Joel Embiid Expected To Return This Week

[RealGM Wiretap]

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is expected to return to play this week. Embiid's return could come as soon as Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Embiid has been out since January 30, when he was injured against the Golden State Warriors. After surgery on a torn meniscus, Embiid was given a six-to-eight-week timeline and he's coming back right around the eight-week mark.

Philadelphia has struggled without the reigning MVP in the lineup. The 76ers are 11-18 in the 29 games Embiid has missed over the last two months. That run has seen the Sixers drop to eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is two games behind the sixth-place Indiana Pacers for the East's final assured playoff spot. Both teams have seven games to play, with the Miami Heat nestled between them in seventh place, with eight games remaining.

Via Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

[MitchB3]

This is by far the riskiest thing that the Sixers are doing. You know his injury history and having him come back now, it must be worth it. That's all I have to say.

[Pickled Prunes]

This is by far the riskiest thing that the Sixers are doing. You know his injury history and having him come back now, it must be worth it. That's all I have to say.

8 weeks for a meniscus clean up is pretty conservative. His knee is as good as it's going to be. He may hurt it again but it won't be due to this surgery or the lack of recovery time. He needs to learn to trust his knee (and his teammates) before the play in. They could just fold on the season, but Embiid's knees are only getting older.

[MitchB3]

This is by far the riskiest thing that the Sixers are doing. You know his injury history and having him come back now, it must be worth it. That's all I have to say.

8 weeks for a meniscus clean up is pretty conservative. His knee is as good as it's going to be. He may hurt it again but it won't be due to this surgery or the lack of recovery time. He needs to learn to trust his knee (and his teammates) before the play in. They could just fold on the season, but Embiid's knees are only getting older.

I believe you're missing, the point is that Embiid tends to sustain some sort of injury around this time of year that carries out into the post-season. It's better to just shut him down for the season, "compete" and see if you can a top-10 pick, to flip during the off-season. Right now, Embiid has been off for 2 months, the game has become a lot more physical, the league doesn't call the same fouls as earlier, they let you rough it up a little, and there are some things practice, doesn't simulate. He's the type of player to come back and get a finger broken, or come down on someone's foot.

[Pickled Prunes]

This is by far the riskiest thing that the Sixers are doing. You know his injury history and having him come back now, it must be worth it. That's all I have to say.

8 weeks for a meniscus clean up is pretty conservative. His knee is as good as it's going to be. He may hurt it again but it won't be due to this surgery or the lack of recovery time. He needs to learn to trust his knee (and his teammates) before the play in. They could just fold on the season, but Embiid's knees are only getting older.

I believe you're missing, the point is that Embiid tends to sustain some sort of injury around this time of year that carries out into the post-season. It's better to just shut him down for the season, "compete" and see if you can a top-10 pick, to flip during the off-season. Right now, Embiid has been off for 2 months, the game has become a lot more physical, the league doesn't call the same fouls as earlier, they let you rough it up a little, and there are some things practice, doesn't simulate. He's the type of player to come back and get a finger broken, or come down on someone's foot.

Well that's just silly! If the season ended today and PHI won the play in, they would still get the 15th pick. If they lose the play in they will likely pick 12th. You want PHI to tank just to hopefully move up 3 spots in a terrible draft? They could likely trade #15 and a 2nd to move up. No, sitting a healthy Embiid wouldn't make any sense.

Embiid will be this same injury prone player next season, but a year older. He is too old to pass up a playoff run. Tanking for lottery balls is what got PHI into this mess and I don't see it as a way out. They need Embiid to play and they need to win, if for no other reason than to show potential free agents that PHI is a destination market. Nobody will sign with a lottery team whose star can't stay on the court. And as poorly as fans think about Harden, I don't think players trust Morey. PHI is in a tough spot and they may have trouble filling up that roster, despite the cap space.

[_BALLDONTLIE]

I believe you're missing, the point is that Embiid tends to sustain some sort of injury around this time of year that carries out into the post-season. It's better to just shut him down for the season, "compete" and see if you can a top-10 pick, to flip during the off-season. Right now, Embiid has been off for 2 months, the game has become a lot more physical, the league doesn't call the same fouls as earlier, they let you rough it up a little, and there are some things practice, doesn't simulate. He's the type of player to come back and get a finger broken, or come down on someone's foot.

Not wishing him any harm but given his history (a point no one is missing when it comes to Embiid), he's so likely to get injured again at some point in his career. When he's actually healthy enough to play you have to play him.

Embiid is 30 years old – it's not like he's a young player with a one-time injury that will completely heal and a whole career in front of him to build a team around him. If you don't want to play him out of fear for injury, you might as well just give up on this team and trade Embiid.