In today's 76ers news update, Philadelphia 76ers' #3 overall pick Joel Embiid is expected to be out at least 5-8 months after surgery on his fractured right foot.
According to Kurt Helin of NBC's Pro Basketball Talk, Sixers GM Sam Hinkie is indicating that the original prognosis of 4-6 months of needed recovery time might have been too short - perhaps placing Embiid's entire 2014-15 NBA season in jeopardy.
Here's Hinkie's thoughts on Embiid's current injury situation, as previously reported by CSNPhilly.com:
“Timeframe — I’ve seen reported some 4 to 6 months — that’s not the number that I’ve heard,” Hinkie said. “The number that I’ve heard from the surgeon himself was 5 to 8 months….
“Guess what our approach will be? We will focus on the long-term health of the player,” Hinkie said. “We’ve had this discussion before. … It is all that matters, the long-term health of the player. Will we be smart about that? Of course. Will we be thoughtful about that? I hope so. Will we be patient? Yes. We will give him every chance to be as healthy as he can be.”
Per Helin's blunt assessment in his article posted on Friday, "do not expect to see Joel Embiid play this season."
With celebrated international prospect Dario Saric on their draft ledger, the Sixers could still reap immediate dividends from yesterday's NBA Draft - regardless of Embiid's status for next season.
Also, the team's patience with Embiid during his recovery could be extremely pivotal for the team going into the 2015-16 season and beyond. This could offset Embiid's
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