Is it fair to criticize Ben Simmons?

[liam]

Not really to be quite honest.

I mean, I join in the fun because I too am a bit of a lousy human being, but let's be fair; we do NOT know his situation.

Fair to say he's not like other athletes though. And he at the very least lacks the mental toughness to communicate properly about his status.

Herniated discs can be incredibly hindering. He might just actually be in too much pain, and fairly not wanting to risk it for literally nothing.

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1521996099707408384

Brooklyn Nets say Ben Simmons will undergo surgery on his back on Thursday.

Simmons about to undergo surgery.

As quoted.

So we can all agree that the "he's coming back for G4" was Rich Paul being mischievous

Yeah I was just about to say. So they either brutally misdiagnosed the injury the first time, or the whole, "he's coming back in Game 3, 4, etc" shtick was always false and just them trying to look good

Also just in basketball terms, does this mean Simmons might miss a decent amount of time next season too. I mean depending on the type of back injury I can't imagine it's some small thing either.

So, I dunno if we just learned nothing again, but the point we should've taken from this imo is that we really don't know what's going on.

For example, can you think of scenarios where nobody looks bad?

Like maybe Ben was largely pain free? And then he had a couple very physical practices and messed up his back again, waking up with pain when he wasn't expecting it?

I'm not saying that's the case, but as before, I'm arguing that none of this is an exact science. It really isn't.

It absolutely can be the case. But how many of these coincidences can we really believe? Remember, his antics started all the way back last year with the Sixers starting from the offseason, until the time of his trade to Brooklyn to now.

This to me is just like "the boy who cried wolf". At some point, people will stop believing you and your people (aka Rich Paul + Klutch Sports too).

They said a good 3-4 days in advance that he'd be back Game 4, and then conveniently after they fall behind 3-0 in the series he announces 24 hours ahead of Game 4, "oh nvm, can't play".

So the answer is: nope, we didn't learn anything.

Got it :]

I'm not trying to argue with you or sound like I'm being harsh (apologies if it sounds that way). It's just I was also one of those people defending Ben earlier in the year, but at some point it's hard not to feel a little suspicious about everything involving him. It's not just here, even other NBA players like Reggie Miller and Shaq think Ben and his camp are spouting BS and I imagine they're a bit more connected too.

But whatever. Hoping Ben has a successful surgery and a speedy recovery, and we'll see where he's at next season.

Fair enough m8. My bad for misreading.

I guess we're both on camp "it's hard to say what's real and what's not"!

Yep. What’s bizarre to me though is, he already sat out the year and then we find out he has an injured back which needs a surgery that’ll take 3-5 months of recovery time. Back surgeries are complex and it was probably the last resort but like… why didn’t they get on this sooner? Did something actually serious happen between Games 3 and 4?

But yeah, I guess we don’t know.

Philly has just destroyed metally a number of high draft picks. I'm not sure what they are doing over there...

[gouki88]

So a 3-4 month recovery time for Simmons. That is such a long time without playing ball

[Kiorrik]

Not really to be quite honest.

I mean, I join in the fun because I too am a bit of a lousy human being, but let's be fair; we do NOT know his situation.

Fair to say he's not like other athletes though. And he at the very least lacks the mental toughness to communicate properly about his status.

Herniated discs can be incredibly hindering. He might just actually be in too much pain, and fairly not wanting to risk it for literally nothing.

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1521996099707408384

Brooklyn Nets say Ben Simmons will undergo surgery on his back on Thursday.

Simmons about to undergo surgery.

As quoted.

So we can all agree that the "he's coming back for G4" was Rich Paul being mischievous

Yeah I was just about to say. So they either brutally misdiagnosed the injury the first time, or the whole, "he's coming back in Game 3, 4, etc" shtick was always false and just them trying to look good

Also just in basketball terms, does this mean Simmons might miss a decent amount of time next season too. I mean depending on the type of back injury I can't imagine it's some small thing either.

So, I dunno if we just learned nothing again, but the point we should've taken from this imo is that we really don't know what's going on.

