Joel Embiid Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Notes: Okafor, Splitter, Brown, Silver

March 9th, 2017 at 10:49pm CST by Milo Taibi

Despite a lingering knee injury, Jahlil Okafor hasn’t considered shutting down his season, Jessica Camerato of CSN reports (Twitter link). Okafor’s been experiencing soreness ever since a March 2016 surgery, but the former No. 3 overall pick will be relied upon in Nerlens Noel‘s and Joel Embiid‘s absence.

“We just rest and do treatment whenever we think is necessary, and just go from there.” Okafor told Keith Pompey of Philly.com.

Injuries Will Complicate Key Rookie-Scale Extensions

March 9th, 2017 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

Players who are currently in the third year of their rookie-scale contracts will become eligible for contract extensions beginning on July 1, and will have until the start of the regular season to work out new deals with their respective clubs. For the most part, that group is made up of first-round picks from the 2014 draft, which means that plenty of promising young players will be up for extensions this offseason.

Former No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins will be a top extension candidate for the Timberwolves, and other top-10 picks from 2014 – like Aaron Gordon (Magic), Marcus Smart (Celtics), and Julius Randle (Lakers) – figure to discuss new deals with their teams. Several players selected later in the first round, such as Gary Harris (Nuggets), Rodney Hood (Jazz), Clint Capela (Rockets), Jusuf Nurkic (Trail Blazers), and T.J. Warren (Suns) will also be viable candidates for extensions.

However, it would be hard to make a list of 2017’s top rookie-scale extension candidates that doesn’t include three players currently on the shelf due to injuries: Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, and Zach LaVine.

Joel Embiid (Sixers)

Embiid may be involved in the Rookie of the Year conversation for 2016/17, but he’s technically a third-year player, meaning the Sixers will be faced with a major decision on his future sooner than they’d like. Embiid, who won’t play again this season due to a knee injury, has only played in 31 games in his first three NBA seasons, a disconcertingly small sample size for the Sixers as they weigh a possible extension.

As impressive as Embiid looked during those 31 games this season, it’s hard to imagine Philadelphia making a long-term commitment to him in 2017 unless the team can get something done at a significant discount. Like the rest of his fellow rookie-scale extension candidates, Embiid would be eligible for restricted free agency in 2018 if he’s not locked up this year, at which point the Sixers would be able to match any offer sheet he gets.

If Embiid stays healthy – or at least healthier – in 2017/18, it would be an easier decision for the Sixers to go up to the max for him in the summer of ’18. If not, then perhaps other suitors will shy away from making aggressive offers in restricted free agency as well, reducing the cost for Philadelphia. Either way, it probably makes sense for the Sixers to take another year to gather more information on Embiid — if he proves worthy of a maximum-salary investment by that point, they’d certainly be happy to do it.

Jabari Parker (Bucks)

Unlike Embiid, who is expected to be ready to go to start the 2017/18 campaign, Parker is expected to miss a full year after tearing his ACL, meaning he may not get back on the court for the Bucks until about halfway through next season. Clearly, that’s problematic for Milwaukee — the club will likely have to make a decision on an extension for Parker when he’s still a few months away from playing.

Before going down last month, Parker was enjoying a breakout season, averaging career highs in nearly every key category, including PPG (20.1), RPG (6.1), APG (2.8), and 3PT% (.365). He likely would have been on track for an extension worth at least as much as Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s (four years, $100MM) if he had stayed healthy. But it remains to be seen if the Bucks will be willing to make a long-term commitment to Parker while he continues to rehab a second ACL tear.

If Parker is seeking financial security, and the Bucks are confident in his ability to make a full recovery, it could be a good opportunity for the team to roll the dice — something in the four-year, $70-75MM range might make sense for both sides. For Parker, it’s a huge payday that ensures he’ll be set for life no matter how his knees hold up going forward. For the Bucks, it would be Luol Deng money for a player who has the potential to develop into an All-Star. It would be a leap of faith, but with the salary cap set to exceed $100MM, such a contract wouldn’t necessarily be a huge albatross if Parker’s health prevents him from taking the next step.

