"It’s b*lls**t that you’re even bringing it up, you lost & it was a sixth foul call” – Skip Bayless is disgusted with Ben Simmons blaming referees for his foul troubles
Ben Simmons has struggled this season. He made headlines last year when he distanced himself from the Philadelphia 76ers. After being sidelined through the first half of the season, Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets.
While many hoped a fresh start would help Simmons return to form, the 2018 Rookie of the Year did not play last season. He was dealing with lingering back pain and ongoing mental health struggles. The situation was one that left many wondering about Simmons' future in the league.
Simmons has not looked like his old self. In the Nets' first game of the season, he recorded four points and fouled out in just 23 minutes of action. It was more of the same as the team lost 134-124 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Simmons turned the ball over five times and fouled out for the second time this season.
It's disappointing to see him not live up to his potential. Analyst Skip Bayless is not impressed with how Simmons has carried himself this season:
"He wants to talk about is how he got screwed on the sixth foul call. ... And then he just spills all over the referee. And referees have bad nights too and it was a BS call. Well it's BS that you're even bringing it up. You lost and it was the sixth foul call."
Bayless also criticized Simmons' recent string of bad performances:
"I saw one flash in one preseason game from Ben Simmons where he looked like Ben Simmons. Since then he's reverted to a guy who forgot how to play basketball."
Check out his comments in the video below, beginning around the four-minute mark.
Ben Simmons foul troubles in the team's loss to the Grizzlies
As Bayless pointed out, Simmons' sixth foul of the night was a questionable call. With four minutes left in the game, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant rolled the ball up past the half-court line. Simmons picked him up as the defender and aggressively pursued the loose ball. Morant picked the ball up at the last second and was able to bait Simmons into fouling him.
The call riled up Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash, who argued with the referees about the situation as Simmons walked back to the locker room.
As NBA veteran Matt Barnes pointed out on "SportsCenter," Simmons shouldn't have put himself in that position. With five fouls, he shouldn't have been guarding Morant so aggressively.
Check out the controversial play below:
Ben Simmons and the Nets will look to put their latest loss behind them. Their next game is against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.