INGLEWOOD, Calif. — What a wild coincidence that as soon as the clock could start on his suspension, Joel Embiid was healthy enough to play. Who could have seen that coming?
Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse, when asked about Embiid’s three-game suspension by the league for shoving a columnist, confirmed earlier reports from ESPN that the road game Wednesday against the Clippers was the first game of Embiid’s suspension, meaning he will return next Tuesday against the New York Knicks.
“I’m glad it’s done…” Nurse said before his team took on the Clippers, which theoretically would have been Embiid’s first game back. “I think now we got a time line on when are we going to see him on the floor. That’s going to be Tuesday.”
Another wild coincidence: Embiid is going to be back for a nationally televised game against the Knicks that kicks off the NBA Cup (formerly the In-Season Tournament) that the league has bent over backward to promote.
Embiid has yet to play this season for what the team had described as “left knee injury management.” Embiid had surgery on his left knee meniscus last February, pushed to be back for a playoff series against the Knicks where he averaged 33 points and 10.8 rebounds a game but was slowed by his knee and was playing through Bells Palsy. Embiid also played and earned a gold medal for Team USA in the Paris Olympics. From the start of training camp, Nurse and 76ers president Daryl Morey have discussed prioritizing Embiid being healthy, even if that meant missing half of back-to-backs or other regular season games.
When Embiid missed opening night — a nationally televised game — the league investigated if he violated the league’s Player Participation Policy by being healthy and sitting out. The NBA fined the 76ers $100,000 for “inconsistent” statements about how Embiid’s knee injury was being managed, but also “confirmed that Embiid has been unable to play in the 76ers’ regular season games this season due to a left knee condition.”
Frustration with the 1-5 start of the 76ers and Embiid’s absence, as well as a column in the Philadelphia Inquirer that unnecessarily dragged Embiid’s son Arthur and late brother (who Arthur is named after) into the discussion, led to an angry Embiid shoving the columnist. Which led to the suspension.
Which led to us knowing when Embiid will be back on the court.
