After initially ruling him out indefinitely, the Sixers have issued an update on the status of Joel Embiid, announcing today in a press release that the young center will miss the rest of the 2016/17 season.
“The assessment of Monday’s follow-up MRI of Joel Embiid’s left knee appears to reveal that the area affected by the bone bruise has improved significantly, while the previously identified meniscus tear appears more pronounced in this most recent scan,” Sixers chief medical director Dr. Jonathan Glashow said in a statement. “We will continue to work with leading specialists to gather additional information through clinical examination and sequential testing to determine the best course of action and next steps.”
Embiid, who was selected third overall in the 2014 draft, has now had each of his first three NBA seasons come to a premature end. However, 2016/17 represented a step forward, since it was the first season in which he saw the court at all. In his 31 games this season for the Sixers, Embiid flashed superstar potential, averaging 20.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 2.5 BPG in just 25.4 minutes per contest.
Embiid, who turns 23 later this month, will become extension-eligible for the first time during the 2017 offseason, so the Sixers will face a very difficult decision later this year. If the two sides don’t reach an agreement before the 2017/18 league year, Philadelphia would still have the option to match any offer made to Embiid as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2018.
Embiid is the second young Sixer to be ruled out for the season within the last few days — the club announced last week that 2016’s first overall pick, Ben Simmons, won’t make his NBA debut in 2016/17.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I wonder if they would regert trading Noel now?
No for two reasons. Number one he’s limited, it’s going to take a couple of years before he developes an offensive game, and number two he’s going to walk anyway this summer.
Dallas has already said they are going to re-sign him. So, we’ll see.
Yes I think they’ll match any offer that comes in. Dallas is trying to get younger.
Absolutely! At least the fans.
Sixers go for the tank job for the (seems like!) 5th consecutive year. Wow !!
Wow.
First Durant gets punished for trying to steal a ring, and now the Sixers get whacked for three years of tanking.
This is Ridiculous, I don’t care about Embid anymore, you cant stay healthy in 3yrs a time, whats the point of thinking about resigning him, you can be Lebron James 2.0, but if you cant play a full season theirs absolutely no reason to think hes no more than a name trying to get paid, the NBA has many of them already, so lets just STOP Dreaming about Embid, hes never gonna be nothing more than a Twitter Jaw, let him go into Show Biz and lets move on to getting this team straitened out.
Greg Oden 2.0
So much salt
Does anyone want to have an actual intelligent conversation about the Sixers or anything else NBA related or are we going to be stuck with this type of input? Seriously guys, the comment section on here is embarrassing
I agree. The sixers had no intention of playing him or Simmons the rest of the year. They were very strategic in their timing because they wanted to sell tickets and didn’t want us, the fans, to feel like they are tanking again. This is less about Embiids ability to stay healthy and more about drafting as high as possible to put the team in position to make a run at the playoffs next year and do damage in the playoffs for years to come. I fully believe that Joel will be a star and if they were in playoff contention he and Simmons would be playing this year. This is the final year of the process and I for one am extremely excited about the future.
Ummm, not totally buying it. Wouldn’t the Sixer at least want to see Simmons play even a little bit? Why waste his whole rookie year? Watching him play may help with deciding whether to draft a PG or a SG. Although the tanking theory is probably in play as well, I still think that there are some injury concerns and the Sixers aren’t taking any chances.
Agreed
Embiid has been great all year for Philly, but now that he’ll miss the rest of the season it’ll give them a better chance to fully evaluate what they have in Okafor and Richaun Holmes. It’ll help Philly have better draft position too.
The Sixers should be banned from acquiring another lottery pick for atleast two years.
Clearly, the Sixers owner/management team is ethically challenged and it’s time the NBA step in with draft rules changes that protect the integrity of the game.
True but tanking never works. A smart team can draft an excellent player at number 6 or 9 or 12. A team with Knuckleheads will draft a guy number 3 or 2 and he’ll be a bust.
The lottery typically consists of the same teams year after year. Should the Kings, Pelicans, Magic, Knicks, and Wolves all be banned from making lotto picks too? I’m guessing there is some sarcasm in your comment, but come on man.
Yes, EVERY team that has had a lottery pick for at least 3 consecutive seasons should be banned from successive lottery picks for 2 seasons. Rebuilding is one thing–tanking for nearly half a decade in some misguided attempt to acquire a generational franchise player is unethical, poor management and stupid.
