Photo: Sarah Stier
Doug Gottlieb is not onboard with criticizing Ben Simmons for his lack of competitive fire after he pulled himself out of his Nets debut with back soreness. Injuries shouldn’t be dismissed lightly however; it IS fair to criticize his work ethic which may be contributing to his injury history. In short, there are plenty of other things to criticize about Ben Simmons without calling him a faker.
Doug Gottlieb: “Ben Simmons is as talented a player as I have ever seen in the college game. The game was easy to him, but he just didn’t work! I watched him shoot, and he didn’t work. That’s a fair critique. I do not believe it’s a fair critique to go, ‘Hey, guy’s not playing because of competitive fire. Guy’s not playing essentially because he’s faking it. He’s pouting.’ I have no doubt that it’s exhausting...”