It’s been more than two months since Ben Simmons became a member of the Brooklyn Nets, but we still have yet to see Simmons playing in a Nets uniform. Despite initial reports that Simmons was staying in shape and was ready to play, his debut was delayed due to “reconditioning,” and he later developed a back issue that has kept him off the court.
The latest report is that Simmons is targeting a possible Game 4 return against the Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs, but Steve Nash warned that he isn’t sure when Simmons could be available.
In a conversation with Kendrick Perkins, who advised the Nets to shut down Simmons entirely, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith erupted, arguing that Simmons should have been playing immediately after being traded.
“There’s salons, there’s barbershops. There’s places to get pedicures and manicures. I got a couple of spots to refer Ben Simmons to. Because evidently that’s what the hell Kendrick Perkins wants him to do. You want him to get him a pacifier and a bib, too? There’s a couple of Walgreens and some other stores where we can get that for him. You want to get him a masseuse? You want to get him a chiropractor? What the hell else does he need?”
“What are we talking about here? This is utterly ridiculous. The fact of the matter is he should have been playing from the time that he arrived from Philly. Guess what? He came from Philly, and you know what, mental health issues, we take it very seriously. He gets traded from Philly, however, [with] people having trepidation about whether or not he was telling the truth about what those real issues were. He gets to Brooklyn, got a cheesy smile that’ll put George Foreman to shame. That’s what he was doing. Hopping off the bench, high-fiving everybody. Chilling out, all of this stuff. Comfortable as hell.
But now we’re talking about basketball and all of a sudden, ‘well we don’t know if he’s ready or not.’ The brother ain’t played since last June, I got that.
…. What you would need for him to do is for him to give you a few minutes where he could show you, he could put his defensive prowess on display. That certainly is not going to hurt the Brooklyn Nets, who are highly suspect defensively. Anything you could get from him would be helpful, again, if he can give you anything.”
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