Joel Embiid hasn’t played in the Denver Nuggets home arena since 2018, a startling fact given the rivalry he’s had with Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. After Embiid missed yet another game against the Nuggets on Saturday, fans and media were quick to mock Embiid for ducking Jokic in Denver.
Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN revealed that Embiid was forced to sit out at the last minute by 76ers medical staff because of knee injuries, as Embiid couldn’t even jump pre-game.
“When they did the injury report, it’s his choice to say whether he’s on it. He said, ‘Don’t even put me on the injury report, I’m playing in this [Sixers-Nuggets] game.’ He went out and warmed up, he couldn’t even jump. He shouldn’t have played in the Indiana game, he did and that was probably a mistake. It is important to play in Denver and he knows that. Nobody knows that better than him. He went out to let them boo him. It was not even his choice. The injury management staff from the 76ers said, ‘You are not playing’.”
"[Joel Embiid] said, 'Don't even put me on the injury report, I'm playing in this [Sixers-Nuggets] game.' He went out and warmed up, he can't even jump… It was not even his choice."@ramonashelburne on Embiid managing his knee injury.pic.twitter.com/xMkPxtyDOg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 29, 2024
The controversial element of this game comes from the fact that Embiid was expected to play against the Nuggets until 15 minutes before tip-off. As Shelbourne revealed, he refused to put his name on the injury list because he wanted to play the game. Embiid has also missed the 76ers game tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Embiid can only afford to miss five more games if he wants to be considered in the running for MVP. Given the historic season he’s having, averaging 36.0 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists, it’ll be a shame if Embiid cannot even qualify to compete for the MVP or All-NBA selections.
Joel Embiid And The 76ers Are Being Investigated For This Decision
Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers are being investigated by the NBA for the last-minute removal of Embiid from the active roster for the game against the Nuggets, according to Shams Charania.
“Joel Embiid hurt his knee the previous game. He didn’t enter the injury report, I’m told, until fifteen minutes before tip-off, and for sure that’s something that the league will have to review. Every team in the league knows the league will look into these situations, especially if it’s a last-second scratch like this when the player wasn’t on the injury report… If he was on the injury report, this would be a different conversation. The league tends to look into these situations and I’d expect the same now.”
"[Joel Embiid] didn't enter the injury report, I'm told, until fifteen minutes before tip off, and for sure that's something that the league will have to review."@ShamsCharania on Embiid sitting out against the Nuggets.
📺: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/i1s0i6jzzU
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 29, 2024
The NBA introduced a series of rules at the start of the season to curb load management, including the rule that players need to play 65 games to be eligible for end-of-season awards. Another rule is that the NBA will penalize teams for benching star players in nationally televised games, which is what happened here.
If Embiid is genuinely injured, the 76ers will likely avoid any punishment as they must protect their star player. Unfortunately, the lack of Embiid’s name on the injury report all day was a big mistake and opened the team and player up to a whole load of criticism.
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