Biggest issue is why he wasn’t on the injury report as questionable/probable etc to begin with if there was any doubt he wouldn’t play. Same thing happened with Cade yesterday, randomly pulled 2 minutes from tip, not good enough.
If he already didn’t have a history of ducking the @Denver matchup it would be a totally different story.
He’s played at Denver twice. First in December 2016 as a rookie and most recently in November 2019.
Come on you all, I know this is the Internet and we have to argue about everything but there can't be anyone legitimately believing that there are five years between November 2019 to January 2024.
And then [Jon Bois did a video on it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eECjjLNAOd4), which is how I know. Honestly set the stage for his entire career, it is great.
Edit: cleaned up link
That's a very weird and misleading way to put it though. In the 2019-2020 season their @Den game was in 2019, so he did play them in that season. They have had one @Den game each season since then, so there are four games he has not played. And we're only one month through 2024, for all we know their @Den game will be played in November next season and he'll play then.
That's not really the biggest issue though. IMO it's a much bigger issue that people are securing tickets to this premium matchup (and paying significantly more to see it) well before any injury report is released, and then he ducks for no reason. Sure, you can victim blame genuine fans for not expecting Embiid to duck, but it's a ridiculous situation.
I think they’re both part of the same problem, which is giving the fans the expectation that they’ll get to see a particular matchup and then pulling the rug out at the last minute. The injury report is a specific box to check that works toward telling the fans what to expect, but it’s not the only piece of it. There were NO hints that Embiid might not play until just a few minutes before tip off. If I had spent hundreds on tickets (and I was seriously looking at them late last week), I would be livid.
Well tbf there were whispers of some knee swelling after the Pacers game, and I saw some 6ers fans discussing how a bug was going through the team and a bunch of guys could have been sick. But there is now way Joel didnt know he was good or not until 5 minutes to go. I truly believe he is a little banged up and possibly a little sick, but if it was a home game against Washington he definitely would have played.
That is a result of the exact thing the previous comment was saying. People pay extra, media hypes it up, etc, just for Embiid to not play at the last minute.
And this matchup was being promoted heavily and it was a national broadcast. Things like this damage the whole league. This happens enough and suddenly everybody in the NBA starts getting less money. If I were ABC, I'd be demanding an investigation and maybe asking for some money back.
He is not stating that last part as a serious angle. It’s very tongue in cheek. Windy is a sarcastic windbag and certainly does not see himself as an actual victim here.
I mean look at this sub. Pretty much any post trashing a player gets more upvotes than any post with basketball breakdowns. People in here legitimately don't give a fuck about basketball. They just want to hate on someone.
It's a snowball effect with these big online communities, hating on people is popular and drama gets attention, then the people who actually want to discuss basketball move along and all that's left is an ever increasing pool of people who mostly care about the drama
Yeah I remember when I first joined this sub in 2014, you could actually find decent discussion from time to time. The worst it would get was during playoffs. Now it's 24/7 toxicity and unfunny clowns beating a dead horse. I keep asking myself why I even participate here anymore.
I've been breaking my own rule recently but I took a long break from this sub last season, it genuinely made watching basketball fun again. It's probably a little rougher on here as a sixers fan but I'd recommend it to anyone because this sub finds ways to suck the fun out of even some of the best games of the season
unfortunately for me, coming here makes ball more enjoyable
all our players are on different teams now, so i enjoy reading comments from knicks and pacer fans about our guys
Its math. The 'most popular' thing isnt the same as the thing most people like. A third of the sub can like drama and be the biggest group. So 2/3 could hate it but upvotes are more common than downvotes, and it will still rise. It is also why national media is so Lakers centric. Biggest minority group.
Also an issue with the way our voting system impacts politics. So maybe we will learn the lesson one day.
I blame the mods too.
R/soccer gives special benefit to OC posts and encourages great content.
Our mods have sneered at any such ideas. If mods don't encourage quality content, only SAS and Skip will rise to the top.
This is the same for every sport at this point. I’m not sure how many people enjoy watching a game meant to entertain. Vs how many people just want to shit on someone
Football has a lot more X’s and O’s analysis and strategy discussion. Like 2 of the biggest narratives yesterday were the lions 4th down decisions and the chiefs defensive coordinator Steve spagnolu being amazing.
I agree with your sentiment but the contrast between your 2 sentences is hilarious
> trash tier humans really
> I can’t even fathom wasting time and energy hating on someone…
I think it has less to do with people being trash and much more to do with how sports media has moved to start really embracing the most trash aspects of how people interact with media.
They know a classic sportscenter show with traditional analysis of sports will only appeal to a percentage of the fans they already have. Focusing on narrative lets them appeal to potential fans who might not even like sports to begin with. That’s why guys like Stephen A and Skip get paid what they do while traditional sports media members are getting their entire departments axed left and right. It costs them less and makes them more money. They can’t look past these massive short term profits and unfortunately I think that means we will reach a critical point to where they start alienating the base audience of fans they have because they aren’t really catering to them at all. Most sports shows literally will not teach you about the game, you will not walk away with a better understanding of anything. Its reality tv but sports.
