a potential trade piece to bring James Harden to Philadelphia, but he’s focused on the season rather than the rumors, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I come in every day, take it a day at a time, ready to work,” Simmons said. “I’m with my teammates. … Every day I wake up, every time I got a Sixers uniform on, I’m representing the Sixers. So my mentality never changes. I’m here to win a championship. That goal is never gonna change. I know things are always going to be said in the media, and rumors and things like that, but my goal is to come in every day and get better and help the team that I’m on win a championship.”
  • Tyronn Lue was scheduled to interview for the Sixers’ head coaching job in September, but he never had Joel Embiid‘s support, according to Bill Oram and Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Lue had the backing of agent Rich Paul, who represents Simmons, and Embiid wasn’t comfortable with Simmons’ “guy” being hired. Embiid also opposed Lue for “X’s and O’s reasons,” per The Athletic’s duo.
  • The additions of Doc Rivers and Morey brought excitement to Philadelphia, but Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer warns Sixers fans to be realistic in their expectations. He believes that unless Morey can upgrade the supporting cast around Embiid and Simmons, the Sixers will be in the running for fifth place in a more competitive Eastern Conference.
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