John Riordan: Missing in action - The rise and fall of Philadelphia star Ben Simmons

It was never meant to be like this when the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers drafted top prospect Ben Simmons whose mental fragility has begun to win the battle over his physical gifts

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY: A spectator wears a T-shirt with the image of Ben Simmons who told the Philadelphia 76ers that he wasn’t yet ‘prepared mentally’ to take the court. Picture: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

The relatively lopsided nature of their early season victory wasn’t enough for the fans of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

Nor did it matter so much that the home team was finally ending a long losing streak against their visiting rivals from Philadelphia.