Ben Simmons

2022 - 4 - 25

Post cover — Image courtesy of "NBC Sports"

Report: People around Ben Simmons 'exasperated' (NBC Sports)

It's tough to tell where the line falls between people being exasperated with Ben Simmons' health issues and being exasperated with Simmons himself.

The Nets welcomed Simmons with an inspiring show of solidarity. It also stands to reason exasperation with Simmons’ situation could spiral into exasperation with Simmons. Exasperated people tend to get worked up. And he’s not playing in Nets-Celtics Game 4 tonight, as he reportedly planned to do.

Mental, physical health keeping Ben Simmons from Nets lineup as ... (New York Post)

Nets coach Steve Nash confirmed that it's not just Ben Simmons' physical health that the sidelined All-Star is dealing with.

I know he probably wanted to be out there playing with us and to have a setback,” Nic Claxton said. Both Nash and a source close to Simmons expect him to avoid offseason surgery. Multiple orthopedic specialists told The Post that Simmons was likely to miss the rest of the season, and a source close to the player added, “It’s just a timing thing. “We’d love to see Ben on the floor with our teammates, but I don’t want it to be taken that I’m disappointed in Ben or anything like that. He’s a cornerstone, so we want to help him feel great, play great and become a part of this team.” That’s very important for me not to speak for Ben because I can’t relate to what he’s going through,” Nash said.

Why Ben Simmons Wasn't on the Nets Bench for Game 4 vs. Boston (Sports Illustrated)

The 25-year-old wasn't even in the arena when Brooklyn took the floor on Monday night.

He was acquired by the Nets in a blockbuster trade that landed James Harden with Philadelphia back in February. However, he was not on the bench during Monday’s game in Brooklyn. “The sense very much today was he [Simmons] needed more support, he needed more help to get there,” Wojnarowski said on ESPN Monday. “There is still a mental health part in this equation that the Nets and Rich Paul and Ben Simmons have to continue to work through together.”

NBA Rumors: Brooklyn Nets already turned off by Ben Simmons? (Sir Charles In Charge)

After what appears to be another setback, Simmons will not indeed play in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics and it seems that the first time that we'll see ...

Even though Simmons had not played in a game this season, the hope was that he would be ready to suit up for the Nets a few weeks after the trade happened. With their backs against the wall in the NBA Playoffs, the hope was that Ben Simmons would be making his season debut for the team Monday night. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Nets are frustrated with Simmons, assuming there’s any sense of accuracy in this report.

NBA Rumors: Nets 'exasperated' by Ben Simmons saga after latest ... (NBC Sports Boston)

A report from ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Steve Nash's latest comments paint a picture of a Nets team that's tired of dealing with Ben Simmons' setbacks ...

Windhorst reported that Simmons actually did wake up with a sore back Sunday morning that led to the decision to hold him out for Game 4. Reports that he was playing were from the outside, I don’t know where that came from." The Nets ruled Simmons out for Game 4 in Brooklyn due to back soreness despite reports that he was on track to make his Nets debut Monday night.

Ben Simmons Has Physical, Mental Hurdles to Overcome, Per Report (CalBearsMaven)

The point guard and his agent reportedly met with the team's leadership Monday to discuss what it's going to take for him to return to the court.

He was eventually dealt and hasn’t played in an NBA game since last year. The point forward struggled in the 2021 playoffs and he caught major criticism for his hesitation to attempt a shot in the Eastern Conference playoff series against the Hawks. This eventually ended up with him requesting a trade before telling the 76ers he was not mentally ready to play basketball yet this season. Simmons was expected to play in Game 4 against the Celtics Monday, but was ultimately ruled out after he woke up with soreness in his back Sunday, per ESPN. Before he was acquired by Brooklyn in a blockbuster trade that landed James Harden with Philadelphia back in February, Simmons’s mental health was well documented.

