Mateo’s Hoops Diary: The 76ers’ Shameful Handling of Embiid Situation

Word on the street is Joel Embiid has cleared concussion protocols and is doing everything he can to suit up for Game 3 against the Heat.  It comes across as poor taste that the 76ers can’t protect their star big man from himself. 

I don’t pretend to be a physician, but I don’t remember ever hearing or reading of a broken face healing in a week.  By not shutting Embiid down, the team is keeping the story alive that there is a possibility he could come back when suiting him up puts his career at risk.  #21, reportedly was finally able to lift his phone to his head without the light from the screen bothering his injury, and somehow the 76ers are squeezing a lucky rabbit’s foot hoping Joel makes a supernatural recovery. 

Perhaps the team is basing hope on their center coming back from an orbital fracture because he did it four years ago, but only after a three-week hiatus.  It was dangerous then, but the idea now should be so far removed from the realm of possibility and anyone suggesting it doesn’t care for Embiid’s health.  Injuries are a lamentable reality of the sport.  Suck it up and come back next year.

It’s an unnecessary risk for Embiid to waste his time in this series, especially when factoring the danger of playing and how poorly his team is performing. Basketball is a contact sport.  Suck it up and come back next year.

This team should have enough to cop a game, meanwhile, without Philly’s MVP candidate, the outfit has fallen into a 2-0 hole, with the spotlight of criticisms shining on Doc Rivers and James Harden.   Rivers gave the start to Deandre Jordan, a veteran big-man waived by the Lakers in late February, for Games 1 & 2 and his club immediately suffered for it.  Miami was quick to attack DJ through pick ‘n’ roll,  pulling up from midrange when he dropped back to protect the rim.  Considering the Heat’s versatility offensively, perhaps the operative move would have been starting Paul Reed and going smaller so Philly could Ice on Miami’s rim rolls.

As I sat through Philly’s post Game 1 presser, I thought I was hallucinating when I heard Rivers say he’d keep playing Jordan whether we liked it or not. The old adage, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” is often misattributed to Albert Einstein but the point still stands.  

Then there’s the Beard.  His decline is Shaekesperean because he had a part in doing it to himself.  He has not taken care of his body, and it’s likely a reason aside from age that he’s got no burst left.  On a Game 2 possession where he forced a switch to get Max Strus on him at the top of the key, Harden opted to take a dribble pull-up triple instead of cutting left for a layup or possible trip to the line.

In the first game, the Bearded One was a non factor from the field in the second half, missing ¾ attempts. His only made a bucket was in the low post and his three misses came from the perimeter.

When I asked Harden what the Heat did schematically to prevent him from getting to the line at his normal clip, after Game 1, he said “Next question.”  

I remember a version of the Beard who was must-see TV for three years.  He had a linebacker’s body with deep range, a tight handle and an explosive first step.  The man casually averaged 35 points a night between 2018-2020 while playing mainly in isolation, the toughest way there is to score because of the lack of ball movement.   It’s difficult to accept that person is never coming back.

I originally called this series in five games favoring Miami but it’s possible it won’t stretch that long because the Heat have a counter for every scheme the 76ers deploy. 

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