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. 

When Simmons was traded by the Philadelphia 76ers to the Nets in February, he hoped to return before their March 10th game at Philadelphia. When that didn't happen, a planned March 18th debut was scratched. Simmons underwent an epidural on March 15th. 

Following their elimination from the playoffs, Steve Nash said expects to return as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets next season.

“Yeah. I loved doing this and love these guys, love my staff, love all the departments. Really have a great working environment, really enjoyed it and want to continue doing it,” Nash said. “Ben Simmons and Joe Harris will give us a big lift and we’ll see how the rest of the roster rounds out, but we should be excited by that. Getting two of your top four guys back — two guys with size, one who’s an All-Star and one who’s one of the best shooters in the league — that gives us a big boost. 

“That allows other guys to fall back into their natural positions where they don’t have to guard big guys every night or play too many minutes where they have to do too much against tall defenses where it can be very difficult for a bunch of guys giving up size at every position. So I think those guys will really help. Obviously the rest of the roster is very key as well and so we have this summer to work at that.” 

A recent report from Marc Stein of Substack also indicated Nash was unlikely to become the scapegoat for Brooklyn's disappointing season.

Kyrie Irving revealed he plans to re-sign with the Brooklyn Nets in free agency.

Irving and Kevin Durant signed with the Nets during the 2019 offseason. Brooklyn has since won one playoff series as they were eliminated in the first round on Monday by the Boston Celtics in a four-game sweep.

Irving also referenced Brooklyn owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks when asked about his future plans with the Nets.

"When I say I'm here with Kev, I think that really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe and Sean," said Irving.

"I've been recognized for my greatness, but at this point I really just want to be part of a great team." 

Irving's next contract is one of the more interesting questions heading into the offseason based on his varying availability over his career. 

"In terms of my extension, man, I don't really plan on going anywhere," said Irving. "So this is just added motivation for our franchise to be at the top of the league for the next few years."

Ben Simmons and Rich Paul met with Sean Marks on Monday to discuss how they will continue to work together to get Simmons back on the court.

Simmons reiterated his desire to play for the Nets and the sides talked about how they will work together. Simmons has three years and $114 million left on his contract after this season.

Both groups believe Simmons had two good weeks of physical ramp-up thru Sunday.

The Nets believe Simmons has been addressing both the mental and physical areas in recent months and recognize there's more work for him to do to return to game action.

The Nets host the Boston Celtics in Game 4 on Monday trailing 3-0.

Ben Simmons' debut for the Brooklyn Nets will have to wait a while longer. Simmons was ruled out for Game 4, despite considerable optimism that would be his long-awaited return game. The Nets said Simmons woke up on Sunday with back soreness, which reportedly caught the team by surprise.

When Brooklyn gathered at the practice facility on Sunday, Simmons informed them that he had a return of the back soreness that has kept him out since the February trade that sent him to the Nets. That was met with surprise and disappointment from the organization.

Steve Nash and Simmons' teammates had continually said in interviews that they weren't sure when Simmons would play. Privately, all of the Nets were prepared for him to play at least limited minutes in Game 4 on Monday.

The Brooklyn Nets have ruled Ben Simmons out for Game 4 of their first round series against the Boston Celtics. The Celtics lead the series 3-0 and the Nets need to win to keep their season alive.

Simmons' official designation on the injury report is "return to competition reconditioning/back soreness", as it has been for several weeks. Simmons has not played in a game to this point during the 2021-22 season.

Despite considerable reporting that Simmons would return in the middle of Brooklyn's first round series, he'll remain out for at least one more game. Earlier in the day on Sunday, Nets coach Steve Nash was unsure of Simmons' status when asked if his All-Star would make his Brooklyn debut.

"I have no idea," Nash said. "I think it just really depends hour-to-hour how he improves and where he's at."

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Kyrie Irving wouldn't use his fasting for Ramadan as an excuse after the Brooklyn Nets lost and fell down 0-3 to the Boston Celtics. Irving also said that the team's poor play could be put on him for as far as "doing more and holding guys accountable."

But Irving also said the Nets are "in a new experience as a group, and we just have to respect that." The veteran point guard added that the Celtics have been "gelling since Christmas" and that the Nets aren't in the same position.

When pushed a bit, Irving said "I don't wanna be cliche, but I don't know how you make up time from October to now."

Irving did not play for Brooklyn until January 5, as the team held him out since he was unable to play in home games. At the time, the Nets said they could not support having a part-time player that was only eligible for away games.

In early-January, after a short ramp-up period, the Nets began allowing Irving to play in road games. In late-March, New York City changed their vaccination mandates and Irving was allowed to begin playing games in Brooklyn.

Patty Mills is the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy for winning the 2021-22 NBA Sportsmanship Award.

The annual award is designed to honor a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. 

Each NBA team nominated one of its players for the NBA Sportsmanship Award.  From the list of 30 team nominees, a panel of league executives selected one finalist from each of the NBA’s six divisions.  Current NBA players selected the winner from the list of six finalists, with nearly 300 players submitting their votes through confidential balloting conducted by the league office.  

In addition to Mills (Atlantic Division), the finalists were Miami Heat center-forward Bam Adebayo (Southeast Division), Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges (Pacific Division), Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (Central Division), Denver Nuggets forward Jeff Green (Northwest Division) and Memphis Grizzlies forward-center Jaren Jackson Jr. (Southwest Division).

Ben Simmons plans to make his season debut in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics provided his rehab remains on course.

The Brooklyn Nets narrowly lost the first two games of the series against the No. 2 seed Celtics.

Brooklyn acquired Simmons at the trade deadline as part of the James Harden trade.

Simmons will play in his first game since June 2021.