Joel Embiid Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Joel Embiid Shoves Columnist In Sixers’ Locker Room

November 2nd, 2024 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joel Embiid was involved in a scuffle with a columnist after the Sixers lost at home to Memphis tonight, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Embiid made contact with the journalist, but Charania describes the action as a shove rather than a punch. That version of events was supported by Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Recounting the exchange for PHLY Sports (Twitter video link), Kyle Neubeck identifies the columnist as Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer, whom Embiid singled out in public comments earlier this week. Hayes has written multiple columns accusing Embiid of being unprofessional and blasting the Sixers for a lack of transparency about his condition.

Embiid was particularly upset about a piece from Hayes criticizing him for not being ready for the season opener and claiming that he’s not providing a good example as a father.

“Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his career,” Hayes wrote. “He often says that he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother. … In order to be great at your job, you first have to show up for work. Embiid has been great at just the opposite.”

Embiid approached Hayes as soon as he became aware that he was in the locker room, Neubeck adds. He directed some profane comments at the writer, and Neubeck said he added something along the lines of “You can say I suck, you can say whatever you want about me as a player. Don’t ever put my dead brother’s name in your mouth. Don’t talk about my family. Don’t bring them into this. You want to talk to me like a man and talk to me about basketball, that’s different, but if you ever talk about my family again we’re going to have real problems.”

The shove occurred after about 90 seconds of the heated discussion, Neubeck adds, and then team security and other players moved in to break it up.

The Sixers are off to a 1-4 start as Embiid has been sidelined with “left knee injury management.” He has reportedly been making progress toward a recovery, but no date has been set for his return.

It’s possible Embiid could face a suspension that will keep him out of action even longer. An NBA spokesman told Charania “We are aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room this evening and are commencing an investigation.” (Twitter link)

Joel Embiid Discusses Knee Issue, Responds To Criticism

November 1st, 2024 at 8:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers star center Joel Embiid, who has missed the first four games of the season and has been ruled out for Saturday’s tilt vs. Memphis due to “left knee injury management,” told reporters on Friday that his goal is to make sure he feels fully comfortable on his surgically repaired knee before making his season debut, as Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports writes.

“I want to be at my best. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m afraid if I do this I might do something or whatever,” Embiid said. “I mentioned it since the last surgery, I mentioned it so many times, it was probably the toughest mentally. I think mentally I’m just dealing with getting that trust back. In the past, it was just easy. But for some reason, this one is just like, mentally, trusting yourself and trusting your body. And I think that’s really what I’m doing.

“I’m almost there,” he continued. “And then with the team, we’re on the same page. I listen to them, they listen to me, and see how everything reacts. Been doing pretty good, going up and down five-on-five, and today was a great session with the whole team.”

According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link), Embiid experienced some “minor swelling” in his left knee during the preseason, which is one reason why the Sixers have taken a cautious approach with him this fall.

The former MVP has been scrimmaging for a few days, but Friday’s practice represented a big step forward because it was a live-action five-on-five session with teammates, rather than 76ers staffers.

While it sounds as if Embiid’s absence might not extend much further beyond Saturday’s contest, he was reluctant to name a specific target date for his return, as Neubeck relays.

“It’s unpredictable,” the big man said. “You can have good days, you can have bad days, so I think it’d be kind of foolish for me to sit there and be like, ‘Oh, I’m playing on Tuesday,’ when you don’t know. I played today and it reacts, you’re still getting back into game shape, still getting back to yourself.

“You need to feel 100%, because I think over the years, I’ve done a lot and I’ve put myself at risk for the team, which I’m going to continue to do. But right now is the time to make sure everything is great, which is trending that way. It’s pretty good right now, everybody’s trending the right way, and so we can go on and have a long season and a great couple of years.”

Embiid has faced criticism from some corners for his ongoing absence this fall, with Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer writing multiple columns accusing the 30-year-old of a lack of professionalism and ripping the Sixers for their lack of transparency.

