Ben Simmons has been ruled out for the crucial Game 4 between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets after initially being expected to make his return by then. Reports emerged on Monday that Simmons had awoken with back soreness, which would stop him from playing in the series, which could end in an embarrassing sweep for the Brooklyn Nets.
Simmons being out has caused a ripple of criticism to come his way from across the NBA, with Reggie Miller sounding off on him, and Stephen A. Smith going on an epic rant about him as well. It’s hard to argue with any of the points being made, and it’s easy to understand why fans of the NBA and other players might not be impressed with the way the situation has unfolded with him this season.
However, what matters the most is how his team views it, and what the Brooklyn Nets franchise thinks of the situation. And that brings some more potentially bad news, with Brian Windhorst on ESPN revealing that people involved with the Nets are ‘exasperated’ with Ben after the latest setback.
“Yeah, Ben Simmons is absolutely not a sympathetic character. He is not going to get the benefit of the doubt because of the decision he has made during this season.
“When I checked it out and talked to the people involved, they were exasperated. They were just like, he woke up, his back hurt and he wasn’t able to play. There wasn’t much more to say. They pretty much are waving the white flag on this one, it’s extraordinarily disappointing.”
The Nets landed Seth Curry and Andre Drummond alongside Ben Simmons in the trade that saw James Harden sent to Philly, but the point guard is the superstar that they expected to have the biggest impact for them. With the series on the line in Game 4 and a sweep on the cards, Simmons would have been a huge help and he is likely to have lost some of his new team’s trust with his inability to play.
