CHICAGO -- In the realm of sports speak where the words probable, questionable and doubtful are routinely assigned to determine an injured player's game-day availability, only one word fits Ben Simmons.
Inevitable.
And I'm talking about his departure from the Sixers, the city of Philadelphia, and away from the teammates he lost after committing the mortal sin of "dereliction of duty" as both a point guard and a co-leader of a title-contending team.
"The locker room won't recover from this. He won't recover from this, "said Magic Johnson told ESPN.
Magic was referencing the incredible shrink job that the 6-foot-11 Simmons specialized during the Sixers-Hawks series that ended Philly's run.
In those seven games, Simmons averaged a meek 9.9 points while logging 34.5 minutes per. He had zero 3-point attempts and shot a cover-your-eyes ugly 33.3 percent clip from the free throw line, bricking 30 of 45.

Ben makes a lot of money, $29.2 million this season alone, but he clearly isn't a money player.
And he ain't an alpha male, either.
He ran as far away as possible from the pressure and even passed up a potential dunk in the last 3:29 of Game 7 when the Sixers were down 2.
But here's the greater, more damaging shame.
In seven fourth quarters during that series, Simmons attempted only a total of 3 field goals and had none in the last four. Between Game 4 and Game 7, he went 11-of-24 from the field and 8-of-25 from the stripe.
Asked why he passed up the wide-open jam, Simmons told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he was afraid Danilo Gallinari would block him from behind.
Just so you know, Gallinari is an unathletic, unenergetic 32-year old who jumps like a grandfather and only has 10 blocks in 51 regular season games this season.
ONLY DUMMIES WHO BELIEVE IN THE EXISTENCE OF A FURRY BIGFOOT BUY SIMMONS' EXCUSE.
I'm no shrink but I have a clue.
Stage fright?
Whatever the symptoms are, the only cure is to leave the premises.
The locker room is a protected, discerning male stronghold where grown dudes allow themselves to laugh and cry and share secrets that are kept within its four walls.
I would imagine Simmons isn't welcomed there anymore, not when Joel Embiid declared he "gave it all" while decrying how the Sixers only got a free throw instead of two points had Simmons dunked the ball.
Letting down millionaire teammates is one thing but letting down the ordinary people --- the arena workers -- who depend on game days for paychecks is another matter.
Simmons just robbed those folks with at least two paychecks in the East finals.
How can he ever walk the streets of Philadelphia again?
MIKEY WILLIAMS UPDATE. I've been told that TNT's prized and precious draft pick got infected with a virus, allegedly. And that has caused the delay of his travel from the U.S. to the Philippines.
I hope he gets well soon. He's a good kid whom I have featured twice here.
But he was drafted 99 days ago and if Kai Sotto had already been there twice from the U.S. what's taking Mikey so long?
The Tropang Giga do not deserve this. So does his representation, a pair of good gents in Matthew Manotoc and Marvin Espiritu.
Consider me officially off the Mikey Williams bandwagon.
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