76ers future

[nykballa2k4]

By fixable I mean the long term surgery that was rumored last year? Or the Lonzo Ball surgery/treatment? Or maybe those are the same thing.

Like it would be better to come out and say “Joel won’t be with the team through the 2025-2026 season” than to keep trying different bandaids.

Maybe the surgery ends any chance of MVP Joel, but maybe it opens the window to “top 10 center Joel” playing through age 37? Or maybe it doesn’t. Or maybe it brings MVP Joel back for 2-3 years.

Seems like the majority of Sixer fans, here at least, are ready to take that bet. I don’t run into many Sixer fans down where I live.

If you were a Sixers fan -- what's the better option:
1) Try to manage Embiid, get the roster to the playoffs, compete
2) Get scary surgery, but maybe get really good Embiid in two years, of note, unless your pick is in the top-5, it's going elsewhere during that span.
3) Trade Embiid to a team that has win-now structure and get back pieces to make a team around Maxey and Maxey's strengths.
example: Embiid for Isaac, KCP, WCJ, picks (let's say 3 unprotected FRP, 2 swaps though I think that's high).

How crazy would a team have to be to trade unprotected picks for a player who could--at any moment--opt for the "scary surgery" that takes him out of commission for years?

Just threw that against the wall.
Magic might be the only team that I could fit Embiid with his salary onto without destroying their core. Embiid would literally be the cherry on top with the only real high MPG player being dealt being KCP. Wagner, Banchero, Suggs, Da Silva, Goga, Black, Wagner 1.0 all untouched. They can win with or without Embiid, but with him, they'd be a favorite.
OKC, HOU, CLE, etc all would have to send away something painful.

[davidv2001]

When did everyone decide Joel was done? I could understand fans being “done” with the injuries, but I don’t really understand feeling like he is actually done.

It's been a year since he played more than 4 games in a row. It's been three years since he played more than 20 games in a row. There's ample cause for concern.

I've come to suspect more and more that a medical retirement is in his future. Maybe not immediately, but before the end of his contract.

I never saw those numbers. And I’m not questioning them. But it’s only been like 8 months since he played 6 playoff games in a row and that’s what I think matters?

I think the Sixers should have a better memory than some here is all. This has definitely been a sad season. But he’s only 30 years old and I don’t think it really matter to anyone if he plays 4 in a row or qualifies for MVP, just if the team is in the playoffs he’s on the court. I don’t even think they care about his lower usage. Glad to have Maxey/McCain do the regular season work next year..

Joel Embiid is currently out due to knee swelling after an on-court workout. If an on-court workout causes his knee to swell to the point he can’t play, how do you expect him to play an NBA season and the playoffs? The Sixers cut corners with his meniscus repairs, and Embiid’s knee is now paying the price.