Ben Simmons Went On JJ Redick's Podcast And Surprisingly Didn't Shit All Over Philadelphia
The moment I saw that Ben was going on JJ Redick's podcast this week, I knew we'd be in for some fireworks. A place where he could actually let loose a little and tell his side of the story. I mean I didn't expect him to get a microphone in front of his face and just start shitting on Philly relentlessly when the question came up. But I was expecting him to do exactly what he did in game 7 against the Hawks and just pass on the question.
Instead, he gave a pretty valid and fair response. Clearly the fans annoy the shit out of him from time to time with how involved we are when it comes to our teams and athletes. But that's perfectly fine because Philly fans are annoying as shit. I get it. I think it's a helluva lot better to have annoying fans who care and are as passionate as we are rather than playing in a city which could give two shits about their sports teams. But the fact of the matter is that anybody who has ever once turned on 94.1 or 97.5 knows exactly how annoying Philly fans can get.
The rest of the answer definitely felt like more of a PR script than anything, but I'm a sucker for when people say nice shit about Philly. You say you had an incredible time in Philly, I automatically like you at least 15 times more than I did before the conversation started. Even if the best word he could use to describe it was "unique", I'll take it.
I'm not saying that this should completely repair the relationship between Ben Simmons and Philly. But it's a decent start. At least a point where both sides can start to think about moving on. Unless he hits a 3 in the first game he plays against the Sixers. Then he's dead to us forever.