Ben Simmons Sixers exit had nothing to do with Doc Rivers?

On Tuesday, Rivers told VC the issue that drove Simmons out of Philadelphia had nothing to do with his comments and had everything to do with a build-up of grievances between the player and the franchise. He did not provide details: “That one comment thing had nothing to do with why Ben wanted to leave,” Rivers said. “Alright? Let me just say that. It was a lot of things as Ben told me — and publicly now — that happened long before I got there. What frustrated me was that I still think it shouldn’t have been enough to want to leave. I just didn’t and I told Ben that. I kept telling him that. This is not why you want to leave a team. You work these things out. They didn’t get worked out and so yeah, we’ve had one talk. Not a long, long talk, but we did have one good talk.” Rivers said he hopes Simmons will do well in Brooklyn. “I want the kid to do well. I don’t have any, like, bad feelings about him. He didn’t do anything wrong to me. I just want most guys do, I really do. Now I want to kick all their butts when they’re not on my team. That’s the competitive side of me, but as a human being, I think we all should want Ben and all these guys to do well.”
Source: Net Income @ NetsDaily

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Anil Gogna @AnilGognaNBA
A “Designated Rookie” is one who is given a 5-year extension (6 years total) before the start of their 4th season. Teams can have a max of 2 Designated Rookies, but only 1 can be acquired via trade.
i.e. Ben Simmons is the reason BKN can’t acquire anyone else on this list. pic.twitter.com/343ti3duQv – 10:37 AM

Malika Andrews @malika_andrews
More Doc Rivers on Bill Russell: “All he did was win … and yet through all that, he still stood out more as a human being and as a person. That’s hard to do.” pic.twitter.com/tEZNtdfwSX – 4:14 PM

Malika Andrews @malika_andrews
“He said something to me once … ‘If you can only be great and no one else on your team can be great, then you’re not a winner.’”
76ers head coach Doc Rivers joins NBA Today to remember the great Bill Russell. pic.twitter.com/8w6Jj9983J – 4:13 PM

Malika Andrews @malika_andrews
We have incredible guests joining NBA Today to celebrate and remember Bill Russell, a man who was larger than life on and off the court. Hear from Doc Rivers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Jackie MacMullan, @RealMikeWilbon, @Marc J. Spears, and Randy Auerbach at 3 ET. pic.twitter.com/kv6R0R7RWc – 2:34 PM

More on this storyline

Rivers said he hopes Simmons will do well in Brooklyn. “I want the kid to do well. I don’t have any, like, bad feelings about him. He didn’t do anything wrong to me. I just want most guys do, I really do. Now I want to kick all their butts when they’re not on my team. That’s the competitive side of me, but as a human being, I think we all should want Ben and all these guys to do well.” -via NetsDaily / August 3, 2022

Seth Curry said Ben Simmons need not bother searching for a shooting mentality and should instead focus on his unique strengths. “I don’t think he needs a jump shot,’’ he told News Corp. “He’s just got to do what he does best – which is defend, rebound, push the ball, make plays for other people and attack the rim. “When you’ve got the size and talent like him, who takes not one but two and sometimes three guys to stop him getting to the rim, that is a lot in itself.’’ -via The Australian / July 31, 2022

Curry backed the Aussie to reach his potential. “He’s a multiple All Star right now for a reason,’’ he said. “If he can add knocking down free throws at a higher clip, it’s going to allow him to be unstoppable once he puts his head down.’’ -via The Australian / July 31, 2022