"He makes Kyrie seem like a full time employee"- NBA fans have had enough with Ben Simmons as Shams Charnia reports the latest setback with Nets star
The Brooklyn Nets are looking like they’re going to miss Ben Simmons for the rest of the regular season. Simmons has a “nerve impingement” after the evaluation of a back injury and will be sidelined indefinitely.
After news broke that the former All-Star could be out for another extended time, fans reacted with hilarity and trolled Simmons:
“He makes Kyrie seem like a full time employee”
@ShamsCharania He makes Kyrie seem like a full time employee
@ShamsCharania The nerve of this man.
@ShamsCharania He must be on the nets fans last nerve 🤣
@ShamsCharania @AshNicoleMoss Ben is really lucky he’s not a horse
@ShamsCharania Simmons to Brooklyn every season: https://t.co/gpi3RZa3Kg
@ShamsCharania his best treatment is a flight to china
@ShamsCharania impingement? we just making word up now?
@ShamsCharania Trade him for cash considerations https://t.co/BdmIg5bg7H
@ShamsCharania He just needs to hang it up and become a barista
@ShamsCharania Ben Simmons after you think he’s had every back injury known to man. https://t.co/xzSgufMXi0
Simmons did not play a single game last season after holding out while demanding a trade out of the Philadelphia 76ers. He was already dealing with back problems as he stubbornly awaited a change of scenery.
Heading into tonight's game against the Sacramento Kings, Ben Simmons has missed the Nets' past 15 games. He last played on Feb. 15 in Brooklyn's 116-105 win over the Miami Heat when Mikal Bridges exploded for 45 points.
Simmons had another off-the-bench appearance in that game. He played just 20 minutes and finished with four points, four rebounds and four assists. "Big Ben" hasn't been the same since that meltdown against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 playoffs.
Just a week ago, Nets head coach Jacques Vaughn was confident the point/forward would return to action soon:
"There's zero discussions about him not playing. We expect him to be back, waiting for him to be back, watching the last Sacramento game, it was great to see him and his physicality versus [Kings All-Star Domantas] Sabonis last time, so looking forward to seeing that again, for sure."
Jacque Vaughn was asked if he anticipates Ben Simmons to play again this season
"There's zero discussions about him not playing. We expect him to be back, waiting for him to be back" https://t.co/6Zee9w26eo
After Vaughn's positivity and optimism, the Brooklyn Nets were left with no choice but to take a long-term approach regarding Ben Simmons. He still has two years left on his contract which will pay him $37.8 million next year and $40.3 million the season after.
The Nets were reportedly looking to offload Simmons during this year's trade deadline, but no team was interested. He is averaging career-lows in points (6.9 PPG) rebounds (6.3 RPG), assists (6.1 APG), steals (1.3 SPG) and minutes (26.3).
Vaughn has relegated him to the bench over his past few games. The head coach has been looking for ways to make Simmons more confident and engaged. None of his strategies seem to have worked.
Ben Simmons' presence wasn't likely to change the Brooklyn Nets' struggles
The Brooklyn Nets are 5-10 since Ben Simmons last played. They just haven't been the same since the team traded Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns and Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Nets are in a five-game losing slump, dropping their record to 39-34. It looked like they would be able to hold on to the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Brooklyn's losing skid has placed them seventh in their conference. They play like a team that's bound for the play-in tournament. If they somehow manage to come out of the said pre-playoff format, they're not likely going to last in the postseason.
bit.ly/3lCkmmV“It’s gonna be a test of our collective unit.”
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This version of Ben Simmons will not move the Nets' needle. It's going to be interesting to see what Brooklyn wants to do with him.