Doc Rivers on Ben Simmons situation: ‘Today was a good day’

Tim Bontemps: Doc Rivers says today was a “productive day” as far as the meeting with Ben Simmons this morning. Says he wants him around the team, but doesn’t have a timeline for when he will be on the court with the team again. “Today was a good day,” Rivers said.
Source: Twitter @TimBontemps

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Doc Rivers jokes he’s pissed he wasn’t on the #NBA75. Said it’s been cool to see the reactions the younger players have had to see they’re on it. Calls Dwayne Wade the second best player in Marquette history. That, too, was a joke. – 5:55 PM

Lauren Rosen @LaurenMRosen
Doc Rivers on Tyrese Maxey’s commitment to continued growth:
“He was really good game one, I thought better in the second half. We sat and watched film yesterday. He’s a sponge. He really wants to be good.” – 5:55 PM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
Doc Rivers jokes about not making the top 75 list: “I’m pissed I didn’t make the list”. He did add that if it was a top 575 list, he’d have a chance to make it. #Sixers – 5:54 PM

Rich Hoffman @rich_hofmann
Doc Rivers on the Top 75: “I was pissed I didn’t make it. Maybe if they have a Top 575, I’ll have a chance.” – 5:54 PM

Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
Doc Rivers on #NBA75: “I was pissed I didn’t make it.”
Said maybe if they did an NBA 575 he would have made it. – 5:54 PM

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#Sixers coach Doc Rivers: ‘I was pissed that I didn’t make (the #NBA Top 75). … Maybe if they have a top 575.’ – 5:53 PM

Noah Levick @NoahLevick
Doc Rivers on NBA top 75: “I was pissed that I didn’t make it.” – 5:53 PM

Justin Grasso @JGrasso_
Doc Rivers jokes and says he’s pissed off he didn’t make the Top 75 players list #Sixers – 5:53 PM

Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
Doc Rivers: “Today was a productive day. I’m glad it happened.” – 5:52 PM

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#Sixers coach Doc Rivers: “I think Joel looked at last year and said ‘I have to do more.’” – 5:52 PM

Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
Doc Rivers says today was productive re: meetings with Ben but stresses there’s no date or timetable in terms of getting Ben back or even reconvening after what they talked about today. “We’re just going to do what we need to do.” Day by day process – 5:51 PM

Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
Doc Rivers is going out of his way to avoid putting any timeline on this at all. When asked if this has moved beyond a day-to-day situation, he said there wasn’t any kind of parameter on it like that. – 5:51 PM

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#Sixers coach Doc Rivers: ‘We don’t have a day set’ to discuss things again with Ben Simmons. – 5:50 PM

Noah Levick @NoahLevick
“We’re going to make sure Ben’s around the right people and see where it goes.” —Doc Rivers
Rivers calls today a “productive today” with Simmons. – 5:50 PM

Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
Doc Rivers says today was a “productive day” as far as the meeting with Ben Simmons this morning. Says he wants him around the team, but doesn’t have a timeline for when he will be on the court with the team again.
“Today was a good day,” Rivers said. – 5:49 PM

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#Sixers coach Doc Rivers says Ben Simmons addressing the team at shootaround ‘was productive and a start.’ pic.twitter.com/UxpBpLEY1P – 5:49 PM

Justin Grasso @JGrasso_
Doc Rivers says that he feels good after this morning’s meeting with Ben Simmons. Says it’s a good start #Sixers – 5:48 PM

Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
Doc Rivers says Joel Embiid is “50-50” to play tonight. Said he did a little bit more by the end of shootaround, but he got hit at the beginning of Wednesday’s game and they are being careful with it. – 5:48 PM

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#Sixers coach Doc Rivers: ‘I don’t know’ if Joel Embiid will play tonight. Puts it at 50-50. – 5:47 PM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
Doc Rivers says Joel Embiid didn’t do much at shootaround this morning and he will go through a pregame workout to determine his status for tonight. Rivers says he’s “50/50”. #Sixers – 5:47 PM

Noah Levick @NoahLevick
Doc Rivers: Joel Embiid (right knee soreness) is 50-50 to play tonight. He’ll go through a workout pregame. – 5:47 PM

Justin Grasso @JGrasso_
Doc Rivers isn’t sure if Joel Embiid is good to go yet or not. Says Embiid is 50/50 to play tonight #Sixers – 5:47 PM

Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
76ers president Daryl Morey on Ben Simmons standoff: ‘This could be four years’ nba.nbcsports.com/2021/10/22/76e… – 5:20 PM

Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons are two peas in separate pods.
“I think we have to live in the here and now and not expect for things to change. We have to be the best team we can be with the pieces that we have available right now.” #Nets
nydailynews.com/sports/basketb… – 4:59 PM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
Dwight Howard responded to Jason Kelce’s comments about Ben Simmons #Sixers pic.twitter.com/Cknhx6OOwI – 3:27 PM

