Sep 29, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie talks with reporters during media day at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Time Is On My Side
Fast forward one more month. On July 11th, the questions were somewhat answered by GM Sam Hinkie in a statement:
"A collective decision has been made that the best approach to promote full healing would be to proceed with a bone graft of the fracture site. We anticipate the procedure will take place in the next 7-10 days and result in Joel missing the upcoming season."
See full statement at Sixers.com
The ultimate mood killer. Seeing a promising young star miss not only one season, but two. The door was seemingly shut on Joel Embiid. He would have surgery the following week or so, then spend the next season once again on the bench. Or so we thought.
Another month goes by in the world of the NBA, and fans were still waiting for a report stating that Embiid had undergone surgery, and that all went well. The silence from both the Sixers organization and Joel Embiid’s camp began to unnerve Sixers nation. With uncertainty in the air about the situations, theories and speculations of all sorts started to roll in seemingly every day. Is Embiid refusing the surgery? Are the Sixers holding out Embiid for some twisted reason? Are the two camps not on the same page?
With all the theories flying around, the usually eccentric personality of Embiid fell into a deathly silence, and the front office continued their close-to-the-chest mentality. As the days went along, faith from the fans in both sides started to dwindle until the report that all fans were waiting for came.
Next: But It Feels Alright