Embiid isn’t Hurts…He never kept “The Main Thing The Main Thing”
Being the “Face of the Franchise” is never an easy job. Whatever sport, whatever team, whatever city you are in the scrutiny can be staggering. Some handle it well, but most struggle at times with it. The rewards can be huge, the money and fame are intoxicating, but with those gifts come responsibility. It’s professional sports and that clearly identifies it as a job.
It’s not a hobby, it comes with expectations of performance. The very least any employee owes their employer is professionalism. Unfortunately, that concept appears to have been lost on Joel Embiid.
The tea leaves were not hard to read with Embiid
It’s not like this latest drama surrounding Joel Embiid was hard to see coming. I had long ago jumped off of this bandwagon. I don’t know when I exactly said “I’m out” but I certainly believe that I had very good reasons. These are the things that formed my opinion;
Lack of commitment to his physical conditioning
When most athletes get an opportunity to chase their dream in professional sports, you don’t have to worry about them being in shape. Joel Embiid struggled with this from the beginning of his career and his supporters wanted him to be applauded when in his late 20’s he finally got into shape.
I had a different opinion. It was selfish behavior to disrespect the team by not working on conditioning and proper eating. What role did that extra weight play in his numerous injuries and wear and tear on the knees? I’d suspect that it was at least a factor. Him not being in cardio physical condition was evident. It’s still evident today every time he gets injured.
He never took responsibility
With Joel Embiid there was always somebody else to blame. Though I agree with him that many surrounding his Philadelphia 76ers career failed him, it was rare that Embiid ever said a simple “my bad”. Whether it was Brett Brown, Ben Simmons, or Doc Rivers he always needed something more.
He always loved the drama
Remember the off-season of 2023? “I want to win a championship, whether it is here or somewhere else”. He was under a long-term contract with the 76ers, why would he insinuate that he had his eye on the door?
The Troll
Whenever someone takes issue with anything he says or tweets, instead of owning it he enjoyed saying that he was a troll. Thats acceptable I guess if you are a teenager. If you are a professional athlete, I believe that you should be held to a different standard. His defenders found it charming but I’m so surprised that they ever believed it.
The Olympic decision
After limping through the Knicks series in 2024 where he had a few fantastic efforts, Joel Embiid had a decision to make. Would he take the summer to rest and rehabilitate to get ready for the upcoming season?
After he recruited Paul George to come join him I expected him to make a smart choice. That did not happen. He chose to join Team USA and whatever happened with his knee it never got better. After the Olympics instead of returning to rehab the injury he vacationed. When he showed up to camp he wasn’t able to do almost anything. He was reportedly “ramping up” to the season.
It’s clear that the program should have started months before October.
”After all I have done for this city”
I defended Embiid vehemently for being angry with his brother’s death and son being used in a sports column by Marcus Hayes. I did not embrace his telling us that he has done so much for this city. Star athletes and faces of the franchise rarely accomplish less. I can’t think of any in the history of this city. Did he play hurt at times? He absolutely did. I applauded him for that. For his self-awareness, I give him an F.
Joel Embiid has one last chance to redeem this situation
Now that the Tyrese Maxey scolding has been made public what will be his next move? Will Joel Embiid accept the critique and attempt to face his job responsibilities with professionalism? I have serious doubts. I can’t get past the nagging thought that somehow Joel Embiid will find a way to portray himself as the victim once again.
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A Cup of Coffee: 10 Philadelphia Sixers Players Better Known With Other Teams
Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic has had a nice career between the Magic and Bulls. But he started out as a rookie that Doug Collins refused to give too many minutes to. The next offseason after being drafted, he was part of the now infamous deal for Andrew Bynum. He went on to make two All-Star games. Bynum never played a minute for the Sixers.
Kwame Brown
One of the most famous NBA busts had a cup of coffee with the Sixers. The Warriors sent him to the Bucks as part of the Andrew Bogut trade. The Bucks cut him soon after though. He signed a 2-year deal with the Sixers, but played in only 22 games and was cut before the second season of his contract. He nearly had as many personal fouls (37) as he did points (41) while with the Sixers. It was the last chance in the NBA he ever got.
Glenn Robinson
The Sixers tried so hard to find the second scoring option behind Allen Iverson. One of the guys they tried, was Glenn Robinson. He was very good with the Bucks, usually averaging over 20 points per game. He was not bad with the Sixers, but he was not that same guy. He played just 42 games here and averaged 16 points per game. He was injured for his entire 2nd season here and then got traded.
JaVale McGee
McGee is perhaps best known for his frequent appearances on Shaqtin a Fool. Its gave him a bit of an unfair repuation. Did he make some bone headed plays in his career? Yes. But he was also a 3-time champion, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and a physical presence on defense.
His time with the Sixers was know memorable at all though. The Nuggets shipped him here, along with a first round pick, and the rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum, as a pure salary dump. He played just 6 games here.
Toni Kucoc
Kucoc won 3 NBA Finals with the Bulls, was 6th Man of The Year in the 1995-1995 season, and won pretty much every award you can as a Basketball player when over in Europe. He was a significant piece of the Bulls second run of 3 straight championships. But he did not get much time with the Sixers.
He was decent in the 1999 -2000 season, averaging 12 points per game. But the next season he was part of the trade that landed the Sixers Dikembe Motumbo. In the end, he played in only 80 total games here, averaging a little over 8 points per game.
Dwight Howard
Obviously we don’t forget he played here. It is too recent. But he will be one of those guys where we look back one day and go “Oh yea, he did play here.”. Howard was probably one of the best backups for Embiid. He only lasted one year here. And like so many backup bigs before him, he disappeared in the playoff.
Chris Webber
Not sure if anyone forgets his time here, so maybe it doesn’t quite fit the brief. But Webber is a superstar, who had a disappointing cup of coffee in Philly. Webber was supposed to come here and finally be the guy to be AI’s Co-Star. It never quite worked out. He was injured for parts of his first season, had a decent first full season here, but then was benched in year 3.