For example, can you think of scenarios where nobody looks bad?

Like maybe Ben was largely pain free? And then he had a couple very physical practices and messed up his back again, waking up with pain when he wasn't expecting it?

I'm not saying that's the case, but as before, I'm arguing that none of this is an exact science. It really isn't.

It absolutely can be the case. But how many of these coincidences can we really believe? Remember, his antics started all the way back last year with the Sixers starting from the offseason, until the time of his trade to Brooklyn to now.

This to me is just like "the boy who cried wolf". At some point, people will stop believing you and your people (aka Rich Paul + Klutch Sports too).

They said a good 3-4 days in advance that he'd be back Game 4, and then conveniently after they fall behind 3-0 in the series he announces 24 hours ahead of Game 4, "oh nvm, can't play".

So the answer is: nope, we didn't learn anything.

Got it :]

I'm not trying to argue with you or sound like I'm being harsh (apologies if it sounds that way). It's just I was also one of those people defending Ben earlier in the year, but at some point it's hard not to feel a little suspicious about everything involving him. It's not just here, even other NBA players like Reggie Miller and Shaq think Ben and his camp are spouting BS and I imagine they're a bit more connected too.

But whatever. Hoping Ben has a successful surgery and a speedy recovery, and we'll see where he's at next season.

Fair enough m8. My bad for misreading.

I guess we're both on camp "it's hard to say what's real and what's not"!

Yep. What’s bizarre to me though is, he already sat out the year and then we find out he has an injured back which needs a surgery that’ll take 3-5 months of recovery time. Back surgeries are complex and it was probably the last resort but like… why didn’t they get on this sooner? Did something actually serious happen between Games 3 and 4?

But yeah, I guess we don’t know.

He's been struggling with this since about Feb. I'm sure they treated it with something, but it clearly didn't do enough.

Maybe they were just being too optimistic with not letting him have surgery earlier in the year? Who knows at this point.

[liam]

Not really to be quite honest.

I mean, I join in the fun because I too am a bit of a lousy human being, but let's be fair; we do NOT know his situation.

Fair to say he's not like other athletes though. And he at the very least lacks the mental toughness to communicate properly about his status.

Herniated discs can be incredibly hindering. He might just actually be in too much pain, and fairly not wanting to risk it for literally nothing.

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1521996099707408384

Brooklyn Nets say Ben Simmons will undergo surgery on his back on Thursday.

Simmons about to undergo surgery.

As quoted.

So we can all agree that the "he's coming back for G4" was Rich Paul being mischievous

Yeah I was just about to say. So they either brutally misdiagnosed the injury the first time, or the whole, "he's coming back in Game 3, 4, etc" shtick was always false and just them trying to look good

Also just in basketball terms, does this mean Simmons might miss a decent amount of time next season too. I mean depending on the type of back injury I can't imagine it's some small thing either.

So, I dunno if we just learned nothing again, but the point we should've taken from this imo is that we really don't know what's going on.

For example, can you think of scenarios where nobody looks bad?

Like maybe Ben was largely pain free? And then he had a couple very physical practices and messed up his back again, waking up with pain when he wasn't expecting it?

I'm not saying that's the case, but as before, I'm arguing that none of this is an exact science. It really isn't.

It absolutely can be the case. But how many of these coincidences can we really believe? Remember, his antics started all the way back last year with the Sixers starting from the offseason, until the time of his trade to Brooklyn to now.

This to me is just like "the boy who cried wolf". At some point, people will stop believing you and your people (aka Rich Paul + Klutch Sports too).

They said a good 3-4 days in advance that he'd be back Game 4, and then conveniently after they fall behind 3-0 in the series he announces 24 hours ahead of Game 4, "oh nvm, can't play".

So the answer is: nope, we didn't learn anything.

Got it :]

I'm not trying to argue with you or sound like I'm being harsh (apologies if it sounds that way). It's just I was also one of those people defending Ben earlier in the year, but at some point it's hard not to feel a little suspicious about everything involving him. It's not just here, even other NBA players like Reggie Miller and Shaq think Ben and his camp are spouting BS and I imagine they're a bit more connected too.

