Sixers mailbag: Ben Simmons’ availability, team needs and first-round NBA playoff fate

This is the 15th edition of the weekly 76ers mailbag.

Each week, Inquirer.com followers may submit questions to be answered on Friday.

Missed out on the party this week? No worries. Submit question(s) for next time by following me on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers and tweeting your inquiry with the hashtag #PompeysMailbagFlow.

Let’s jump right into this week’s questions:

Answer: Thanks for asking a question, Bob. I especially want to thank you for starting this newsletter with one of the biggest questions since the hiatus.

Sixers general manager Elton Brand said the two-time All-Star would be “closer or ready” during Tuesday’s conference call with reporters. For the folks who don’t know, Simmons missed the Sixers’ last eight games with a pinched nerve in his back before the league shut down in early March.

Brand is optimistic he will be ready to play if the Sixers are given the green light to resume playing games. But that won’t be until July at the earliest.

“It’s tough because of him not playing three-on-three, five-on-five, just to speculate there,” Brand said when asked if Simmons would be ready play if the playoffs started Tuesday. “But when I FaceTime him during his workouts, during his treatment and I see him, I’d be highly encouraged that his ramp-up would be different [without the shutdown]. We took our time."

The general manager said Simmons’ recovery and rehabilitation have been methodical and thoughtful, and not rushed.

“It’s hard to speculate, but he’s been working hard," Brand said, "and I know he’d be closer or ready.”

A: Thanks for the asking great questions, Darryl. There’s a one-word answer to describe how this season will be remembered if it doesn’t resume : Underachieving.

The Sixers were expected to compete for one of the top spots in the Eastern Conference. Yet, the Sixers (39-26) were in sixth place, 14 games out of first, when the season was suspended March 11.

Failure to live up to the preseason hype has a lot to do with how the team is constructed. Al Horford is still a talented player, as is evident whenever he plays center in place of Joel Embiid. But the power forward/ backup center is just not a good fit when he’s on the floor together with Embiid and Simmons.

The team admitted as much when Horford was demoted to the bench before the Feb. 11 game against the Los Angeles Clippers. He returned to the starting lineup three games later, only because Simmons was sidelined with a pinched nerve in his lower back.

A lot of people will tell you the quick fix would be trading away Horford. However, he signed a four-year, $97 million guaranteed contract that will be hard to move. So he may have to return to being the backup center and replace him in the starting lineup with a sharpshooter.

A: Thanks for asking the question, Ms. Sigma Gamma Rho. It’s a tough one, because we don’t know who they would pair up against in the first round of the NBA playoffs had they played their remaining 17 games. I honestly believe the Sixers would have moved up to the fourth spot. It would be tough for me to see them losing an opening-round series with home-court advantage.

Now, let’s just assume they remained in sixth place and Boston finished third, where they are positioned. The Sixers would and still will defeat the Celtics in a seven-game series. Embiid is the X-factor. Boston doesn’t have anyone who can match up with the big fellas.