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Tim BontempsESPN
Ben Simmons, the star of the Philadelphia 76ers, said he is not worried that his name will appear in commercial rumors about Houston Rockets star James Harden.
“No,” Simmons said after training Tuesday. “I come every day, I take it once in a row, ready to work. I’m with my teammates … Every day I wake up, every time I wear the Sixers uniform, I represent the Sixers. So my mentality never changes. .
“I’m here to win a championship. This goal will never change. I know things will always be said in the media and rumors and stuff, but my goal is to come in every day and improve and help the team. I’m on to win a championship. “
Sixers, along with the Brooklyn Nets, are among the teams Harden is willing to trade with, sources told ESPN. Daryl Morey – the man who brought Harden to Houston – is now leading the franchise, after being hired as president of Philadelphia’s basketball operations last month.
After the team shifted its two major offseason additions last season – goalie Josh Richardson and center Al Horford – to Seth Curry and Danny Green, respectively, in an effort to balance the roster, Philadelphia hopes the mix will produce much better results than the past disappointing campaign of the season.
Sixers’ new coach Doc Rivers said that while he understands why people aren’t willing to believe things will be different this season, he’s optimistic that the combination of Simmons and Joel Embiid may be enough for a special team.
“First of all, I wouldn’t say anything to anyone,” Rivers said. “I think we have to believe. And you have to feel special to be special.
“So I don’t think I have to make a prediction or anything like that. Still, I think so. And, I think, to answer your question a little bit, we have Ben Simmons on our basketball team. And we have Joel Embiid in our basketball team, and right now, teams that have two NBA All-Stars and All-Defensive players tend to do well.
“So I think we’re special on that.”
Philadelphia opens its season at home against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
The off-season moves were made to try to maximize the partnership between Simmons and Embiid. During the pre-season, Sixers repeatedly talked about the benefits of the extra field space created by adding two more good 3-point shooters, and Simmons said he’s excited to see what things look like when Philadelphia starts its season. at the Wells Fargo Center Wednesday night.
“Their games are completely different from the guys we’ve had before,” Simmons said of Curry and Green when asked what would look different this season. “And I think the movement, the pace we will play with and, hopefully, the execution, will be much better.
“We lost some guys who were great defenders, but defensively, I think we will be the same, if not better.
“But I think we generally have guys who will buy. We have Danny Green, a great defender, Dwight [Howard], a lot of guys who had this experience, they played a high level, they played championship basketball, they know what it takes to win. “