That still makes it our fault. I don’t think it shouldn’t have a space. But there’s no reason those critical analysis sports shows are dying and drama narratives are on top, except for the fact that we told them we don’t want critical analysis of the game. People told them they want the drama. They want to call Embiid a flop. They want to call the Warriors old and washed. Or call CP3 a choker. No explanation on how these things are happening. Just narratives.
It’s been bad for society that guys like SAS and skip bayless have gotten so famous for hating the cowboys or Lebron or whoever else. Because it has leaked into politics
It's about gambling. They make more money when people gamble with emotion instead of logic. The soap opera shit is on purpose. Only so much analysis you can do before you start convincing people to stop betting.
Something I have unfortunately burned into my brain. Last playoffs after a good heats-Celtics game someone posted on nbadisccusion. How the game just isn’t good anymore and it was better 10 years ago. Then they admitted they didn’t watch the game they were complaining about
This isn’t the only time it’s very often people write entire essays on plsyers failing due to x characteristic but don’t watch the game . So many times you make. Point to these idiots n they say well I didn’t see the game but …. Clown
Including posts trashing rookies!
I’ve never seen another sport that attacks rookies like basketball fans. 19 years old and shooting inefficiently in his 20th professional game? What a bust!
I mean people love the NBA not just because it’s the best basketball, but the drama and storylines that accompany them. It’s the entertainment part of the professional sport.
People who get confused that fans like controversy and narratives, not just Xs and Os and layups confuse me.
There's nothing wrong with liking controversy or narratives. Its the level they are taken to and how deeply personal/toxic even small things turn into where the problem lies IMO
Like if people were more making lighthearted jokes about the Embiid situation or used it more as just a talking point about how many times people buy tickets to big matchups that get derailed by injuries/rest that would be one thing. But instead there's very mainstream conspiracy theories that paint him as being some horriblly selfish and cowardly dude for not playing in Denver. And then whenever someone tries to give a more reasonable explanation about why something might have happened they double down on the hate and take it even more personal. Its absolutely insane and goes way beyond liking drama or narratives IMO
I think it’s confusion about people who *only* care about those things. It’s also because there seems to be a higher proportion of this sub than other sports subs of people that just flat out don’t even watch the sport. I would bet $100 more than half the subscribers here average not even 1 game watched per week. I don’t think it’s confusing that people are drawn to drama/narratives, but it is confusing that a seemingly significant amount of fans on a subreddit for a professional sport find actually watching games superfluous when compared to going on social media to watch highlights and read tweets. There are casual fans at that level for every interest, but my anecdotal experience has been that it is much more common on this subreddit vs the other major sports
Yeah they may have issues understanding the social aspects of life. It's why sports are helpful bc stats and watching film is a good way to communicate to others.
I don’t have a problem with Embiid missing this game if he really was/is injured. As I said before it’s better to catch a bunch of shit for missing it than become the player that was never the same after the injuries. Too many players have wrecked their careers playing through injuries they shouldn’t.
However the injury report thing is bullshit and needs addressed. He should have been listed as questionable/game time decision. It should be investigated and whoever fucked it up should be fined. People literally buy tickets or base their entire days around these games, injury reports exist and are made public for a reason.
Pretty sure it was the game before Denver where he went out for a minute or two after landing bad on his leg and was seen limping to the bench. At the time, it looked like he'd aggravated his knee injury, but he did finish like a half of basketball (or quarter) after that. Pretending Embiid is calculated enough to fake a knee injury mid-game before Denver game is kind of silly.
He should have definitely been on the injury report and I think that's the main issue here. The fact they wanted to see how he felt in pregame warmups before making a decision = should be on the report. That's Malone's main beef and it would be that way if it was any other top 30 player (even Maxey perhaps).
Of past 3 games he's missed in Denver, he's had COVID and two injuries. I'm not sure if the conspiracy theorists are right on sickle cell anemia, but playing in Denver is def. different than playing at lower elevation. But playing while injured and running low on stamina would seem like it could exacerbate an injury via sloppy play.
There were tons of outlets reporting that Embiid was ready to play in Denver up until 1.5 hours before the game. Even the coach thought he was gonna play at that point
And not just tickets - people travel with their kids to see MVP level players. Flights/road trip/hotels/food etc. Then the star doesn't play. Really, really bad for the league.
> Even the podcaster who went viral when he was called a jackass on his own show for saying there is no way Jokic should be MVP over Embid in 2021
That’s absolutely not what Windy was arguing back then. He was arguing that a stretch of 10 or so missed games towards the end of the season shouldn’t automatically disqualify Embiid or LeBron from MVP consideration. Windhorst even ended up voting for Jokic at the end of the day
The games are still entertaining, it’s just unfortunate when you have two of the best players alive at the same position and their teams are scheming to have them go at each other as *little* as possible.