The Ringer @ringernba
💭 The ongoing Ben Simmons saga
💭 The return of Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors
💭 Draymond Green’s role on the Warriors with @Logan Murdock
#TheAnswer with @ChrisRyan77 and @Seerat Sohi: open.spotify.com/episode/705bHy… – 2:47 PM

Emiliano Carchia @Sportando
Daryl Morey says 76ers are prepared four years to trade Ben Simmons sportando.basketball/en/daryl-morey… – 2:43 PM

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
Updated #NBA story: Ben Simmons is out due to personal reasons for tonight’s #Sixers home opener vs. the #Nets: https://t.co/tZHfMaCdr4 pic.twitter.com/eeMIS7luu1 – 2:33 PM

Emiliano Carchia @Sportando
Joel Embiid asked 76ers co-star Ben Simmons the question: Why do you want a trade? sportando.basketball/en/joel-embiid… – 2:26 PM

Ryan McDonough @McDNBA
🧵 Mental health is a serious issue and deserves to be treated as such
So for Ben Simmons to try to force a trade this offseason, then skip the first few weeks of training camp/preseason, then show up in Philly but refuse to fully participate in 76ers team activities, then… – 1:21 PM

Emiliano Carchia @Sportando
76ers: Ben Simmons says he’s not mentally ready to play sportando.basketball/en/76ers-ben-s… – 12:43 PM

Gina Mizell @ginamizell
“The locker room is a sacred place … I think we left the meeting understanding what he had to say, and we came out and got ready for Brooklyn.”
More on the latest development in the ever-evolving Ben Simmons situation here:
inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-… – 12:42 PM

Ben Rohrbach @brohrbach
We are heading for a necessary and uncomfortable conversation about the juxtaposition between the NBA’s embrace of mental health and the Sixers’ monetary penalties against Ben Simmons. – 12:35 PM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
After meeting with Ben Simmons today, the team feels as if they understand what he is saying and they support him #Sixers sixerswire.usatoday.com/2021/10/22/six… via @SixersWire #NBA – 12:28 PM

Dane Moore @DaneMooreNBA
This Ben Simmons thing is a fascinating collision of 3 things that didn’t exist 15 years ago and are beginning to define the NBA
– The influence of Klutch (Simmons agency)
– Analytics (Morey’s analytically-driven GM approach)
– Shams/Woj (the nature of back-scratch reporting) – 12:25 PM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
#Sixers PF Georges Niang when asked about the team meeting with Ben Simmons: pic.twitter.com/QCNHJGXFsx – 12:12 PM

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
ESPN story on Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons’ plans to meet with medical professionals for an assessment: bit.ly/3Gb7yt2 – 12:12 PM

Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
New @AthleticNBAShow Daily Ding w/ @Rich Hoffman
🔥 Steph’s perfect first quarter
🤝 Ben Simmons saga continues
🦸‍♂️ Herro crushes Bucks
📲 https://t.co/OoPRFVaeio
🌳 https://t.co/bJvPO0iIXx pic.twitter.com/vMpICh01L2 – 12:04 PM

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria
Now on @ForbesSports
Ben Simmons Informs The Philadelphia 76ers He’s Not Mentally Prepared To Play: Reports via @forbes forbes.com/sites/adamzago… – 11:56 AM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
Ben Simmons worked with the Sixers medical team this morning while his teammates participated in shootaround. – 11:54 AM

Noah Levick @NoahLevick
Georges Niang: Ben Simmons addressed the team today. Team left the meeting understanding what he had to say. Locker room is “a sacred place,” won’t get into specifics. – 11:52 AM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
Georges Niang won’t go into any specifics of the meeting with Ben Simmons, as he shouldn’t, but he said the team felt good after the meeting ended #Sixers – 11:51 AM

Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Report: Ben Simmons tells 76ers he still isn’t mentally ready to play nba.nbcsports.com/2021/10/22/rep… – 11:35 AM

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
Report: Ben Simmons tells #Sixers teammates at morning shootaround that he’s “not mentally ready to play to his expectations now” https://t.co/tZHfMaCdr4 #76ers #NBA pic.twitter.com/AwCwW6WUdo – 11:18 AM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
Multiple sources confirmed that Ben Simmons addressed Doc Rivers, Joel Embiid and the entire 76ers team this morning, saying he’s not mentally ready to play and needs time. – 11:11 AM

Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwill
For ⁦@YahooSports⁩: Daryl Morey won’t pull a move for Ben Simmons on anything less than a layup. Sound familiar? This mess won’t end unless he does something he rarely does sports.yahoo.com/the-ben-simmon… – 11:10 AM

Quinton Mayo @RealQuintonMayo
*breathes in*
YALL KNEW BEN SIMMONS COULDN’T SHOOT, AND HAD NO INTENTION TO, WHEN YOU PAID HIM 5/$170 TWO YEARS AGO. pic.twitter.com/Kohbv06XyS – 11:06 AM