But whatever. Hoping Ben has a successful surgery and a speedy recovery, and we'll see where he's at next season.

Fair enough m8. My bad for misreading.

I guess we're both on camp "it's hard to say what's real and what's not"!

Yep. What’s bizarre to me though is, he already sat out the year and then we find out he has an injured back which needs a surgery that’ll take 3-5 months of recovery time. Back surgeries are complex and it was probably the last resort but like… why didn’t they get on this sooner? Did something actually serious happen between Games 3 and 4?

But yeah, I guess we don’t know.

He's been struggling with this since about Feb. I'm sure they treated it with something, but it clearly didn't do enough.

Maybe they were just being too optimistic with not letting him have surgery earlier in the year? Who knows at this point.

Second back surgery for Simmons? Backs can be really tricky.

[Surferdad]

Not really to be quite honest.

I mean, I join in the fun because I too am a bit of a lousy human being, but let's be fair; we do NOT know his situation.

Fair to say he's not like other athletes though. And he at the very least lacks the mental toughness to communicate properly about his status.

Herniated discs can be incredibly hindering. He might just actually be in too much pain, and fairly not wanting to risk it for literally nothing.

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1521996099707408384

Brooklyn Nets say Ben Simmons will undergo surgery on his back on Thursday.

Simmons about to undergo surgery.

As quoted.

So we can all agree that the "he's coming back for G4" was Rich Paul being mischievous

Yeah I was just about to say. So they either brutally misdiagnosed the injury the first time, or the whole, "he's coming back in Game 3, 4, etc" shtick was always false and just them trying to look good

Also just in basketball terms, does this mean Simmons might miss a decent amount of time next season too. I mean depending on the type of back injury I can't imagine it's some small thing either.

So, I dunno if we just learned nothing again, but the point we should've taken from this imo is that we really don't know what's going on.

For example, can you think of scenarios where nobody looks bad?

Like maybe Ben was largely pain free? And then he had a couple very physical practices and messed up his back again, waking up with pain when he wasn't expecting it?

I'm not saying that's the case, but as before, I'm arguing that none of this is an exact science. It really isn't.

It absolutely can be the case. But how many of these coincidences can we really believe? Remember, his antics started all the way back last year with the Sixers starting from the offseason, until the time of his trade to Brooklyn to now.

This to me is just like "the boy who cried wolf". At some point, people will stop believing you and your people (aka Rich Paul + Klutch Sports too).

They said a good 3-4 days in advance that he'd be back Game 4, and then conveniently after they fall behind 3-0 in the series he announces 24 hours ahead of Game 4, "oh nvm, can't play".

So the answer is: nope, we didn't learn anything.

Got it :]

I'm not trying to argue with you or sound like I'm being harsh (apologies if it sounds that way). It's just I was also one of those people defending Ben earlier in the year, but at some point it's hard not to feel a little suspicious about everything involving him. It's not just here, even other NBA players like Reggie Miller and Shaq think Ben and his camp are spouting BS and I imagine they're a bit more connected too.

But whatever. Hoping Ben has a successful surgery and a speedy recovery, and we'll see where he's at next season.

Fair enough m8. My bad for misreading.

I guess we're both on camp "it's hard to say what's real and what's not"!

Yep. What’s bizarre to me though is, he already sat out the year and then we find out he has an injured back which needs a surgery that’ll take 3-5 months of recovery time. Back surgeries are complex and it was probably the last resort but like… why didn’t they get on this sooner? Did something actually serious happen between Games 3 and 4?

But yeah, I guess we don’t know.

He's been struggling with this since about Feb. I'm sure they treated it with something, but it clearly didn't do enough.

Maybe they were just being too optimistic with not letting him have surgery earlier in the year? Who knows at this point.

Second back surgery for Simmons? Backs can be really tricky.