Embiid, who said he’s doing what’s best for his body, pointed out that he has played through multiple injuries and come back early from others over the course of his career. He took exception to some of the criticism he has faced, calling out Hayes by name in his comments to reporters.

“When I see people saying, ‘He doesn’t want to play,'” Embiid said. “I’ve done way too much for this city and putting myself at risk for people to be saying that. I do think it’s bulls–t. Like that dude, Marcus whatever his name is, I’ve done way too much for this f—ing city to be treated like this. Done way too f—ing much. I wish I was as lucky as other ones, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not trying, and I’m not doing whatever it takes to be out there, which I’m going to be here pretty soon.”

Like Embiid, Sixers forward Paul George has missed the club’s first four games and will be unavailable on Saturday due to the bone bruise in his left knee. He’s also moving toward a return, telling reporters on Friday that he’s in the final stage of his rehab process.

“I think at this point, it’s more just cardio, getting the conditioning ready to go, so that when I do come back I’m not subject to any injuries because I’m fatigued and tired,” George said, per Neubeck. “I had really good two days of finally being on the court and practicing and running hard, being in live action, so the knee up to this point feels really good.”

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Raptors, Barnes, Queta, Watford

October 31st, 2024 at 10:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers star Joel Embiid has participated in multiple 5-on-5 scrimmages in recent days as he takes steps toward making his season debut, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania.

According to Charania, with the 76ers not in action again until Saturday, the expectation is that Embiid will be evaluated ahead of that game vs. Memphis after working out on Thursday and Friday. The former MVP has missed the first four games of Philadelphia’s season, but hasn’t yet been ruled out for Saturday’s contest against the Grizzlies.

The Sixers were fined $100K this week for inconsistent statements about Embiid’s health status. Pressed on Wednesday about the team’s lack of transparency, head coach Nick Nurse declined to offer any specific details about where things stand for the big man or Embiid’s co-star Paul George, who has yet to make his 76ers debut due to a bone bruise in his knee.

“They are making progress,” Nurse said, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “They’re going to have workouts tomorrow, Friday. We hope to have a better indication where they are by then. I’ll update you then.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca and Eric Koreen of The Athletic write, the orbital fracture that will sideline star forward Scottie Barnes for at least the next few weeks will make it even more difficult for the Raptors to evaluate their core, which has been hit hard by injuries this fall. However, there are some silver linings, Lewenberg and Koreen note. The Raptors will have more minutes available for their younger players and are increasingly unlikely to be on the hook for an extra $45MM for Barnes, who would become ineligible for an All-NBA spot if he misses at least 18 games this season. The five-year rookie scale extension he signed in July would be worth a projected $269MM instead of $224MM if he earns All-NBA honors in 2024/25.
Neemias Queta provided the Celtics with some quality minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Indiana, pulling down nine rebounds as Boston outscored Indiana by 18 points in his 14 minutes of action. While Queta has played sparingly behind Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman so far this season, Brian Robb of MassLive.com makes the case that – with Kristaps Porzingis still out for a while – the time may be right for the Celtics to take a more extended look at Queta, who signed a three-year contract with the team in July and may be better suited for certain matchups and situations than Kornet or Tillman.
Nets forward Trendon Watford, on the shelf since early October due to a left hamstring strain, has been upgraded to probable for Friday’s game vs. Chicago, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. It’s unclear whether Watford will be part of Jordi Fernandez‘s rotation, but he should soon be available to make his season debut if needed.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Claxton, Raptors, Knicks, Towns

October 30th, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Sixers Fined $100K For Statements About Embiid

October 29th, 2024 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have been fined $100K by the NBA for violating league rules, including its player participation policy, according to a press release.

Philadelphia had been the subject of a league investigation after holding Joel Embiid out of games during the first week of the season for what the team dubbed “left knee injury management.”

