Simmons saga similar to Iverson, Barkley situations
Ben Simmons has made it clear he wants out of Philadelphia.
After missing the 76ers’ first four 2021-22 games — the season opener due to a team suspension and the last three because of personal reasons — it would be a major surprise if he doesn’t end up being traded once president of basketball operations Daryl Morey can secure a “difference-maker” in return.
Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson, like Simmons a former No. 1 overall draft pick, was also unhappy when he asked the Sixers to deal him 15 years ago, which resulted in Iverson going to Denver. Here’s a look at what happened that resulted in the wildly popular Iverson leaving.
There was already trouble prior to Iverson, who was in his 11th year with the team, not playing in the fourth quarter of the scuffling Sixers’ Dec. 6, 2006, blowout road loss to the Bulls — their fifth straight defeat on the way to 12 in a row and a 35-47 record.
Iverson argued with head coach Maurice Cheeks at the Nov. 29 practice and left PCOM early, which apparently set the stage for his departure.
Iverson and Cheeks had been close and participated in basketball-shooting contests when Cheeks, who Iverson used to say was his dad’s favorite player, had been an assistant coach. In a game of Around The World, Cheeks defeated Iverson handily before rolling the ball to Iverson and saying, “Use this one — it goes in.”
But when Cheeks, who also became a Hall of Famer, was promoted to head coach and no longer had time for those drills or goofing around, their relationship shifted.
While Iverson was still scoring 31 points per night, Cheeks decided he wanted to have young wing Andre Iguodala initiate the offense more so the ball wasn’t in Iverson’s hands so much.
Iverson didn’t like the idea. When he missed the Dec. 7 practice following the Chicago defeat, the Sixers told Iverson to stay home for the next two games, which was extended indefinitely.
Iverson put out a statement the next afternoon saying “a change may be the best thing for everyone,” followed by Sixers Chairman Ed Snider telling the media at halftime of that night’s loss to the Wizards that Iverson had asked for a trade and the Sixers would do their best to accommodate him.
“I think it’s time for him to move on and for us to move on,” Snider said.
Ten days later, the Sixers sent Iverson, then 31, to the Nuggets in exchange for Andre Miller, the expiring contract of Joe Smith and two first-round picks. That wasn’t a favorable swap, talentwise, for the Sixers.
Iverson eventually got past his issues here enough that he returned to the Sixers as a free agent for the final 25 games of his NBA career in 2009-10 before walking away.
Hall of Fame forward Charles Barkley also forced his way out of Philadelphia in June 1992 after eight years with the Sixers because he thought he was wasting the prime of his career and claimed ownership wanted to make money more than win an NBA championship. He went to the Suns for three players. (We discussed Barkley’s departure in more detail last month.)
As for the 25-year-old Simmons, he requested a trade days after the Sixers’ June 20 home Game 7 playoff loss to the Hawks and supposedly said he’d never play for Philly again. After missing training camp and the first two preseason games, Simmons returned to town Oct. 11 upon realizing he might not recoup his fines that had surpassed $1 million.
Simmons participated in portions of three practices before being asked to leave the Dec. 19 session by Doc Rivers after twice refusing to join a drill. He was suspended without pay for the opener. The 2-2 Sixers, who were the top seed in the Eastern Conference last season, host the Pistons on Thursday night.
The MVP of the NBA’s 2000-01 season who led the Sixers to the 2001 NBA Finals, Iverson was far more revered by Philly fans than Simmons.
Some common threads with the two situations are the multiple years remaining on their contracts — Iverson had two more years plus the remainder of the 2006-07 season, while Simmons has three-plus years — management not holding either player accountable and the struggle to secure equal value for an embattled star.
That’s what Morey has been working on for the better part of four months and will continue to address, barring an unforeseen development, until Simmons eventually winds up playing in another city the way Iverson and Barkley did.