The Official Ben 10 Simmons Thread

[MrDollarBills]

During Monday's meeting with the Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simmons told those in the room that a mental block exists for him to return to the court, which is also creating stress that could be a trigger point for his back issues.

Simmons indicated that the mental block, at least in part, dates back to the 2021 playoffs.

Simmons added that he does want to continue his basketball career and play for the Nets as he also works on solutions for his well-being.

Simmons had targeted a return for Game 4, but he informed team officials on Sunday that his back felt sore. The decision "triggered frustration and disheartenment throughout the organization," sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

I don't know what to say really outside of that I'm sympathetic to him if he really is suffering from some form of PTSD. Sounds like he's dealing with some agoraphobia as well to be honest.

I've been open about my anxiety issues over the years so I don't take this stuff lightly. I've had panic attacks that as an end result have made me not want to drive to certain places or roads out of extreme irrational fear that the attacks will happen again and I had to get help for it...if I had to describe it, your body's fight or flight response kicks in and it feels like you are trapped and about to die.

So, Imagine driving a car at 65mph down a high way and your body is in a state of panic and feeling like you can't escape the situation...it's not fun. So I can't imagine being on a basketball court in front of 10s of thousands of people trying to perform at a high level when your body is completely out of wack. This isn't your normal nervousness, it's an actual medical disorder.

But the one thing I will say is that to combat agoraphobia, you do eventually have to face what is causing you distress, and use what you learn from professionals to maintain control of yourself. If Ben really does want to continue playing basketball, he will have to face the court eventually.

I don't know what the NBA's policy is regarding mental health therapy and what can and cannot be used, but Ben might need to consider using medication.

[CalamityX12]

Mental Health is real.... but too bad we're in a world where everyone and not everyone are honest/dishonest....

found a tweet or did I heard it on radio talk, which is a funny to me and i want to share...

He has mental block now to play basketball but he certainly didn't have it when he signed his new mega contract.... so its hard to really be sympathetic....

but i shouldn't nor would taunt him either... he's far down in my list of disgust with our former team.

[TheNetsFan]

During Monday's meeting with the Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simmons told those in the room that a mental block exists for him to return to the court, which is also creating stress that could be a trigger point for his back issues.

Simmons indicated that the mental block, at least in part, dates back to the 2021 playoffs.

Simmons added that he does want to continue his basketball career and play for the Nets as he also works on solutions for his well-being.

Simmons had targeted a return for Game 4, but he informed team officials on Sunday that his back felt sore. The decision "triggered frustration and disheartenment throughout the organization," sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

I don't know what to say really outside of that I'm sympathetic to him if he really is suffering from some form of PTSD. Sounds like he's dealing with some agoraphobia as well to be honest.

I've been open about my anxiety issues over the years so I don't take this stuff lightly. I've had panic attacks that as an end result have made me not want to drive to certain places or roads out of extreme irrational fear that the attacks will happen again and I had to get help for it...if I had to describe it, your body's fight or flight response kicks in and it feels like you are trapped and about to die.

So, Imagine driving a car at 65mph down a high way and your body is in a state of panic and feeling like you can't escape the situation...it's not fun. So I can't imagine being on a basketball court in front of 10s of thousands of people trying to perform at a high level when your body is completely out of wack. This isn't your normal nervousness, it's an actual medical disorder.

But the one thing I will say is that to combat agoraphobia, you do eventually have to face what is causing you distress, and use what you learn from professionals to maintain control of yourself. If Ben really does want to continue playing basketball, he will have to face the court eventually.

I don't know what the NBA's policy is regarding mental health therapy and what can and cannot be used, but Ben might need to consider using medication.

Jay Williams was on NBA Radio earlier discussing this, and had some good points. He spoke a little bit about his suicide attempts after his accident, and how he essentially went into hiding. He questions why Simmons is drawing so much attention to himself by dressing in loud, colorful outfits on the bench, building up ramp up hype, etc. if he's having anxiety issues. Why build up the pressure, anticipation, etc. instead of going about everything quietly & low key.