According to today’s announcement from the NBA, the 76ers weren’t fined for resting Embiid, but for public statements that club representatives – including general manager Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse – made about his status.

Nurse told reporters last week that Embiid hadn’t suffered any setbacks after injuring his left knee last season and suggested that the star center’s absence during the first few days of the season was part of the team’s plan for managing his workload.

“The league’s investigation also confirmed that Embiid has been unable to play in the 76ers’ regular season games this season due to a left knee condition, and therefore his games missed have not violated the Player Participation Policy,” the NBA’s statement reads.

While a team is considered to have violated the player participation policy and is subject to a fine for holding a healthy player out of nationally televised game (like last Wednesday’s Sixers/Bucks contest), a team can also be fined for inconsistent statements that don’t accurately represent a player’s health. The NBA made this ruling based on the latter rule, not the former.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, a $100K fine is the standard for an initial violation of the player participation policy. Those fines would escalate for subsequent violations, beginning with a $250K penalty for the second strike.

Sixers Notes: Gordon, Martin, Embiid, George, Nurse

October 29th, 2024 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Tyrese Maxey led the way in the Sixers‘ overtime win over Indiana on Sunday, with a game-high 45 points in his 48 minutes of action. But the team likely wouldn’t have gotten its first victory of the season if not for a pair of offseason additions, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who highlights the contributions of Eric Gordon and Caleb Martin.

Gordon scored 15 points and was a plus-17 in 32 minutes off the bench, while Martin had a double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds) in 37 minutes.

Joel Embiid and Paul George will be back in the 76ers’ lineup at some point, but it won’t happen on Wednesday vs. Detroit. As Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports tweets, while the two stars participated in portions of practice on Tuesday, they’ve been ruled out for tomorrow’s game and will be reevaluated again later this week.

With or without those stars healthy, the club will need major contributions from its role players, Pompey writes. Sunday’s win showed what that could look like, and Gordon is confident that Philadelphia’s supporting cast will only improve as the season progresses.

“We are going to continue to get better,” Gordon said. “This is the worst, you know? You can never panic in this league. There’s too many games, an 82-game season. It’s too early. And we’re going to continue to get better and better. We’ve got guys with great attitudes who are wanting to win.”

Here’s more on the Sixers:

No team brought back fewer players from last season’s roster (seven) than the 76ers. That – along with Embiid’s and George’s absences – has created an early-season challenge for head coach Nick Nurse, who is still getting accustomed to his new-look squad and determining the strengths and weaknesses of certain lineups, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ve got to learn what’s going on with this team,” Nurse said during Sunday’s post-game media session. “… I’m trying to learn what looks good, and what doesn’t.”
Embiid hasn’t suited up for a game yet this fall, but he’s already been hit with his first technical foul of the season. According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link), the league announced on Monday that Embiid was assessed a technical for waving a towel on the bench while Andrew Nembhard was shooting free throws on Sunday.
Patrick McCaw, Marcus Bagley, and Isaiah Mobley are among the notable names on the training camp roster announced on Monday (via Twitter) by the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League affiliate. McCaw won three NBA championships with Golden State and Toronto during the first three years of his playing career, while Bagley and Mobley are the brothers of established NBA players (Marvin Bagley III and Evan Mobley).

Sixers Notes: Drummond, Embiid, George, Nurse, Lowry, Yabusele

October 25th, 2024 at 1:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Andre Drummond knew he wouldn’t be the full-time starter when he signed with the Sixers this summer, but figured there would be plenty of chances to start given Joel Embiid‘s injury history and the need to have him ready for the playoffs. The first opportunity came Wednesday, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Drummond didn’t find out until Tuesday that Embiid would be sitting out the game, and he responded with 10 points and 13 rebounds in 25 minutes.

“It’s going to be a very fun year,” Drummond said. “I feel I got drafted again, like I’m the new kid on the block, and I get to showcase myself all over again.”

