The Brooklyn Nets made one of the biggest moves in recent NBA history by trading away James Harden to land Ben Simmons. That looked like a great deal on paper, as Simmons is younger and will be under team control for years.
Everybody hoped Simmons could contribute in the playoffs. But after he claimed to have mental health issues and refused to play for half a season, his body just wasn't ready to get back on the court.
Simmons ramped up his rehab process and was targeting Game 4 against the Boston Celtics to make his Nets debut. But with his team on the verge of elimination, he once again threw in the towel.
NBA Rumors: Nets Players Were 'Surprised And Disappointed' By Ben Simmons
Everything was going according to schedule. Simmons had suffered no setbacks and was all but ready to play. Then, when Celtics won Game 3 at Brooklyn, all of a sudden his ailments reappeared. Needless to say, his teammates didn't buy it:
(Tanscript via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN)
"Within hours of his planned season debut, Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons reported a return of back soreness on Sunday, sources told ESPN, and has been ruled out for Monday's Game 4 against the Boston Celtics.
After approximately 10 days of pain-free ramp up following recovery from a herniated disc, Simmons' admission at the team practice facility was met with surprise and disappointment. On the brink of a sweep to the Celtics, the Nets had hoped Simmons would be in uniform and active with the hope of coach Steve Nash using him in limited minutes, sources said.
While Nash and Nets players had publicly said that they were unsure whether Simmons would finally play in Game 4 on Monday, Simmons and the organization had discussed at length a plan for his debut to come on Monday in Game 4 at the Barclays Center, sources said."
Simmons lost way more than just half of a year's salary. His colleagues, past and present, are giving him a side eye and don't seem to respect him that much now. And coming back from that may be harder than coming back from an ACL injury.