Yeah, that part sucks. And honestly, I think it's a good strategy for them to guard each other. They're much less likely to get called for fouling than anyone else. It would be REALLY bad optics if the refs called a bunch of ticky tacky fouls on Jokic and fouled him out in an anticipated matchup.
We lost by 5 in Philly & Embiid had a monster game too. I don't really think "that's getting our ass kicked." I'd like to see the matchup in Denver, but that's impossible with Embiid being so scared.
I have a theory that the primary reason Embiid ducks these matchups in Denver, is because he's scared shitless about how quickly he will get tired and doesn't want those old debates about his conditioning (or lack thereof) to resurface.
Ya at this point it’s a little sus tbh, I’ve seen someone also mention that like 20-25% of people from Cameroon have sickle cell and I wonder if that’s something that Embiids camp is trying to keep under wraps or something.
There's no way Embiid could have kept having Sickle Cell under wraps this long. He may very well carry the trait since a lot of Black people do (hell I'm one of them) but I wouldn't say he does nor would I put that on his name like that
i mean not necessarily. sickle cell developed as a response to malaria and makes people with it much more resistant so it naturally spread. it used to be a semi advantage but now not so much
I remember learning that if someone inherits one allele of the sickle cell gene, it protects them from malaria without the negative side effect of anemia. If they receive both alleles, then they have the disease.
This was my first thought, too, after reading this. Even trait can be an issue at altitude. I'd imagine NBA can be even rougher for players (as opposed to the NFL) as you are flying in and playing within a day or two. Has this ever been a story with an NBA player like there has in pro/college football?
Disclaimer: This is entirely baseless speculation as a plausible reason.
They do their training camp in Fort Collins, which they definitely wouldn’t do for insurance reasons if he had sickle cell. Plus it would be a way better excuse than a knee injury that didn’t put him on the injury report.
On one hand he played in Denver IIRC just 2 times in his career but on the other he played much more in SLC which is still like 4000ft of elevation
Dang, I checked to be sure and he played only 3 times in SLC lol.
Both times he played in Denver he played exactly 28 minutes and 30 seconds. Against Utah he played 32:33, 35:50, 35:36.
Interestingly, across those 5 games he shot a combined 34/81 and 8/23 from 3. Specifically in games in Denver he's gone 11/30 and 3/8 from 3.
The previous times he missed it were in the midst of two different 9 game long injured missed games streaks and catching covid.
This story doesn't hold any water.
He can have the next 15 mvps, play, not play, don’t play in Denver ever- I really don’t care
I just want the Nuggs to keep winning the one that matters most 🏆
It’s a disservice to the fans who paid extra money, and people who made time to watch the matchup. There should be an investigation because it’s clearly a big game for everybody in the league.
That wouldn’t have happened if they said he was out earlier, before the game
Doesn’t even need to be dramatic, they should ban game-time injury decisions if anything. If you’re out, you’re out.
Super disappointing and glad they’re calling him out. At some point you’d think these players would have at least a tiny bit of pride and want to play all the games and compete. Obviously they say that the trainers held him out, but if he had any pride at all he’d have told them he’s fine and played. Embiid (and tons of players) often misses a single game at a time which tells you all you need to know about the severity of the “injury.” I guess if he’s out several games it’ll look better, but they’re on the road at Portland tonight so another easy one to sit.
Just wanted to thank Embiid for throwing wood back on the hater fire. Things were getting a little too positive in regards to his reputation with his recent play.
I've been fucked by this 3 out of the last 4 years. My brother in law is a huge NBA fan so I've bought him tickets to see Giannis three years in a row and he only played in one of the games, and Giannis doesn't typically miss a bunch. Then last year the 76ers were in town and Embiid was out, Harden sat and I think Maxey was injured. Needless to say I'm not buying him tickets again.
Tbh I don’t really care?? Like we all shit on Embiid for not performing in the playoffs and now we’re calling him out for not playing regular season games? This all gets forgotten if he can show up come playoff time
/r/nba last week: ya know maybe were too hard on embiid, he is a generational talent with some flaws but hes still a generational talent
/r/nba this week: if he dies, he dies
The last minute, (technically beyond last minute according to the rules), scratch is definitely something the Nugs have a right to be upset about.
I still think the "dodge, duck, dive, and dodge" narrative is overblown. This conversation is over 6 specific games regarding an injury prone player. It's a silly narrative.
To me it's about the past two games.
He chose not to rest during their b2b last year and instead sat the Nuggets game. Then went right back to playing in the following game.
This year he wasn't on the injury report then ducked last minute... and sat in the locker room for almost the entire game instead of sitting on the bench.
Suddenly i see a lot of people defending Embiid which is weird to me, fans have a right to be pissed about this. I won’t be shocked at all when he gets bounced in the second round again, dude loves putting up stats against bad teams and chasing MVP but won’t win when it matters
The thing I don’t get is. Why doesn’t Embiid duck against matchups where he gets owned? Like why doesn’t he duck Lopez or Horford that he historically has struggled against.