While I'm sympathetic towards mental health, I'm also a bit old school. If you need extended time off to take care of your mental health, it should be unpaid leave. It's a slippery slope, because it's something that can be abused as it's not something that can be confirmed with an x-ray or MRI. The cynic in me feels like the 10% of cases that could potentially be false or exaggerated ruins it for everybody. If he's really in that bad a spot a year later, this may need to be treated like a career ending injury. How much better will he be after 16 months than he is after 12 months if the change of scenery wasn't enough?

[MrDollarBills]

During Monday's meeting with the Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simmons told those in the room that a mental block exists for him to return to the court, which is also creating stress that could be a trigger point for his back issues.

Simmons indicated that the mental block, at least in part, dates back to the 2021 playoffs.

Simmons added that he does want to continue his basketball career and play for the Nets as he also works on solutions for his well-being.

Simmons had targeted a return for Game 4, but he informed team officials on Sunday that his back felt sore. The decision "triggered frustration and disheartenment throughout the organization," sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

I don't know what to say really outside of that I'm sympathetic to him if he really is suffering from some form of PTSD. Sounds like he's dealing with some agoraphobia as well to be honest.

I've been open about my anxiety issues over the years so I don't take this stuff lightly. I've had panic attacks that as an end result have made me not want to drive to certain places or roads out of extreme irrational fear that the attacks will happen again and I had to get help for it...if I had to describe it, your body's fight or flight response kicks in and it feels like you are trapped and about to die.

So, Imagine driving a car at 65mph down a high way and your body is in a state of panic and feeling like you can't escape the situation...it's not fun. So I can't imagine being on a basketball court in front of 10s of thousands of people trying to perform at a high level when your body is completely out of wack. This isn't your normal nervousness, it's an actual medical disorder.

But the one thing I will say is that to combat agoraphobia, you do eventually have to face what is causing you distress, and use what you learn from professionals to maintain control of yourself. If Ben really does want to continue playing basketball, he will have to face the court eventually.

I don't know what the NBA's policy is regarding mental health therapy and what can and cannot be used, but Ben might need to consider using medication.

Jay Williams was on NBA Radio earlier discussing this, and had some good points. He spoke a little bit about his suicide attempts after his accident, and how he essentially went into hiding. He questions why Simmons is drawing so much attention to himself by dressing in loud, colorful outfits on the bench, building up ramp up hype, etc. if he's having anxiety issues. Why build up the pressure, anticipation, etc. instead of going about everything quietly & low key.

While I'm sympathetic towards mental health, I'm also a bit old school. If you need extended time off to take care of your mental health, it should be unpaid leave. It's a slippery slope, because it's something that can be abused as it's not something that can be confirmed with an x-ray or MRI. The cynic in me feels like the 10% of cases that could potentially be false or exaggerated ruins it for everybody. If he's really in that bad a spot a year later, this may need to be treated like a career ending injury. How much better will he be after 16 months than he is after 12 months if the change of scenery wasn't enough?

I don't disagree per say regarding Ben not being low key (if he knew he was struggling, he should have been honest with the team earlier), but I can't question someone's mental health situation because they like to wear certain outfits. Everyone handles anxiety and depression differently. Someone can be smiling and laughing on the outside when you see them in public every day and yet on the inside they're struggling with intrusive thoughts and suicide ideation. It's not a one size fits all kind of the thing. Jay's form of coping was to disappear (can't blame him for that either, that was a horrific situation), Ben could possibly feel better by being dripped out. Who knows.

It's a slippery slope and one that I won't comment on regarding sick leave for mental health. I know someone who lost a teenage child and had to be out of work for months because their mental health had deteriorated...I couldn't say that person shouldn't have received some type of support after something like that. It's rough.

