Getty All-Star guards Ben Simmons and James Harden were almost traded for each other back in January, per reports.
Peter Vecsey was never one to hold his opinions back during his Hall-of-Fame writing career. The legendary New York Post columnist was known for his vicious takes and cruel wit. Obviously, Vecsey had choice words for Ben Simmons.
The 78-year-old retired scribe did a recent interview with Mike Smallz where he dished on the drama surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers. No one and no topic was off limits. Vecsey shared insider knowledge on the team’s failed trade for James Harden. Sixers president Daryl Morey had green-lighted the deal until another high-ranking executive did his due diligence.
Vecsey brought up their time together in Houston where Morey allowed Harden to run the Rockets with reckless abandon. Harden decided flight schedules, ran practices, and meddled in personnel matters. The 11-time All-Star befriended known criminals, too, including one guy who went to jail for 30-35 years. He and his goons planned an assault on Moses Malone Jr. outside a strip club. That was the last straw.
Moses Malone’s son was attacked outside of a club and claims it was James Harden’s entourage t.co/cOKV3bIypt
“Harden was accused of these guys doing it on his so-so,” Vecsey said. “Because Moses had said something on Facebook about Harden charging an exorbitant amount for his [basketball] camps. [Former Sixers CEO] Scott O’Neil investigated Harden. He killed the deal. And that was it.”
Morey turned a blind eye to Harden’s shady dealings, per Vecsey, and pursued a Harden for Simmons trade. O’Neil was the one who called league sources about the 2018 MVP and got the dirt. Simmons stayed in Philly. Harden went to Brooklyn.
And Morey’s loyalty to Harden never sat well with Vecsey. He compared the current standoff with Simmons to the War in the Middle East. He doesn’t like either side.
“It’s like Iran and Iraq. I was rooting against both of them to lose,” Vecsey said. “I’m not a Morey fan by any chance. I just don’t believe in what he’s done. I think he’s trying to buy stars.”
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Ben Simmons Has ‘Sh**** Attitude’
Vecsey is no fan of Ben Simmons. He blasted the way former Sixers coach Brett Brown coddled Simmons by refusing to bring in a shooting coach. Then, the franchise rewarded Simmons with a $177.2 million contract. The organization kind of set everything up to collapse. And allowed Simmons’ ego to puff up in the process.
I’m betting Ben Simmons isn’t vaccinated; he definitely wouldn’t take the shot.
“I will give him [Simmons] empathy to a degree, but with him it seems like he has a bad attitude,” Vecsey said. “He’s got a sh**** attitude with that stuff. I’m not covering the league but I had heard around the Sixers that he had refused to have a shooting coach. He brought in his brother and, of course, that all came out … but they let him get away with so much stuff. Brett Brown just catered to him.”
“And then they reward him so of course he’s going to have a sh**** attitude. The thing with him is, yeah, he’s a good defender. He’s a good rebounder. He’s a good assist guy. But if you look back and what he didn’t do in college – when he was at LSU, 64 teams in the tournament, and LSU doesn’t make the tournament. So how good could he be? So you got to be able to carry your team if you’re making that kind of money. It’s sad.”
@CogginToboggan Ben Simmons for Markelle Fultz straight up
The whole situation reminded Vecsey of what happened to Markelle Fultz in 2018. The former top overall pick got a case of the “yips” and couldn’t overcome his damaged mental state. The Sixers eventually shipped him off to the Orlando Magic.
“Didn’t they already live through a guy like this?” Vecsey asked. “Is it contagious in Philly?”
Harsh Words for Doc Rivers
Doc Rivers wasn’t safe from Vecsey’s venom either. The two haven’t spoken since the early 2000s when Rivers was coaching the Magic. The argument stemmed from Rivers leaking dirt on starting point guard Darrell Armstrong. Rivers wanted something negative printed in the newspaper, according to Vecsey. He wouldn’t do it.
“I never spoke to him again after that. This guy’s a lowlife,” Vecsey said of Rivers. “Darrell was looked upon as a god down there in Orlando. Everybody loved Darrell Armstrong. He wanted me to print that Darrell wasn’t being a leader in the locker room, or something like that. I’m not printing that, you got to be kidding, so never trusted him again.”
Glenn Rivers followed up a successful NBA career in a coaching position in 1999. He went to an Orlando Magic team whose best players were Darrell Armstrong, Ron Mercer and an undrafted rookie from Virginia Union. He coached them to a surprising .500 record, but no playoffs.
