Around The League 2024-2025 Season

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/41964254/sources-nba-investigate-76ers-joel-embiid-player-participation



Sources: NBA to investigate 76ers over Joel Embiid's player participation


The NBA is likely to begin an investigation later this week into the Philadelphia 76ers surrounding the player participation of All-NBA center Joel Embiid, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Embiid didn't play in the preseason for what the team called left knee injury management and will miss three games this week -- Wednesday's season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks, Friday against the Toronto Raptors and Sunday against the Indiana Pacers.


Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told ESPN's Tim Bontemps earlier this month that Philadelphia would try to keep both Embiid and Paul George out of back-to-backs this season.

"We're going to be smart about it. Part of being smart about it is having both Paul [George] and Joel probably not play many back-to-backs, if any," Morey said.

Embiid also told Bontemps that, "If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career."

Embiid has lost 25 to 30 pounds, with the hope to lose more, and will continue to wear a brace on his left knee despite it being something that he would prefer not to do, instead opting to keep it as structurally stable and protected as possible.

Embiid played in only 39 games last season because of knee injuries. He returned in time to play against the New York Knicks in the playoffs, but did so at less than 100% -- and that was before he was dealing with a sudden onset case of Bell's palsy during the series. He went on to play for Team USA this summer, helping the Americans win a fifth straight gold medal at the Paris Olympics.


Bob


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I am glad you posted tha story, I was going to. Also, looks like Kwahi out indefinitely. PP might be right, this guy is never going to be totally healthy. What a shame, such talent

This investigation is going to be a very big deal.  We're going to have to trust Silver in getting out in front of it.  He did it with the 65-game rule.  This is a decision with hundreds of millions, possibly billions of NBA dollars behind it.  Despite popular opinion and all the money involved, this is a job and you must report to work....and do your job.  Everybody can't get a trophy and show up for work anytime they want.  We're setting up for the classic Old School vs. New School Clash of the Titans.

Play this out.  Let's suppose Embiid does what the plan is from PHI management/ownership.  Then they get to the playoffs and win it all.  Then everybody's going to do it.  Just sluff off the regular season and be good enough to get into the playoffs and swing for the fence.  

The way to end this?  Cut out the first round of the playoffs.  Let's just call this this the Bronny Situation (e.g. cutting out the 2nd round of the draft) until I come up with something else.   

If the NBA jacks this up and doesn't come out swinging like they did with the Season Accolades (MVP, etc.) decision, the league will take a much worse turn and possibly ruin it for everybody, mostly themselves.  Fans won't put up with it.  They are the ones filling the seats.  Right now, what's to stop every team from pulling this PHI bs?  Good luck, Adam.  Glad you are stepping in.  Better late than never.   

db

So Joel Embiid, brittle as a porcelain doll, decides to play for the Olympic team and NOT take the summer off to take care of his body.  Is anyone surprised that he broke down again, hasn't played a minute in the pre-season, and is still not ready to go?

You Can't Fix Stupid, but you can investigate it?  What do they think they will find?

A whole bucket of stupid in the 76er organization, that's what.

Touche' Gyso. On top of it all, he refused to play for his home country, all for the love of glory. These guys want to make the rules up as they go along. Philly will always be a loser with Embid.

gyso wrote:So Joel Embiid, brittle as a porcelain doll, decides to play for the Olympic team and NOT take the summer off to take care of his body.  Is anyone surprised that he broke down again, hasn't played a minute in the pre-season, and is still not ready to go?

You Can't Fix Stupid, but you can investigate it?  What do they think they will find?

A whole bucket of stupid in the 76er organization, that's what.

Saw Grant Hill talking about it, he said Embid was good for all the practices at Team USA, that he didn’t know what happened after that. Grant Hill does not like us, I say Fu(k him!! J’s should take the whole off season off and train on their own.

gyso,

I'm hoping AS comes up with a ruling ala the 65-game MVP Rule that shuts this load management bs down once and for all.  I don't get paid for days at work I don't show up unless I have PTO.  It's a mess that needs another "Stern" hand and ruling.  I thought Silver did that with the 65-game rule.  Let's see if he can come up with something like that again.    

db

Joel has issue with his knee. They are ongoing issues. No need to investigate him. The Sixers are their own worse enemy. They owe this 45 year old center $300 million dollars.

Pacer James Wiseman just had surgery to repair his left Achilles Tendon.  No idea yet when he might return.


Bob


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The NYK only had 12 players on their roster plus 3 2-way guys on opening night. After Shamet hurt his shoulder, they dropped (waived) him in a NY Minute.

If I was their GM (god forbid) I would look to add another shooter off the bench. McBride is really a good shooter but he does not go to the rim and Cameron Payne is a trick or treat player.

Think I'll watch a bit of their game vs Pacers tonight.

