When the Sheriff asked me what I wanted, my response was simple. “I want to meet him.” It wasn’t a question of if he would come out alive or not.
The “if your relationship fails don’t just blame him” is a quote from an article about how we should not just blame the person who broke up with us.
There aren’t many people in Ben Simmons’ corner anymore. After his eventful offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers point guard lost the love of Philly fans worldwide, and he hasn’t heard much from other NBA players.
But, while Simmons continues to sit out due to a mental health issue, he recently saw former teammate Howard, Dwight come to his defense when no one else would.
Ben Simmons is still on the sidelines, focusing on his mental health.
After his trade demand was denied last month, Simmons grudgingly returned to the 76ers, it was evident he had no intention of playing for the club this season. He was sluggish throughout workouts and was even booted out after refusing to participate in a defensive exercise.
Simmons seemed to be attempting to destabilize the Sixers from within as retaliation for the team’s failure to trade him over the summer.
However, Simmons told the 76ers’ front office a short time later that he isn’t ready to play yet and needs some time to regain his good mental state. Simmons was given his plea to sit out until he is satisfied with his mental health.
However, this hasn’t deterred Sixers supporters from launching further jabs at the 25-year-old.
Ben Simmons is defended by Dwight Howard.
Howard was there in the middle of it as Philadelphia fans booed Simmons. Last playoffs, with time running out in Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks, Simmons missed a wide-open dunk that would have knotted the game. Following that, the Sixers suffered a sad loss.
Howard admits to being unhappy at Simmons for not dunking the ball in a recent interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report, but he also suggested fans should back off him a little.
Well, you know, I felt like you were a part of me, and I could see it in being as far as what was going on with Ben in Orlando. There were several comparable events taking place. Now I simply didn’t like that everything was going on behind closed doors had to be made public. Obviously, I spend a lot of time with Ben; he’s one of my closest friends, so hearing all the negative things stated about him saddened me… I was furious with Ben on that play when we played the Hawks and lost. I expected him to dunk the ball and break a rim, but he didn’t, and it wasn’t entirely his fault. So my point was that we couldn’t just blame him.
Dwight Howard
Finally, someone who isn’t called Rich Paul defends Simmons.
Is Howard correct in his assessment?
Ben Simmons and Dwight Howard, former Philadelphia 76ers teammates, joke during a game against the Miami Heat | Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Because of that weird play and his exceedingly bad shooting over the seven games, it’s tempting to blame Simmons for the Hawks’ series defeat, but one individual can never be blamed for a gaffe of that magnitude.
Was it Simmons’ fault that the 76ers lost a 26-point lead in Game 5 and fell down 3-2 in the series?
Was it his fault in Game 7 when Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari combined for 44 points while he restricted Trae Young to 5-of-23 shooting?
Simmons’ summer antics may have enraged Philadelphia fans, but blaming him exclusively for the Atlanta defeat is ridiculous.
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RELATED: Charles Barkley Just Called Out the Philadelphia 76ers, Demanding They Stop Treating Ben Simmons Like a Child: ‘They’ve bent over themselves to kiss this dude’s arse, and now it’s time for them to kick his arse.’
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