That being said, the NBA is a different animal and I have a feeling the players are going to be locked out for months because of both Ben and Kyrie's non injury related absences. We are going to see owners push for salary being tied to availability per Mark Stein, so expect the worst.

Fun fact: I used to go to middle school with Jay and played ball with him there. We literally kicked everyone's ass in central jersey because he was light years ahead of everyone else in terms of talent, you could tell that he was NBA bound at an early age. It's a damn shame what happened.

[dlts20]

During Monday's meeting with the Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simmons told those in the room that a mental block exists for him to return to the court, which is also creating stress that could be a trigger point for his back issues.

Simmons indicated that the mental block, at least in part, dates back to the 2021 playoffs.

Simmons added that he does want to continue his basketball career and play for the Nets as he also works on solutions for his well-being.

Simmons had targeted a return for Game 4, but he informed team officials on Sunday that his back felt sore. The decision "triggered frustration and disheartenment throughout the organization," sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

I don't know what to say really outside of that I'm sympathetic to him if he really is suffering from some form of PTSD. Sounds like he's dealing with some agoraphobia as well to be honest.

I've been open about my anxiety issues over the years so I don't take this stuff lightly. I've had panic attacks that as an end result have made me not want to drive to certain places or roads out of extreme irrational fear that the attacks will happen again and I had to get help for it...if I had to describe it, your body's fight or flight response kicks in and it feels like you are trapped and about to die.

So, Imagine driving a car at 65mph down a high way and your body is in a state of panic and feeling like you can't escape the situation...it's not fun. So I can't imagine being on a basketball court in front of 10s of thousands of people trying to perform at a high level when your body is completely out of wack. This isn't your normal nervousness, it's an actual medical disorder.

But the one thing I will say is that to combat agoraphobia, you do eventually have to face what is causing you distress, and use what you learn from professionals to maintain control of yourself. If Ben really does want to continue playing basketball, he will have to face the court eventually.

I don't know what the NBA's policy is regarding mental health therapy and what can and cannot be used, but Ben might need to consider using medication.

My mother has had severe, extreme anxiety all of my life so I get it. I too have fought extreme depression a couple of times, lastly when someone tried to kill me and put me on deaths door. It disfigured me and it's hard to live with. I think about it 24/7 while also having to fight the thought of revenge because I don't want to do 25-Life and lose my family.

All in all I think that Ben will be OK next season when he can start from day 1 like everyone else. I think that it was too much coming in mid season with all the pressure to be the savior.

Again, to go against Jay Williams, I think that some of the things Ben does is just a defense mechanism. Maybe if I act like I am the ish, I can convince myself of it, and go out there to kill it. I also don't think that he intentionally lied to the team. I think that he really wanted to play but was just frozen with aniexty. That's why I think that he chose game 4 in the first place. It's for the opposite reason of what everyone thinks. I think that he wanted to play and picked the last game possible just to give himself a chance to build up courage. If you might get swept then game 4 would be the furthest he could push it out but at the end, he was still frozen with fear.

It's also one thing to have aniexty as a regular person but I know that it must be crazy when literally the whole country is looking at you, focusing on you, discussing you. I think that his teammates were disappointed at 1st but are coming to understand his illness and will be supportive going forward. I also 100% believe that it can contribute to his back issues

[Xtruroyaltyx77]

I've dealt with anxiety and panic attacks for several years now and I currently take a low dose med to help with it. So I sympathize with anyone going through that.

That said, it irritates me to no end when people use it as an excuse. I hope Ben isn't doing that.

If he knows what's specifically triggering his anxiety he's already got a leg up on folks with generalized anxiety.

[Stone]

I believe the best course of action with Ben would be to let him ease back into things. Continue with therapy. Then practice with his own trainer. Then practice with the team. If we could get to agree to a few summer leagues games that would be a positive. Onto playing in pre-season games. Then hopefully he comes back full time.

