Simmons ‘moving forward,’ eyes game vs. Sixers
Ben Simmons does not have a timetable for his Nets debut but hopes to be ready to play by March 10,…
NEW YORK — Ben Simmons was officially introduced as a member of the “scary” Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, but questions about his exit from the Philadelphia 76ers linger as he tried to turn a new page in his career.
Simmons said he doesn’t “have a date yet” for his Nets debut, but he said he’s “starting to ramp it up” to get into game-playing shape and hopes to be ready to play by March 10, when Brooklyn visits his former team.
The three-time All-Star, who has not played since last May after requesting a trade, was acquired by the Nets, along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two future first-round draft picks, in the blockbuster deal that sent All-Star James Harden and Paul Millsap to the Sixers last Thursday.
“If I knew, I would tell you everything,” Simmons said when asked why things got so bad in Philadelphia. “But there’s just a lot of things internally that had to happen over time. And it just got to a place where I don’t think it was good for me mentally. So it is what it is. It happened, and [I’m] moving forward.”
The topic of mental health came up several times Tuesday, given that it was cited as the reason Simmons pushed for a trade out of Philadelphia after last season. He was in good spirits Tuesday, flanked at the podium by Nets coach Steve Nash and general Sean Marks.
“For me, it was just making sure mentally I was right to get out there and play again,” Simmons said. “So that’s something I’ve been dealing with. And it wasn’t about the [Philadelphia] fans, or coaches or comments made by anybody. It was just a personal thing for me. That was earlier than that series [against the Atlanta Hawks] or even that season that I was dealing with, and [the Sixers] knew that. So it is something that I continue to deal with and I’m getting there and getting to the right place to get back on the floor.”
Simmons said he talked to Sixers coach Doc Rivers and other members of the team, but he still has not spoken to former teammate Joel Embiid. He noted that a variety of issues had piled up during his four-year tenure with the Sixers.
“For me, the mental health has nothing to do with the trade,” Simmons said. “It was a bunch of things that I was dealing with as a person, in my personal life, that I don’t really want to go into depth with. But I’m here now — it’s a blessing to be in an organization like this. I’m just looking forward to getting back on the floor and building something great here.”
Simmons said he didn’t feel like himself in Philadelphia and is looking forward to a fresh start with the Nets.
“A bunch of things that had been going on over the years to where I knew I wasn’t myself and I needed to get back to being myself and being happy as a person and taking care of my well-being,” he said. “That was the major thing for me. It wasn’t about the basketball, it wasn’t about the money, anything like that. I want to be who I am and get back to playing basketball and that level and being myself.”
The most difficult part of the last year for Simmons was not being able to play in a situation where he felt comfortable.
“Not doing what I love — that was definitely the most difficult part, especially for that long,” he said. “When you take something away from somebody that — what they love doing, it’s hard for anybody. Over time, I worked on that. Tried to stay in a positive place and get to where I need to be. It was difficult, but I’m blessed to be in this situation and have this opportunity.”
When asked if there was anything in particular he’d like to clear up for the record after seeing so many different reports about his status, Simmons was quick with a response.
“We’d be here for a while,” he said. “Everybody had a source, right? There’s hundreds of sources.”
Simmons said that once the trade finally went down, “it didn’t feel real for a few days,” but he pushed back at the notion that he had been making up mental health matters as a way to get out of Philadelphia, and he had a message for his critics.
“They should be happy I’m smiling, honestly,” Simmons said. “I’ve had some dark times over these last six months and I’m just happy to be in this situation with this team and organization. People are going to say what they want. They’ve said it the last six months and I haven’t commented and it is what it is so people are always going to have their own opinions.”
The Nets remain confident that not only will Simmons find a comfort zone playing alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but he will be in a good place off the floor given his long-standing relationship with Durant and fellow Australian guard Patty Mills.
“I think it’s going to be scary,” Simmons said of playing with Durant and Irving. “Having those guys running alongside me, multiple different weapons on the floor. And I think at the pace we want to play at, it’s going to be unreal.”
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