During the second quarter of the Sixers‘ matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, ESPN’s broadcast team spoke with reporter Lisa Salters, who discussed a conversation she had with Joel Embiid.
Salters referenced a Friday statement by Daryl Morey in which the Sixers’ president stated, “The organization is hopeful that there will come a time that the knee isn’t an issue anymore.” But what was truly shocking was what came next.
According to Salters, Embiid believes that will be the case, saying, “It will likely take another surgery and a long recovery period, something he didn’t have after the initial injury last February.”
This is not only the first time the notion has been publically mentioned, but it is in contrast to what the team has consistently said throughout the season. If surgery is the answer, that is fine enough; what’s more troubling is the team’s insistence on playing Embiid through this season, despite that knowledge, and the fact that the team has not once acknowledged this potential outcome, which Embiid himself described as “likely.”
On Friday, Feb. 7, Sixers’ president Daryl Morey addressed the media, and among the many questions asked about the disconnect between what’s being communicated publicly by the team around players’ injury updates and the actual extent of those injuries.
“So there have been those times where, sincerely, Joel himself, [the] medical staff, he looks every bunch on the way towards playing,” Morey said, “and then primarily his injury is one where you’re managing his symptoms, swelling, and pain. And you know, when those things happen, it’s best for him to sit out.”
Morey continued. “I know that Joel is doing everything he can and fighting to be out there as much as possible. And I think you heard his answer. He believes in this team. He believes in how it can come together. And he was praising of Tyrese and others who have kept us in it. If he’s not out there, it’s because his symptoms aren’t allowing him to be out there.”
Morey also continued discussing the specifics of the projected recovery and what that looks like for Embiid. Notably, the answer is quite different from Embiid’s.
“We’re optimistic long term,” Morey said. “Talking to the doctors, and our understanding from talking with multiple experts, I think we’re seven, eight, nine, ten at this point of the top people in the world all see this as one that, over time, will improve, But it’s happened slower than anyone’s anticipated.”
How many times will the team continue to run an injured Joel Embiid out on the court and hope for the best? And how many times will the Sixers continue to misrepresent the facts about Embiid’s recovery?
