Mental health awareness has become a talking point across all sports in 2021, with a new focus on educating the sports world and speaking out on these significant issues. But perhaps no other athlete has been as heavily scrutinized regarding mental health as Ben Simmons.
Mental health is one of the reasons Simmons hasn't taken the floor for the 76ers all year. Mental health is something that agent Rich Paul says had been made worse by the 76ers' actions throughout this ordeal. Mental health may be behind the each of the $360,305 fines that Simmons has incurred every time he does not show up for a game due to "not cooperating with team doctors and not participating in basketball-related operations" (via Spotrac). ESPN notes, however, that a provision in the CBA protects players from forfeiting salary if their failure to cooperate/participate "has been caused by the player's mental disability," which adds another layer still.
It's an inescapable and serious storyline that the media, the fans and the basketball world have been following with every step. And it's something that former 76ers play-by-play announcer Marc Zumoff says he noticed long before it became the prominent story that it is today.
"...I do believe that Ben has some mental issues that he needs to address. And it really became clear to me well before it became an issue with the media and fans," Zumoff told Jas Kang on the "Liberty Ballers" podcast, available above. "I thought that his passing up of the dunk late in Game 7 against Atlanta was clearly a mental health issue. And then when he came on after that series was concluded and the team was eliminated, and he came on wearing a face mask, at a time when I think players had pretty much abandoned use of those masks especially in a situation where they were alone in a Zoom call, to me that was an indication that perhaps that was someone who was not comfortable with himself and needed to have a mask in that particular time.
"So, from a human standpoint, I hope that Ben can address these issues, it's certainly nothing to be ashamed of. To me, it's no different than having a physical injury if you have a mental injury, it's something that needs to be addressed. He's no different than all of us. We all have issues like that in some form or fashion. And whether he's with the Sixers in the future, which seems to be highly unlikely at this point, or gets traded, I hope the Sixers can get full value for him and it helps them going down the stretch."
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Zumoff can't speak to exactly what the devolving relationship between Simmons and the 76ers looked like over the course of the season, citing COVID policies during his final year on the job as a reason he couldn't follow along with the inner workings of the team as closely as he typically would have been able to, and the same goes for his knowledge of what a potential trade might look like. With that said, he does have some insight as to why it's taken so long and what Daryl Morey might want to bring back in return, which are two of the questions on the mind of every Sixers fan.
"Well, let me put it to you this way. I'm not surprised it's taken this long because we're now at the time where players who signed before this season become eligible to be traded, so that's going to expand the player pool and give more opportunities for Daryl Morey to work his magic," Zumoff explained. "I have no doubt that once he does make a move, it's going to be a move that's beneficial for the team. I think I'd be surprised if it involved a team in their own division or their own conference, just because I don't think you want to deal Ben Simmons to a team that's going to play you for years and be a competitor for a playoff spot.
"I apologize for not being able to lend more insight than that but I do hope again that the trade yields something that will benefit the Sixers not only for this year but for years to come."
It's almost impossible to summarize every report into one cohesive breakdown of the Ben Simmons trade drama, but the latest prominent storyline is that there might be some momentum in talks with various teams. Seven organizations, including the Knicks and Lakers, have been at the forefront of these rumors, and we'll just have to sit back and wait — like we've been doing for some time — to see what the deal is when the dust starts to settle.
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