PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid banged his knee in the first half of the first game of a career-re-defining season, then stumbled toward a decision point.
Already having chosen to decline an offseason operation to correct a tattered right meniscus, Embiid could have used that collision in New Orleans to push him toward some early outpatient surgery. It was October of a season the Sixers hoped would poke into June. Embiid was telling friends he was having difficulty walking. He said he was sore. At several on-court moments, he appeared sore.
That torn meniscus was real.
That aggravation was painful.
The combination was momentous.
Yet Embiid played the next game. And the one after that. Then two more. Then was in the starting lineup Saturday for a game against the visiting Atlanta Hawks that had an oddly familiar feel.
“Like I always say,” Embiid said, “there are no excuses.”
Come again?
Who? What?
No excuses? Since when?
Wasn’t the Wells Fargo Center the central distribution point for load management before it became an NBA epidemic? Wasn’t Embiid OK with red-shirting for two years to correct a broken foot? Haven’t the Sixers literally used the option to rest Embiid as an excuse to give their draft-night parties more zest?
In defense of Embiid, he was the first to holler, “it’s bull,” five years ago when he grew tired of being allowed to play 28 minutes on certain nights, yet never longer enough to mix in an additional three-second violation. Though he has been rested over the years for (inhale), knee issues, a weak back, shoulder trouble, a neck injury, general illness, load management, health and safety protocols, a damaged orbital bone, a twisted ankle, a swollen lip, an upper respiratory infection, a sore hand and a migraine, he was never one to want to miss a workday. His injuries were real, as was his anger that he’d been made to sit out as a result.
Not every pro athlete is a want-to-play guy. Embiid is. And if the first few weeks of his eighth NBA season showed anything, it is that he is determined this time to play through the pains in his muscles and bones, and also the pains in the neck that are the organization’s load-management sentries.
“I’m fine,” he said, after playing 31 minutes and contributing 30 points, 19 rebounds and an important late bucket to a 110-102 victory over Detroit. “I am playing a game I love. Every single day I wake up, that’s what I want to do. So that’s what I’ll keep focusing on. And whatever happens, happens.”
It’s about time for that, so long into a career that has yet to leave Embiid or his team fulfilled. They’ve all tried to make decisions to ensure later results. All that yielded Embiid last season was place money in the MVP race, the electorate rejecting his bid largely because he too frequently was unavailable.
Even if a stronger MVP candidacy is among the motivating forces, Embiid’s determination to play through physical challenges will benefit the Sixers. At 27, he’s young enough for that. He’s comfortable that declining surgery will not make his meniscus any more or less torn. And with Ben Simmons out while trying to clear a mental hurdle, the Sixers cannot afford to fall too far behind in an Eastern Conference substantially more challenging than during the truncated season of 2020-2021.
On cue Saturday, Embiid, who was averaging a team-high 21.4 points, was listed as having “right knee soreness” on the pregame injury report. Yet instead of listing him as questionable and employing the game-time decision option, the Sixers declared him “available.”
So that running game-time-decision gag had finally fizzled.
“It’s a long season,” coach Doc Rivers had said. “You have to make a decision on not only whether to play him this game but on how it will affect him in the next game.”
The Sixers will maintain that option. But they have played six games and there was no load management beyond what Rivers felt what was best for his basketball club. For a player as prone to accidents as Embiid, that could be risky. But eight years into a career that will be defined first by championships and at some point by MVP plaques, he seems aware that it is risk-taking time.
“I am just trying to be available for my teammates every single night,” Embiid said. “I am trying to do the best job I can. Every single year, I come in with the mindset of trying to play as many games as I can.”
It didn’t always seem that way. Six games and six starts into a turning point season in 76ers history, it does.
"load" - Google News
October 31, 2021 at 08:25AM
https://ift.tt/2ZxYYUq
Regardless of pain, Joel Embiid is willing to carry any Sixers load - The Delaware County Daily Times
"load" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2SURvcJ
https://ift.tt/3bWWEYd
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Regardless of pain, Joel Embiid is willing to carry any Sixers load - The Delaware County Daily Times"
Post a Comment