Ben Simmons

Nets Notes: Irving, Simmons, Tsai, Udoka, Snyder

November 4th, 2022 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Neither Kyrie Irving nor Ben Simmons will be available for the Nets this weekend, as Irving begins to serve a suspension levied against him by the team and Simmons remains sidelined due to a knee issue. Still, while Irving has disappointed the franchise off the court and Simmons hasn’t looked like his old self on the court, a trade involving either player is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on the most recent episode of his Lowe Post podcast that Irving is essentially “radioactive” as a potential trade candidate (hat tip to RealGM): “Even if you drop the price to nothing, the baggage is just too much.”

As for Simmons, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports stated on his own podcast – Please Don’t Aggregate This – that he doesn’t believe the former No. 1 overall pick has any trade value either.

“I was talking to the team who has designs to rebuild Monday night when I was at Barclays Center,” Fischer said, per HoopsHype. “And like I asked that question, and I was told pretty point blank that they would have been interested in him before the season started and seven or eight games later now that interest has dissipated.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Addressing the apology to the Jewish community that Irving posted on Instagram late last night, Nets general manager Sean Marks said today that it was “a step” in the right direction, but that he still wants to have Irving meet with the team and Jewish leaders before being reinstated, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter links). Marks added that Brooklyn has not considered waiving Irving.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt also referred to Irving’s apology as an “encouraging step,” but said the ADL still isn’t accepting Irving’s donation, as he first announced on Thursday (Twitter links).
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Friday during an appearance on Get Up (video link) that Nets owner Joe Tsai had initially hoped Irving’s misstep could be a “teachable moment,” without any significant team discipline required, while Nets management and the NBA had pushed Tsai to be more punitive. Following Irving’s repeated refusal to apologize or to clarify that he isn’t antisemitic, Tsai realized a more serious step was necessary.
Although Marks has denied that any decisions have been made about the Nets’ next head coach, the team is believed to be in the final stages of negotiations with Ime Udoka, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who notes that Marks and Udoka have the same representatives at CAA and says he expects those talks to conclude in the coming days. Despite Quin Snyder being considered a potential target for Brooklyn following Steve Nash‘s exit, the team had no substantial contact with Snyder to gauge his interest in the job, sources tell Fischer.
In a roundtable for The Athletic, Alex Schiffer, Jay King, and Jared Weiss discuss why the Nets would hire Udoka following his ugly exit from Boston. Meanwhile, Ian O’Connor of The New York Post argues that rushing into a deal with Udoka will be Brooklyn’s latest losing bet.

Ben Simmons Out At Least Two More Games With Knee Issue

November 3rd, 2022 at 12:40pm CST by Rory Maher

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.

Nets Notes: Durant, Nash, Simmons, Irving, Udoka

November 2nd, 2022 at 9:24am CST by Luke Adams

Nets forward Kevin Durant said on Tuesday night that he was surprised to learn of Steve Nash‘s exit from his position as Brooklyn’s head coach, as Nick Friedell of ESPN writes.

“You’re always shocked when a move like this happens,” Durant said after the Nets’ loss to Chicago. “But it’s normal in the NBA. It’s about getting ready for the game tonight. It’s a quick turn always in the league, especially during the season. You’ve got practice, games coming up, so you can’t think too much about it. It was on my mind for a little bit today.”

As Friedell notes, Nets general manager Sean Marks told reporters earlier in the day on Tuesday that he hadn’t consulted with Durant and/or Kyrie Irving before making the decision to part ways with Nash. Durant’s comments seemed to confirm that was true.

Asked why he felt like things didn’t work out with Nash in Brooklyn, Durant didn’t blame his former head coach for the team’s shortcomings, even though offseason reports indicated that he had pushed for Nash’s firing.

“We didn’t have a healthy team. We just didn’t play well,” Durant said. “And that’s what happens in the league. S–t happens. That doesn’t take away from Steve’s basketball IQ, how he teaches the game. I don’t think that takes away from anything. It just didn’t work out.”

