Surprising response to secret Ben Simmons’ All Star request

Behind the scenes, Ben Simmons had a key ally working the numbers for NBA All Star voting. The response received was “interesting”.

Ben Simmons is back in the game.

Ben Simmons had Sixers coach Doc Rivers whipping up numbers ahead of the coaches’ NBA All Star voting. He really didn’t need it.

Rivers revealed on Wednesday following Philadelphia’s win over Toronto he personally reached out to rival coaches to sell Simmons’ as an All Stars reserve.

The announcement of the players selected as All Stars reserves Wednesday was met with anger across the league, headlined by Western Conference captain LeBron James going public with his dismay at the “disrespect” shown to Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker.

Having missed out on a starting spot in the 2021 All Stars game, Simmons was relying on the votes from coaches to be selected as a reserve — for the third time in his career.

Atlanta Hawks young gun Trae Young, DeMar DeRozan of San Antonio and Sixers sharpshooter Tobias Harris were also unlucky to be snubbed.

Simmons and teammate Joel Embiid will again feature in the battle of NBA titans on March 7 in Atlanta after the coaches’ votes were announced on Wednesday night, revealing the 14 players that will join the All Star starters announced last month.

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Ben Simmons was never going to miss out.

Simmons has emerged as a genuine contender for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and has really hit his stride this month, averaging 25.2 points per game in his last five times on court.

However, he was rudely snubbed in the first round of All Stars voting. In Eastern Conference voting Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving and Washington’s Bradley Beal were selected on the starting five while Simmons was nowhere to be seen.

He was selected as the 11th best overall guard in the conference, according to fans, and the sixth best guard, according to a vote of his playing peers.

Even with the 76ers sitting on top of the Eastern Conference, Simmons’ hopes appeared grim — it’s why Rivers felt the need to reach out to his peers and ask for Simmons to be considered in their voting. NBA coaches are not allowed to vote on players in their own team as they select seven players from each of the two conferences to join the starting five line-ups already announced.

Rivers said he was surprised to hear the response from his rival peers when he asked for Simmons to be considered.

He said he told Simmons earlier this week there was no way he was going to miss out on a third All Star selection on the back of the conversations he’d had with fellow coaches.

“Like literally every Eastern coach I talked to when I said, ‘Hey, I’m lobbying on behalf of Ben and Tobias,’ they were like, ‘Ben? Why are you calling about him?’ It was funny how they looked at it and how the outside world looked at it,” Rivers said, according to The Athletic.

Tobias Harris can’t catch a break.

“I thought it was interesting.”

Simmons was also happy to suggest being selected by coaches mattered more to him than missing out on a starting spot, which is voted on by fans, media and players.

“I think that means more than fan votes and things like that, personally for me,” Simmons said.

“Because they see the game, they know the game. They coach the games every night, they see the talent out there. I’m the type of player that can do a lot of things on the floor. I’m glad a lot of coaches appreciate that and see that.”

The NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, March 7 in Atlanta.

Simmons and James Harden headlined the list of All-Star Game reserves announced on Wednesday, joining Brooklyn teammates Kevin Durant and Irving to mark the first time the Nets have had three All-Star selections.

Irving and Durant were previously named starters for the 70th All-Star Game.

Durant will serve as captain of one select squad against Team LeBron James in the contest, where reserve players were selected by league coaches.

Harden, the NBA’s top scorer each of the past three seasons, was named an All-Star for the ninth straight year and Chris Paul also got the nod, making him an 11-time All-Star.

In addition to Harden, reserves selected from the Eastern Conference were Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown and forward Jayson Tatum, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, New York Knicks forward Julius Randle, Orlando Magic centre Nikola Vucevic and Simmons.

Joining Paul as reserves from the Western Conference are Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, LA Clippers forward Paul George, Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert and guard Donovan Mitchell, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.

Brown, LaVine and Randle from the Eastern Conference and Williamson from the Western Conference make up the four first-time reserve selections.

Game rosters will be determined via a draft on March 4. Durant and James will each choose 11 players to complete their rosters.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Ben Simmons will suit up in Atlanta.

Starters

Stephen Curry — Golden State Warriors

Luka Doncic — Dallas Mavericks

LeBron James — Los Angeles Lakers (captain)

Kawhi Leonard — Los Angeles Clippers

Nikola Jokic — Denver Nuggets

Reserves

Chris Paul — (Phoenix Suns)

Paul George — (Los Angeles Clippers)

Damian Lillard — (Portland Trail Blazers)

Donovan Mitchell — (Utah Jazz)

Rudy Gobert — (Utah Jazz)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Starters

Kyrie Irving — Brooklyn Nets

Bradley Beal — Washington Wizards

Kevin Durant — Brooklyn Nets (captain)

Giannis Antetokounmpo — Milwaukee Bucks

Joel Embiid — Philadelphia 76ers

Reserves

James Harden (Brooklyn Nets)

Julius Randle (New York Knicks)

Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)

Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)

Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls)

Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)

Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic)

— with AFP