Although there is a possibility that he will not recuperate and we may have another max contract doing nothing for us. It may be a situation like Jason Williams after his leg injury where he could not come back and we have to wait and hope our insurance covers his salary.

All we can do is hope for the best.

[MrDollarBills]

I've dealt with anxiety and panic attacks for several years now and I currently take a low dose med to help with it. So I sympathize with anyone going through that.

That said, it irritates me to no end when people use it as an excuse. I hope Ben isn't doing that.

If he knows what's specifically triggering his anxiety he's already got a leg up on folks with generalized anxiety.

You're not alone pal, I'm there with you.

I hope to God that Ben is being 100% honest about this. I will give him the benefit of a doubt because I'd hate it if someone told me or another person that they are faking it. Anxiety disorder is absolute hell.

I think the guy is legit traumatized. I don't know what happened that day but i remember that game where Ben was literally running from the ball during one of his last games with you guys. That wasn't normal behavior.

[MrDollarBills]

I believe the best course of action with Ben would be to let him ease back into things. Continue with therapy. Then practice with his own trainer. Then practice with the team. If we could get to agree to a few summer leagues games that would be a positive. Onto playing in pre-season games. Then hopefully he comes back full time.

Although there is a possibility that he will not recuperate and we may have another max contract doing nothing for us. It may be a situation like Jason Williams after his leg injury where he could not come back and we have to wait and hope our insurance covers his salary.

All we can do is hope for the best.

It would be best if he stays here the summer, work with the staff and continue therapy.

I honestly have doubts on if he will ever play again. If he can't bring himself to face what triggers his anxiety head on it might not happen at all.

[spikeslovechild]

Mental Health is real.... but too bad we're in a world where everyone and not everyone are honest/dishonest....

found a tweet or did I heard it on radio talk, which is a funny to me and i want to share...

He has mental block now to play basketball but he certainly didn't have it when he signed his new mega contract.... so its hard to really be sympathetic....

but i shouldn't nor would taunt him either... he's far down in my list of disgust with our former team.

As long as the Nets are paying him what is sort of incentive on Ben Simmons part to find a solution for him to come back on the court?

Now the Nets are in a damned if you damned if you don't scenario the only way probably Simmons works through his "mental issues" and sees the court at this point is for monastery reasons but they'll have to publicly refuse to pay his salary to do so. I feel for you guys. He lied, hoodwinked and bamboozled you guys by letting on he'd be ready to play should they do the trade

[TheBallsDeeper]

I feel sorry for Nets fans, I know a lot of you got caught up with the "Philly didn't treat him right - he just needs a change of team". I've seen him waste his talent for a decade and I can tell you he will never change.

I've watched Ben Simmons since he was at Box Hill High School. He still has the same issue - he would rather not compete and people assume he could be great, than play hard and risk proving that he is not. It's why he went to LSU, and why he won't change to shooting with his correct hand. He has surrounded himself with people that will put him in cotton wool, he doesn't ever want to hear the truth.

For this reason he is uncoachable. His fragile ego will never allow him to be the player he should be.

[Hello Brooklyn]

Simmons is a basket case.

Its now becoming apparent his back issues were more about his mental health than him being unable to play.

I don't know why the Nets ever thought about playing him. Another horrible decision by Marks.

Once mid March hit and he wasn't ready to go, that was it.

You can't throw a mentally weak player like Simmons into the **** playoffs. How stupid can you be?

Next year he has a full training camp to ease his way back into playing full time.

[Gooner]

You can't win the championship with a player like Simmons having any kind of meaningful role, just like you can't win the championship with a coach like Nash. He doesn't have a winning mentality at all, and his skillset is terrible for today's NBA because he can't shoot a lick. OK, he is a good defender, but on offense it's 4-5. He is like an overpaid Andre Roberson with a huge ego. If I was Marks, I would trade him for John Wall, who used to have the worst contract in the league, but now, Simmons has the mantle.

