NBA star rightfully comes to the defense of Houston Rockets rookie

The Bill Simmons-Jalen Green debacle is mostly in the rearview mirror for the Houston Rockets, but the moment still doesn't sit right with Joel Embiid as he navigates an emotional MVP snub.

Trust me, the entire world would like to get past Bill Simmons saying he doesn't think Houston Rockets rookie Jalen Green is as good as his statlines indicates.

The moment has become overblown beyond the actual significance of the event, but the fact that this moment resonated with the players so much brings an important extra layer to this situation.

Fot those who are still unfamiliar with the events, Bill Simmons, who has a vote for NBA awards, said on a podcast that he does not believe Jalen Green belongs on the All-Rookie team due to the record of the Rockets.

This might have been fine if this is how it went down, but Simmons chose his words differently.

"F- Jalen Green" is a pretty tough quote to get past, even if it was followed immediately with an explanation that showed that this has nothing to do with Green as a person.

Simmons immediately brought a mountain of controversy on himself due to the fact that some players are questioning why has a vote, which impacts players financially, when he used language that appears biased against certain players.

Simmons had literally millions of other ways to make his point without creating a sound bite that made it seem like he outwardly does not like a player.

Draymond Green was one of the first players to speak out against Simmons, and now MVP snub Joel Embiid (whether you see him as first or second, he still should have been above Nikola Jokic) has joined in.

Embiid has obviously joined this discourse for slightly different reasons, but the fact remains that the players are starting to wonder about those who decide on awards, and Simmons' comments towards Green do not help.

It's tough for a player to hear someone speak about another player like Simmons did, even if that player is on the Houston Rockets. Embiid is rightfully frustrated, and he has ammunition to go after someone who is already on the bad side of the NBA plauers.

Rockets fans know how good Jalen Green is. Bill Simmons will learn soon enough. But it is still nice to see another star come out in defense of Houston's most important future piece.

Hopefully this story will start to die down soon, but it doesn't really seem like that is going to happen at this point.