All eyes are on the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets as they were able to pull off a big deadline deal which involved Ben Simmons heading to Brooklyn and James Harden making his way down to Philadelphia.
The end of the Simmons era in Philadelphia didn’t end all that well as the 25-year old 3-time All-Star ended up not playing a single game for the Sixers in the 2021-22 season. He told the team that he was not mentally ready to play for the team again after a tumultuous summer and a poor playoff run where he received a lot of criticism.
With Simmons now with the Nets, he is set to play in his first game back in Philadelphia on March 10. There is a lot of speculation of whether Simmons will actually play in the game and Danny Green discussed his potential return on his podcast, “Inside the Green Room”:
Now will we shake hands to start? Probably not. First, I’d be highly surprised if he even plays in that game. I don’t know where his health is mentally, physically. I know he had other issues and we all know he does not like to play in Philly so if he does play in that game, I’d be highly surprised, but say that does happen, I see it as being a very hectic, playoff-like atmosphere and environment to where it may be very rough for him. I don’t have any ill will toward the guy, I don’t hate him I don’t dislike him, it’s just for me, it’s whatever. I waste more energy going out of my way to dislike him, or spend energy trying to go out of my way to hate him or do things to him. If he comes up and shows love, I’ll say what’s up, that’s the type of deal I’m on. I’m not the type of guy to not say what’s up to people that doesn’t say what’s up to me.
Harrison Sanford: Bygones are bygones.
That’s it, let bygones be bygones. I understand you have a mental health issue, I understand you don’t want to play where you want to, whatever it is, you did what you needed to do to make better for you in your life. That’s cool. Do I think you could have handled it better? For sure, because we had nothing against you as teammates, still have nothing against you, but it all depends on how that game goes, how he interacts in that game, how well he plays or how cleanly or non-cleanly he or us plays against each other, is going to determine how we shake hands, but I highly doubt he plays in that game. If he does, I highly doubt he wants to shake hands before or after that game.
This just adds more spice to a matchup that was already highly anticipated for the Sixers. The passionate fan base in Philadelphia will likely have a charged welcome for Simmons if he does play in that game, but as Green said, it’s tough to see him actually suiting up for the contest.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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