Zach LaVine (Timberwolves)

LaVine tore his ACL just a few days before Parker did, though the Timberwolves didn’t announce a timeline for his recovery, so it’s not clear if he’ll remain off the court until 2018 as well. Unlike Parker, LaVine had been relatively healthy during his first two years in the NBA, missing just five total games, so perhaps there’s more optimism about his ability to get back to 100%.

With Wiggins also up for an extension, and a big payday for Karl-Anthony Towns potentially coming in 2018, LaVine likely won’t be Minnesota’s top priority this offseason. Still, he shouldn’t be overlooked. Having increased his scoring average from 10.1 PPG to 14.0 PPG to 18.9 PPG in his first three NBA seasons, LaVine adds a dangerous scoring punch to the Wolves’ backcourt. The team may view him as a piece of a long-term Big Three, alongside Wiggins and Towns, so exploring an extension this fall makes sense.

As is the case in the other two scenarios, the Wolves would likely only re-up LaVine in 2017 if they can do so at a discounted rate. The club won’t sign LaVine to a max extension, but if he’s open to doing something in the Dennis Schroder range (four years, $62MM), I think the team would jump on it. If LaVine’s asking price is closer to the $84MM that a healthy Victor Oladipo got on his four-year extension with the Thunder, that would make it more difficult for Minnesota to pull the trigger.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

And-Ones: Draft, D. Smith, Ball, Sixers, Webb

March 7th, 2017 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s still a little early for NBA prospects to start formally declaring for the 2017 NBA draft, but there’s “no question” that North Carolina State freshman Dennis Smith Jr. will be among the players who enter, a source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). According to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), the Timberwolves had multiple people, including assistant GM Noah Croom, in attendance to watch N.C. State play Clemson at this week’s ACC tournament — Smith certainly would have been a player of interest in that game.

Here are a few more odds and ends from across the NBA:

Lavar Ball, the father of UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball, has made headlines by boasting about his son’s potential, and NBA executives have to take Lavar’s presence into consideration when evaluating Lonzo, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. “That is going to be another thing to look at when it comes to due diligence before the draft,” one GM told Deveney. “How does he handle his dad — is it just something he laughs about, or is it real pressure on him?”
Sixers cornerstones Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid won’t play again for the team this season, but will they be ready to contribute in Summer League action in July? Head coach Brett Brown believes it’s “too early to make that judgment,” though he acknowledges that it’s something the team is considering. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer has the quotes and the details.
James Webb III, who has been with the Delaware 87ers as an affiliate player this season after being waived by the Sixers in the fall, has fractured his right ankle and will be sidelined for the rest of the D-League season, the team announced today in a press release. A camp invitee who received a $65K guarantee from Philadelphia, Webb has averaged 13.1 PPG and 9.3 RPG in 39 NBADL games.

Sixers Notes: Simmons, Embiid, Long, Okafor

March 6th, 2017 at 7:27pm CST by Milo Taibi

Even if the Sixers use their top pick on an elite guard, Ben Simmons will still be given an opportunity to show what he can do at point guard, Keith Pompey of Philly.com writes. After suffering a Jones fracture in his right foot, Simmons was ruled out for the duration of 2016/17. According to coach Brett Brown, the team will “immediately” give Simmons minutes at the point next season.

“I feel that the team has to try that immediately,” Brown said. “In my eyes, we are going to try that. I feel that it’s something that I doubt you say, ‘That didn’t work,’ and you just move on quickly. There has to be a body of work that you judge him on.”

