Philadelphia 76ers drama rolls on, Joel Embiid done with Ben Simmons: 'I don't care about that man'
Ben Simmons might not be a member of the Philadelphia 76ers much longer anyway, but Joel Embiid is already over him.
Earlier Tuesday, the Sixers kicked Simmons out of practice and suspended him for one game before their season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans (Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET) and Embiid sounded off about Simmons, who held out of training camp and has demanded a trade.
"At the end of the day, our job is not to babysit somebody," Embiid told reporters, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. "We get paid to produce on the court, go out, play hard, win some games. That's what we get paid for. We don't get paid to come out here and try to babysit somebody. That's not our job. I'm sure my teammates feel that way.
"At this point, I don't care about that man. He does whatever he wants. ... Our chemistry has been excellent despite everything that's been happening the last few months. Like I said, I don't really care."
Embiid told reporters he'd not spoken with Simmons since he returned to the team over the weekend. Embiid previously called the Simmons situation "borderline disrespectful."
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Paste BN Sports' Jeff Zillgitt that coach Doc Rivers kicked Simmons out of practice Tuesday. On Monday, Simmons was photographed practicing in sweatpants and his cell phone visibly in his pocket.
Rivers said it was obvious Simmons did not want to be at practice.
"We told him to go home," the coach said. "Hopefully at some point (he wants to be here)."
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.