Doc Rivers No Longer Sounds Sure Ben Simmons Will Play for Sixers This Season

The Ben Simmons saga continues to live on in Philadelphia. Earlier this year, there was a lot of drama and speculation surrounding the situation as Ben Simmons was doing his best to force the Sixers' hand to trade him away.

But Daryl Morey and Philadelphia's front office wouldn't budge. After making it clear that a Simmons trade would cost an All-Star caliber player, the Sixers haven't found a deal with another team worth making at this time.

Early on in the saga, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers and the rest of the team made it apparent that they would welcome Simmons back in the fold with open arms. As everybody within the organization believes the Sixers are a better team with Simmons on the court, they made it clear he's welcome back at any time.

Anytime Rivers would discuss the state of the situation, he typically spoke with confidence, believing that everything would work itself out and Simmons would eventually return to the court and play for the 76ers.

But Rivers' recent updates haven't been as promising.

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When the Sixers paid a visit to the Boston Celtics for the first time this year on December 1, Rivers was asked for an update regarding Simmons. At the time, the Sixers' head coach brushed off the discussion.

"I literally don't even talk about it," he said. "I coach the team and the guys that I can see every day. I let Daryl (Morey) and Elton (Brand) deal with all of the other stuff."

A few weeks later, Rivers and the 76ers returned to Boston for a rematch. When discussing the Sixers' identity and who they are as a team, Rivers talked about the fact that they have a healthy All-Star caliber player on their roster who hasn't even seen the court yet this season, which blurs their true identity.

"We don't know what we are yet," said Rivers. "Ben hasn't played in a game. You can see the glaring holes that he leaves us, and he may or may not play. If he does, great. If he doesn't, then whatever we get can help us, but we don't know what any of those factors are. So right now, we're just playing games and trying to win."

Ben Simmons' absence isn't the sole reason the Sixers are struggling to barely stay above .500. Injuries and illnesses keeping key players off the court indeed have played a part in Philadelphia's most recent struggles.

But to pretend that Simmons's absence doesn't play a factor in Philly's struggles this year is foolish. The Sixers have made it known from the beginning that they believe they are better off with Simmons on the court than off of it. 

However, it's up to the three-time All-Star to make his return. Before, Rivers seemed somewhat overly optimistic that everything would work out and Simmons would come back to play for the Sixers. Lately, though, Rivers hasn't spoken about Simmons with the same confidence.

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