Stein: Chatter Circulating About The Spurs' Attempts To "Barge" Their Way Into Simmons Sweepstakes

[Chucho]

This is what tanking for an entire decade and whiffing on a record number of #1 picks gets you.

So funny to watch the lifers here who think tanking is the solution. Not for small market teams. For the handful of cities the NBA will never leave, it RARELY works, if you're a small market team, it's a blatant smack to the fanbase.

Tank to get a "No. 1 pick" who is a fringe All-Star (which is an accomplishment for #1s these days) that will pretend they're worth more than they are.

The NBA ing blows. Parity is best for a sport because all fans actually buy into caring for their teams. Tanking rarely works and just decimates the legitimacy of "sport" while it flat out s on the paying fanbase.

New York, Philly, Chicago...they get the goodwill from the networks. San Antonio and similar teams can't afford that. Either constrict the league or have a really ing rotten time during the next Labor negotiations. The players, especially the over privileged like Kyrie and Ben Simmons here, are ing over the next few generations of players. Hope the NBA ing tanks in ratings and sales next year. It's a broken league that needs fixing.

[SPURt]

What Simmons is doing is still not as bad as what Kawhi did on his exit from SA. Kawhi held the FO hostage by demanding he go to LA teams and making it known he wouldn’t sign a contract anywhere else.

This Ben Simmons acting out at practice doesn’t matter. He made it known at the end of the season he wanted out to anywhere else. Hence Kings, Pacers, and Spurs being in the running to trade for him. The situation happening is all on Morey and Doc.

I wish Kawhi would’ve let the Spurs send him anywhere, they would’ve gotten more than DDR, Jak, and KJ.

[XDT76]

Said before you force him to come back he is gonna lose you much more games on a max contract. If Philly is a middling no where team, sure they can play with him all they want. However is Embiid gonna stick around the next 4 seasons to see how this drag out? Of course Philly can froze him out of NBA for the next four years but at what expense. His value is gonna tank even more for Philly as this drags out. He is getting his $40M for the next 4 years anyway.

[baseline bum]

he has that right

If the pos retires.

[exstatic]

Still chicken pulling this with four years left on a max deal. If he would have handled things professionally with the Sixers front office they probably would have fired Coc for throwing him under the bus. But instead he thinks they should take back $35 million worth of crap so he can have his money and play elsewhere. Don't sign a ing contract you're not willing to honor when it's guaranteed.

What would be your idea of handling it professionally? He got on by both Doc and Embiid, and asked Philly for a trade. AFAIK, That was done behind closed doors, but quickly leaked. That’s also on Philly. Loose lips sink ships. That was in ing JUNE, and it’s now October, and the regular season. Embiid still has his pants down, crapping on him today. The WORST ing thing you can do is to force him back to the team. It’s already causing conflict, and drama, and further damaging his already low trade value. Morey needs to take a big ol’ bite of the sandwich, and trade him immediately.

[exstatic]

Can't really steal him anymore with Aminu's $10 million expiring salary slot gone.

Uh, Thad. He makes $14M, and paired with White or DJ, is a match salary wise.

[exstatic]

I think I’m with Ben Simmons on this one tbh he asked the 76ers to trade and they refused and then took his money so he had to act out to force there hand

So
Much
This

[exstatic]

Back when the snake was doing the same to the Spurs I was in the camp asking to keep him, fine him, even let him sit out a second season in a row, etc. but honestly this Philly-Simmons thing shows once again that the best solution is to trade as early as possible. Once it gets to such a stage there's no going back, ever.

Yup. All they can do now in their quest for revenge is damage his value further.

Read the room, Morey.

If I’m their owner, I’m deadlining him to accept the best offer by COB Friday. Give him a chance to canvas the 3-4 remaining teams one more time. Indy’s out now, having extended Brogdon, who now cannot be traded. So, us, Minny, Sacto, I guess.

[manufan10]

I don't remember Silver addressing the Kawhi situation.

