By: Brandon Apter, managing editor 
For a team that looks to have a lot of depth in the front court, the Sixers big men have been nursing injuries over the past few days, giving more minutes to guys like Carl Landry and Richaun Holmes. As the Sixers prepare to play the Heat tonight for the first of two meetings this weekend, here's an update on the three Philadelphia centers and their respective injuries.
Nerlens Noel got hit hard in the face on Wednesday night against the Hornets while also suffering a knee contusion as well. Despite getting roughed up, head coach Brett Brown expects Noel to play tonight against Miami.
"Nerlens took a hard fall last night," Brown said, later noting, "Right now he's going to play." [CSNPhilly.com]
Last weekend, Jahlil Okafor came down with a right knee contusion, an injury that has kept him out of action for the past two contests. Brown says the rookies' status is still day-to-day. Meanwhile, Okafor has been on the sidelines watching his team play, something that hasn't been easy for him.
“It’s just frustrating, period, not being able to play,” he said following practice. “I want to be out there with my guys.”
“The games are really long when you’re not out there,” Okafor said. “The medical staff, they’re telling me not to play. I definitely could if I needed to, but if you know anything about the Sixers and the medical staff, they’re super cautious and super careful about us playing with any injuries or any types of pain. With 20 games left, they’re just being super careful.” [CSNPhilly.com]
Lastly, Joel Embiid has returned from his trip from Qatar, where he met with some of the world's best medical staff to kick-start the next stage of his rehab. Embiid has been seen back on the court with his teammates for warmups, shooting everything from free throws to three-point shots. His practices, Brown says, are very closely monitored. Meanwhile, his teammates speak very highly of him and his attitude when he's out there on the floor for his rehab.
“It’s very monitored,” Brown said. “It’s very structured. It’s deliberate practice. It needs to be. Any excitement that we see coming back, it can’t be misinterpreted and abused where you do something longer or harder or more of than you should have. There’s a diet. There is a prescribed duration of drills and time and so on that we have to stick to and it is increasing.”
“Joel is a great individual,” Robert Covington said. “He’s very spirited, he’s very uplifting, he’s a very hard worker. You’ve seen what he’s capable of in small aspects. A lot of people are anxious to see him on the court. We’ve seen what he’s capable of doing this summer so it’s just what he brings to the team, we’re looking forward to it and everything he’s capable of is going to just add more to what we already have and it’s going to make us even more of a threat once we have all of the pieces that we have together and on the court together.” [CSNPhilly.com]
The Sixers return to action tonight against Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat. Tip-off is scheduled for 7PM.