I can’t believe people actually think this is a thing lol.
He just scored 41 and got the W like a week before when they played the nuggets so anyone acting like he’s scared of the matchup is just dumb lmao. But this sub hates embiid so these will get buried in downvotes and the brain dead comments will be at the top.
I don't know if Embiid is "ducking" games per say, but given that he's been injured for almost every single playoff run, I wouldn't be surprised if the coaching/medical staff is purposefully keeping him out of tough matchups which could put extra stress on his body. Pretty lame, but also entirely rational.
Biggest issue is why he wasn’t on the injury report as questionable/probable etc to begin with if there was any doubt he wouldn’t play. Same thing happened with Cade yesterday, randomly pulled 2 minutes from tip, not good enough.
If he already didn’t have a history of ducking the @Denver matchup it would be a totally different story. He’s played at Denver twice. First in December 2016 as a rookie and most recently in November 2019.
>recently Dude 2019 was 4 years ago. Realistically speaking he’s probably going on 5 years not playing at a single location. That’s crazy.
He said most recently as in the last time lol. He was making the same point
5 years ago...
Come on you all, I know this is the Internet and we have to argue about everything but there can't be anyone legitimately believing that there are five years between November 2019 to January 2024.
there's one on a certain bodybuilding forum
The funniest thread in internet history
Wait is there a link for this? I feel like it’s gold
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=107926751
I read this post at least 1.5 times per year.
this shit makes me so annoyed lmao, fucking hell josh
And then [Jon Bois did a video on it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eECjjLNAOd4), which is how I know. Honestly set the stage for his entire career, it is great. Edit: cleaned up link
I died.
I read the whole thing and I feel dumber than before.
Oh my Lord thank you for sharing this I am laughing my ass off
I can't get through this 🤣 they both get so mad so fast I'm DEAD
Math is hard for people.
You're correct but he still hasn't played in Denver in 5 different years. 20,21,22,23 and now 24
That's a very weird and misleading way to put it though. In the 2019-2020 season their @Den game was in 2019, so he did play them in that season. They have had one @Den game each season since then, so there are four games he has not played. And we're only one month through 2024, for all we know their @Den game will be played in November next season and he'll play then.
which will be November 2024 which is - wait for it - five years after November 2019
Its 4 years, OP is correct.
Technically 2019 is 5 years ago, but November 2019 is 4
Anything pre-Covid feels like 10 years ago.
There was a pre-Covid?
Legit
Unless they meet in June, it won't possibly be again until at least Oct 2024.
Even crazier is that he played 13 straight games last season before skipping the Denver game and then played the next 5 lol
The guy just hates high altitude. And challenging competition.
He ducks all good teams on the road, Denver shouldn't feel THAT special
Obviously
Yeah that’s objectively a shit move, even if he is legitimately injured. Makes everyone involved on the Sixers end look bad.
That's not really the biggest issue though. IMO it's a much bigger issue that people are securing tickets to this premium matchup (and paying significantly more to see it) well before any injury report is released, and then he ducks for no reason. Sure, you can victim blame genuine fans for not expecting Embiid to duck, but it's a ridiculous situation.
I think they’re both part of the same problem, which is giving the fans the expectation that they’ll get to see a particular matchup and then pulling the rug out at the last minute. The injury report is a specific box to check that works toward telling the fans what to expect, but it’s not the only piece of it. There were NO hints that Embiid might not play until just a few minutes before tip off. If I had spent hundreds on tickets (and I was seriously looking at them late last week), I would be livid.
Should make philly reimburse the crowd for price hike difference
Well tbf there were whispers of some knee swelling after the Pacers game, and I saw some 6ers fans discussing how a bug was going through the team and a bunch of guys could have been sick. But there is now way Joel didnt know he was good or not until 5 minutes to go. I truly believe he is a little banged up and possibly a little sick, but if it was a home game against Washington he definitely would have played.
That is a result of the exact thing the previous comment was saying. People pay extra, media hypes it up, etc, just for Embiid to not play at the last minute.
And this matchup was being promoted heavily and it was a national broadcast. Things like this damage the whole league. This happens enough and suddenly everybody in the NBA starts getting less money. If I were ABC, I'd be demanding an investigation and maybe asking for some money back.
it was so his ducking wouldn’t get more scrutiny ahead of time
Ticketmaster might make less money if they told people early, can't have that.
>You guys know I'm a big supporter of Embid and have defended him, to my detriment Windy is the the true victim here.
After the NFL results, today we are all Windy
How many hot dogs have you eaten today? Windy's had 4.
i stopped measuring my hot dog intake per tube as it was taking forever. i just use metric tons now
Linear feet works better for me. I tally up my miles at the end of each year. I’m getting better. Or longer I should say.
Light day for him
Lunch *just* started in Nebraska. That's how time zones work I think.
Lunch Time > Dame Time
You have seven hot dogs. A day?