Asked in Miami about Nash’s departure, Steve Kerr – one of the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches – essentially agreed with Durant’s assessment, referring to Nash as “brilliant” and suggesting that the former MVP could thrive in a more “stable environment,” according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

“Erik’s got a (solid situation) here,” Kerr said, referring to Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. “I’ve got one in Golden State. We’re really lucky. You throw either one of us in that situation, we wouldn’t have done any better than Steve. That’s the truth.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who previously reported that the Nets had briefly engaged in “cursory” trade talks with a Western Conference team, says those discussions were about a veteran shooter, adding that Ben Simmons‘ name came up. While Begley cautions that those talks may not have advanced beyond the exploratory stage, he says Brooklyn was rumored to be “aggressive” in its pursuit of shooting.
Like the NBA did on Saturday, the National Basketball Players Association issued a fairly toothless statement on Tuesday, condemning antisemitism in general terms without mentioning NBPA vice president Irving by name or specifically rebuking his promotion of an antisemitic film on social media.
During Tuesday’s TNT broadcast, broadcaster and former NBA star Reggie Miller called out the players’ response to the Irving situation, expressing dissatisfaction that there has been silence from players who haven’t hesitated to speak out on other social justice issues, writes Ryan Glasspiegel of The New York Post. “The players have dropped the ball on this case when it’s been one of their own. It’s been crickets,” Miller said after lauding the players’ criticism of owners like Donald Sterling and Robert Sarver. “And it’s disappointing, because this league has been built on the shoulders of the players being advocates. Right is right and wrong is wrong.”
If the Nets move forward with their reported plan to hire Ime Udoka as their new head coach, it could be another landmine for the franchise, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who notes that the full story on Udoka’s off-court conduct in Boston still hasn’t come out publicly. As Lewis relays, a league insider told NetsDaily that Udoka “repeatedly” sent inappropriate messages to women on the Celtics‘ staff.
Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports makes the case that the best play for the dysfunctional Nets would be to trade Durant.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst passes along all of Sean Marks‘ noteworthy statements from his Tuesday media session, attempting to read between the lines of those comments.

Nets Notes: Irving, Simmons, Curry, Watanabe

November 1st, 2022 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who tweeted a link last Thursday to a film widely viewed as antisemitic, deleted that tweet on Sunday night after a combative exchange with reporters on Saturday, then didn’t speak to the media before or after Monday’s win over Indiana. Head coach Steve Nash said prior to Monday’s game that he views the controversy surrounding Irving as “an opportunity for us to grow and understand new perspectives,” according to Nick Friedell of ESPN.

“I think the organization is trying to take that stance where we can communicate through this,” Nash said. “And try to all come out in a better position and (have) both more understanding and more empathy for every side of this debate and situation.”

As Friedell writes, Nash declined to say whether the Nets considered any disciplinary action for Irving, telling reporters that he wasn’t involved in internal conversations about the issue, since he’s been focused on coaching the team.

While the Nets may want to simply move on from the situation, eight fans who sat courtside on Monday wore shirts that read “Fight Antisemitism” and directed comments at Irving during the game, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. One season-ticket holder, Aaron Jungreis, told Friedell that he thought the team should suspend Irving.

“I hope he realizes how much antisemitism he is stoking by putting out (a link to) a film like this,” Jungreis said. “Which is extremely anti-Jewish. And I hope he comes to his senses. … I think he should be suspended and he should understand what he did, but I don’t know if they will.”

Here’s more on Irving and the Nets:

Irving’s behavior, which could once be considered quirky or eccentric, has crossed the line to dangerous, argues Jesse Washington of Andscape, writing that the NBA and/or the Nets should seriously consider consequences to hold Irving accountable. Dan Wolken of USA Today and Eric Koreen of The Athletic make similar cases in columns of their own, while Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post goes a step further, opining that Brooklyn should part ways with the standout guard. Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, meanwhile, contends that Irving wants the influence of leadership, but none of the responsibility that comes along with it.
The Nets held a players-only meeting following Saturday’s loss to Indiana and followed that up with a win on Monday over the Pacers, snapping a four-game losing streak. “Honestly, talk is cheap. Everybody in the organization, we’ve just been pissed off,” starting center Nic Claxton said after Monday’s victory, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “We want to be better. So I don’t know (if the meeting had an impact). But everybody being on the same page today, that’s what matters.”
Within the same SNY.tv story, Begley says the Nets have had some “cursory” trade talks with at least one Western Conference team since the regular season began, underscoring the sense of urgency the team was feeling to start winning games following a slow start.
In a detailed story for ESPN, Friedell takes a look at how the Nets have yo-yo’d back and forth from a tumultuous offseason to an optimistic preseason to a bumpy, drama-filled regular season.
Ben Simmons will miss a second consecutive game for Brooklyn on Tuesday vs. Chicago due to left knee soreness, the team announced today (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape). Seth Curry (left ankle injury management) also remains sidelined.
Yuta Watanabe‘s full-season salary is still non-guaranteed, but he’s seeing an increased role as of late off the bench for the Nets, knocking down 5-of-7 three-pointers in his last four games. “We’ve always really liked him,” Nash said of Watanabe, who played 22 minutes in Monday’s win (link via Alex Schiffer of The Athletic). “He’s a basketball player. The way he handles the pass, makes shots and he’s a smart defender. I thought he did a good job with the scouting report. You could see him use that to his advantage in one-on-one situations, and he adds dimension to our team as we’re trying to get bodies back in the lineup. It’s really important to have players like that who step in and do multiple things.”

Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Knicks, House, Embiid, Curry, Boucher

October 31st, 2022 at 6:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers were docked two second-round draft picks for holding early free agent discussions with forwards P.J. Tucker and Danuel House. The Knicks could be the next team to be penalized.

The league’s investigation into early contact regarding the Knicks’ pursuit of free agent Jalen Brunson remains ongoing, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. New York signed the former Dallas guard to a four-year, $104MM deal in July.

We have from the Atlantic Division:

House has played 15 or fewer minutes over the past three games. He was signed to a two-year, $8.4MM contract this summer. The Sixers forward taking the minutes reduction in stride, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. “It’s a team game, so I can’t really get too overwhelmed and too locked into myself,” House said. “There’s too much going on for me to be thinking of myself. You’ve just got to sit back and play the game.”
Sixers star Joel Embiid isn’t playing in Monday’s game against Washington due to a non-COVID illness, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post tweets.
Guard Seth Curry isn’t playing in the Nets’ game against Indiana on Monday due to left ankle injury management, the team tweets. Ben Simmons is also sidelined due to left knee soreness, ESPN’s Marc Spears tweets.
Raptors big man Chris Boucher has endeared himself to coach Nick Nurse and his teammates with his energetic performances, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. “He’s been very professional,” Nurse said. “That’s one thing about Chris: First of all, he’s a guy that practices hard. He kind of just has a gear that he plays in and that is good. Even if it’s 5-on-0 he’s flying around in his mode. That, I think, is leading by example.” Boucher is in the first season of a three-year, $35.25MM contract.

Atlantic Notes: Young, Porter Jr., Maxey, Simmons

October 30th, 2022 at 7:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran forward Thaddeus Young has played sparingly for the Raptors and he’s surprised by his lack of playing time, he told Josh Lewenberg of TSN.

“It’s tough,” he said. “It’s definitely a tough situation to be in but I’ve just got to bear with it and continue to be there for my teammates, continue to trust in what I’m doing as a player, and hopefully when the time comes I’ll be ready to go out there and take care of business.”

Young has only appeared in four games, averaging eight minutes when he’s seen the floor. Young is signed through next season but only $1MM of his 2023/24 salary is guaranteed.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Raptors forward Otto Porter Jr. has been ruled out against Atlanta on Monday due to personal reasons, Lewenberg tweets. Porter, who has also dealt with a hamstring injury, is expected to return later in the week. However, he will likely require a full practice or two before making his season debut, Lewenberg adds.
Tyrese Maxey has made 46.8% of his 3-pointers this season and Joel Embiid says his Sixers teammate needs to increase his long-range attempts, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “He’s one of the best shooters and he has the potential to be up there. You know, a great stroke,” Embiid said. “He can really shoot the ball, great form and he makes them. There’s a reason I’m always on him to just let it fly. He’s got to get up 10 to 15 threes a game. That’s how good of a shooter he is.”
While the Nets are off to an awful start, Ben Simmons hasn’t lost any confidence in the team’s long-term prospects, according to Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. “I believe we can be the best team in the NBA,” Simmons said. The former No. 1 overall pick is off to a slow start after missing last season, averaging 6.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Nets Notes: Irving, Simmons, Harris, Curry

October 29th, 2022 at 7:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets won’t take any disciplinary action against Kyrie Irving for his promotion of a movie that’s considered to be antisemitic, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. In a pre-game session with reporters, coach Steve Nash said he’s not familiar with the 2018 film ‘Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,’ which Irving has been touting on social media. He added that he doesn’t expect this latest incident to be a distraction for the rest of the team (Twitter link).

“I don’t think our group is overly affected by the situation,” Nash said. “We’ve had so many situations over the last two and a half years that I think we’ve kind of built an immunity to it.”

