The Embiid ditching in Denver sends the wrong 76ers message
by John Kincade
I’m writing this BEFORE the 76ers face the Nuggets in Denver tonight. I want to make that clear. There won’t be any 20/20 hindsight offered here. I understand that I was getting ripped on The Best Show Ever this afternoon. I’ll wear that as a badge of honor. I’m not hired to be a cheerleader. I’ll just offer an objective opinion. Twenty Two seasons of constant failure to advance doing the same things over and over seems like madness to me. The decision to rest Joel Embiid tonight is going to be spun in a million different directions by those seeking excuses. As Doc Rivers explained to us on our show, too often the doctors call the shots, not him.
JOEL COULD BE MISSING THE GAME DUE TO A NEW OR AGGRAVATED INJURY
Yes, you can’t discount that Joel Embiid got injured or aggravated a previous injury playing in back to back games this weekend. Strangely, if they truly had concerns over the Embiid calf injury which occurred BEFORE the current road trip they wouldn’t have logically played him in back to back games. Right? There is nothing that doesn’t make sense questioning that.
IF THE 76ers HAD FORETHOUGHT, THE DENVER GANE WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT
Going into tonight’s game the 76ers and Nuggets each have 8 games remaining. The 76ers trail the Nuggets by one win, 50 to 49. A win tonight is mission critical for a goal they want to pursue down the road. If the 76ers win they will be tied with Denver with 7 games to play AND they will hold the tie-breaker. Do you want home court advantage in the NBA Finals if they meet up? Of course you do. Objecting to this fact is ignoring logic.
YOU CAN SPIN “IT MIGHT BE A REAL INJURY NIGHT OFF THIS TIME AROUND” TO SOMEONE ELSE
Call it resting healthy players PTSD or whatever you wish, but I’ve grown quite fatigued of attempting to execute the same strategies that haven’t worked in the past. Doc Rivers admitted he hates it. He doesn’t get to decide whether his star players are in action or not. It’s MADNESS. There is no science that says if you rest players it will help them succeed when you need them most. Though many of the injuries have been crazy odd, the 76ers continually limp into the post season. It provides a built in excuse and a constant kicking of the can of expectations down the road. Spoiler Alert, it won’t be good enough if they flame out in the second round once again.
SUMMARY
I bet the 76ers plus the points tonight in Denver. I’ve seen them rise to the occasion in the past and surprise us. You are welcome to follow me.
I’ll continue to call it as I see it. You can be a fan boy or you can be objective. It’s one or the other. You CAN be a fan and still be objective. This game is a terrible one for Embiid to miss. You can’t proclaim yourself the best and then pass on one of 2 nights if 82 that you get to prove it. Joel improved it before and would have again.
Enjoy the game. I feel sorry for the fans who paid top dollar to see a marquee game that was purposely avoided. Oh yeah, I hope Game 7 of the NBA Finals doesn’t end up being played in Denver!
