Joel Embiid underwent surgery on Tuesday to treat a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee. As a result, he will be sidelined for at least four weeks, and probably much, much longer.
Embiid’s quest to win the NBA MVP award twice in a row is now ended. The only thing the Philadelphia 76ers can hope for is that their chances of making a deep run in the postseason have not been ruined.
Embiid is expected to miss a lengthy amount of time due to a knee injury that he is thought to have sustained in a hard fall against Golden State last Thursday, just two weeks after he scored a career-high 70 points. The two-time NBA scoring champion and current leader in points this season, Joel Embiid, will be assessed in four weeks, the 76ers said, without providing any sort of return date.
Jonathan Kuminga of Golden State stumbled into the 7-foot-1 Embiid, injuring his left leg.
After missing a highly anticipated game against two-time MVP Nikola Jokic on January 27 due to a left knee injury, Embiid made his comeback to action in that particular contest.
The 76ers were once again projected as an Eastern Conference contender in coach Nick Nurse’s debut campaign. The 76ers, who host Stephen Curry and the Warriors on Wednesday night, are a dismal 4-11 without Embiid in the starting lineup.
“No one wants to push it or see him get hurt,” Curry stated on Tuesday. “It’s also a somewhat unusual injury.”
Six out of seven games have been lost by the 76ers.
Ever since they selected him with the third overall choice in the 2014 draft, Embiid has had injuries. Following foot surgery in June 2014 to fix a stress fracture, he missed his rookie season entirely. 2015 saw him miss his second season of eligibility due to the need for a second surgery on his right foot. Embiid has never been able to play more than 68 games in a season due to injuries to most portions of his body; last year, he only played 66 games and won his first MVP award.
In an attempt to encourage players to play in more games and take fewer nights off for relaxation, the NBA added and modified a few rules this season. A regulation that requires players to play 65 games in order to be eligible for postseason award voting was added as a means of encouraging players to play more.
Resting stars looked bad to the league, especially during nationally broadcast games.
Embiid has declared he would not push himself to play in order to fulfill the MVP games criterion. Embiid turns 30 next month.
Early in January, Embiid declared, “I’ve already done it.” “I’ll take advantage of the opportunity to obtain a second one. I’m not going to push or force myself to do it. My work will always be the best judge of itself. We’re triumphant. That’s the primary concern. We must continue to win, and it’s fantastic that you put up the numbers to be mentioned as the MVP. Nevertheless, if something comes up at the end of the day and I’m unable to play enough games to be eligible for it, then that’s fine too.
However, Embiid faced harsh criticism for his stance against Jokic and the Nuggets. Minutes before the game, the Sixers had benched Embiid due to a bouncy left knee that was giving him trouble during warm-ups. The NBA penalized Philadelphia $75,000 for neglecting to include Embiid on the injury report.
Embiid alone is able to respond to the question: did he push himself to play through injury, regardless of the cause?
Curry, a four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP for the Warriors, stated he “absolutely” would have played through an injury to reach the 65-game threshold.
Curry added, “But there’s also the faith that the medical staff has in you to sometimes save yourself from yourself.” “I would undoubtedly press for it. I constantly try to ask to return earlier than I really ought to.
The new collective bargaining agreement, which went into effect last summer, includes a 65-game rule (which may be fewer in certain circumstances) that determines a player’s eligibility for awards like MVP, All-NBA Team, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive Team, and Most Improved Player.
Following practice at the Palestra, Curry remarked, “I understand why it was implemented.” “I don’t think it was necessary for there to be a black and white blanket covering the entire NBA for all of the awards. Money matters are also impacted by that. You can persuade me into it, MVP. That is included in the definition of availability as an MVP. Many guys who have been in circumstances where they have to play for championships, strive to lead a team to that level, and receive individual recognition for it, I believe are constantly trying to play.
The 76ers’ only chance of avoiding the play-in round is to maintain their current position in the East rankings. Thursday is the NBA trade deadline. The 76ers’ actions, if any, may be determined by their true feelings over Embiid’s likelihood of being fit for the start of the postseason in mid-April.