Irving defended his association with the film in a Twitter post this afternoon, writing, “I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. The ‘Anti-Semitic’ label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions.”

The NBA hasn’t taken any action against Irving, but it did release a statement regarding the controversy (Twitter link).

“Hate speech of any kind is unacceptable and runs counter to the NBA’s values of equality, inclusion and respect,” the league wrote. “We believe we all have a role to play in ensuring such words or ideas, including antisemitic ones, are challenged and refuted and we will continue working with all members of the NBA community to ensure that everyone understands the impact of their words and actions.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

There’s no easy solution to the Ben Simmons dilemma, Lewis writes in a full story. Although it’s still early in the season, Simmons hasn’t looked like the same player since returning from a 16-month absence. Lewis talked to scouts who say that Simmons no longer seems to have the explosive moves to make up for his reluctance to shoot from outside. Lewis notes that the Nets have used 71 lineup combinations so far, fourth-most in the league, and Nash has been experimenting with different roles for Simmons. “Ben and I work every day at this, trying to give him the confidence to go out there and be aggressive and try to get back to at least the feeling of joy on the court,” Nash said.
On his latest Hoop Collective podcast, Brian Windhorst of ESPN said an unidentified scout observed that Simmons seems “happy” whenever he has to come out of games due to foul trouble (video link).
Joe Harris, who returned last week after two ankle surgeries, said he doesn’t expect to sit out back-to-backs, but his ankle will have to be monitored for a while, Lewis relays (via Twitter).
After missing the first five games of the season while recovering from ankle surgery, Seth Curry is active tonight, Lewis tweets.

Nets Notes: Simmons, Kyrie, Nash, Curry, Harris

October 27th, 2022 at 2:16pm CST by Rory Maher

Ben Simmons is still struggling to adjust to playing again after missing all of last season. The Nets continue to implore him to be aggressive in looking for his own shot while supporting him through the tough moments, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“Yes. Yeah. That’s a little rust, the confidence not only physically, but with the rhythm of the game, to go to the basket,” head coach Steve Nash said of Simmons attacking the rim. “You can see him trying at times, and that’s great. We want to keep pushing him to try to break through and force the issue, even if he makes mistakes, just so that we can see him be aggressive and start to find a rhythm for doing so. … It’s not easy for him. It’s been a long time, new group and a back surgery. Add it all up and we have to have some patience with him.”

After Simmons passed up what appeared to be an open layup during Wednesday’s loss to the Bucks, a clip went viral of Kyrie Irving telling him to shoot the ball. Irving told reporters after the game what transpired.

“When I passed it to him I felt like he had a layup at the rim,” Irving said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “And I looked him eye to eye and I was like, “Shoot it, Ben!” And of course, again, it’s just a clip. It’s a full game that we can look at and dissect, and that’s what I’ll do. This is a big-picture thing. We want Ben to be aggressive every single play, we want him to get an assist every single play, we want him to rebound, we want him to play against the best player, we want him to do all the things we know he’s capable of, but at this time he’s going to have to work himself into his own confidence and feel good about himself.

“I’m not going to say I’m being patient or humble about it, but the reality is that we’re just going to keep having to try this experiment every single night until we get the right recipe.”

Like Nash, Irving stressed patience as Simmons attempts to regain his old form, saying that he’s giving Simmons “positive affirmations,” according to Friedell. Through four games (29.5 MPG), Simmons is averaging 5.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 7.5 APG while shooting 45% from the field and 33% from the free throw line.

Here’s more on the Nets:

Nash was ejected for the first time in his coaching career during the loss to the Bucks, which dropped the Nets to 1-3 on the season, notes Michael Blinn of The New York Post. “I was just standing up for our guys,” Nash told reporters after the game. “I thought Patty (Mills) took a forearm in the throat from Giannis (Antetokounmpo) right in front of the ref and I didn’t think that was fair. I don’t think I was overly demonstrative. I was upset that I got a tech.”
Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, who was a coaching consultant with the Nets during their disappointing 2021/22 season, recently told reporters that Nash wasn’t to blame for the way things panned out, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “This is where coaches take heat for things that are not their fault. The number one problem last year in Brooklyn was games missed. That’s it,” Clifford said. “I didn’t go to every game, but I watched every game.” As Braziller notes, Kevin Durant missed 27 games last season and Irving missed 53, while Simmons didn’t appear in a game with the Nets in ’21/22 after being acquired from the Sixers.
Guard Seth Curry is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery but he’s nearing a return. He’s getting 4-on-4 work in with the Nets and practiced with the team’s G League affiliate in Long Island on Thursday (Twitter links via Lewis and Andscape’s Marc J. Spears). However, he won’t play in their road game at Dallas on Thursday night, nor will Joe Harris (ankle rehab) or Markieff Morris (personal reasons), tweets Friedell.

