Nash: Ben Simmons slowly ramping up; LaMarcus Aldridge out another week

After all the wonders of Thursday night, some pundits and Nets fans had hoped that just maybe they’d see Ben Simmons on the court Sunday vs. the Knicks even if only for a few minutes. That’s not happening. The Nets may have an “urgency” in getting Simmons on the court, as Woj said last week, but the ramp-up will take precedence, Steve Nash said Saturday morning. There’s no public timetable for Simmons’ debut in black-and-white.

Also, the Nets will also be down LaMarcus Aldridge Sunday ... and for the rest of the week, added Nash. To add some depth, the Nets are bringing up Day’Ron Sharpe from Long Island for the Knicks game.

Nash also suggested that the Nets are being extra cautious with Simmons because he has a history of back issues. Here’s all the details on both Simmons and Aldridge in a series of tweets from Brian Lewis...

The Nets will of course be without Kyrie Irving who is ineligible to play in New York. As an unvaccinated individual, he can attend but not play at Barclays Center.

• Ben Simmons still far away from playing for Nets: ‘Not ready for even one-on-one’ - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Nets are running out of time with Ben Simmons still limited in practice - Kristian Winfield - New York Daily News
• Nets riding high, but reality check coming with Kyrie Irving likely out for 11 of next 15 games - Kristian Winfield - New York Daily News
• Ben Simmons still far from ready to help Nets - Laura Albanese - Newsday