When the Brooklyn Nets acquired Ben Simmons they were under the impression that his return to the court was imminent.
Now, with just 11 games remaining in the regular season, it is increasingly looking like we may not see Simmons come back for a very long time.
As reported earlier this week, Simmons is nursing a herniated disc in his back. A time table for recovery has yet to be publicly offered, though he fact that this is a reoccurring problem for him obviously sends up a lot of red flags.
On Monday, Nets head coach Steve Nash got honest about Simmons’ situation.
“Yeah, so that was, I think someone reported that today, so yeah that’s why he got the epidural,” Nash said.
“He’s had this a couple years ago, so he’s had throughout his career, at some points. And I guess there was a flare up, I’m not sure when they recognized it was beyond like a regular back flare up and a herniated disc or what not, but somewhere on the line there, that was the reason for the epidural.”
Nash added that he hoped Simmons would be able to return for the playoffs.
“Yeah, I don’t think it changes the outcome necessarily, we still have high hopes that he can come back,” Nash continued. “He’s had moments during his rehab where he’s on the court doing some things, and it looks like he’s about to turn a corner and then there’s a little setback so I still feel optimistic that he can play for us.”
That said, as someone who experienced his fair share of back ailments, Nash knows firsthand how tricky they can be.
“I’ve had the same issues,” Nash said. “But I think with backs, they’re all really unique and different. So it’s really hard to like, for me to kind of share my experiences with it because my back was totally different. You just never know, you never know how he responds, he could feel great and turn a corner in the next week or so, or it could be a longer-term thing so we just have to be patient and see how he goes.”
This is a disaster of epic proportions for Brooklyn. Sure, everyone on the roster seemed to hate James Harden. But at least he was an active, available player.
In his place the Nets got someone who, it is increasingly looking like, may not take the floor through the rest of the season.
The video speaks for itself. https://t.co/u7xjymzADS
— Game 7 (@game7__) March 22, 2022
If Simmons recovers at some point in the foreseeable future and is able to offer meaningful production for Brooklyn, then obviously this is all moot.
Should that not occur, though – then this may go down as one of the worst trades in Nets history.
Related: Aaron Rodgers, Shailene Woodley’s Relationship Takes A Turn
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
