The Philadelphia 76ers and 25-year old All-Star Ben Simmons are currently in a stalemate as the Simmons is holding out in hopes of getting a trade done sooner rather than later. The Sixers are two days into training camp and Simmons has not yet reported to the team.
This has been a long, drawn-out affair that has turned ugly after Simmons had another poor playoff performance. He averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 assists, and 7.9 rebounds in the playoffs which looks good on paper, but when one factors in him shooting only 34.2% from the foul line and he still refuses to take any jump shots, there is a reason why Philadelphia is looking to move him.
However, one Hall of Famer believes that Simmons is going about his trade request the wrong way. Shaquille O’Neal joined CBS Sports Network’s Tiki and Tierney and said this about Simmons (h/t CBS Sports):
“One, he’s not showing up. As a player, you have to be able to be real with yourself,” O’Neal said during a recent appearance on CBS Sports Network’s Tiki and Tierney. “You need to be aggressive and he definitely got exposed last year in the playoffs, he didn’t want to shoot.
“You have to look in the mirror and say ‘Am I as good as I can be?’ He’s going about it all wrong,” O’Neal added. “He could have gone into the office, say ‘hey, my feelings are hurt. You guys didn’t stick up for me. I’d like to professionally ask for a trade.’ The question is, does anyone want him? I’m not paying $200 million for a guy who will not be aggressive and will not shoot in playoff time.”
O’Neal is in the right here when it comes to Simmons. The guy is obviously talented, but he also does not show up when the time calls for it. He has continuously come up small in the playoffs and he and the Sixers need to move on and find different scenery.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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