Charles Barkley Issues Some Blame to 76ers for Ben Simmons Drama

If you were to start paying attention to Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers a few months ago, it would seem that the disgruntled player that's seeking a trade is totally in the wrong, and there is nobody else to point the finger to and place blame on.

But if you're NBA legend and TNT analyst Charles Barkley, you see both sides being wrong in this scenario as the Ben Simmons drama in Philadelphia reached new heights this week.

On Tuesday, Simmons showed up for his third-straight practice of the offseason after skipping out on training camp and all four preseason games. Simmons was told to go home after appearing disengaged and refusing to participate in a drill as instructed by head coach Doc Rivers. That time, he took orders. 

"I just thought he was a distraction," said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday. "He didn't want to do what everybody else was doing. It was early, and it wasn't a big deal. I just told him he should leave then, and we went on with practice."

Simmons getting kicked out of practice on Tuesday led to a one-game suspension. Now, he'll miss Wednesday's regular-season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans. Hours after the drama unfolded, former Sixers star Charles Barkley sounded off on the situation, issuing blame to both Simmons and the 76ers.

"It’s a joke, it’s stupid and silly. First of all, it’s everybody’s fault. Ben Simmons deserves number one to blame because when people ask you to be a better basketball player, and they’re paying you $35-40 million, that’s a very fair thing. The Sixers deserve some blame because they already let this guy not improve and get one coach fired. So these are some blame for that. They threw Brown under the bus, and the third thing is Doc Rivers, last year we had him, ‘Oh, you guys want me to take Ben Simmons out the game?’ Yeah we do. If he just gonna stand around and not shoot the basketball, yes we do. So there’s plenty of blame to go around."

Since entering the NBA as the Sixers' No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Ben Simmons has improved drastically on the defensive end of the ball. The same can't be said for his offense, though. Coming into the league, Simmons' shooting was a question mark.

At this point in his career, the three-time All-Star refuses to expand his range on offense and is coming off of the most underwhelming offensive performances in his career. At the end of the day, it's up to the player to decide whether he wants to improve his game or not. But in Barkley's eyes, the Sixers let Simmons' stubbornness go too far. Now, they are dealing with the consequences.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.