Ben Simmons missed the Nets‘ last four games with a knee problem, but the mental health issues that contributed to his 16-month absence appear to be under control. In an interview with Konrad Marshall of The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia, Simmons said being traded to Brooklyn in February gave him a much-needed fresh start.
“I had a terrible year,” he said, “so I know how to handle my emotions and what I need to be doing to get on track. If I’m worried or sad or frustrated or angry, I feel like I’m better able to deal with that now. It took time, but I’m at peace with who I am and what’s going on around me. I know what my priorities are, and what I need to do every day. Besides that, I just want to be me.”
Simmons admits a degree of responsibility for everything that went wrong when he was with the Sixers, but he feels like he didn’t have the support of team leaders. He refers to coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid and their failure to defend him after losing a series to the Hawks in 2021.
“I definitely didn’t handle it the right way after the season, but there’s two sides,” Simmons said. “Your teammates are supposed to have your back. Your coaches are supposed to have your back. And I didn’t have that at all.”
There’s more on the Nets:
- Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, who spent last season as a consultant with the Nets, defended Steve Nash‘s performance in the face of difficult circumstances, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. Clifford pointed to the high number of missed games by key players last season and said he hopes Nash will visit Charlotte later this season to offer advice. “There’s always things you can do better as a coach, but the problem there was not coaching,” Clifford said. “Nor receptiveness to the way we did things. I totally disagree with any of that and sometimes it’s just health.” (Twitter link)
- The players’ union plans to meet with Kyrie Irving to address his latest controversy, the Celtics’ Grant Williams, an NBPA vice president like Irving, told Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lewis also talked to Wizards forward Deni Avdija, who’s believed to be the league’s only Jewish player, about Irving’s decision to promote an antisemitic film. “I think he [made] a mistake. But you need to understand that he gives [an] example to people. People look up to him,” Avdija said. “You can think whatever you want, you can do whatever you want. I don’t think it’s right to go out in public and publish it, and let little kids that follow you see it, and the generation to come after to think like that.”
- The Nets have back-to-back road wins since Irving’s suspension was announced, and Kevin Durant suggested that sometimes the games can be a relief from other distractions, Lewis tweets. “Everybody was just waiting to get back to playing,” Durant said. “We also lost three or four games before that, so we just felt some pride and wanted to come out here and get some W’s. So it’s good for our character.”
Why keep talking about it, everyone knew Ben quit on the sixers. Looking at his numbers, he appears to be on his way to quitting on Nets
Ben Simmons is way too talented to be playing the way he is.
Simmons is a fraud. Tired of his whining.
I’m happy Ben is gone, but if he was still in Philly. Nick Castellanos wouldn’t have bought his house and cursed himself. Another seasom ruined by Ben.
Ben Simmons on passing up dunk against Trae Young: “If I could go back I would go up strong, go to the line,” Simmons told the Sydney Morning Herald. “But there was so much emphasis on that moment. I made a bad play, but loads of guys made bad plays. I’m not the reason we didn’t win.”
Source: Konrad Marshall @ Sydney Morning Herald
This statement is about deflecting blame. It says it’s not all my fault. Why blame Me only. This here is mental. His confidence is shot.
F yeah I should have dunked it. It could have been the difference. I can’t go back and change that. What I can change is what I do as a Net. So give me the F n ball ……..
That’s how he should be talking …….
I like Ben. But this could take awhile. Time KD doesn’t have much of. With a selfish airhead as a running mate. He might again ask out.
So it’s either trade Kyrie for value. Or they might have to move KD later.
Yes it is amazing how after all this time he still cannot be accountable.
Dude no one likes Ben. He’s like the “let’s ride” version of Russell Wilson. Cringe, and forgot how to play.
Simmons will be a footnote in NBA history,only know by this. The nets and Sixers won’t be the only teams Simmons ends up playing with in what might be a very short NBA career.