After trading away James Harden in exchange for Ben Simmons, the expectation was the Brooklyn Nets were going to be able to build another Big 3, but those plans never panned out.
Simmons ended up never appearing in a game for the Nets and they were subsequently swept out of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. It’s a disappointing end to a tumultuous year that started with the Nets being looked at as true championship contenders.
There were a lot of questions about Simmons and whether he wanted to actually play for the team. Things seemed to be trending toward a playoff debut for him after missing the whole year, but Simmons had a back injury flare up and he never played.
Shortly after the season concluded, he underwent back surgery and confirmed there were lingering problems after all. Many analysts ripped him for not playing for his team, and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was perhaps the toughest of all.
“Nobody is worse than Ben Simmons,” he said on April 25. “Ben Simmons might also be the weakest, most pathetic excuse for a professional athlete we have ever seen in not just American history but the history of sports.”
Now that he has undergone surgery, there are some fans out there who believe the media was too harsh on Simmons, and some are defending him. A video from Twitter user The_DocHolliday says the media owes Simmons an apology, and it calls out Stephen A., Shaquille O’Neal, Kendrick Perkins, Reggie Miller and several more.
While Simmons himself didn’t say anything about the video, he did retweet it for his roughly one million followers to see, indicating he agrees with the sentiment.
Analysts Called Out
ALOT of people owe @BrooklynNets star @BenSimmons25 an apology ESPECIALLY @stephenasmith @SHAQ @KendrickPerkins @ReggieMillerTNT
The fan in the video explains that since Simmons did get back surgery, the media should change their tune.
“Are y’all gonna apologize to that man?” he asks after rattling off a list of national media members who called out the Nets star. “Who literally has a hurt back, who probably looks like he was working out trying to get back to set some folks up.”
Simmons has burned a lot of good will up with the media and fans alike after sitting out the year with the Sixers, so many of them didn’t even believe he was actually trying to get back to playing basketball.
When Will Simmons Be Ready?
GettyBen Simmons will be ready to go next season.
Given the fact that he had surgery almost immediately after the season concluded, the expectation is that the Nets star will be ready to go by the start of the next year.
“Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons is expected to need 3-to-4 months to make a full recovery on back surgery, sources tell ESPN,” said Adrian Wojnarowski. “The expectation is that he’ll be ready to return well ahead of training camp.”
A trio of Simmons, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would be a very formidable one, provided they could all be on the court at the same time. The Nets will also have to spend a lot of their time filling out the remainder of their roster after fizzling out in the playoffs. It will be an important summer to say the least.
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Nets Star Ben Simmons Retweets Video Demanding Apologies