[Brett43]

It's fine to feel sorry for Simmons on some personal level. But I don't think anyone should feel sorry for him on a professional level. He's been very, very lucky. He's on contract for another (gasp) $114 million and made $29 million this year without playing. If he walked away from basketball, he would exit a rich young man. He could go back to college and have a career doing something else. Or he could be a man of leisure.

[MrDollarBills]

I feel sorry for Nets fans, I know a lot of you got caught up with the "Philly didn't treat him right - he just needs a change of team". I've seen him waste his talent for a decade and I can tell you he will never change.

I've watched Ben Simmons since he was at Box Hill High School. He still has the same issue - he would rather not compete and people assume he could be great, than play hard and risk proving that he is not. It's why he went to LSU, and why he won't change to shooting with his correct hand. He has surrounded himself with people that will put him in cotton wool, he doesn't ever want to hear the truth.

For this reason he is uncoachable. His fragile ego will never allow him to be the player he should be.

I can't speak for anyone else but I have not once blamed the 76ers for anything surrounding Simmons and i have yet to see anyone on our board do that. This whole "the Sixers didn't treat him right" narrative is being driven by the Philadelphia fanbase.

I absolutely give him the benefit of a doubt concerning his mental health. But that's where it ends. I've been questionable of Simmons' competitive drive and love for the sport since his time in LSU.

I don't think the guy will ever play again and he's looking for a way out. Just my opinion.

[spikeslovechild]

Simmons had been described as pain-free for the majority of the past month but began to cite soreness in his back on Friday, and a scheduled scrimmage was pushed back, multiple sources said. Simmons conducted two full-court scrimmages last week on Monday and Wednesday, in which there was low intensity displayed, those sources said. Throughout Simmons’ rehab, both Durant and Irving, for their part, publicly downplayed their expectations for a Simmons return and said the goal is to get him healthy.

Simmons had another workout on Saturday, after which Nash said Simmons had no issues. On Sunday, Simmons informed the team his back was sore. For Nets players, the confusion was not centered around Simmons’ ailment, but with the perceived lack of attempt to play, effort to be in uniform and push his body in these high-stakes playoffs, sources said. Nets players and coaches wanted to see Simmons show resolve and enter this series to start his on-court Brooklyn tenure, even if it was for limited minutes on Monday or none at all while still dressing for the game.

https://theathletic.com/3273384/2022/04/26/ben-simmons-next-whats-next/

I would be shocked if he plays another NBA game unless the Nets play hardball and stop paying him

[dlts20]

You can't win the championship with a player like Simmons having any kind of meaningful role, just like you can't win the championship with a coach like Nash. He doesn't have a winning mentality at all, and his skillset is terrible for today's NBA because he can't shoot a lick. OK, he is a good defender, but on offense it's 4-5. He is like an overpaid Andre Roberson with a huge ego. If I was Marks, I would trade him for John Wall, who used to have the worst contract in the league, but now, Simmons has the mantle.

Come on now, he's a much better offensive player than that. He just refuses to shooot outside the paint which tells you right there he has mental issues but he is a top notch playmaker and great inside the paint/finisher

[GoSixersBro]

I remember watching the Showtime documentary, I think called One and Done on Simmons at LSU back in 2016 and this was right after the Sixers drafted him. By the end of the documentary I had a bad feeling in my stomach. Kid had no empathy for others including his college teammates, just a total "**** off" attitude and me-first mentality. I chalked it up at the time because he was young, and truthfully more because he was on my team, but by the end of the 2018 Playoffs I wanted him out and was crucified for it by other Sixer fans.

[Stone]

Ben is reportedly going to have back surgery and should be a three or four month recovery.

Prayers up…..hope he can make a full recovery

[TheNetsFan]

Ben is reportedly going to have back surgery and should be a three or four month recovery.

Prayers up…..hope he can make a full recovery

He'll probably need to ramp up during the beginning of next season. It's another poor look on our performance staff. If this was the outcome, he could have had surgery a month ago.