Nets guard Ben Simmons continues to deal with left knee soreness and swelling, and he won’t travel with the team for its next two road games, acting head coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters (Twitter link via ESPN’s Nick Friedell). The Nets face the Wizards on Friday followed by the Hornets on Saturday.
Simmons will have missed four consecutive games with the knee issue after Saturday’s contest. He has struggled to regain his prior form early on this season after missing the entire 2021/22 campaign for various reasons, including a lengthy holdout with Philadelphia, mental health issues, and a herniated disc in his back, which later required surgery.
Vaughn said that guard Seth Curry, who has been limited to one regular season game in ’22/23 after offseason ankle surgery, will play one of the two road games. Vaughn also provided an update on forward T.J. Warren, who is making progress but has yet to scrimmage with the team, as Alex Schiffer of The Athletic tweets.
Warren has appeared in just four games since 2020 after sustaining consecutive stress fractures in his left foot. It was anticipated that he wouldn’t return until November at earliest, so it’s hard to read too much into Vaughn’s statement beyond the fact that Warren almost certainly won’t play before practicing at least a couple times first.
This is all because of his guarantee 5 yr $178m contract. He is really getting bad advice from his agents. He will never ever get another decent contract. What a waste of talent and potential. :(
After you’ve collected $178 million, does it really matter if you get another contract? Albert Haynesworth dogged it for far less money.
And if he’s smart and invested it correctly, it could be a ton more. He may have issues, but financially he should be just fine.
The way he spends money. It might not last
Him, Hayglass and bad back Davis should all start their own team. Call it softer than a fresh cookie and equally as bad
When you don’t play for a long time this happens.
They need to ship him to a rebuilding team. He’ll contribute well to the Wemby tank.
Joking aside, sad to see such a unique talent waste away. Only a couple years ago 76ers were refusing to include him in a James Harden trade. Now they will probably move him for salary filler and a pick or two.
Facts
Simmons is almost certainly done as an above average NBA player.
I feel like Simmons has the yips when it comes to shooting or trying to score at all. And every time he messes up he gets more discouraged and keeps spiraling. He looks mostly fine everywhere else.
Am I wrong to feel like the Nets should just blow it up? Unlike the Lakers, they can actually trade both their stars. Durant to Charlotte for Gordon Hayward, Jalen McDaniels, Plumlee, and as many picks as they can get. Kyrie… well, someone probably wants that talented fool.
No need for Brooklyn to blow it up. Not much gained. They are gonna try to hold it together to attempt to make a run this year. Udoka will not be able to save this.
Next year is a bad free agent class. A bigger haul for Durant can still be had in the offseason. Golden State has young players and picks to give for Durant. Kyrie trade value limited to what Lakers offer. Ben Simmons trade market won’t bring in a haul.
@ Very:
Golden State doesn’t want Durant.
Feels like you’re all forgetting they owe all their picks/swaps for the next 20 years to Houston. A blow up will only benefit the Rockets. They have to try what they can to compete.
@jw91 Golden State owns all of their 1st round picks. They have done no swaps. Fat with assets. Youth. Kuminga, Moody, Wiseman, Baldwin and picks. …. Oh yes, they can also throw in Jordan Poole. His contract is now ideal to go after a guy like Durant.
You sure about that??? Golden State seemed all in to welcome him back when he made his trade demand.
Golden State will have to make some roster adjustments. Steph is doing it all by himself right now. They have plenty of assets to offer.
@Very Barry I wasn’t talking about GS? I was talking about the well known fact that all the Brooklyn picks are locked into Houston.
You can’t blow up a team without your own picks there’s no possibility to rebuild and the only likely picks they get for their players will be late lotto at best. Nothing to rebuild with.
Yes if GS come in with any 2-3 of Kumminga, Wiseman, Moody, Baldwin and some picks they would do it and it’s a good chance to get a few 2nd/3rd year lottery guys with high ceiling to build. But we all know Warriors won’t trade their own future for another shot after their current team just won the chip. Especially to fall into obscurity with no picks in a couple years just for a very aged and injury prone KD.
Warriors are smart/lucky and have already future proofed themselves while competing. They won’t be in for KD unless it’s a bad deal for Nets.
Golden State understands that the young pieces they have are not future championship pieces as Steph, Klay and Draymond advance in age.
At some point, they will pull the trigger and put together a package to land a major star. It will probably include Poole and his fat new contract to make the money work.
It’s more likely they look to package Wiggins and Poole for a star in their 20s not KD or any other aging top guy. I’m not saying soon but if someone comes available it’s not a bad offer with a few picks, I doubt many others would be able to offer higher.
But no one can assume the kids are not future champ pieces, in their 2nd year no one expected Steph,Klay and dray to be. They developed into what they are. I do like Kumminga and Moody a lot more than most(I think they both have higher ceilings than Poole). But again you won’t know until they get good mins.
Depressing as it is for non fan, Warriors are in a better position than any champion dynasties I can remember, having future proofed themselves.
I think anytime he’s out, we can just say issue without being specific.
Good news for the Nets, since they play better without him.
This guy might be the softest person in professional sports. Leah Thomas has bigger balls than he does. The only other athlete that comes close to his softness is Klay Thompson
Who’s the Coach? What really makes no sense is that they didn’t fire Nash after the playoff debacle and then can him 10 games in and now have an Interim Coach, Udoka speculation and what, interviews while Vaughn sweats it out?