Drummond played a reserve role in Chicago the past two seasons and was one of the most productive backup big men in the league. He has experience playing behind Embiid, spending 49 games with Philadelphia during the 2021/22 season.

“We already know, once [Embiid] comes back, what type of offense we’re going to play,” Drummond said. “But we’ve got to have a difference between he and I when we’re out there, different styles of play. … Obviously, when [Embiid is] healthy, we need him the entire year. But being able to step up whenever he does have those moments of rest and needs to sit out, knowing that there won’t be any drop-off.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

Embiid and Paul George will miss at least the first three games of the season, but coach Nick Nurse remains optimistic about their progress, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. They were limited participants in Thursday’s practice, although neither of them scrimmaged, which the team would prefer to see before clearing them to play. “I think they are improving and making strides,” Nurse said. “They were in all of the beginning basic stuff and some kind of live-ish drills. The half-court for a little bit as well. So it looked like they are progressing.”
Tonight will mark Nurse’s third trip to Toronto since taking over the Sixers, and he told Pompey that it’s still a special experience to return to the city where he coached for 10 years. “It’s probably one of the more interesting stops along the season for me, for sure,” Nurse said. “I’ve got to go try to figure out how to win a game.”
Toronto is also a significant spot for Kyle Lowry, who was one of the city’s most beloved players during his nine seasons with the Raptors. He told Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) that it would mean “the world” to him to someday have his number retired in Toronto.
Guerschon Yabusele, who signed with Philadelphia this summer after spending five years overseas, doesn’t believe there’s a gigantic gap between the NBA and the EuroLeague, relays Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “It is too early to say because I have only played one game, but I always say that some of the best EuroLeague teams can compete with some NBA teams, for sure,” Yabusele said. “I am not saying the best teams [in the NBA]. … They are two different leagues. Being able to play for Real Madrid for three years and competing in those arenas against other teams and players, I gained a lot of experience. And feeling how it is on the court playing against tough teams helped a lot.”

Atlantic Notes: George, Embiid, Knicks, Hauser, Queta

October 24th, 2024 at 10:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Sixers star Paul George is continuing to progress well in his recovery from a bone bruise in his knee, but he will not be available for Philadelphia’s upcoming two-game road trip, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). The next update on George’s availability will come early next week, per Charania.

Earlier Thursday, head coach Nick Nurse said both George and Joel Embiid were participating in “most of the action” at practice (Twitter link via The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey). The duo did not participate in the five-on-five scrimmages but were doing some live work.

As we previously relayed, the NBA officially launched an investigation into Embiid’s player participation. He has already been ruled out for the first three games of the year. Without George or Embiid in the season opener, the Sixers lost by 15 points to Milwaukee. They next travel to Toronto and Indiana.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The new-look Knicks were the talk of the offseason after making massive swings by acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges via trade. However, they were defeated by 23 points in the opener against the Celtics, allowing 132 points. According to the New York Post’s Peter Botte, the Knicks are aiming to recovery quickly, starting at the defensive end. “That’s championship-level basketball. For us, it was a punch in the mouth and we gotta respond,” guard Miles McBride said. “Obviously, it’s a long year. Can’t overreact to one game, but I don’t think that’s how you go into a year and set the tone.“
Bridges acknowledged that the Knicks know they’re a work in progress, according to SNY Knicks (Twitter video link). “It’s not going to be right away,” Bridges said. “It’s going to take time and building. You can be a mediocre, a solid to okay team, but that’s not what we’re striving to be. We have to continue and get better every day.” The Knicks made the second round of the playoffs last year but struggled with injuries through the end of the year.
Celtics wing Sam Hauser, who played 24 minutes in the season opener and scored 10 points, missed Boston’s Thursday game against the Wizards, observes Spotrac’s Keith Smith (Twitter link). He’s dealing with lower back soreness.
Neemias Queta made a case for more minutes in the Celtics‘ win over the Wizards on Thursday, Brian Robb of MassLive writes. Queta scored 12 points and seven rebounds in just 14 minutes played, holding his own against Washington’s bigs. As Robb writes, the 25-year-old could help ease Al Horford‘s workload with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, George, Maxey

