Ben Simmons (not) back for Game 4

[Vermont Green]

I will admit to floating  trade ideas for Simmons but it was before the hold out.  Below is one example (from 2020):

My trade is really off the wall:

Simmons and Horford
for
Walker and Hayward

Salaries may require Philly add something too this, maybe Josh Richardson if we include something else (a pick or young player).

I had other ones along the way but they usually involved Kemba Walker. Of course people thought I was crazy to want Horford and crazy to want to trade Walker or Hayward.  But that all went away as Kemba deteriorated physically and Simmons mentally.

What I have been saying lately is that I do not believe Simmons is going to play in this series and it has nothing to do with his back.  His back may be a legitimate injury at some level but his real problem is in his head.  I don't say that lightly.  I think it is clear that his issue are quite serious.

If I was BKN, I would just come out and say that Simmons is not going to play period.  I see a scenario where they put him out there, he shoots an air ball or misses some free throws and then his confidence is set back significantly.  This idea that he is going to suit up and help the team win a championship this season is not realistic.  I see no realistic upside to playing him and plenty of downside.

Someone with some agenda is leaking these rumors that he is ready to play.  Maybe his agent so they can say he wanted to play but wasn't cleared medically but that is not how this is coming through.  It is coming through that he could play if he felt OK, making him look bad.  Not sure who would want to leak things to make him look bad.

[Redz]

Shaq and Chuck also blasted him big time. The old guard of the 80s/90s/00s are not impressed at all

When you think about the fact that someone like Brook Lopez won a championship, started the new season, actually had to get back surgery and miss 5 months, and then returned to the starting lineup and play in the playoffs - all since Simmons last played, it really tells you something. 

Yup. There's also guys like Embiid and Barnes playing through injury, or Timelord hustling back to get on the court.

I don't think we'll see Lowry, Booker or Middleton miss any more time than absolutely, 100% necessary. And then there's Ben

If i was a billionairre owner it would drive me insane to have to pay guys who don't play. 

I would be slightly tempered by the fact that I'm a billionaire though...

[ozgod]

Part of the issue is they made such a big deal about him coming back...I'm sure that was Rich Paul keeping his client's name in the news. They'd have been better off shutting up and then all of a sudden announcing he was ready when he was, like the Cs did with Timelord. Then everyone is pleasantly surprised. Ben is like the guy at work who always calls in sick then says he's finally coming in...only to call in sick again

[pokeKingCurtis]

Shocker

Yeah, the biggest shocker of the series, Ben Simmons doesn’t show up.  How many of us said last summer that Simmons wasn’t worth it?  Couldn’t handle some criticism from Doc Rivers and bailed out on the sixers, sat out the whole season and is in litigation to get part of his salary back for which he played 0 games.  Have fun with Simmons next year Nets.

Wasn't doc also being a poor coach/leader by throwing Simmons under the bus?

Doesn't help that the 6ers dumped money at Tobias Harris and Al Horford and really hamstring any upside that Embiid and Simmons pairing had.

Now he has Kyrie absolutely wetting the bed

A lot of this is self inflicted by Simmons, but not the best sequence of events here

[Phantom255x]

Ben Simmons hasn't even played in a Nets uniform and that fanbase already hates him lol. Impressive

[Amonkey]

At this point, the PETA protestors have gotten more court time than Ben Simmons in this playoffs.

[radiohead]

What have the Nets gotten into. KD and the other guys must be p---ed at both Kyrie and Ben.

[Roy H.]

What a weird coincidence, right?  He practiced without pain for 10 days, but the day he was supposed to go on the court his back started hurting again.  Just plain bad luck, I guess,.

[Moranis]

What a weird coincidence, right?  He practiced without pain for 10 days, but the day he was supposed to go on the court his back started hurting again.  Just plain bad luck, I guess,.

That wouldn't be abnormal if he wasn't doing real practices and he finally did a full one with more contact.  But it was being reported like he was actually doing full practices because why else would you be ramping up to play if you weren't doing full practices.  So I just don't get all of the reporting about him ramping up to play if he wasn't actually doing that. 

[hpantazo]

What a weird coincidence, right?  He practiced without pain for 10 days, but the day he was supposed to go on the court his back started hurting again.  Just plain bad luck, I guess,.

That wouldn't be abnormal if he wasn't doing real practices and he finally did a full one with more contact.  But it was being reported like he was actually doing full practices because why else would you be ramping up to play if you weren't doing full practices.  So I just don't get all of the reporting about him ramping up to play if he wasn't actually doing that.

Hype from Klutch sports to keep the public interest on Ben Simmons in the spotlight and stoke the flame of him being some sort of superstar savior.

[Phantom255x]

What a weird coincidence, right?  He practiced without pain for 10 days, but the day he was supposed to go on the court his back started hurting again.  Just plain bad luck, I guess,.

That wouldn't be abnormal if he wasn't doing real practices and he finally did a full one with more contact.  But it was being reported like he was actually doing full practices because why else would you be ramping up to play if you weren't doing full practices.  So I just don't get all of the reporting about him ramping up to play if he wasn't actually doing that.

Hype from Klutch sports to keep the public interest on Ben Simmons in the spotlight and stoke the flame of him being some sort of superstar savior.

Oh don't worry, if the C's sweep tonight you'll see the reports tomorrow

"Ben Simmons was enthusiastic and definitely ready to return Game 5 if they made it that far" 

[celticsclay]

What a weird coincidence, right?  He practiced without pain for 10 days, but the day he was supposed to go on the court his back started hurting again.  Just plain bad luck, I guess,.

That wouldn't be abnormal if he wasn't doing real practices and he finally did a full one with more contact.  But it was being reported like he was actually doing full practices because why else would you be ramping up to play if you weren't doing full practices.  So I just don't get all of the reporting about him ramping up to play if he wasn't actually doing that.

As people throughout the thread said this was a lot of gamesmanship, and there was no way he was playing meaningful minutes after not being able to run until 10 days ago. Unfortunately some people insisted on believing this even though it had never happened in the history of the NBA.

[SHAQATTACK]

Ben Simmons hasn't even played in a Nets uniform and that fanbase already hates him lol. Impressive

Special gift 

[Phantom255x]

Ben Simmons hasn't even played in a Nets uniform and that fanbase already hates him lol. Impressive

Special gift 

He and Kyrie are made for each other.

Enjoy them Brooklyn!

[colincb]

Adrian Wojnarowski@wojespn·40m

ESPN Sources: Ben Simmons and CEO of Klutch Sports Rich Paul met with GM Sean Marks and Nets leadership today to discuss how they’ll continue to work through the physical and mental hurdles needed to get Simmons back on the court.

Congratulations to the Nets for winning the Harden-Simmons trade.