[The Truth #6]

Morey and Simmons are both goofballs in my opinion. Both thoughts can be true.

[Dverde]

I don't remember Silver addressing the Kawhi situation.

Madam Silver is such a wussy leader.

[vy65]

That's not actually what happened. A player not showing up is already subject to fines -- which Philly has levied. That they are trying to not pay him on top of that is above what the CBA lays out. That's so much more true now that Simmons is physically back with the team. What justification does Philly have for not giving him the money owed to him three weeks ago? Take out the fines -- sure. But he should've gotten the balance of it if what they said initially is true. It's feeling like it will go to court eventually, because Philly is going beyond the normal discipline procedures. You have to ask yourself, "For what?" at this point. If they're expecting this to compel Simmons to come in and make the Sixers a contender or whatever, it's not going to happen. Best-case scenario for him in that situation would be that Philly is playing well and Simmons isn't traded but the fans/media/front office are waiting for the team to disappoint to blame him. Morey is both treating him like and gold at the same time.

If Simmons has breached his contract - which he assuredly has - then Philly is empowered to a) declare such breach and b) refuse to perform its obligations. I'd be curious to see any provisions of the CBA that could be argued to override this basic principal.

[CGD]

The trade is still there...

SAS: Simmons
PHX: Thad
PHI: Murray, LW4, Smith, Saric, CHI 1st, PHX 1st

[TD 21]

All the bull we've seen from Butler, Harden, Simmons, etc. and will continue to see is S bag's true "legacy". Only he got off scot free because his antics dismantled an organization/market that the national media despises and the league is indifferent to and it benefitted members of the cool kids . . . they'll only care when the shoe is on the other foot.

[Trueblood]

I don't get anyone supporting Simmons here. Summing things up:

He signed a long term contract
He played poorly
He didn't like being criticized
He's refusing to honor the contract he signed
He only caves when they rightfully withhold his money
Then he acts the fool to get his way

He's just a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum because words hurt and he needs the safe space of a new team. After everything nephew put this fan base through, how anyone supports this weak minded Prima Donna is beyond me...

I said it with #2 and I'll say it here. The team should just withhold all his money and let him rot. See who wants him in 4 years.

[Dverde]

Reminds me of this situation with all this contract talk.

[exstatic]

If Simmons has breached his contract - which he assuredly has - then Philly is empowered to a) declare such breach and b) refuse to perform its obligations. I'd be curious to see any provisions of the CBA that could be argued to override this basic principal.

Philly doesn’t want a breach of contract, because that makes it null and void, and they get NOTHING.

I can’t tell you how many posters on this site said “If only Kawhi had gone to the front office, and asked to be traded…”. Well, that exactly what Simmons did. He’s not faking some ing injury. His coach and Mr. 50 Games both threw his ass under the bus. I’d flip them the finger and walk out the door, too.

[Chinook]

If Simmons has breached his contract - which he assuredly has - then Philly is empowered to a) declare such breach and b) refuse to perform its obligations. I'd be curious to see any provisions of the CBA that could be argued to override this basic principal.

Not showing up already has punishment defined in the contract. Therefore, he's not breaching it. It would be like saying taking PEDs is breaching the contract. They have a right to fine him to negate what he'd make per day. But he's not being paid per day. He's being paid in lump sums. By not giving him his money, the Sixers are basically fining him for things he has done yet. When he wasn't reporting, the team could argue they were considering his absence as a statement of intention that he'd hold out. It wasn't a good argument, but it's logical at least. But he's with the team now, and they can't use that same projection. They need to pay him what he's owed and continue to fine him. Otherwise, they're breaching the contract by not following the agreed-upon rules for this situation.

