PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid celebrated his 30th birthday on Saturday, marking him as a Pisces. People born under this sign are known to be imaginative, practical, well-balanced, and pleasant to be around, according to their horoscope.
The horoscope also points out that a Pisces is a dependable friend to many, but it's important to prioritize one's own needs and personal time.
Embiid has had ample time to himself since injuring the meniscus in his left knee, causing him to miss 21 consecutive games as of Saturday.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse has been struggling to win games without Embiid. The team's record is 10-21 this season when the reigning MVP is absent, as he also missed several games earlier in the season.
The expected 6-8 week timeline for Embiid's return still seems optimistic, although Nurse confirmed that the center received a positive evaluation from team doctors last week.
“They’re pleased with the progress,” Nurse said. “I believe the rumors of him returning to the court are true, but I haven’t witnessed it myself. We've been away for a long period and just returned yesterday. I haven't seen him yet.”
Embiid has a lateral meniscus flap tear, which requires more time for rest and rehabilitation than a simple meniscus tear. While the Sixers hope for Embiid to return in late March, the panel of Sports Injury Central doctors believes that “Early to mid-April is more realistic.”
Considering the Sixers' struggle, it might be too risky to have him back on the court this season. The team had a record of 36-30 entering the game against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, losing 17 of their last 24 games. This placed them in eighth position, including tiebreakers.
The teams ranked 7th to 10th in each conference participate in the play-in tournament. If it had started on Saturday, the Sixers would have played against the Hawks just to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Realistically, what are the chances of the Sixers, with their reworked roster, achieving anything significant? Nurse understands the challenges but still believes that his game-changing center will make a return this season.
“I’m still hoping so,” Nurse said. “I’m still pretty confident about that. I think it's complicated. There are different stages of progress for these situations. Everyone wants to know how long it will take, but they provide a range because everyone heals differently, and there can be setbacks and various other factors. We're just taking it one step at a time, focusing on getting him healthy and ready to return.”
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The Sixers signed Kai Jones (6-11, 218) to a 10-day contract, but it's possible that he may not see any game time, at least for the rest of this season.
Nurse mentioned that the Sixers intend to assess Jones' performance in the G League.
“I saw him the other night,” Nurse said. “He's quite tall and athletic. He had five or six dunks and appeared to fulfill his role effectively. He doesn't seem to overextend himself. He focuses on rebounding, running, good screening, and consistently setting up the next move.”
In 10 days, the Sixers will review Jones' performance.
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Imagine Sixers guard Buddy Hield working at Beiler’s Doughnuts at Reading Terminal Market on Friday, with the sales team he was working with struggling to contain their excitement.
I think Hield probably got rid of cups or trash by throwing it from far away and making sure to complete the action.
