As we relayed yesterday, Nets general manager Sean Marks said at his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday that Ben Simmons is feeling better after having a microdiscectomy to relieve the pain from the herniated disc in his back, which had gotten worse over time. Brian Lewis of The New York Post has more details from Marks on how Simmons is doing post-surgery.
“Ben had a tricky buildup, to be quite frank,” Marks said on Wednesday. “He got here and there was a setback obviously as he went through his ramp-up and we saw him on the court. We saw him participating in 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 games with the stay-ready group. We were hoping, just like Ben was, he was going to be out there.
“It got to be too much and we had another follow-up MRI and we could see the herniation had expanded. At that point, there was really nothing but surgery that was going to fix this. … From the communications I’ve had with him multiple times since the surgery, he’s feeling relief already and feeling great. He knows that, it goes back to that five months, he has a big buildup to get ready and contribute.”
Simmons battled physical and mental health problems for several months and missed the entire 2021/22 season. Lewis asked Marks how the team plans to assist Simmons in both of those areas to see him return to action next season.
“Regarding Ben post-surgery, I don’t want to speak for him but I can sense there’s a relief. There’s a new lease on life, when you’re able to take a problem and say that should be fixed and move that out of here and now it’s on to the rest,” said Marks, hesitant to discuss the touchy topic of Simmons’ mental health. Marks added that the Nets plan to have Simmons in the gym and around the team as much as possible, as we previously relayed.
Here’s more from Brooklyn:
- Head coach Steve Nash envisions Simmons playing multiple positions, saying that he’ll act as a facilitator on offense at times and a “positionless” role at others, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
- All of the drama and lack of availability from Kyrie Irving since he signed with the Nets is no one’s fault but Marks’, argues Ian O’Connor of The New York Post, who adds that the Nets GM “is the one who made this mess (and) is the one who will almost certainly fail to clean it up.” Irving has appeared in just 103 of a possible 226 games with the Nets, and the team has only won a single playoff series in his three years with the team. Trading for James Harden, who sulked his way out of Houston and then Brooklyn a year later, further eroded team chemistry and created a “culture of player appeasement,” if there was any culture at all, says O’Connor.
- Marks said the Nets plan to keep their draft pick (via the Sixers) as long as they can find a player who can help in 2022/23, Lewis tweets. The Nets hold the No. 23 pick and have until June 1 to decide whether they want to keep it or defer it until 2023.
- Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer explores seven key questions Brooklyn will be faced with this summer, including whether the team should keep Irving.
Nets are likely to defer the pick to 2023
Contenders
Suns have no pick
Lakers have no pick
Grizzlies have 3 picks
Warriors have 3 picks
Celtics have 1 pick -#53
Heat has 1 pick #27
“There’s a new lease on life”- not generally the viewpoint taken after an athlete largely dependent on elite athleticism undergoes back surgery …
I think he might have just said it off the top of his head not caring that one little part of his larger statement would be picked apart by some rando on the Internet.
Oh, look at me. Pot. Kettle.
I, rando
Is microdiscectomy like a vasectomy for someone with a micropenis?
Lol
No, for bad posture from sitting all year!!
Nets have tried the get all the good players together idea.
They’ve tried get all the big egos together idea
Because they are so talented I think they just need to down size a little and then simply gel as a team.
That’s why I’d trade Ben Simmons for Jerami Grant and picks in some kinda of trade. Then be smart in FA adding role players that are selfless and will set a good locker room.
My idea would be
Either straight swap
Ben Simmons for Jerami Grant and a first
or a three deal team
Nets: Jerami Grant and a first
Hawks: Ben Simmons
Pistons: Kevin Hueter and Danilo Gallinari
Or
Pacers: Ben Simmons
Pistons: Malcom Brogdan and Goga/Jackson
Either way get Jerami Grant and a first.
Then personally Seth Curry for Jeff Green and a second round pick.
In the draft get EJ Liddell
Then in FA, Serge Ibaka on like a 1 year 6mil deal, Joe Ingles on a 1 year vets min and bring back Aldridge and Dragic.
1. Kyrie. Dragic. Mills.
2. Harris. Brown. Thomas
3. Grant. Ingles. Edwards
4. KD. Green. Liddell
5. Ibaka. Aldridge. Shapre
Strong defence among Harris Grant Ibaka Brown Ingles and Green. Great three point shooting from basically every player, 2 superstars, a bunch of good role players, a solid mix of vets and young guys
Why does everyone keep putting jerami grant in these trades where he would end up being 3rd or 4th option? He’s already said he doesn’t want to be a 3rd or 4th option, that’s why he signed in Detroit over Denver. If Brooklyn traded for him he would leave when his contract is up
I’ve had a few back surgeries. A microdisectomy is a fairly harmless surgery. Usually they don’t even cut you open they just use a needle-like thing to “suck” the targeted bulging disc out.
The issue is that it doesn’t actually solve the problem. The disc will still be damaged, and the surrounding bones and tissues will still be very prone to further injuries.
This basically just provides pain relief.
With the 23 pick the Nets could find a nice addition there. Especially if Jovic were there. Jovic probably will be gone. Kessler a center who can shoot will be there. If Drummond walks he can be a good addition.
Marks should defer the PHI pick. I’m sure he’s looking for an asset to show for the Harden trade, but, with the roster having a bunch of questions that won’t be answered by June 1st, deferring it until 2023 (unprotected) is the better move.
O’Connor, really? Am I the only person who saw the Nets compete well together this year?
Of course they were often basically backups… When serious time came, they did not have serious stars.
But I did not see a culture problem.
They had a culture in 2019 that drew the FA stars. The names have changed; does nothing of that remain?
Maybe it’s the floor graphics… Lesser, or maybe less revolutionary by now.
Riffing lies from Marks’ remarks:
“herniation expansion”— and I thought discs just bulged.
Next they will surge. As in, “best get surging disc surgery stat. Before it gets away”
“Stay-ready group”— The army calls them SRGs, or Serges. If they get out of control, they are inSRGent.
Its up to HR to edit out rubbish like this.