After Kevin Durant, it was Sean Marks, the GM of the Nets, who spoke about the arrival of Ben Simmons after the “blockbuster deal” which fueled the trade deadline between Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
If the Nets have indeed recovered an NBA star younger than James Harden, with two elements of choice to accompany him (Seth Curry and Andre Drummond), no one yet knows when Ben Simmons, inactive since the end of last season, will be able to play in his new colours.
“It’s probably too early to say exactly when Ben will be on the pitch”said Sean Marks. “He is currently in the process of having his MRIs and physical exams in order to get the green light. So until we see him and know his physical form, we are not going to put him on the pitch. To do so would be detrimental to his health first, and to the spirit of camaraderie that we want to build in this team. We must first make him do some training and see where he is physically. We will then see from there”.
A sporting and mental challenge
Sean Marks also confided that letting James Harden go was not an easy decision, and he wanted to thank “The Beard” for the quality of his final exchanges with the player. The arrival of Ben Simmons is of course accompanied by its share of uncertainties, but the Brooklyn franchise is ready to help its player to flourish, both sportingly and mentally, since these are the two points that led to the rift between the player and the Philadelphia franchise.
“All I can tell you is that he was delighted with the circumstances in which he got involved. And so are we. We will be there to support him from a physical point of view, from a mental point of view, to involve him and integrate him into our group. I think that’s cathartic in itself. Everyone likes to have an arm around them and a friendly pat once in a while. We will approach this situation with him with open arms.”, added Sean Marks.
Integrating it quickly and well, Steve Nash’s mission
If the Irving-Harden-Durant association has resulted in an acknowledgment of failure, it will now be up to Steve Nash to try to bring this new set of skills to life. As before the arrival of James Harden, the Nets have reason to believe it, on paper.
“We are certainly excited about the pace Ben can bring to the team, his defensive qualities, his ability to defend from all positions, from 1-5, his leading passing skills, his finishing near the circle, his penetrations… These are things that we are eager to see, not to mention the defensive rebound, the ability to push and lead the counter attacks. He can also be on the wing and attack the drive lines. It gives the coach more weapons to use on the pitch, and it’s going to be exciting, not just for Steve and Ben but also for the whole group.”said Sean Marks.
It remains to be seen when Ben Simmons will be ready. The sooner the better, because as Kevin Durant reminded us, the playoffs will come very quickly.