Yup. He'll be out for 3-4 months so sounds like he'll be back for fall camp/pre-season.

[Who]

Is this the same surgery Dwight Howard had?

That led to his steady decline over the next few years. I hope that won't be the case for Ben Simmons.

[Big333223]

Not really to be quite honest.

I mean, I join in the fun because I too am a bit of a lousy human being, but let's be fair; we do NOT know his situation.

Fair to say he's not like other athletes though. And he at the very least lacks the mental toughness to communicate properly about his status.

Herniated discs can be incredibly hindering. He might just actually be in too much pain, and fairly not wanting to risk it for literally nothing.

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1521996099707408384

Brooklyn Nets say Ben Simmons will undergo surgery on his back on Thursday.

Simmons about to undergo surgery.

As quoted.

So we can all agree that the "he's coming back for G4" was Rich Paul being mischievous

Yeah I was just about to say. So they either brutally misdiagnosed the injury the first time, or the whole, "he's coming back in Game 3, 4, etc" shtick was always false and just them trying to look good

Also just in basketball terms, does this mean Simmons might miss a decent amount of time next season too. I mean depending on the type of back injury I can't imagine it's some small thing either.

So, I dunno if we just learned nothing again, but the point we should've taken from this imo is that we really don't know what's going on.

For example, can you think of scenarios where nobody looks bad?

Like maybe Ben was largely pain free? And then he had a couple very physical practices and messed up his back again, waking up with pain when he wasn't expecting it?

I'm not saying that's the case, but as before, I'm arguing that none of this is an exact science. It really isn't.

It absolutely can be the case. But how many of these coincidences can we really believe? Remember, his antics started all the way back last year with the Sixers starting from the offseason, until the time of his trade to Brooklyn to now.

This to me is just like "the boy who cried wolf". At some point, people will stop believing you and your people (aka Rich Paul + Klutch Sports too).

They said a good 3-4 days in advance that he'd be back Game 4, and then conveniently after they fall behind 3-0 in the series he announces 24 hours ahead of Game 4, "oh nvm, can't play".

So the answer is: nope, we didn't learn anything.

Got it :]

I'm not trying to argue with you or sound like I'm being harsh (apologies if it sounds that way). It's just I was also one of those people defending Ben earlier in the year, but at some point it's hard not to feel a little suspicious about everything involving him. It's not just here, even other NBA players like Reggie Miller and Shaq think Ben and his camp are spouting BS and I imagine they're a bit more connected too.

But whatever. Hoping Ben has a successful surgery and a speedy recovery, and we'll see where he's at next season.

Fair enough m8. My bad for misreading.

I guess we're both on camp "it's hard to say what's real and what's not"!

Yep. What’s bizarre to me though is, he already sat out the year and then we find out he has an injured back which needs a surgery that’ll take 3-5 months of recovery time. Back surgeries are complex and it was probably the last resort but like… why didn’t they get on this sooner? Did something actually serious happen between Games 3 and 4?

But yeah, I guess we don’t know.

He's been struggling with this since about Feb. I'm sure they treated it with something, but it clearly didn't do enough.

Maybe they were just being too optimistic with not letting him have surgery earlier in the year? Who knows at this point.

Second back surgery for Simmons? Backs can be really tricky.

I was listening to a Celtics podcast right after the first round ended and one of the hosts said he thought Ben Simmons was never going to play again. This was before the surgery announcement and I thought it was a little extreme.

But now, we're talking about a guy who was willing to sit out last year going in for a second back surgery... Maybe he is done for good.

[liam]

Is this the same surgery Dwight Howard had?

That led to his steady decline over the next few years. I hope that won't be the case for Ben Simmons.

Simons doesn't have the skill to play without elite athletism. i

[Kiorrik]

Not really to be quite honest.

I mean, I join in the fun because I too am a bit of a lousy human being, but let's be fair; we do NOT know his situation.

Fair to say he's not like other athletes though. And he at the very least lacks the mental toughness to communicate properly about his status.

Herniated discs can be incredibly hindering. He might just actually be in too much pain, and fairly not wanting to risk it for literally nothing.