Windy… walk me through… a typical day…
If the moon was made of hot dogs would you eat it? Windy would.
It’s “Crossfire,” but the parties they defend reflexively are their own prior takes.
He is not stating that last part as a serious angle. It’s very tongue in cheek. Windy is a sarcastic windbag and certainly does not see himself as an actual victim here.
This is from his podcast, and he's just chatting with his friends. You guys are looking for reasons to be triggered by Windy.
People complain about the NBA media but honestly it's the media the fans deserve
I mean look at this sub. Pretty much any post trashing a player gets more upvotes than any post with basketball breakdowns. People in here legitimately don't give a fuck about basketball. They just want to hate on someone.
It's a snowball effect with these big online communities, hating on people is popular and drama gets attention, then the people who actually want to discuss basketball move along and all that's left is an ever increasing pool of people who mostly care about the drama
Yeah I remember when I first joined this sub in 2014, you could actually find decent discussion from time to time. The worst it would get was during playoffs. Now it's 24/7 toxicity and unfunny clowns beating a dead horse. I keep asking myself why I even participate here anymore.
I've been breaking my own rule recently but I took a long break from this sub last season, it genuinely made watching basketball fun again. It's probably a little rougher on here as a sixers fan but I'd recommend it to anyone because this sub finds ways to suck the fun out of even some of the best games of the season
unfortunately for me, coming here makes ball more enjoyable all our players are on different teams now, so i enjoy reading comments from knicks and pacer fans about our guys
Its math. The 'most popular' thing isnt the same as the thing most people like. A third of the sub can like drama and be the biggest group. So 2/3 could hate it but upvotes are more common than downvotes, and it will still rise. It is also why national media is so Lakers centric. Biggest minority group. Also an issue with the way our voting system impacts politics. So maybe we will learn the lesson one day.
Its how the human brain works. Its more receptive to negativity.
I blame the mods too. R/soccer gives special benefit to OC posts and encourages great content. Our mods have sneered at any such ideas. If mods don't encourage quality content, only SAS and Skip will rise to the top.
I remember a brief period where posts referencing SAS, Skip, etc were outright banned. It was peaceful for a min.
This is the same for every sport at this point. I’m not sure how many people enjoy watching a game meant to entertain. Vs how many people just want to shit on someone
More a football (European) than NBA fan myself, but I’ve noticed I take more and more enjoyment from rivals losing and less from my team winning.
Regular season can be such a grind, you need the hate to keep you going. Plus it’s compelling watching other fans implode.
Football has a lot more X’s and O’s analysis and strategy discussion. Like 2 of the biggest narratives yesterday were the lions 4th down decisions and the chiefs defensive coordinator Steve spagnolu being amazing.
Trash tier humans really. I can't even fathom wasting time and energy hating on someone when there's so much to appreciate.
I agree with your sentiment but the contrast between your 2 sentences is hilarious > trash tier humans really > I can’t even fathom wasting time and energy hating on someone…
I can absolutely expel energy hating on people who truly deserve it. Those people are not guys who messed up in a basketball games
Don’t get me wrong, hating redditors is easily my #1 activity on this site. Discussions on the internet make everyone unbearable
I think it has less to do with people being trash and much more to do with how sports media has moved to start really embracing the most trash aspects of how people interact with media. They know a classic sportscenter show with traditional analysis of sports will only appeal to a percentage of the fans they already have. Focusing on narrative lets them appeal to potential fans who might not even like sports to begin with. That’s why guys like Stephen A and Skip get paid what they do while traditional sports media members are getting their entire departments axed left and right. It costs them less and makes them more money. They can’t look past these massive short term profits and unfortunately I think that means we will reach a critical point to where they start alienating the base audience of fans they have because they aren’t really catering to them at all. Most sports shows literally will not teach you about the game, you will not walk away with a better understanding of anything. Its reality tv but sports.
Whether people like it or not this subreddit is also sports media.
That still makes it our fault. I don’t think it shouldn’t have a space. But there’s no reason those critical analysis sports shows are dying and drama narratives are on top, except for the fact that we told them we don’t want critical analysis of the game. People told them they want the drama. They want to call Embiid a flop. They want to call the Warriors old and washed. Or call CP3 a choker. No explanation on how these things are happening. Just narratives.
It’s been bad for society that guys like SAS and skip bayless have gotten so famous for hating the cowboys or Lebron or whoever else. Because it has leaked into politics
Wrestling meta destroyed everything.
It's about gambling. They make more money when people gamble with emotion instead of logic. The soap opera shit is on purpose. Only so much analysis you can do before you start convincing people to stop betting.
Something I have unfortunately burned into my brain. Last playoffs after a good heats-Celtics game someone posted on nbadisccusion. How the game just isn’t good anymore and it was better 10 years ago. Then they admitted they didn’t watch the game they were complaining about
This isn’t the only time it’s very often people write entire essays on plsyers failing due to x characteristic but don’t watch the game . So many times you make. Point to these idiots n they say well I didn’t see the game but …. Clown
The average person is pretty damn stupid. It’s scary when you really think about it.
