The NBA's trade deadline is less than a week away, and the Philadelphia 76ers' ongoing saga with disgruntled guard Ben Simmons seems nowhere close to a resolution. According to a recent report from ESPN, the 25-year-old has been fined over $19 million by the team for "failing to render services" this season.
Simmons' relationship with the Sixers has long been soured. He's yet to take the court for a single game this season, hoping to be traded elsewhere, and the team remains steadfast in its high asking price for the three-time All-Star. The standoff has even frustrated NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, who recently called Simmons a "crybaby" and pulled no punches during a rant on TNT.
"Ben Simmons hasn't embraced [criticism]. He's taken it personally, he shrinks from pressure," NBA.com reporter Mark Medina told the Reiter Than You show on Friday. "The reality is, when you look at Simmons, you can't say he's doing what Anthony Davis did and James Harden did in recent years -- with wanting to get out of a bad situation and shake some trees that he's on a better team. The shortcomings all primarily have to do with Ben.
"That's why the Sixers didn't get to where they were supposed to be last year. To take that out on Embiid, Rivers, or anyone else is unfounded. It's very sad. On paper, he seems to be like a generational talent, with being such a unique play-making forward, a great defender. But there's serious flaws in his game, as a shooter. And there's even more serious flaws in his mental makeup, with taking these things so personally and not handling them the right way."
Last June, Simmons scored a measly seven points on just four shot attempts in Philadelphia's Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the East semifinals. In 12 playoff games, he shot a ghastly 25-for-73 (34.2-percent) from the free throw line -- the worst rate in NBA postseason history -- and took just three shots in 56 fourth-quarter minutes across seven games against Atlanta.
Despite the headaches caused by Simmons' absence and attitude, the Sixers haven't suffered on the court. Through 51 games, they're 31-20, and currently own the East's third seed. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the team has a 16-percent chance to reach the NBA Finals and a 7-percent chance to win its first championship since 1983.
The entire NBA conversation between Medina and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.