.@sixers teammates @JoelEmbiid, @NerlensNoel3, and @JeramiGrant having fun with the at @NBASummerLeague pic.twitter.com/LKGhrcRglE
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2015
As far as Joel Embiid's injured foot and the surgery to correct it goes, no news has been bad news. After announcing on July 11th that Embiid would undergo another foot surgery "in the next 7-10 days," there has been nary a follow-up from the Sixers in almost a months time. This has led to rampant speculation among fans and the media that something is afoot (ha!) between the Sixers front office and Joel's camp. Is he refusing to have the surgery? Did he never even agree with the initial diagnosis? What happens if he says he wants to play?
Tonight comes word from CSNPhilly's John Gonzalez that Embiid will be having said surgery "in the near future." According to Gonzo's sources, the hold up has been that Embiid "was coming to terms with the decision." Apparently he even reached out to Kevin Durant, who also had a bone graft surgery on his foot back in March of this past season, seeking advice on the matter.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the report is that a different source suggested there has been no disagreement between the team and Embiid.
"When asked whether Embiid was having second thoughts about the procedure, a second source said, no, he is not second-guessing it."
A lot of the consternation coming from Sixers nation was that Embiid was simply being defiant in the face of his team suggesting he have surgery. Turns out that in reality, this was a case of a young guy watching feeling some nerves while he watched the second season of his professional career go down the drain. Plus, if he is missing the whole season, whats a few weeks? I will say though it's still strikes me as a bit odd that the Sixers weren't aware of his hesitation before they laid out that timeline, a mistake I'm sure they won't be making again soon.
Good to hear things are all peaches and cream in Sixers land, but lets wait for confirmation of that surgery before we feel completely out of the woods.