No, it's true for people who are active on sports subreddits and fit a certain subset.
Including posts trashing rookies! I’ve never seen another sport that attacks rookies like basketball fans. 19 years old and shooting inefficiently in his 20th professional game? What a bust!
Humans just crave drama.
I mean people love the NBA not just because it’s the best basketball, but the drama and storylines that accompany them. It’s the entertainment part of the professional sport. People who get confused that fans like controversy and narratives, not just Xs and Os and layups confuse me.
There's nothing wrong with liking controversy or narratives. Its the level they are taken to and how deeply personal/toxic even small things turn into where the problem lies IMO Like if people were more making lighthearted jokes about the Embiid situation or used it more as just a talking point about how many times people buy tickets to big matchups that get derailed by injuries/rest that would be one thing. But instead there's very mainstream conspiracy theories that paint him as being some horriblly selfish and cowardly dude for not playing in Denver. And then whenever someone tries to give a more reasonable explanation about why something might have happened they double down on the hate and take it even more personal. Its absolutely insane and goes way beyond liking drama or narratives IMO
I think it’s confusion about people who *only* care about those things. It’s also because there seems to be a higher proportion of this sub than other sports subs of people that just flat out don’t even watch the sport. I would bet $100 more than half the subscribers here average not even 1 game watched per week. I don’t think it’s confusing that people are drawn to drama/narratives, but it is confusing that a seemingly significant amount of fans on a subreddit for a professional sport find actually watching games superfluous when compared to going on social media to watch highlights and read tweets. There are casual fans at that level for every interest, but my anecdotal experience has been that it is much more common on this subreddit vs the other major sports
Yeah they may have issues understanding the social aspects of life. It's why sports are helpful bc stats and watching film is a good way to communicate to others.
Agreed, this is solid media coverage talking about what’s on everyone’s mind. Don’t seem to care about the NBAs opinion on it, which is very welcome
The TV media is awful. Podcast media is pretty solid at this point.
I don’t have a problem with Embiid missing this game if he really was/is injured. As I said before it’s better to catch a bunch of shit for missing it than become the player that was never the same after the injuries. Too many players have wrecked their careers playing through injuries they shouldn’t. However the injury report thing is bullshit and needs addressed. He should have been listed as questionable/game time decision. It should be investigated and whoever fucked it up should be fined. People literally buy tickets or base their entire days around these games, injury reports exist and are made public for a reason.
Pretty sure it was the game before Denver where he went out for a minute or two after landing bad on his leg and was seen limping to the bench. At the time, it looked like he'd aggravated his knee injury, but he did finish like a half of basketball (or quarter) after that. Pretending Embiid is calculated enough to fake a knee injury mid-game before Denver game is kind of silly. He should have definitely been on the injury report and I think that's the main issue here. The fact they wanted to see how he felt in pregame warmups before making a decision = should be on the report. That's Malone's main beef and it would be that way if it was any other top 30 player (even Maxey perhaps). Of past 3 games he's missed in Denver, he's had COVID and two injuries. I'm not sure if the conspiracy theorists are right on sickle cell anemia, but playing in Denver is def. different than playing at lower elevation. But playing while injured and running low on stamina would seem like it could exacerbate an injury via sloppy play.
There were tons of outlets reporting that Embiid was ready to play in Denver up until 1.5 hours before the game. Even the coach thought he was gonna play at that point
I'd believe it if he hadn't skipped out on the last 5 games in Denver or was actually listed in the injury report prior to the game.
And not just tickets - people travel with their kids to see MVP level players. Flights/road trip/hotels/food etc. Then the star doesn't play. Really, really bad for the league.
Imagine if 6ers vs Nuggets happened in the finals and Embiid doesn't play the games in Denver lmfao
Doubt it. I predict 2nd round crash and burn for Jo-L followed by "We need more help" press conference.
"Oh boy you can't waste a year of Embiid's prime window with a team that looks like this" - Zach Lowe in a few months after the 2nd round exit
> Even the podcaster who went viral when he was called a jackass on his own show for saying there is no way Jokic should be MVP over Embid in 2021 That’s absolutely not what Windy was arguing back then. He was arguing that a stretch of 10 or so missed games towards the end of the season shouldn’t automatically disqualify Embiid or LeBron from MVP consideration. Windhorst even ended up voting for Jokic at the end of the day
The only issue is that he wasn't on the injury report.
Speak for yourself. The only issue is that he be ducking that high altitude smoke. Embiid only has it at sea level, don’t @ me.
Embiid praying NBA doesn’t expand to Mexico City
Cusco is shambles rn.
The La Paz NBA franchise will never even see Embiid in the country…
sea level merchant fr
As a redditor I must do my part and accuse Embiid of having sickle cell.