Hoops Links: Murray, Maker, Barnes, Christmas

March 5th, 2017 at 4:39pm CST by Milo Taibi

On Sundays, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown:

The Jump Ball discussed Joel Embiid‘s case for Rookie of the Year.
Kwame Fisher-Jones of The 76er Files wrote about Philadelphia’s recovery from three straight sub-20 win seasons.
Mike Cortez of Hardwood and Hollywood implored the Knicks to build through the draft rather than overspend on free agents.
Daniel C. Lewis of Denver Stiffs thinks Jamal Murray should take home Rookie of the Year honors.
Mitchell Maurer of Brew Hoop assesses Thon Maker‘s athletic potential.
Tyler Birss of Hardwood and Hollywood chronicled Matt Barnes‘ history with the Warriors.
Kings coach Dave Joerger is holding off on playing younger guys until they’re ready, Omer Khan of SacTown Royalty writes.
Tim Wray of Behind the Buck Pass answered questions in his weekly mailbag.
Josh Padmore of 8 Points, 9 Seconds took a look at Rakeem Christmas‘ impressive play of late.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Rose, Horford

March 3rd, 2017 at 1:04pm CST by Austin Kent

The foundation of the Sixers franchise is cracked, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The scribe turns a spotlight on the organization for its handling of injuries to star players and even the management of its payroll this year and last.

Ambiguity and a lack of transparency with regard to the recovery times of players like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons call into question whether the club has a management problem or just a communication problem. Regardless, the “fans and players need this organization to be run better,” he writes. Recently the Sixers revealed that both Embiid and Simmons will miss the remainder of the 2016/17 campaign after several weeks of misplaced optimism and muted details about the severity of their injuries.

Finally, Cooney acknowledges that for the second time in two years the franchise has taken on and eaten the lofty contracts of opposing teams’ veterans in bids to push their payroll closer to the salary floor. A team that doesn’t reach the salary floor is obligated to pay the difference out to the players on their roster, but by taking on Andrew Bogut‘s deal, the club absolves itself of the responsibility. The part of Bogut’s $11MM contract that the Sixers inherited in the Nerlens Noel trade, of course, is prorated relative to how much of the 2016/17 season he spent with each organization.

“Don’t think that hasn’t soured some, if not most,” of the Sixers’ players, Cooney cautions.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

A less-than-impressive showing on defense in Wednesday night’s Sixers loss has Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Bob Ford wondering if “Jahlil Okafor‘s career in Philadelphia may have ended with that one play.”
Injured big man Joel Embiid is taking his setback in stride. “Be back soon,” the Sixers rookie tweeted Thursday. “The process has to be postponed.”
While the Knicks as an organization moved to embrace the triangle offense, point guard Derrick Rose isn’t so enthusiastic. “S—, do I have a choice? Do I have a choice?” he joked with Ian Begley of ESPN and reporters on Thursday.
While it wasn’t long ago that it seemed Derrick Rose was on his way out of New York, he’ll remain with the Knicks for the rest of the year and, per Laura Albanese of Newsday, is working on adding a three-point shot.
The Raptors will need to play with more energy and passion if they’re to stop their slide down the Eastern Conference standings, writes Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun. Modified minute distributions for the second unit may be in the cards as well.
The impact of Al Horford on the Celtics isn’t always measured by traditional statistics, writes A. Sherrod Blakey of CSN New England. “He makes plays, high basketball IQ, he can score, he can pass, he can rebound and the way he played (against Cleveland) we need him to play like that for us to win. He does a lot for us that doesn’t even go on the stat sheet though,” says point guard Isaiah Thomas.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Lowry, Embiid, Celtics

March 2nd, 2017 at 11:35am CST by Luke Adams

Newly-added Raptors Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker will add much-needed veteran leadership to the team in Kyle Lowry‘s absence, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Of course, Lowry, who underwent successful wrist surgery on Tuesday (Twitter link), doesn’t plan to sit by idly while he gets healthy. As Smith details in another piece for The Star, the veteran point guard is giving plenty of input to his coaches and teammates while he’s sidelined.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic division:

