PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia 76ers tip off their new season Wednesday night in New Orleans. Ben Simmons will not take the court, because he was suspended Tuesday for "conduct detrimental to the team." The Sixers played the entire preseason without him. If anyone is distracted by the suspension, no one is showing it.
Joel Embiid explained that he can't worry about Simmons being disgruntled. "It is not my father. You know, I get paid to, you know, deliver."
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers sent Simmons home from practice Tuersday, but he says he will welcome him back after the suspension ends after Wednesday's game.
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Rivers insisted that his squad is focused despite all this. Yet, it is fair to assume that the entire league will watch what happens in Philadelphia.
"I'd love to see Ben, you know, settle down and show everybody what he's capable of doing," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told TNT on Tuesday night.
"There's no doubt that there's so much more potential for him. He's a wonderful guy, and I hate the fact that this is how this is playing out. It's a bad look for him, it's a bad look for the team, and certainly badly look for the league."