Sixers News: Prized Center Responds To Ben Simmons' Comments, Brands It Disrespectful

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is someone who is not afraid to speak his mind.

Embiid responded to an alleged claim of disgruntled teammate Ben Simmons that his partnership with the former has already “run its course.”

This was about the fact that Simmons could not get anything going with the seven-footer operating mostly in the paint, The Athletic reported.

The All-Star center addressed it and unsurprisingly disagreed with the 25-year-old cager.

“Our teams have always been built around his needs,” Embiid said. “So it’s just kind of surprising to see. Even going back to, the reason we signed Al, we got rid of Jimmy, which I still think was a mistake, just to make sure he needed the ball in his hands, and that’s the decision they made. Like I said, it’s surprising.”

Embiid sees the whole thing disrespectful–not just to him but the whole team.

“The situation is weird, disappointing, borderline kinda disrespectful to all the guys that are out here fighting for their lives. Some guys rely on the team being successful to stay in the league and make money somehow. Because if you’re on a winning team, you’re always going to have a spot in the league, just because you’re on a winning team and you contributed,” Embiid explained in a report from ESPN.

Despite efforts to try and talk to Simmons, this may formally end any chance for the Sixers to mend fences and just look for a trade partner.

The main problem for the 76ers right now is finding a taker. With $147 million on the table plus the lackadaisical shooting of Simmons, it would take much for the first overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft to find a new home.

Award-winning author Roland Lazenby hopes that the 6-foot-11 is working on his shooting form during his sabbatical when he chatted with Filipino journalist Brian Yalung on the Sports Bytes PH podcast recently.

“You may be able to drop to a team such as Minnesota, which could obviously use this very talented guy. But if that team is going to advance with you, those questions are going to re-appear,” Lazenby stressed.