I feel sorry for Giannis, he may not be able to carry them anymore. They lost to the rebuilding putrid Nets. Lillard after a good opening game has had 2 straight below avg games, and is on the wrong side of 30. What happened to Kris Middleton? Can Giannis still avg 28-30 a game? And it may not be enough to carry them.

As bad news as all that is, we are taking no prisoners and certainly no excuses from anyone including ourselves.  I don't hear anyone on this site, anyone from Boston nor anybody in the media asking where's KP and that the Celtics are suffering because he's not there.  Yes we need him but we're playing with whom we have at this time and so far I'm kinda liking what I'm seein'.  KP will get back when KP gets back.  We're focused on Monday night and what is directly in front of us.  

Al is going to match up with Giannis tonight very well like he always does.  And Lillard has a date with 3 dudes who are going to tag team and shred him defensively and relentlessly to have Lillard questioning whether his bball game is better than a 3rd graders.  JY, JB and DW take it as a badge of honor to chop off the heads of the snakes of the opposing teams.  My list is getting longer of alumni.  KD, Luka, Kryrie.  Plenty of room on the bench.  The seats are heated, so I'm warming it up for the next candidate soon to join the ranks.    

db

Steve Bulpett
@SteveBHoop
Hey,
@McCannSportsLaw
... Wondering if
@DwyaneWade
has a defamation case here.





Bob


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What an un-likeness!

Who is that?!!  That's DWade?!!  First of all fire the artist/sculpturer.  Then pursue lawsuit.  That's awful.  Sorry whoever wasted those hours of their life they will never get back. That guy looks like a 60 year old in a young man's basketball jersey.    

db

DWade defends the look of his statue.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/42060007/dwyane-wade-defends-look-new-statue-amid-hail-jokes

what a terrible statue. I am not a DWade fan, but ...really??? this is the best they could do????? They were joking last night that his wife doesn't want to even look at it!!!

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5882625/2024/10/30/lebron-james-kevin-durant-steph-curry-nba/?source=freedailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=13921316



Kevin Durant, LeBron James and NBA’s ‘Uncle Brigade’ won’t stop fighting. Treasure it


Marcus Thompson II
Oct 30, 2024






Kevin Durant finished with 31 points in a win Saturday over Dallas, joining the 29,000 Points Club. Afterward, he was asked about the milestone and took a moment to reflect.

“It speaks to so many people that helped me out,” the Phoenix Suns forward said in the on-court interview. “So many people that got in the gym with me. Encouraged me. Send me texts after bad games. Took time out their life to come watch me play and be invested in my career. It’s all about them.”

But then he ended the thought with a familiar sentiment. He made a similar reference when he passed 25,000 points. He followed his monologue about the honor of the feat with a reminder of more feats to come. Because Durant, while possessing a deep respect for the history of the game, refuses to be regarded as some finished star collecting pats on the back in his final days. He doesn’t like the tone of those end-of-career reflection questions. The end ain’t near. So he punctuated his appreciation with a pledge.

“I’ve got more to do.”

And then he dropped 30 in a home win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

If Durant, who turned 36 in September, has a moderately good year by his standards, he’ll score upward of 1,500 points this season. Along the way, he’ll pass Moses Malone and Julius Erving and move into eighth place on the career scoring list that includes the ABA. He passed Shaquille O’Neal last year to reach the top 10. Anything over 2,000 points this season and KD would be stalking Wilt Chamberlain at No. 7.


Of the legends he could pass this season, Moses and Dr. J — even throw in Shaq and Wilt — guess who totaled the most points at age 36? O’Neal at 1,333, edging Malone’s 1,279. Erving and Chamberlain were in their final season at 36 and barely scored over a thousand points.

Meanwhile, saying Durant could average 25 points per game is a cold take, cooler than a polar bear’s toenails.

That’s why Durant is out here referencing legendary milestones as if he’s rounding third base. Like he merely earned a gold rank on Call of Duty. He knows he’s still among the best, and he’ll have more questions about more milestones and more legends he’ll overtake. So the 11th oldest player in the NBA, who is averaging 40 minutes per game so far, can look past 29,000 points as if it were a point guard defending him.

Yeah, this era of old heads is different.

Don’t get it twisted. The changing of the guard in the NBA is happening. Nikola Jokić already sparked the transition. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Luka Dončić. Anthony Edwards. Victor Wembanyama. The league will be theirs. Their names on the marquee. Their presence drawing the masses. Their legacies the subject of online battles.

It should already have happened, to be honest. If not for the Uncle Brigade. LeBron James. Stephen Curry. Kevin Durant. James Harden. Damian Lillard. Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler, when healthy. The NBA has never seen this many OGs still cooking. Working the grill in sandals with socks on.

It’s a testament to the advances in kinesiology, technology and hoopology. More than anything, though, it’s an illustration of how much they love the game. Their dedication to the craft and competitive spirits. Magnificently maniacal, they are. Real hoopers.