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1521996099707408384

Brooklyn Nets say Ben Simmons will undergo surgery on his back on Thursday.

Simmons about to undergo surgery.

As quoted.

So we can all agree that the "he's coming back for G4" was Rich Paul being mischievous

Yeah I was just about to say. So they either brutally misdiagnosed the injury the first time, or the whole, "he's coming back in Game 3, 4, etc" shtick was always false and just them trying to look good

Also just in basketball terms, does this mean Simmons might miss a decent amount of time next season too. I mean depending on the type of back injury I can't imagine it's some small thing either.

So, I dunno if we just learned nothing again, but the point we should've taken from this imo is that we really don't know what's going on.

For example, can you think of scenarios where nobody looks bad?

Like maybe Ben was largely pain free? And then he had a couple very physical practices and messed up his back again, waking up with pain when he wasn't expecting it?

I'm not saying that's the case, but as before, I'm arguing that none of this is an exact science. It really isn't.

It absolutely can be the case. But how many of these coincidences can we really believe? Remember, his antics started all the way back last year with the Sixers starting from the offseason, until the time of his trade to Brooklyn to now.

This to me is just like "the boy who cried wolf". At some point, people will stop believing you and your people (aka Rich Paul + Klutch Sports too).

They said a good 3-4 days in advance that he'd be back Game 4, and then conveniently after they fall behind 3-0 in the series he announces 24 hours ahead of Game 4, "oh nvm, can't play".

So the answer is: nope, we didn't learn anything.

Got it :]

I'm not trying to argue with you or sound like I'm being harsh (apologies if it sounds that way). It's just I was also one of those people defending Ben earlier in the year, but at some point it's hard not to feel a little suspicious about everything involving him. It's not just here, even other NBA players like Reggie Miller and Shaq think Ben and his camp are spouting BS and I imagine they're a bit more connected too.

But whatever. Hoping Ben has a successful surgery and a speedy recovery, and we'll see where he's at next season.

Fair enough m8. My bad for misreading.

I guess we're both on camp "it's hard to say what's real and what's not"!

Yep. What’s bizarre to me though is, he already sat out the year and then we find out he has an injured back which needs a surgery that’ll take 3-5 months of recovery time. Back surgeries are complex and it was probably the last resort but like… why didn’t they get on this sooner? Did something actually serious happen between Games 3 and 4?

But yeah, I guess we don’t know.

He's been struggling with this since about Feb. I'm sure they treated it with something, but it clearly didn't do enough.

Maybe they were just being too optimistic with not letting him have surgery earlier in the year? Who knows at this point.

Second back surgery for Simmons? Backs can be really tricky.

I was listening to a Celtics podcast right after the first round ended and one of the hosts said he thought Ben Simmons was never going to play again. This was before the surgery announcement and I thought it was a little extreme.

But now, we're talking about a guy who was willing to sit out last year going in for a second back surgery... Maybe he is done for good.

I've been on this bandwagon since the end of the series.

It's like 50/50 imo

[pokeKingCurtis]

Is this the same surgery Dwight Howard had?

That led to his steady decline over the next few years. I hope that won't be the case for Ben Simmons.

Simons doesn't have the skill to play without elite athletism. i

basically Lamar Odom without a shot? Still good

[liam]

Is this the same surgery Dwight Howard had?

That led to his steady decline over the next few years. I hope that won't be the case for Ben Simmons.

Simons doesn't have the skill to play without elite athletism. i

basically Lamar Odom without a shot? Still good

Since the car crash???

[gouki88]

Is this the same surgery Dwight Howard had?

That led to his steady decline over the next few years. I hope that won't be the case for Ben Simmons.

Simons doesn't have the skill to play without elite athletism. i

basically Lamar Odom without a shot? Still good

A huge amount depends on his mindset. Also, Lamar Odom was a really nasty athlete in his prime, and was very aggressive. Simmons will need some serious sports psychology to go along with a huge amount of physical rehab.