Additionally, it’s not fair to put players new to the league into such a toxic situation like that. These teams need to get smarter with their decision making. They expend way too much energy to lose, and they’re not managing their rosters in a way that makes them competitive THIS SEASON. After 3 straight years of drafting a top 6 pick, you should not still be tanking. I guess I’m too old school, but I think it’s disgraceful.
The “ethics” of the NBA draft lottery. Give me a break man. The NBA is a league where you need to have a superstar player to be realistically competitive. There are 2 ways to get that player. One is free agency and the other is the draft. From what you’re saying the Thunder shouldn’t have been able to draft KD, Russ, Harden and Ibaka. And the Warriors shouldn’t have been able to draft Steph, Klay, And Barnes….
Honestly, it’s a great time to tank. Warriors and Cavs are practically infallible and I know being competitive is still valued by fans, but at the end of the it’s about Championships
Great time, huh? So where does it end? You keep tanking until LeBron finally breaks down or retires? What does that say to your fan base? I would disgusted if the Bulls did this for four or five years. No way am I watching them or buying merchandise to support a team purposely losing that long.
Great point ChiSoxCity
You’re not already disgusted to be a Bulls fan?
Look up status quo in a dictionary and you’ll see a picture of the Bulls logo. Yeah, I’m a very frustrated Bulls fan.
What Process?? Think about this, you draft Noel, and Embid who was hurt to start with, they might a been number one overall if not had been injured, the “Process” has Noel traded, Williams was Traded, Holiday Traded, you get the point, theirs No Process, people are led to believe every year about the needle moves forward, when it continues to go backwards, like the reply earlier, its about selling tickets, and I know I cant be the only one that seen Ben Simmons play in the Summer League, I wasn’t impressed whatsoever, if he was playing against NBA talent, he wouldn’t a come close to scoring with no outside game, he looked timid as all get out just in Summer League action, can you imagine him now playing next year without seeing one minute of Live NBA action, this is the Process, you go so many years, their not ready to play in the NBA, then when they have a clue, times ran out, Trade them or sign them to a Max, where in the world is The Process in that at?????
Sixers didn’t draft Noel, secondly they needed to trade him, no reason the sixers would match an offer for him this off season. This should be the end of “the process”
Sorry Guys, I’ve just had it, I been a sixers fan for 30yrs and never ever been this down, when Okafur just gave up lastnight, it just was the straw that broke the camels back, the team wont get any kind a free agents to come ride in this Train Wreck, I try to get excited every year only to be looking for Meds to forget what you just saw all year, its the same thing over and over, ever since this new ownership has taken over this team has continued to go down hill, when does this craziness stop, as a sixers fan, I don’t see a bit a light at the end of the tunnel, I just don’t think I can continue to be a sixers fan anymore, as bad as that sounds, I might watch some playoff games, but, if I cant watch the sixers, I don’t really wanna watch any NBA … Thanks for listening to this rant from a depleted sixers fan that cant take it anymore.
The 6ers future is tied to Simmons, but not sure he may stick around longterm (aside of stay healthy since he hasn’t played a game) once they fire the coach. McConnell’s been a small glimmer of hope but he’s more of a future key role player than star.
Need luck in the draft to build something special like OKC (Westbrook/KD/Harden) did and Golden State has as opposed to drafting/trusting the process yr after yr and expecting to build something special. Doesn’t happen too often, better luck in building through FA with a great young prospect or two than just relying on draft picks alone to build a future contender.
The NBA rid the Sixers of Sam Hinkie and installed the Colangelos on us causing a catastrophe in Philly. Terrible for us fans.
If this guy can stay healthy he will be the best center in the NBA as soon as next season. Yes, in only his 2nd season of playing. He has the skills to be not just the best of his time, but to be legendary. Plus the guy is funny. Too bad he has to play in Philly.
This isn’t his 2nd season, this is already Embids 3rd season, you realize they have to decide on signing him to future years on basis of little over 30 games in three years time, it just doesn’t make a bit a sense to think Embid is the “Process” or “The Future” when hes so injury prone, he was already sitting out back to backs and that didn’t even help, my point is, and it should sink in to everyone that’s a sixers fan, is that you can be Lebron James 2.0, but if you cant even get thru half a season a play, held out a back to backs in 3 years and now going into your 4th season, whats the point of even thinking about his process or even resigning him to any Max Contract whatsoever, wheres The Process at in that at??