Some of them have maintained impeccable shape and can run with this new breed of stars. Some of them mock modern training culture with old-school grit, needing just a couple of months to get in shape and a foam roller.

Just about all of them thrive on elite skill, the experience they garnered growing up in the league, watching and battling Kobe Bryant, and the heart they made it here with. They all share a toughness that defines their generation. They played outside. They drank water out of hoses and grubbed at the food court in the mall. They grew up playing hoop outside, under summer heat on concrete courts. Their ligaments and muscles have been fortified by night club calisthenics, THC and compression fabric.

The next generation will have to pry the superstar scepters from their social security grips.

LeBron turned 30 years old during the 2014-15 season. Before that season, the NBA had a player average 25 points or more 334 times over 68 seasons. Of those, 18 were accomplished by players aged 33 or older.

So 5.4 percent of the best scorers were in past-prime ages.

But since and including the season LeBron turned 30, a player has averaged at least 25 points per game 128 times over 10 seasons — 13 of them by players 33 and up. Up to 10.2 percent. Nearly double the rate.

Last year, eight players in their 30s averaged 23 or more. It was the second season in a row that happened, which broke the previous record of seven in 2020-21. Before that, the most was six players.

In 1995-96: Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, David Robinson, Charles Barkley and Mitch Richmond. The oldest was The Dream at 33.

In 1985-86: Adrian Dantley, Alex English, Moses Malone, Mike Mitchell, World B. Free and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was the eldest at 38.

This season, some 10 to 12 players in this age demographic could average at least 20. In addition to the aforementioned: Paul George, DeMar DeRozan, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Nikola Vučević and CJ McCollum.

This league’s got more successful thirtysomethings than an overpriced Saturday brunch downtown.

Yes, some of their success is attributable to the era. The 3-pointer obsession, and the space it creates, makes averaging 20 points at least slightly easier. But anyone who watches the Uncle Brigade go to work and credit their greatness to this era is missing it.

Yes, they’re getting paid crazy figures. It’s easy to stick around when the standard midlevel exception is $12 million, which is more than what Barkley ever made in an NBA season. But these veterans who have lapped the field aren’t making the midlevel. They’re good enough to command the big salaries. And anyone who thinks it’s just about the money for them is missing it.

Watch them play. This is a different kind of hardcore, the kind not romanticized in the same way clotheslines were in the 1980s. The kind they were flamed for not having because of load management allegations and friendships.

But you know what’s tough. They’re still here. Still killing it. Still magnetic as ever. The Unexpendables.

Many of them don’t have a real shot at a championship. They’re just in it for the bag and the glory. Flexing their supremacy. Competing because they can.

Don’t miss what’s happening. Don’t take for granted how some of the best players we’ve ever seen have packed two lifetimes in their careers. The game has changed. The world has changed. Yet, their greatness, their showmanship, their presence have survived it all. They’ve been consistently excellent, reliably entertaining.

Eventually, they’ll get ushered off the main stage, if they don’t leave first. The rightful heirs will take over.

And we can only hope the new generation gives as much of themselves as the aging stars. That the future faces of the NBA learn a valuable lesson as they pry away the scepters: It takes greatness to get to the top, but staying there requires different. They’ve got more to do.


Bob


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Paolo Banchero of Orlando has been diagnosed with a torn right oblique and is out indefinitely.

He will be reevaluated in 4-6 weeks.


Tough break for the kid.  I'm no medical expert but unless we're talking about a completely torn muscle that requires reattachment by surgery the only things that I know of to heal a torn abdominal muscle are electrical stimulation and complete rest.  I'm not even sure you could do a stationary bike.


Bob


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What did I tell you about Bucks? Poor Giannis, still a beast, Dame shot, or close to it….

bobheckler wrote:Paolo Banchero of Orlando has been diagnosed with a torn right oblique and is out indefinitely.

He will be reevaluated in 4-6 weeks.


Tough break for the kid.  I'm no medical expert but unless we're talking about a completely torn muscle that requires reattachment by surgery the only things that I know of to heal a torn abdominal muscle are electrical stimulation and complete rest.  I'm not even sure you could do a stationary bike.


Bob


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gee wiz and he dropped 50 the other night.

Pop has been sidelined indefinitely with an "undisclosed illness".

Pop's 75 years old.


Get well soon, legend.


Bob


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Joel Embiid has been suspended by the league for 3 games for shoving a reporter.

The reporter had written a column in the Philadelphia Inquirer mentioning Embiid's son and his dead brother, both named Arthur, and questioned Embiid's professionalism.  He shoved him and said "if you ever talk about them again you'll find out what I'll do to you"

If someone talked shite about my dead brother and the son I named after him they'd be dining on room temperature soup and ice cream for a long time and to Hell with the league.  They should ban that reporter from the Sixers locker room and facility until he issues a heartfelt apology in a separate column.


Bob


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