Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self, the last man who coached Joel Embiid in a basketball game, told reporters on Monday that the Philadelphia 76ers big man said his situation isn't as bad as it seems. From KUSports.com's Benton Smith:
The future didn’t seem so dire, though, in one third-hand account of the center’s situation. On Monday afternoon, Bill Self told reporters KU assistant coach Norm Roberts spoke with Embiid on the phone this past weekend and the injury-plagued big told his former college assistant “he hasn’t re-injured anything.”
“Basically, he’s been working out and everything, and the doctor told him — based on doing the MRIs or X-rays or whatever they do… even though it feels better, it doesn’t look like it’s made the progress they would hope at this stage, so they were gonna slow him down,” Self related. “But by no means, from what Jo has told us, 'slow down' does not mean major setback. It means they’re gonna give it a little bit more time to heal before they put him in stressful situations.”
Self said this on the same day that Sixers fans were given a scare. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey reported that there's a "legitimate chance" Embiid could miss the entire 2015-2016 season. He has already missed his rookie year, and he's no longer expected to play in summer league in July.
If you missed Philadelphia general manager Sam Hinkie's somewhat vague statement on the matter, enjoy:
"As part of the conservative approach focused on the long-term health, recovery and care of Joel, we have been closely monitoring his progress, regularly evaluating his status and adjusting our plans accordingly.
"Recently, Joel and Sixers personnel traveled to Los Angeles for a series of routine exams with a number of physicians who have been actively involved throughout this process. During his visit with Dr. Richard Ferkel, a standard CT scan on Joel’s right foot revealed less healing than anticipated at this point.
"Our priority remains providing Joel with every opportunity to ensure he has a long and successful NBA career, and as such, these findings cause us to pause and reassess his current activities. Together with Joel and his representatives, we will continue to consult with the experienced team of doctors who have been an integral part of his evaluations, while also engaging in dialogue with a broader set of experts and specialists.
"Discussions regarding the appropriate next steps are currently ongoing and we will share an update once it becomes available."
So, we have the Inquirer reporting that things could be bad and Embiid's former college coach saying it's not a big deal, while the Sixers say only that they will be conservative and do what's best for him. Cool.
It's good that Philadelphia, as always won't rush anything with him. It would be crazy, though, to not be a little bit worried here. This was when Embiid was supposed to be gearing up to play in real games with the summer league team, not "slowing down." Here's hoping all he needs is a bit more rest.