New York Notes: Rose, Quickley, Simmons, Warren

October 22nd, 2022 at 6:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks guard Derrick Rose hasn’t been happy with his performance to start the season, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Playing for the first time since December because of multiple ankle surgeries, Rose scored just four points in the season opener, but followed that with 13 points and six assists in Friday’s win over the Pistons.

“This too shall pass. This is probably the worst you see me play,” Rose said. “I don’t play pickup. I’m feeling out the games, trying not to mess up the game by being out there and being too aggressive. Just feeling out who’s out there and who is with me.”

Before the ankle issues, Rose was the team’s most reliable point guard, even though he was used primarily as a reserve. Free agent addition Jalen Brunson has solidified that position, so Rose has averaged just 14 minutes per night in his first two games.

“I’m letting (coach Tom Thibodeau) dictate that. I didn’t talk to him at all about it,” Rose said when asked about his playing time. “My job is to just be vocal and try to express what I see on the court. As far as minutes, I don’t worry about it because of the saying, ‘If you stay ready, you don’t got to get ready.’ That’s my mindset.”

There’s more NBA news from New York:

Immanuel Quickley provided some scoring punch off the bench Friday with a team-high 20 points, Botte notes in a separate story. The Knicks‘ third-year guard remained aggressive after going scoreless in Wednesday’s opener. “It was great to see him play like that. I thought he and the rest of the bench did a terrific job. They gave us a big, big lift,” Thibodeau said. “I love when he shoots. I feel every time he shoots, particularly his threes, I think they’re all going in. He puts a lot of pressure on the defense.”
Nets coach Steve Nash admits that Ben Simmons has been “rusty” after not playing for 16 months, but he believes patience is the best approach, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Simmons hasn’t been looking for his shot so far and has just 10 total points in the first two games.
T.J. Warren has a medical connection with the Nets that influenced his decision in free agency, Lewis tweets. The team’s orthopedist, Dr. Martin O’Malley, performed the surgery on Warren’s foot. “There’s definitely a comfort level O’Malley being team doctor here; he’s seen everything since Day 1,” Warren said. “So it gave me a peace of mind that he’s in my corner here.”

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Vonleh, Simmons, Irving

October 20th, 2022 at 5:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers lost to the Celtics in their opener but they see a long playoff run in their future, Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. They believe they have more talent around superstar Joel Embiid than ever before, due to the front office’s moves this offseason.

“There’s no weak links around the horn,” said P.J. Tucker, the Sixers’ top free agent acquisition. “You want to [pick on] somebody? Go ahead. We got everybody.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Due to Robert Williams‘ knee issues, Noah Vonleh has become a key member of the Celtics‘ frontcourt for the time being. As Jay King of The Athletic notes, Vonleh is just six months removed from a stint in China. The opportunity to play in the NBA again has made Vonleh more appreciative of his current status. “It made me even hungrier,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got a pretty good work ethic, but being out of there I was just wondering why and questioning certain things. But it just made me more motivated and made me work a lot harder.” Vonleh has a one-year, non-guaranteed veteran’s minimum contract with Boston.
The stat line for Ben Simmons in his return to action after a season off was unimpressive. He posted four points, five rebounds and five assists before fouling out in 23 minutes. Nets head coach Steve Nash attributes that performance to the long layoff, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. “I just think he’s rusty. The guy hasn’t played in over a year,” Nash said. “He’s still getting used to referees, defense, offense. This is a process for Ben … He’s shown obviously glimpses of the player we know he is and can be, but it’s not easy. We’re here to support him.”
Kevin Durant‘s trade request during the summer turned out to be a test and Kyrie Irving believes the Nets are better for it, he told Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. “When Kev made that request, I feel like we got better,” Irving said. “Afterwards. Not initially, but now where we are now, I feel like we can honestly say we got better, with the principles that are needed for success. Without going through some test in the summertime or during the season, we wouldn’t be able to be as close and bonded as we are now.”

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