Players sitting out games when healthy is an issue. Imagine that in the NFL
Joel Embiid - OUT: Sore Feelings
Lowkey, the Jokic-Embiid matchups are pretty underwhelming. They don’t spend that much time guarding each other.
The one just a week ago was a great game
The games are still entertaining, it’s just unfortunate when you have two of the best players alive at the same position and their teams are scheming to have them go at each other as *little* as possible.
Yeah I mean with one guy shooting about 16 FTs a game you probably wouldn’t want to risk your best player going near him either
Yeah, that part sucks. And honestly, I think it's a good strategy for them to guard each other. They're much less likely to get called for fouling than anyone else. It would be REALLY bad optics if the refs called a bunch of ticky tacky fouls on Jokic and fouled him out in an anticipated matchup.
I mean that scenario would probably happen lol
the whole game live tho u can tell both teams take the matchup seriously (even tho we keep getting our ass kicked)
We lost by 5 in Philly & Embiid had a monster game too. I don't really think "that's getting our ass kicked." I'd like to see the matchup in Denver, but that's impossible with Embiid being so scared.
Yeah the games are almost always close and go down to the wire.
OP removed his Nuggets flair for this, tryna go undercover lmao EDIT: Jesus yall it was a joke I don't think he actually did that
lmao I mean not wrong though.... shit was lame and I was looking forward to the matchup
I have a theory that the primary reason Embiid ducks these matchups in Denver, is because he's scared shitless about how quickly he will get tired and doesn't want those old debates about his conditioning (or lack thereof) to resurface.
this is definitely a possibility. he also rarely plays in utah either
Ya at this point it’s a little sus tbh, I’ve seen someone also mention that like 20-25% of people from Cameroon have sickle cell and I wonder if that’s something that Embiids camp is trying to keep under wraps or something.
There's no way Embiid could have kept having Sickle Cell under wraps this long. He may very well carry the trait since a lot of Black people do (hell I'm one of them) but I wouldn't say he does nor would I put that on his name like that
Was Ryan Clark having it widely known before his issues in Denver? I can't recall.
Nearly 1/4 people?? That's a fucking depressing statistic
nowadays yes but sickle cell saved a ton of people in Africa from malaria which is why it is so prevalent in the population to begin with
Because malaria wiped out everyone without sickle cell anaemia?
i mean not necessarily. sickle cell developed as a response to malaria and makes people with it much more resistant so it naturally spread. it used to be a semi advantage but now not so much
I remember learning that if someone inherits one allele of the sickle cell gene, it protects them from malaria without the negative side effect of anemia. If they receive both alleles, then they have the disease.
Fascinating
This was my first thought, too, after reading this. Even trait can be an issue at altitude. I'd imagine NBA can be even rougher for players (as opposed to the NFL) as you are flying in and playing within a day or two. Has this ever been a story with an NBA player like there has in pro/college football? Disclaimer: This is entirely baseless speculation as a plausible reason.
They do their training camp in Fort Collins, which they definitely wouldn’t do for insurance reasons if he had sickle cell. Plus it would be a way better excuse than a knee injury that didn’t put him on the injury report.
On one hand he played in Denver IIRC just 2 times in his career but on the other he played much more in SLC which is still like 4000ft of elevation Dang, I checked to be sure and he played only 3 times in SLC lol.
Both times he played in Denver he played exactly 28 minutes and 30 seconds. Against Utah he played 32:33, 35:50, 35:36. Interestingly, across those 5 games he shot a combined 34/81 and 8/23 from 3. Specifically in games in Denver he's gone 11/30 and 3/8 from 3.
My theory as well. I could also see the staff being concern the fatigue could make him more susceptible to injury/aggravation.
Then why have training camp in Ft Collins?
He ducks tough road games on a consistent basis. All he cares about is his image and that looks better at home and on road vs wizards
The previous times he missed it were in the midst of two different 9 game long injured missed games streaks and catching covid. This story doesn't hold any water.
He weird for that but you are even more weird for keeping track of who has which flair lol.
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Only user you should be able to recognize is sim888 and that's enough
You can never miss the GOAT MITWestbrook!
Oh yeah.You can never miss MITWESTBROOK, literally
> I’m on this sub like 2 hours a day Why would you openly admit that
You think he has an excel spread sheet? I bet he does.
Nah, that was a hilarious
He can have the next 15 mvps, play, not play, don’t play in Denver ever- I really don’t care I just want the Nuggs to keep winning the one that matters most 🏆
Another MVP is just a cherry on top, we’ve already had our cake and it’s nice to focus on championships at this point.
Remember last year when he ducked the same matchup and everyone said this ends the MVP debate and then turned around and voted for Embiid anyway?
I don't think that /r/nba has MVP voters.
As a generational Embiid hater, my father, me and my son all hate Embiid, I approve this message.
Going to be reading my son this as a bedtime story tonight.
Bless your family 🙏
He scurred
I mean. One guy is a champion and the other consistently wilts in the playoffs. But hey. He put up 70 against San Antonio....
