In recent days, optimism was de rigueur on the side of Brooklyn concerning a potential return of Ben Simmons during these Playoffs. But while the Nets are on the edge of the abyss, a news comes to cool the weak hopes which remain on the side of Brooklyn…
He was supposed to come back for Game 4, but in the end he will watch the match from the bench with his orange glasses as in all previous matches. According to Adrian Wojnarowski ofESPN, Ben Simmons will not play Round 4 of the series between Brooklyn and Boston tomorrow at Barclays Center. The news fell this Sunday evening during the game between Denver and Golden State, enough to sink a little more Nets fans who hoped that the return of the Boomer would give a little boost to a Brooklyn team at the bottom of the hole. The reason for this turnaround? Apparently Bennie woke up with back pain this morning after training yesterday. Direct causal link or simple mattress problem for Simmons? Mystery mystery but the Nets and the player preferred to give up on Monday’s meeting. Obviously, we can wonder if the current scenario of the series between Boston and Brooklyn had an impact on this decision because well, we are not going to lie to each other, huh, it still smells very strongly of the trip to Cancun after the third loss in as many games yesterday. Officially, Simmons has not been forfeited for potential meetings that could follow Game 4 tomorrow night. But it is hard to imagine today the Australian playing the slightest minute in his new colors this year, a year which should therefore turn into a white season for the former Sixers player.
It’s hard to imagine because there’s a good chance that the Nets campaign will be over on Monday evening. Brooklyn is outclassed by Boston, Kevin Durant is on the street, Kyrie Irving isn’t much more impactful, and Steve Nash does nothing but clap his hands. Difficult under these conditions to believe in the ability of New Yorkers to seek any success against the Celtics on a mission, especially given the somewhat defeatist atmosphere that seems to reign today at BK. It will therefore most likely be necessary to wait until the start of the 2022-23 season to see Simmons make his big debut with his new Brooklyn team. In itself this is disappointing news because as much as Ben should not be considered a savior given the length of his absence, it would have been intriguing to have a first glimpse of his line with KD and Kyrie in a Playoffs situation. Given the turn of events, it’s probably a wiser decision to leave him on the sidelines, but who knows how the Brooklyn franchise will look next season after this year’s fiasco. We just remember that Kyrie Irving is potentially at the end of his contract (he has a player option) and even if we can’t imagine an end to his tandem with KD, the summer could still be lively on the side of New York.
No Ben Simmons in Game 4 against the Celtics tomorrow, and probably no Ben Simmons at all this season. Come on, let’s meet next year because anyway, there’s much more to hope for from this damn 2021-22 campaign.
Source texte : ESPN
ESPN Sources: The Nets and Ben Simmons expected he would be ready to play on Monday, but after getting on the court yesterday Simmons says he awoke with back soreness today. In the end, the team and Simmons agreed he’ll remain out for Game 4.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 24, 2022