[ad_1]
MIAMI — Ben Simmons’ back pain has eased so much that the Nets feel comfortable putting him on a plane for the first time in a month.
The rehabbing star joined the Nets on their road trip this week, and while he didn’t participate in full practice on Friday he was at least on the court.
“Yeah he’s feeling a lot less pain,” coach Steve Nash said of Simmons, who still has to be cleared to practice 1-on-1, 3-on-3, and 5-on-5 before he can even be considered for playing. “I don’t have any major updates. His symptoms are improving and I think he’s progressing, but he’s not on the floor yet.”
Simmons hasn’t flown since he traveled with the 76ers for a Jan. 26 game at Milwaukee. The herniated disk in his back flared up after that, and since he was traded to the Nets, he has only driven to their game at Philadelphia earlier this month.
He was given an epidural injection while the Nets were playing at Orlando on March 15. Whether it was the cortisone or time and treatment, he has made progress since then.
“It might be the epidural, it might just be time, physical therapy,” Nash said. “I’m not sure who is responsible for the improved symptoms.”
Goran Dragic (left knee) and Seth Curry (left ankle) were both listed as probable to face the Heat on Saturday after both missed the Nets’ loss Wednesday at Memphis.
“The knee, its good,” said Dragic, who will be returning to Miami for the first time since playing from 2014-21 with the Heat. “The swelling went down. It was just a bone bruise. So we have to be careful. But we’ll see how its going to react after [Friday]. But I want to play.
“This was my home for seven years. I owe them a lot. But in the end of the day, we’re professionals. You want to do good against your old team … and definitely I want to win that game. It would mean a lot. So yeah, it’s going to be exciting.”
It took not just lobbying from the Nets, but also the pressure of the impending baseball season to get New York City Mayor Eric Adams to grant exemptions from the city’s private-sector COVID-19 vaccine mandate to unvaccinated local athletes such as Kyrie Irving.
But Kevin Durant doesn’t care how or when it got done, just that it got done.
“It’s no crying over spilled milk. It is what it is,” Durant said. “But I’m not naïve to the fact that the Mets and the Yankees have a lot of power in our city.
“I’m sure when they all helped and had conversations with whoever they needed to talk to, they were able to push it over the top. Sports is a huge factor in these major cities. I’m glad we can get it done for everybody to move forward.”
After Adams earlier insisted “I was not lobbied on this issue,” Politico unearthed receipts showing the Nets had agreed in February to pay former City Council Speaker Corey Johnson $18,000 a month to lobby on their behalf in an attempt to get the mandate lifted.
“Corey reached out, clearly stated he was speaking on behalf of the Nets when he reached out,” Adams said. “I received calls from people who were against, and for. That happens in the city.”
[ad_2]