Doctor MJ wrote:Ftr, I personally am not sure how much health is hurting Embiid in the playoffs.
Missed his first two years recovering from two operations on his navicular. He strained his meniscus a month before the playoffs, and sat out (while Simmons finished the regular season with a nice run, but was exposed by the Brooks and Stevens in the playoffs.) Then he and Fultz both went for a loose ball and cracked their heads together, resulting in Embiid’s first orbital fracture, requiring the mask. The year with Jimmy he sprained his thigh and caught a stomach flu. Even with that, as the four bounces had ended game 7 against Toronto, I thought the in-game coaching had been horrendous. So of course, they got rid of Jimmy and kept the coach. Jo was furious. So going into the bubble, with Horford playing horrible, and then losing Simmons for the playoffs, Jo may have blown his one healthy opportunity while feeling none too enthusiastic for Brett. Then we got another meniscus and the torn thumb. Then another orbital fracture. And finally the anterior cingulate strain, which he shouldn’t have come back and played on after only a week. (I’m sure I’m leaving something out.) Obviously, the orbitals were freak (though the 2nd seemed kind of intentional). The thumb and flu were nothing chronic. But I got to say all the undercarriage stuff have been most worrisome. Like the big guy’s heft and entropy are too much for his legs to handle. Such an amazing, skilled athlete, with a dominant frame. Most dominant when he is healthy. Too dominant to chuck him. And yet for as much as Philly fans love the big guy, we all wonder if he’ll ever have a healthy off season.