In the wake of the Sixers‘ announcement that Joel Embiid is out for the season, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (video link) examines a tricky contract situation for the Sixers and Embiid, who will be eligible for an extension this offseason. Meanwhile, head coach Brett Brown weighs in with his thoughts on Embiid’s rookie season and an interesting Rookie of the Year race (link via Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com).
Despite season-ending injuries to Embiid and Ben Simmons, the future is still bright for the Sixers, thanks to former GM Sam Hinkie, says Chris Mannix of The Vertical.
As Isaiah Thomas explains to Michael Lee of The Vertical, Thomas and his Celtics teammates weren’t counting on the team adding major reinforcements at the trade deadline and are very comfortable moving forward with the current group. “We were ready to go to war with the guys in this locker room,” Thomas said. “There is no other way. We understand that and we’ve got the utmost confidence in each other to keep going.”
Having been sent from Toronto to Orlando in a trade last month, Terrence Ross pens a farewell to the Raptors at The Players’ Tribune.

Joel Embiid Out For Season

March 1st, 2017 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Knicks, Horford

February 28th, 2017 at 6:51pm CST by Austin Kent

It doesn’t make sense for the Sixers to bring Joel Embiid back before the end of the season, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The big man has been sidelined for 17 of the past 18 games with a bone bruise and has also suffered a slightly torn meniscus.

At this point all the Sixers will say is that their rookie is out “indefinitely,” an escalation, we suppose, from the “day-to-day” label he’d been sitting under previously. For Embiid, however, the club should just come out and say that he’ll rest for the remainder of the season.

“It would be great for us as a unit to have him out there as we continue to strive forward toward winning as the season concludes,” general manager Bryan Colangelo said. “But at the end of the day, the health and performance of our athletes is first and foremost, we don’t want to jeopardize the long-term health.”

In the games that he did see this season, Embiid impressed, averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per contest. He was named the Eastern Conference rookie of the month in the first three months of the season and even won Eastern Conference players of the week once in January.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks have elected to bring back the triangle offense, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The club will use the remaining months of the season to determine which players best fit the system. Head coach Jeff Hornacek tells Ian Begley of ESPN that it will be a part of this summer’s player evaluations, too.
It’s clear that the Celtics believe they need two major pieces in order to compete for a title, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. That explains, he says, why the team didn’t jump on opportunities to nab Paul George or Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline.
The Raptors‘ defense has been rebranded, writes Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun, and players have already taken notice. “I just know that the defence behind me is strong,” says guard Cory Joseph. “When the pick and roll comes I’m going to get the early calls and will understand exactly what to do. It just allows me to do what I need to do, executing the task at hand and play more aggressively.” The Raps, of course, added Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker prior to last week’s trade deadline.
Summer acquisition Al Horford hasn’t been utilized as well as he could be, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. The big man is too often left on the perimeter while the Celtics shoot threes. Washburn writes that head coach Brad Stevens ought to devise better ways to get the center involved now that the trade deadline is in the rearview mirror.

Joel Embiid Out Indefinitely

February 27th, 2017 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

Joel Embiid didn’t take part in the Sixers’ shootaround today, and the team is now listing him as out “indefinitely” after he experienced some swelling and soreness in his injured knee (Twitter links via Sixers and Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com).

Coming out of the All-Star break, the Sixers had announced that Embiid would miss at least the first four games of the second half, but it now appears that his absence will extend beyond March 1. The young center is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his knee this afternoon, per Camerato.

For the Sixers, the news comes on the heels of Friday’s announcement that No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons won’t make his NBA debut until next season, having been ruled out for the remainder of 2016/17. While Philadelphia fans may be disappointed not to see the highly-touted duo of Embiid and Simmons on the court together this season, there’s no need for the team to rush either player back, since a playoff spot is almost certainly out of reach — the Sixers are 5.5 games back of the eighth-seeded Pistons, with four other non-playoff teams ahead of them.

The Sixers provided an update on Simmons today as well, announcing (via Twitter) that he underwent a minor procedure – a bone marrow injection, per Camerato (via Twitter) – to stimulate bone growth and accelerate healing. Simmons is expected to resume training by the end of the week.