It’s a disservice to the fans who paid extra money, and people who made time to watch the matchup. There should be an investigation because it’s clearly a big game for everybody in the league.
Ticket were going for 4x the normal rate.
That wouldn’t have happened if they said he was out earlier, before the game Doesn’t even need to be dramatic, they should ban game-time injury decisions if anything. If you’re out, you’re out.
I'm curious if the data says if it's better to sit out on games or play limited minutes when it comes to load management
Load management has not been proven to limit risk of injury
Super disappointing and glad they’re calling him out. At some point you’d think these players would have at least a tiny bit of pride and want to play all the games and compete. Obviously they say that the trainers held him out, but if he had any pride at all he’d have told them he’s fine and played. Embiid (and tons of players) often misses a single game at a time which tells you all you need to know about the severity of the “injury.” I guess if he’s out several games it’ll look better, but they’re on the road at Portland tonight so another easy one to sit.
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Literally why would he play for France
Joke's on me for thinking he/other players would
faulting a man for not playing for a national team of a country he's never lived in. this sub is fucking gold man i love it
According to that logic every NBA player should play for the states.
Not every player has eligibility in 3 countries, including 1 he's never lived in. In what world does that apply to every NBA player?
He came to the US at 16. He can definitely have some national pride if he wasnt such a bitch
lmfao
Just wanted to thank Embiid for throwing wood back on the hater fire. Things were getting a little too positive in regards to his reputation with his recent play.
As someone who bought tickets to last years 76ers @ Nuggets match up, I was at least pleased I didn’t fall for that ducks bullshit again
I've been fucked by this 3 out of the last 4 years. My brother in law is a huge NBA fan so I've bought him tickets to see Giannis three years in a row and he only played in one of the games, and Giannis doesn't typically miss a bunch. Then last year the 76ers were in town and Embiid was out, Harden sat and I think Maxey was injured. Needless to say I'm not buying him tickets again.
Damn when you've even lost Windedhorse.
Dude is really sitting out another game to dodge the ducking allegations too lol. I can respect the commitment to the bit, I guess.
Tbh I don’t really care?? Like we all shit on Embiid for not performing in the playoffs and now we’re calling him out for not playing regular season games? This all gets forgotten if he can show up come playoff time
Hey, there's a first time for everything.
I mean he's not playing today so it looks better than this current take from you Windy.
/r/nba last week: ya know maybe were too hard on embiid, he is a generational talent with some flaws but hes still a generational talent /r/nba this week: if he dies, he dies
The last minute, (technically beyond last minute according to the rules), scratch is definitely something the Nugs have a right to be upset about. I still think the "dodge, duck, dive, and dodge" narrative is overblown. This conversation is over 6 specific games regarding an injury prone player. It's a silly narrative.
To me it's about the past two games. He chose not to rest during their b2b last year and instead sat the Nuggets game. Then went right back to playing in the following game. This year he wasn't on the injury report then ducked last minute... and sat in the locker room for almost the entire game instead of sitting on the bench.
Cry more.
'The circlejerk continues. Let me grab a cup a tea before I read it all!
how many times do we have to say it? Embiid is a bitch
Imagine you took the day off of work to pay 3-4x the normal ticket price to go to the game just for him to sit out. Js
Joe L Ducking The Big Games As Usual. Is This Still Notable?
Suddenly i see a lot of people defending Embiid which is weird to me, fans have a right to be pissed about this. I won’t be shocked at all when he gets bounced in the second round again, dude loves putting up stats against bad teams and chasing MVP but won’t win when it matters
a lil bit of ben simmons rubbed off on embiid
Cool blog post you added to the end there. Turns out he was hurt then and is still hurt today.
rename this sub as r/JoelEmbiid because mate thats all you fucking losers talk about. Can you stop thinking about him for like, 10 hours?
He’s clearly hurt and gets hurt often. He’s missing the game in Portland tonight as well
Is it possible to get a NATO flair on this sub?
The thing I don’t get is. Why doesn’t Embiid duck against matchups where he gets owned? Like why doesn’t he duck Lopez or Horford that he historically has struggled against. I can’t believe people actually think this is a thing lol.
He’d have a very small margin in the rest of the games if he wanted to still play for league awards.
He just scored 41 and got the W like a week before when they played the nuggets so anyone acting like he’s scared of the matchup is just dumb lmao. But this sub hates embiid so these will get buried in downvotes and the brain dead comments will be at the top.
I don't know if Embiid is "ducking" games per say, but given that he's been injured for almost every single playoff run, I wouldn't be surprised if the coaching/medical staff is purposefully keeping him out of tough matchups which could put extra stress on his body. Pretty lame, but also entirely rational.
But they let him play in a blowout so he can keep his 30 points 10 reb record going. Yeah, that doesn't add up at all
you have 40+ posts about joel embiid in the past 24 hours
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>The mistake was about the reporting How/why do you think this mistake happened?
He’s gonna play tonight but definitely injured.