[exstatic]

That's not actually what happened. A player not showing up is already subject to fines -- which Philly has levied. That they are trying to not pay him on top of that is above what the CBA lays out. That's so much more true now that Simmons is physically back with the team. What justification does Philly have for not giving him the money owed to him three weeks ago? Take out the fines -- sure. But he should've gotten the balance of it if what they said initially is true. It's feeling like it will go to court eventually, because Philly is going beyond the normal discipline procedures. You have to ask yourself, "For what?" at this point. If they're expecting this to compel Simmons to come in and make the Sixers a contender or whatever, it's not going to happen. Best-case scenario for him in that situation would be that Philly is playing well and Simmons isn't traded but the fans/media/front office are waiting for the team to disappoint to blame him. Morey is both treating him like and gold at the same time.

Probably yet ANOTHER reason he’s acting out. That’s like a $7 or 8 million payment they’re holding back.

[Dverde]

It wouldn’t be going down like this if Brett Brown was still there. He deserved to be fired tho, but this is a Morey and Tom Rivers production starring Ben Simmons.

[vy65]

Philly doesn’t want a breach of contract, because that makes it null and void, and they get NOTHING.

I can’t tell you how many posters on this site said “If only Kawhi had gone to the front office, and asked to be traded…”. Well, that exactly what Simmons did. He’s not faking some ing injury. His coach and Mr. 50 Games both threw his ass under the bus. I’d flip them the finger and walk out the door, too.

No, they can enforce the terms of the contract and recover damages for breach. They could also seek specific performance given this is a contract for services, but that's a whole other can of worms.

[vy65]

Not showing up already has punishment defined in the contract. Therefore, he's not breaching it. It would be like saying taking PEDs is breaching the contract. They have a right to fine him to negate what he'd make per day. But he's not being paid per day. He's being paid in lump sums. By not giving him his money, the Sixers are basically fining him for things he has done yet. When he wasn't reporting, the team could argue they were considering his absence as a statement of intention that he'd hold out. It wasn't a good argument, but it's logical at least. But he's with the team now, and they can't use that same projection. They need to pay him what he's owed and continue to fine him. Otherwise, they're breaching the contract by not following the agreed-upon rules for this situation.

That's not correct. Contracts build in penalties for non-performance or breach all the time. They're called liquidated damages provisions. Philly may have opted to treat the contract as still valid and enforceable, and thus to avail themselves of provisions empowering them to fine Simmons. But Philly still has the power to say "the contract is done, and we don't have to pay you anymore." It is one of the most fundamental tenets of contract law that a party has the right to terminate a contract upon the counter-parties breach. That right might be abrogated by the CBA - but I've not seen anything to suggest that is the case.

I appreciate that you're saying he hasn't breached his contract, which is a different question than remedies for breach. As to whether BS is in breach, just doing a two minute google search gives us the following from the NBA Uniform Player Contract:

5. The Player agrees (a) to report at the time and place fixed by the Club in good physical condition; (b) to keep himself throughout each season in good physical condition; (c) to give his best services, as well as his loyalty to the Club, and to play basketball only for the Club and its assignees; (d) to be neatly and fully attired in public and always to conduct himself on and off the court according to the highest standards of honesty, morality, fair play and sportsmanship; and (e) not to do anything which is detrimental to the best interests of the Club or of the Association.

I'm sure I could conjure up additional terms of the NUPC that he's breached as well.

[PhantomDashCam]

Gee, I wonder what drill he didn’t want to participate in…

Doc Rivers bought into the coddling, praising Ben from his arrival there, stuck with him through thick and thin the entire regular season and playoffs… (Remember, Doc still had his back even when he was struggling in the Washington series.)They then lose a winner take all Game 7 against ATL, he’s asked a question in the heat of the moment about Ben Simmons being a PG on a championship team and Doc replies “I can’t answer that question right now”… and people think that Ben has been hard done by here? And people still want to trade for him? Even after the ‘Whi shenanigans?

[KingKev]

Lock this thread as we are not even engaged in these talks. Brian Wright is probably stupid enough to sell the house for Simmons but it is still a stretch. Our first round picks are going to easily be top 7 the next few years. Let’s stick to the program in our rebuild.

[Degoat]

One thing to consider even if 76ers were interested in a spurs package, I doubt they would want DJ or Lonnie since they’re represented by Klutch lol