Following up on the NBA’s announcement that the Sixers were fined $100K for violating the league’s player participation policy, Sam Amick and Joe Vardon of The Athletic attempt to parse the somewhat vague language of the NBA’s statement, which said the team was penalized not for resting Joel Embiid but for “public statements inconsistent with Embiid’s health status.”
One league source told The Athletic duo that Embiid didn’t re-injure his surgically repaired left knee during the Olympics, but that there were concerns about the stability of the knee and the possible risk of further damage if he had played last week. In other words, the big man is dealing with a legitimate knee issue despite the team’s insistence that there were no offseason setbacks.
One significant factor in the league’s decision to fine the Sixers was the team’s messaging that the playoffs were a top priority and that the regular season wasn’t, per Amick and Vardon. Sixers president Daryl Morey, head coach Nick Nurse, and Embiid all spoke publicly this fall about their plan to rest the star center frequently – including in back-to-back sets – in order to ensure he’s ready to go for the postseason.
We have more from around the Atlantic:
- Nets center Nic Claxton, who is still ramping up his conditioning after missing the entire preseason with a hamstring injury, will sit out Wednesday’s game against Memphis, the second of a back-to-back set, writes Ted Holmund of The New York Post. Claxton hasn’t experienced any setbacks, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez. “It’s basically part of the return to play with his minutes, back-to-back, being cautious with his body and this was part of the plan,” Fernandez said. “So he did a great job. He played those, those extra minutes at 26 (on Tuesday vs. Denver). Right now, we need a good rest and recovery, and then we’ll take the next step. So again, very, very happy with him.”
- After officially announcing their training camp roster on Monday, the Raptors 905 – Toronto’s G League affiliate – made a trade to acquire Charlie Brown Jr.‘s returning rights, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. The deal sent the rights to Marques Bolden and three future G League draft picks, including a 2025 first-rounder, to the Osceola Magic in exchange for Brown, who was cut by Charlotte earlier this month.
- The Westchester Knicks (New York’s G League affiliate) also announced their training camp roster this week. The squad has no shortage of players with NBA experience, including forwards T.J. Warren, Chuma Okeke, and Matt Ryan, guard Landry Shamet (who is rehabbing a dislocated shoulder), and center Moses Brown.
- The Knicks essentially never ran plays on offense for big men Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein over the past couple seasons, so they’re still trying to figure out how best to get new center Karl-Anthony Towns involved on that end of the court. Peter Botte of The New York Post takes a look at those efforts.
Silver: It’s OK to consider the regular season meaningless. Just don’t make public statements that indicate you do.
As a Sixers fan, our regular season has been meaningless for years when ya get bounced in the second round yearly.
The regular season in all leagues besides the NFL are just too long in general.
Too long for who? Because it certainly isn’t too long for the owners. Definitely isn’t too long for media companies. Pretty sure it isn’t too long for Kyle who sells hotdogs. So if it’s too long for the players, maybe teams should prioritize athletes who CAN play 82 instead of caving into the demands of someone who isn’t that serious about playing basketball.
The 82 games is too many relative to the role that the regular season plays in the NBA’s competitive landscape. Which is all that matters. The NBA regular season eliminates just 10 of 30 teams, and most of those 10 are ready to sign up for such elimination (and the high draft pick) before the season even starts. So, for any team that wants into the post-season, the regular season is just about post-season seeding. Whereas, for instance, the next 5-10 games (the play-in and first playoff round) eliminate 12 of the remaining 20.
No need to reduce the 82 games for the players or anyone else. Just level with the fanbase. Admit the regular season is an 82 game preseason, or, God forbid, make it a real season. E.g., if the league put just 8 teams in the playoffs (4 in each Conference) it wouldn’t have to worry about stars strategically taking games off.
Towns “I’m a Knick now” 44 pts and 12 reb
Towns is averaging 22.5 points 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest while shooting 59.6% from the field and 72.7% from the three-point range.
It’s 4 games. Try to enjoy the work the team and player puts in. It’s a team game.
82 games is too long for bad teams. Possibly injuries, happens, oh well. Sometimes ball clubs are just bad or have management with spines of a jellyfish.