A few days after the elimination of the Sixers against the Hawks, the management does not take offense. In the eye of the storm: a certain Ben Simmons, whose situation Michael Jordan predicted with impressive accuracy …
Another failure. This is how to sum up the Sixers’ season, which ended in the humiliation of a loss to the Hawks, against a backdrop of drama around a Ben Simmons paralyzed and humiliated. In Philadelphia, the anger has still not subsided according to Jason Dumas of Bleacher Report. Like Stephen A. Smith a few days ago, the journalist highlights the Australian’s lack of work:
Confirming @stephenasmith’s report earlier this week: In short, many in the building question Ben Simmons’ commitment to working on his weaknesses.
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) June 23, 2021
Three days later, there is still a lot of embarrassment at Sixers HQ. The owners want answers and changes. A loss to Milwaukee or Brooklyn would have been disappointing but acceptable. Not this one.
I confirm the info from Stephen A. Smith earlier in the week: In short, a lot of Sixers executives have doubts about Ben Simmons’ willingness to work on his weaknesses.
Here’s a big problem: if Ben Simmons has managed to improve so little in recent years, it is unfortunately because he does not work enough. And that, Michael Jordan had predicted during a stint at Oprah Wifrey in 2005 /
The difference is that now, in our sport, you are paid on your own potential. A rock star for example, you have to be good in the facts. While most of the youngsters coming into the league now, it’s not clear what their level is going to be in the NBA, and yet they have 5-year guarantees, millions of dollars, the admiration of many and advertising contracts.
We (Charles Barkley and him, editor’s note) when business America came to see us, we had demonstrated in the field something that validated admiration and advertising contracts. Now they have that before they’ve played a single game. Basically you are paying the kid on his potential to be able to be a good player. And that makes for a bad work ethic. When you get something that easy, you’re not going to work that hard.
It’s hard not to draw a parallel with all the rumors about Ben Simmons, who arrived in the NBA with a big reputation and who never made the necessary efforts to fill his glaring weaknesses. Let’s hope for him that the click will come soon, because the Philadelphia front office is seriously losing patience …
Michael Jordan had seen it all, and Ben Simmons sadly agrees with him. Work, work and more work: an ingredient impossible to neglect, even among the greatest.
