So, does Simmons really have a back issue or is he mentally too stressed to play?

[ArtMorte]

Sorry if that sounds blunt. But the guy gets traded from a team for which he doesn't want to play for mental reasons and immediately develops a mysterious "back soreness" that's so bad he can't do any on-court practice. I can't be the only one thinking that he's making the back issue up and the real reason why he remains sidelined is that he's now become mentally too stressed out about the prospect of coming back at all, perhaps scared that he's going to play badly and get negative comments.

Whaddya'll think?

[Tor_Raps]

Hes doing his best to get the money from Philly. If he played right away with no issues, it'd look bad in his case. This whole thing has gone too far and hopefully owners put something in the next CBA where players get punished in Simmons situation.

At this stage, Brooklyn should have just waited until the offseason and rescinded the trade after their physical/mental evaluation. They allowed the Sixers to gain an extra year at a championship while killing their chances.

[bbalnation]

Im not a practitioner. Im not his practitioner.

Theres general info (and research) online about the connections of mental and physical health (and pain). Ive provided two sample links i found with a quick Google search.

There could be quality free physical and/or mental health resources in one's area (often with wait times), or perhaps relatively low cost practitioners (virtually or not), fwiw.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/psychology-low-back-pain-201604259537
https://www.mhanational.org/chronic-pain-and-mental-health

[NO-KG-AI]

Is there a diagnosed problem in his back, or is it like Kawhi's quad injury that it can hurt or be sore any time he feels like taking some time off, but there is no real word on what the issue actually is?

Back soreness? lol.

[Texas Chuck]

I mean most people don't get spinal injections to deal with mental health so I'm going to go with yes, there is an issue with his back. Especially as he's had back issues previously.

But I also get people like to make light of mental health in general, and absolutely with Ben Simmons specifically so I expect many here to accuse him of malingering.

[Tony Franciosa]

How does a back issue help him get his money back when he claimed his problems in Philly were mental? He never used the back as an excuse to not be able to play this year (as far as I know).

[Crizzle]

Im not a practitioner. Im not his practitioner.

Theres general info (and research) online about the connections of mental and physical health (and pain). Ive provided two sample links i found with a quick Google search.

There could be quality free physical and/or mental health resources in one's area (often with wait times), or perhaps relatively low cost practitioners (virtually or not), fwiw.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/psychology-low-back-pain-201604259537
https://www.mhanational.org/chronic-pain-and-mental-health

feels good seeing a post that could have a real positive effect instead of a trolling

[Asianiac_24]

Ben Simmons is a fraud.

Last time he was seen playing he looked completely fine. He hasn’t played a single NBA minute yet since, and it has been almost a year. He’s also like 25, either he completely dogged it the entire year and not kept in shape at all, or he is straight up faking it to avoid playing while getting paid.

[ArtMorte]

Hes doing his best to get the money from Philly. If he played right away with no issues, it'd look bad in his case. This whole thing has gone too far and hopefully owners put something in the next CBA where players get punished in Simmons situation.

In that case he would surely be saying that he's not playing yet, because he's not mentally ready. He can't justify his claim on Philly at all with a back injury that has occurred after the trade.

I mean most people don't get spinal injections to deal with mental health so I'm going to go with yes, there is an issue with his back. Especially as he's had back issues previously.

But I also get people like to make light of mental health in general, and absolutely with Ben Simmons specifically so I expect many here to accuse him of malingering.

I'm not making light of mental health, but if he's staying sidelined because of it he should just say it. I just find it curious that he's developed a mysterious back soreness - with no timetable for return, indicating that doctors don't know what it is and scans haven't revealed anything - the moment he should be nearing a return, under a lot of spotlight nevertheless.

[Wagonband]

I'll give him a call. Will let you know

[XtremeDunkz]

How does a back issue help him get his money back when he claimed his problems in Philly were mental? He never used the back as an excuse to not be able to play this year (as far as I know).

He did for a short period when he finally showed up to Philly.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[Johnny Firpo]

Tall guys, even regular tall guys who are 6'3-6'4 get back issues. For basketball players, it's probably the most common thing. It's very likely his back is messed up, they even mentioned the specific vertebrae, didn't they?

[Texas Chuck]

Hes doing his best to get the money from Philly. If he played right away with no issues, it'd look bad in his case. This whole thing has gone too far and hopefully owners put something in the next CBA where players get punished in Simmons situation.

In that case he would surely be saying that he's not playing yet, because he's not mentally ready. He can't justify his claim on Philly at all with a back injury that has occurred after the trade.

I mean most people don't get spinal injections to deal with mental health so I'm going to go with yes, there is an issue with his back. Especially as he's had back issues previously.

But I also get people like to make light of mental health in general, and absolutely with Ben Simmons specifically so I expect many here to accuse him of malingering.

I'm not making light of mental health, but if he's staying sidelined because of it he should just say it. I just find it curious that he's developed a mysterious back soreness - with no timetable for return, indicating that doctors don't know what it is and scans haven't revealed anything - the moment he should be nearing a return, under a lot of spotlight nevertheless.

I hope you will note that I did not accuse you of making light of mental health.

And I understand that you find it curious(suspicious?) that he has a back issue. I tend to look at it more straightforwardly. This is a guy with known back issues who is ramping up basketball activities after a long lay-off and aggravated it. Occam's Razor tells me this is the most likely scenario. Now if he wasn't getting spinal injections, I think its more reasonable to wonder if his issues are still more mental and he's using a back issue to avoid more scrutiny there. But a doctor isn't going to do that without a belief there is an actual issue.

[Balls Deep]

Mental health in sports is a joke. Folding under pressure and being upset when people call you out is not a mental illness.

[druggas]

I remember when players loved to play all 82 games. *sigh*

[brutalitops]

Got a trade to a team where a lot of the pressure is off, and still isnt playing 5v5

It's most likely a back issue, Since hes had spinal injections. You dont get them to avoid having to practise.

[kuclas]

The real question is when is the Time to file the grievance to try to get back his 19 million?

If the deadline has passed to reclaim the money. Than back injury may be real. If the deadline has not passed. Than the back injury is being part of the klutch strategy to build a case.

[iLLmatic860]

He would be stupid to mess this one up...Brooklyn doesn't have a passionate fanbase like Philly so he can live his dream. Play in a big market (he clearly only cares about the money) and play under the radar without having to worry about being critiqued constantly..

I don't think he is ready for the NY media tho

[GSWFan1994]

Too much Call of Duty in the couch results in back issues.

[JayMKE]

I’d speculate on the money situation with Philly having something to do with it but its pretty hard to say someone’s back isn’t sore. I think there is a pretty good chance he didn’t stay in game shape too and back soreness sounds better.