Los Angeles (AFP)
The psychodrama Ben Simmons continues in Philadelphia: the point guard, who tried unsuccessfully to leave the Sixers in the offseason, was suspended for one game, after being excluded from training on Tuesday due to "behavior detrimental to the team" , announced his club.
The 25-year-old Australian, No. 1 in the 2016 draft and selected for the last three editions of the All-Star Game, will miss the 76ers' season opener on Wednesday night with the New Orleans Pelicans.
According to several media present during the training session, Simmons displayed complete disinterest, remaining lonely with the ball in hand dribbling, then refusing to take part in the day's program.
A spat followed with coach Doc Rivers who then sent him back to the locker room.
This episode shows that despite his reinstatement last week in the workforce of Philadelphia, after having done everything to try to leave, the climate is far from appeased.
The schism between the two sides dates back to the last play-offs, when the Sixers were eliminated in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-final by Atlanta.
The leader's poor offensive performance was then singled out, Rivers questioning publicly about the player's ability to be a playmaker capable of winning a championship.
Tensions between Simmons and team star Joel Embiid then arose, the latter blaming the Australian for "disrespecting" their teammates in comments said last month.
But Cameroonian pivot like Doc Rivers has repeatedly said that they want Simmons to stay at the club.
The return of the player to the group last week thus augured an end to the internal crisis, which finally gained momentum.
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