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
Ben Simmons met with Sixers’ medical professionals and coach Doc Rivers today and informed them that he’s not mentally ready to play to his expectations now, sources tell ESPN. He also talked to his teammates today. – 10:59 AM

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Sources: Ben Simmons spoke to Doc Rivers, Joel Embiid and entire 76ers team today and accepted everyone needs to take responsibility, including himself — but Simmons informed them all that he’s not mentally ready to play yet and needs time. – 10:54 AM

Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
Friday’s @LockedOnLakers podcast, with guest @Seerat Sohi! We discussed the Lakers’ roster fit, their defensive issues vs. offensive upside, Westbrook, Ben Simmons and “Succession.” #FirstListen @LockedOnNetwork @LockedOnNBAPods
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why… – 10:37 AM

Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
Money aside – Ben Simmons for Zach LaVine? I say big hell no. – 10:01 AM

Derek Bodner @DerekBodnerNBA
Some non-Ben Simmons Sixers news. pic.twitter.com/orqrSKTakO – 9:05 AM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
#ICYMI Daryl Morey and the #Sixers believe the Ben Simmons saga ‘could take four years’ to resolve inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-… via @phillyinquirer – 8:01 AM

Jon Johnson @jonjohnsonwip
Most important question of all: Will the value of Ben Simmons increase over time? – 6:43 AM

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#NBA story: The embattled Ben Simmons is listed as doubtful for the #Sixers’ home opener tonight vs. the #Nets, while Joel Embiid (knee) is questionable: https://t.co/tZHfMaCdr4 pic.twitter.com/MQX0vksw8C – 6:40 AM

Nate Jones @JonesOnTheNBA
In the Warriors current situation (needing to maximize Steph while he’s still unstoppable), I see trading for Ben Simmons kinda like trading for PG was for the Clippers. Clippers “overpaid” because the situation called for it. Think Warriors in similar situation. – 2:17 AM

Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
ICYMI: Hear @TermineRadio on NBA Today
👏 #Knicks v #Celtics double overtime thriller!
❗️ Daryl Morey comments on Ben Simmons’ future
🔊 Reaction to the final selections for the #nba75 Anniversary Team
📻siriusxm.us/NBAToday – 10:15 PM

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#NBA column: How the #Sixers and #Nets are dealing with the Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving dilemmas as they prepare to meet Friday night in the #76ers’ home opener. Irving is out indefinitely and Simmons appears unlikely to play vs. Brooklyn: bit.ly/3AWppjL pic.twitter.com/Xb6mBtTHkr – 10:00 PM

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#NBA story: In addition to Ben Simmons being doubtful for the #Sixers‘ home opener, franchise big man Joel Embiid is questionable with a sore knee: bit.ly/2Z9vZ9L pic.twitter.com/aFGqJTNwN0 – 9:30 PM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
Daryl Morey admitted today that Philly would only get role players back in a Ben Simmons trade. That is why it is in their best interest, and Simmons’, to have him back with the team and move forward. #Sixers sixerswire.usatoday.com/2021/10/21/dar… via @SixersWire #NBA – 7:11 PM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
#Sixers injury report vs. #Nets: Joel Embiid (right knee soreness) is questionable; Ben Simmons (return to competition reconditioning) is doubtful; Shake Milton (sprained right ankle) and Grant Riller (left knee injury recovery) are out.
Nets: Kyrie Irving (not with team) out. – 6:46 PM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
Daryl Morey and the #Sixers believe the Ben Simmons saga ‘could take four years’ to resolve inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-… via @phillyinquirer – 6:34 PM

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
ESPN story on the ongoing standoff between Ben Simmons and the 76ers: bit.ly/3E2g7Ex – 6:19 PM

Rich Hoffman @rich_hofmann
Sixers injury report for tomorrow, because they are playing basketball games on soap opera off days:
— Joel Embiid is questionable with right knee soreness, that happened early in last night’s game
— Ben Simmons is doubtful with, you know
— Shake Milton is still out – 6:17 PM

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
Updated #NBA column: With Kyrie Irving out indefinitely and the ongoing Ben Simmons saga, the #Nets and #Sixers still have high hopes going into Friday night’s game in South Philly: bit.ly/3AWppjL pic.twitter.com/Wr9YsM8bCP – 6:15 PM

More on this storyline

Keith Pompey: There’s scheduled to be an enhanced police/security presence at the Wells Fargo Center tonight for what was expected to Ben Simmons’ first home game, a league source said. The source expects the enhanced presence to remain even though Simmons won’t play. -via Twitter @PompeyOnSixers / October 22, 2021

Shams Charania: Sources say Joel Embiid today asked 76ers co-star Ben Simmons the question: Why do you want a trade? Simmons responded that he isn’t feeling mentally himself and needs time to get right. Details: -via Twitter @ShamsCharania / October 22, 2021

Tobias Harris: And we’ll respect his privacy and space during this time. When he’s ready, we will embrace our brother with love and handle our business on the court. That’s it, that’s all. -via Twitter @tobias31 / October 22, 2021