Whether he’s on the court or on the sidelines, Ben Simmons makes headlines. The popular and supremely talented Brooklyn Nets Point Guard is one of the hottest names in the NBA this season and a player behind everything good about the Nets this season. But the 25-year-old Australian recently picked up an injury and his absence is being felt by the team, so much so many of the new betting sites (Click here to see the top ones) are taking bets on when he’ll return to court.
What is the nature of Simmons’ injury, how serious is it and, most important to everyone connected with the Nets, when will he return to action? These are the burning questions for many followers of NBA at present with those loyal to the Nets’ cause wanting to see him back as soon as possible while supporters or rival teams due to play the Nets always breath a sigh of relief when Simmons name is missing from the team sheet.
The only problem with the Simmons injury story is his status was still unclear heading into March with club officials and doctors reluctant to be drawn on how long he could be out. This has caused many fans to come up with conspiracy theories regarding the Aussie’s injury and it’s likely those types of rumors will persist until Ben is back playing basketball and back scoring points for the Nets.
Ben’s bad luck
As we head into the closing stages of the season, the team from Brooklyn have already endured their fair share of problems and snags but the injury and mystery surrounding their Point Guard will be remembered as the worst of the bad luck. Ben has been stuck on the sidelines with a back injury that has proved to be much more concerning than first thought. Recent news stories of an imminent return were rubbished by the club and fans were dealt another body blow when sources told of complications with the players’ recovery.
In what appears to be a rush to get back to full fitness, perhaps pushing himself too hard during conditioning training, Simmons caused the back injury that had been on the mend to flare up. This may go down as a major disappointment as fans had been promised the player would be back to full fitness by this crucial stage of the season, but it didn’t come as a shock to the club who have since admitted the back injury to Ben is something they will have to monitor from day to day.
Setbacks in recovery aren’t uncommon for players, especially if they are a little too eager to get back on the court and do their bit for the team, but it appears this knock requires a far more careful approach than most others. The timing is unfortunate as the Nets could really do with a player of Ben’s talents at this stage but driving him back into a strip too soon could end up making the injury much worse and much more long term.
Ben's popularity
The reaction to the Harden-Simmons trade was different than the excitement surrounding many of the club’s other major transfers. It wasn’t the kind of blockbuster trade fans had been looking for at the time and many followers were left wondering just how Ben would fit into the Nets’ style of play, but the Australian did his talking on the court and quickly won over the doubters, attracting thousands of new fans with his fearless approach and determination to win.
There was more bad news to usher in the month of March as the Nets announced Simmons wouldn’t play this week but would, instead, work on his conditioning. But this leaves fans with more questions like, will Ben be back in time for the playoffs and why isn’t the coaching team just a little more concerned about losing one of their best players for longer than expected?
Brooklyn supporters have just one option open to them and that’s to play the waiting game. They must leave the club to handle the situation and take confidence from the fact Simmons won’t be rushed into a return that could damage him long-term.
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