Spending years as a player under him with the Celtics and Clippers, former NBA star Paul Pierce knows a thing or two about Doc Rivers’ coaching style.
During a recent appearance on a podcast hosted by former Boston star and current Celtics broadcaster Cedric Maxwell, Pierce implied that disgruntled point guard Ben Simmons deserved to get kicked out of practice earlier this month.
“If Doc kicks you out of practice, that’s bad because I ain’t never seen that,” he said. “I think I saw Doc kick a player out maybe once? Doc ain’t going to kick you out for nothing.
“You really have to be an a**hоle for Doc to kick you out because Doc’s one of the coolest coaches.”
The Truth @paulpierce34 ain’t lying. 👀 pic.twitter.com/uGAjAnOT9S
— theScore (@theScore) October 27, 2021
Before the Philadelphia 76ers season opener, Simmons was kicked out of practice for “conduct detrimental to the team” and was suspended for one game. Though he was cleared to play for the Sixers’ home opener later that week, the All-Star PG informed Rivers and his teammates that he was mentally unable to perform.
Simmons has yet to participate in his team’s 2-2 start and there’s currently no timetable for his return.
The 25-year-old Sixer requested a trade months ago, but it seems as though the Philadelphia front office hasn’t made any legitimate attempts to honor those wishes. As of right now, it appears both sides are willing to continue with this stalemate for as long as it takes.
The post Paul Pierce Has Honest Message About Ben Simmons appeared first on The Spun.