"You're clapping more than cheerleaders and fans!" - Stephen A. Smith criticizes Ben Simmons for doing everything else except playing basketball for Brooklyn Nets
Stephen A. Smith lashed out at the Brooklyn Nets' newest All-Star acquisition Ben Simmons on a recent episode of ESPN's NBA Countdown show. Simmons is yet to make his Nets debut. The Australian point guard is reportedly dealing with a back injury and is out without a timetable.
Smith doesn't believe those reports to be true. He didn't hesitate to bring that up during his appearance on the NBA Countdown show alongside Jalen Rose, Mike Greenberg and Michael Wilbon on Friday. Here's what the ESPN analyst said regarding this matter:
"My concern is primarily Ben Simmons. Let me get this straight, this isn't Philly any longer, we can sit up there and speculate back and forth, as to his mental state of mind, and we certainly don't diminish the significance of that. But the bottom line is you're in Brooklyn now."
"Wilbon, J-Rose, you're on the bench, you're traveling with the team, you're chilling on the bench, you're smiling, you're getting up off the bench to celebrate plays from your teammates, you're clapping more than cheerleaders and fans and doing all of this other stuff, but you can's bounce a basketball and get on the court? What the hell is going on here? This is some unacceptable stuff."
Ben Simmons hasn't played a single game this season. He started the campaign and trained with his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, but did not make himself available to be in the lineup, citing mental health issues. Simmons was at the center of all the criticism following the Sixers' 2021 playoffs exit, which led to his fallout with the franchise in the 2021 offseason.
The Sixers waited for an All-Star caliber player in the market and eventually traded Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden at the trade deadline.
Brooklyn Nets lose 16 of their last 19 games as Ben Simmons continues his time on the sidelines
The Brooklyn Nets have managed to bolster their squad depth with the acquisition of Ben Simmons. They were also able to get the likes of Seth Curry and Andre Drummond from the Sixers in exchange for Harden and Paul Millsap, along with draft picks.
Sources: Nets star Ben Simmons is dealing with back soreness in reconditioning process that requires further strengthening of the area over a period of time before return to action.
However, Ben Simmons is yet to make his debut. The Brooklyn Nets have also been dealing with Kyrie Irving missing home games due to his vaccination status and were also without Kevin Durant until their previous match against the Miami Heat. However, they can't be reliant on Durant as they will need him to be fully healthy come playoff time.
He has struggled with injuries over the last three years, so the Brooklyn Nets will need at least one of Ben Simmons or Kyrie Irving to pair up alongside him consistently to improve their form. The Nets have dropped to a 32-32 record for the campaign and are eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.
The East has never looked this strong, so having a fully healthy lineup is a must for the Brooklyn Nets if they're looking to avoid the play-in tournament this year.