Throughout his career, injuries have proven to be Joel Embiid’s Achilles’ heel on his path to greatness. In fact, from its increasingly distant physical fragility we deduce that its trajectory and peak of form cannot be extended too much in time. For this reason, it sounds like sacrilege to waste any year that the center scratches at the MVP level, which he is doing for the second year in a row. All of this suggests that the Sixers are forced to move for Ben Simmons now, and Embiid’s own performance would be the biggest source of rush for Daryl Morey.
However, it is Joel himself who has wanted to take weight off the shoulders to his general manager facing the trade deadline. “There is no urgency to change things, we are fine as we are” said the pivot after starring in his umpteenth consecutive exhibition. Embiid believes that even without Ben Simmons or getting anything in return for his absence, Philly can still be one of the best teams in the NBA. “We have had some problems, but when I have been healthy I think we are 21-9. Among the best records in the league. We have everything to get the best out of ourselves, and if we can do that we can beat anyone. We’ve already seen it a couple of times this season.”
Obviously, Embiid cannot be expected to publicize the need to improve the roster. As the leader of the group you can’t. But perhaps his words are too innocent to be taken beyond his willingness to cloak management in what is sure to be a busy month.
(Cover photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