Report: Steph Curry Shut Down Ben Simmons For Draymond Green ... (Sports Illustrated)

After refusing to play for the Philadelphia 76ers this season, resulting in a trade that sent him to the Brooklyn Nets, it now seems as if Ben Simmons will ...

Stephen A. Smith went on to say that the Warriors, in hindsight, certainly made the right decision holding off on that deal. With all of the news surrounding Ben Simmons on Monday, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reported that Steph Curry previously shut down a potential Ben Simmons to Golden State trade earlier in the year. The former All-Star has cited both physical and mental issues as the reason for his inability to play this season, despite the Brooklyn Nets believing that he was ready to suit up for their elimination Game 4 against the Boston Celtics.

Nets Lost The Ben Simmons Trade, Still Owe Him $114M (Front Office Sports)

Ben Simmons won't suit up in Game 4 — even with the Nets on the brink of elimination and two months since the trade.

According to reports, when he told the team he wouldn’t play Monday, he was met with “surprise and disappointment.” - Despite shooting 41% (2nd-worst in career), Harden is on the court and a pivotal piece in Philadelphia’s title pursuit. Now the Sixers are a win from advancing, while the Nets are on the brink of elimination — and two months since the trade, Simmons still hasn’t suited up.

Report: Ben Simmons needs more support with mental health to ... (NBC Sports)

Ben Simmons cited back pain in aborting a plan to make his season debut in Nets-Celtics Game 4 tonight. There are also mental-health issues.

But the one thing that I know both sides got out of that today was that Ben Simmons reiterated to the Nets he wants to play basketball. And I think their understanding right understanding right now is it’s going to require not just more work on the lower back, but there is still a mental-health part in this equation that the Nets and Rich Paul, Ben Simmons have to continue to work through together. And listen, Brooklyn believes – they’ve seen Ben Simmons put in the work in both those areas, both the physical and mental since he got to the Nets in their trade.

Ben Simmons not on Nets bench due to back injury (Yahoo Sports)

Ian Begley: Ben Simmons isn't on the Nets bench for Game 4 vs. Boston due to his back ailment, per a team official. Simmons had been sitting on the Nets ...

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Ben Simmons not sitting on Nets bench for Game 4 matchup against ... (masslive.com)

The Nets forward was ruled out for Game 4 on Sunday after experiencing back soreness according to the team.

However, after being ruled out of the game by the team on Sunday due to back soreness emerging on Sunday morning during his rehab, Simmons was not seated on Brooklyn’s bench for Game 4 on Monday night. Don’t be shooting and saying, ‘I’m coming back.’ If you’re not going to play, don’t say you’re going to play. A team official told Ian Begley of SNY that Simmons was not on the bench due to his back ailment. Listen, if you’re not ready to play, you’d get more respect from the people if you just say, ‘I’m not ready to play’ and don’t say nothing else. Let me tell you something, when the players don’t respect you, that’s a big deal. Simmons’ absence will likely only put more of a microscope on the former All-Star who has not played a game this entire season.

'I don't know what we're calling it': Nets coach's admission as Ben ... (Fox Sports)

'I don't know what we're calling it': Nets coach's admission as Ben Simmons mystery deepens.

“We’d love to see Ben on the floor with our teammates, but I don’t want it to be taken that I’m disappointed in Ben or anything like that. But unless he makes a rapid recovery and the Nets stave off the sweep – neither of which are guaranteed – they’ll face the disappointment not only of an early exit but having never getting Simmons on the floor this season with his teammates. Suffering from a herniated L-4 disk in his lower back, Simmons had been in a race against time.Dr. Rahul Shah, a board certified orthopedic spine and neck surgeon, told The Post Simmons was almost certain to miss the rest of the season. “So we kind of stick to what we’ve always said; he’s still building himself up, still working through things, still trying to get strong enough and put himself in a position to play.” After Simmons got an epidural in mid-March, he made marked improvement over the last three weeks. Simmons had said he expected to play in this first-round series against Boston, and the Nets are facing elimination Monday night down 0-3.

Ben Simmons

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