The NBA has landed on a $100,000 fine for how the Sixers have handled Joel Embiid's rather murky injury status.
The league announced the fine on Tuesday for “public statements, including by president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse, that were inconsistent with Joel Embiid’s health status and in violation of NBA rules, including the league’s Player Participation policy.”
The NBA also noted that an investigation “confirmed that Embiid has been unable to play in the 76ers’ regular season games this season due to a left knee condition, and therefore his games missed have not violated the Player Participation Policy.”
After sitting out the Sixers’ entire preseason, Embiid will miss the Sixers’ fourth regular-season game Wednesday night vs. the Pistons with a “left knee injury management” designation.
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Starting at the Sixers’ media day on Sept. 30, the team has publicly emphasized getting Embiid to the playoffs as healthy as possible.
“We’re going to be really smart about this,” Morey said. “We’re focused on April, May, June. It doesn’t mean that the team right now isn’t important as well, but we’re going to be very smart about how we manage him through the season. There’s going to be a lot of information as we learn about how everything’s working with the entire roster.
“But with Joel specifically … we actually have quite a few guys who we think we need to be smart about how we manage them through the season while still maintaining a high level of play, and keep the eye on the prize as we do that.”
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When the news came that Embiid would miss the Sixers’ regular-season opener, Nurse said the seven-time All-Star had experienced “no setback.”
“He’s in practice, he’s looking good, he’s progressing,” Nurse said on Oct. 22. “He’s not quite ready yet. He’ll be ready pretty soon.”
Nurse on Tuesday did not answer specific questions about Embiid’s injury. A Sixers official said both Embiid and Paul George (left knee bone bruise) participated in parts of practice and will be re-assessed later in the week.
Embiid missed February and March of last season as he recovered from a left lateral meniscus injury. He returned for the final two weeks of the regular season and the playoffs, then joined Team USA basketball for the summer and won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
In April, the NBA fined the Sixers $100,000 for violating league injury reporting rules ahead of Embiid's first game back.
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