October 24th, 2024 at 10:54am CST by Dana Gauruder

As expected, the NBA has officially launched an investigation into Joel Embiid‘s player participation, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

The player participation policy requires stars (defined as players who have made an All-Star or All-NBA team in the past three seasons) to suit up for nationally televised games. If they’re held out of action without an injury or without the league granting an exception, the team is subject to a fine.

The Sixers have already stated that Embiid, who also didn’t play in the preseason, will miss the first three games of the season. They are determined to keep him fresh for the postseason.

We have more on the Sixers:

Philadelphia opened its season with a 15-point loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday, as Paul George also sat out with a knee injury. Tyrese Maxey said that injuries can’t be used as an excuse, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We played one game,” Maxey said. “I’m not about to sit here and say that just because Jo was out, we played bad. Yes, we did not win the game, which is the ultimate goal. But we’ve been with Jo all preseason. All training camp for the most part. … I mean, this team, us winning can’t solely be on Joel Embiid. It just can’t.”
Embiid and George have developed a strong friendship. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell delves deep into this topic, noting they had extensive conversations at All-Star weekends. “He was like, ‘Man, regardless of what goes on, I look at you as someone that I want to be friends with for a long part of my life,’” George said. “And that was deep to me. Because we knew each other, but we didn’t know each other on that level yet. … [From] that point on, we just kind of built a stronger relationship, where it came to this summer.”
Despite the presence of that star veteran duo, Maxey feels he needs to become more of a leader, he told The Athletic’s Tony Jones. “I need to lead by example. I need to lead with my voice,” he said. “I know that I’m young, but I have to play well and if I do that I can demand respect with my play. I think Joel has given me the green light to lead, especially because he doesn’t talk as much. I have a lot of veterans in the locker room that are here to help me. But I really want to set a good example just by how hard I work.”

Sixers Facing NBA Investigation Over Embiid’s Early-Season Absence

October 23rd, 2024 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA is expected to launch an investigation into Joel Embiid‘s absence from the Sixers‘ lineup this week to determine whether the team is violating the league’s player participation policy, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

The player participation policy requires stars (defined as players who have made an All-Star or All-NBA team in the past three seasons) to suit up for nationally televised games. If they’re held out of action without an injury or without the league granting an exception, the team is subject to a fine.

The Sixers have already stated that Embiid will miss the first three games of the season, including Wednesday’s home opener vs. Milwaukee, which is being nationally broadcast on ESPN.

Embiid dealt with a left knee injury last season and the Sixers have referred to his absence this fall (he also sat out the preseason) as “left knee injury management.” However, Embiid played in the postseason and in the Olympics and head coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Tuesday that the star center hasn’t suffered any setbacks, so the league clearly has questions about whether there’s legitimate cause for him to be held out for the start of the season.

Leading up to the season, the Sixers have repeatedly and publicly made it clear that they’ll handle Embiid extremely cautiously this season in the hopes of having him healthy for the playoffs. According to Charania, the club’s plan is expected to include “periodic time off during the regular season and routine evaluations from doctors and the 76ers medical staff.”

There’s enough wiggle room within the player participation policy (which also discourages teams from resting more than one star in the same game, frequently resting a star during road games, or resting a star during an in-season tournament game) for the Sixers to adhere to its rules and still get Embiid plenty of off-days during the season. But if they want to manage the former MVP’s participation on their own terms rather than on the NBA’s terms, the 76ers may have to prepare to pay some fines.

While Paul George has also been ruled out for Philadelphia’s regular season opener on Wednesday, he recently sustained a knee injury that he’s still recovering from, so there’s no potential violation of the participation policy there.