Beck on Embiid's knee condition and Sixers not being honest about Embiid's medical status:

Here’s the truth that Embiid won’t admit, that Sixers officials dare not verbalize, even at the risk of getting fined: He’s injured. The knee he had surgically repaired in February, which he played on with clear limitations (and a brace) throughout the playoffs and the Olympics, still isn’t right. It might never be right. Like Kawhi Leonard (who also never discusses these things), Embiid might very well be dealing with chronic issues for the rest of his career.

If this isn’t abundantly clear, well, now you can blame Embiid outright. For whatever reasons—pride, privacy, contract concerns—Embiid has been notoriously protective of his health status throughout his career. He doesn’t want his injuries discussed or explained, by anyone. Every Sixers administration has bowed to those wishes, repeatedly obfuscating on his behalf—even to the extent of euphemistically using the term procedure in place of the more accurate surgery for Embiid’s meniscus repair in February. In recent weeks, the Sixers have attributed Embiid’s lack of game action to a vague “left knee condition.”

On the 100k fine due to misleading public statements regarding his health:

Just connect the dots on the NBA’s (muddled, dizzying) statement last week announcing the $100,000 fine against the Sixers. According to the league, Sixers officials were guilty of making “public statements … that were inconsistent with Joel Embiid’s health status.” Translation: They lied when they said he was held out of games for “injury management,” as opposed to, well, an actual injury. They lied when they said he had experienced no setbacks to his knee, because he obviously has.

In that same press release, the NBA said its investigation “confirmed that Embiid has been unable to play” in regular-season games—and therefore that Sixers are not violating rules aimed at curbing player “rest.” In its own obnoxiously bureaucratic way, the NBA is telling us that Joel Embiid is, in fact, injured. Not resting. Not load managing. Not being cautious. And not choosing to sit out to protect his ego or his stats. Just injured.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/11/4/24287568/joel-embiid-reporter-shove-marcus-hayes-philadelphia-76ers

28 comments

  1. Everyone can say what they want but injuries to us are just words on a paper but these players have to live through it . I know it can’t be easy to be that size and have to be a great player with all these injuries. Same deal with Ben Simmons and his back but all everyone wants to do here is hate and crack jokes

  2. The Sixers/Embiid’s biggest sin was not being honest about his health status and rolling into the season like it was just normal load management shenanigans.

    Could have probably saved themselves a lot of fine money by reporting his status as injured from training camp.

  3. The question then becomes why did the Sixers agree to a max extension with a player option in September?

  4. I guess Embiid’s career is gonna be divided into before and after Kuminga falling on his leg. Last season up until his big injury he was on a ridiculous rampage.

  5. the one thing i absolutely believe here is that the organization is being shiesty about what’s going on with embiid

  6. I mean, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit.

    Outside of the Serbia game he didn’t look that good in the Olympics at all.

  9. I said it last year when he rushed back for the playoffs that it was a stupid decision. Embiid should have sat out the rest of the season and gotten fully healthy and in great shape for this year. Instead he stupidly played hurt earlier in the season to try to prove a point, got hurt worse and missed more time only to rush back again and hinder his team in the playoffs by not being 100%. Dude’s career has been a series of short-sighted, ego driven, dumb decisions that unsurprisingly blow up in his face.

  11. I’m sure this is exactly what Paul George wanted to hear.

    Edit: Everyone responding the exact same thing.

    I was pointing out he just got done with Kawhi, and he’s starting over with a perpetually injured max contract co-star.

  17. It’s almost like he shouldn’t throw himself at the floor at every given opportunity. Even when it’s not a flop, he’s just like “Hey floor here I am”

  18. This seems obvious, which is why I don’t understand all the posts here about how he’s lying and doing some big disservice to fans by not playing. The dude is clearly falling apart physically.

  19. Sad, but hes making it hard to empathize with him the way he acts

    Them letting him play in the Olympics was so stupid

  20. > using the term procedure in place of the more accurate surgery for Embiid’s meniscus repair

    Kinda important to know if this is just reporters using misleading terms, or if Beck is legitimately reporting that he had a meniscal repair done vs a partial meniscectomy. Because Embiid’s recovery period post-surgery makes complete sense for the latter, and is absolute malpractice for the former.

  21. Sixers are locked in for next 4 years paying Paul George $55mill/per to average 16/5/5 and 5 years for Embiid $60mill/per to average 15/6/5. They might be the most turbo fucked franchise in the NBA.

  22. PG and Harden really spent their last years of being high level players just trading back and forth between generationally unavailable superstars made of glass

  26. I hope this doesn’t cause GMs to freak out over Olympic participation

    Kawhi was sent home to avoid extra injuries. Misses the season start.

    Joel stays and plays modified minutes with that injury in mind. Still misses time to start the season.

  28. Kawhi’s condition is degenerative, meaning it’s always getting worse instead of better. Kawhi should be medically retired. I don’t think Embiid’s situation is similar at all. Compare Embiid to Yao Ming or something instead.

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