Daryl Morey and Elton Brand rid Philadelphia of the black cloud that was Ben Simmons when they traded him to Brooklyn for James Harden. While we await Harden’s Sixers debut (Friday) a big question on most Sixers fans minds is what does Joel Embiid REALLY think? Embiid is never one to hide his true feelings and filter thoughts. After all, this is a man that goes by “Troell Embiid” on Twitter. But the Ben Simmons situation was different. It was close and personal. It wasnt a rivalry with Karl Anthony-Towns, this was a former teammate he was supposed to be linked to for years.
Joel Embiid sat down with Malika Andrews for an interview on ESPN’s NBA Today and for the first time since the trade he gave you a bit of insight into what was going on from his perspective.
“I did a lot of chasing around, ya know? Try to get him back and make him feel comfortable. It was tough. I didnt care anymore.”
He also went on to say that the last time he spoke to Ben was a week or two before the trade, and he was complimentary of the former Sixers star. But hes looking ahead to playing with James Harden which will be “Scary minutes.”
“I did a lot of chasing around trying to get him back and try to make him feel comfortable again. It was tough. I didn’t care anymore.”
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) February 22, 2022
Joel Embiid on Ben Simmons, James Harden, and the MVP race. Catch our convo on NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/cI2dXv6QIn
Friday cant come fast enough. Neither can the tell all book