After missing another month of action, Joel Embiid appeared in his 14th game of the season on Tuesday. Playing 36 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks, he tallied 29 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 steal to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the Mavs, who played without Anthony Davis. The extensive manner in which the Sixers used their returning superstar made Kenyon Martin Sr. question the team’s strategy for keeping Embiid healthy for the long run.
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With his left knee still struggling under load, the heavy usage has forced Embiid to miss the second game of Philly’s back-to-backs this week. Martin suggested the franchise should take its time with the superstar’s injury, instead of exposing him prematurely and adding the risk of further aggravating it.
“So your first game back, you go out and play this man 36 minutes?” Kenyon questioned the Sixers’ long-term vision on the latest episode of Gil’s Arena. “This is an issue. You got a back-to-back, you know he ain’t gonna play tonight. He coming back, what’s wrong with 25 minutes? What’s wrong with 20 minutes?”
The former NBA forward had even proposed shutting down Embiid for the season in December. Martin Sr. believes that, even with Joel in the lineup, the Sixers are inevitably going to be a play-in team this season.
“Personally, like nah, ain’t no way he should play 36 minutes first game back. I f**king hope they don’t make the Playoffs. Like, I hope they remain f**king 11, 12 and yeah, f**k ’em,” Martin Sr. said about Philadelphia’s campaign.
Perhaps some of Martin Sr.’s frustration is coming from the Sixers’ decision to trade his son, Kenyon Martin Jr., to the Detroit Pistons in a salary dump. However, his criticisms do hold up.
Philly is essentially gambling with Embiid’s long-term health in the hopes of a slightly higher seeding this season. Given his history with lower body injuries, practicing caution and looking to the future would protect the interests of both the team and the player.
Embiid reflects on his return after the Mavs win
“I was scared of getting traded,” Embiid said after his first game since January 4. Of course, he was hinting in a lighthearted manner about the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade that inevitably flooded the league with uncertainty. The seven-time All-Star then went on to share his take on the Sixers’ rocky season thus far.
“I wish I could help us sometimes. My body just doesn’t allow it to happen, but I’m doing my best. Like I said, I’m proud of all those guys — the intensity. And the coaches, they’ve been doing a great job,” said Embiid.
The Cameroonian-American center remained jittery about his long-term availability, describing his injury as “unpredictable”. However, there was another part of his statement that would likely frustrate Martin Sr.
“I don’t really have time to really recover, so until I get that time, it could be like that. Just got to keep going, do the right things, take care of yourself, and hope for the best,” Embiid added.
Comments like these suggest that the Sixers have decided to play the big man even before he gets a clean bill of health. And Embiid, of course, is keen to play his part.
It’s an understandable instinct to try and salvage this season — especially they have crossed the first apron. But as Martin Sr. explained, Philadelphia’s championship window will be cinched shut if Embiid’s left foot isn’t allowed the time to make a full recovery.
![Klay Thompson will end his time with the Golden State Warriors which brought him a shower of NBA titles and All-Star appearances to join the Dallas Mavericks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Klay signing with another team besides the Dubs has raised questions as to why the veteran sharpshooter would leave his forever home and try winning somewhere else, given that Curry and Draymond still have a championship run left in the tank. Well, it appears to be a matter of respect for Klay and not money, as the former Warriors player accepted a financially inferior contract to play three years with the Mavericks. Appearing on Gil's Arena, Kenyon Martin pointed out how the Warriors paying Green his $100 million contract, and lowballing Klay only a season later is downright disrespectful, highlighting it as the cause of Thompson's departure from GSW. The 46-year-old further pointed to the fact that Klay has had a better stat line, greater impact on winning, and played more consistently than Green through the years, and still got offered a worse contract, something that definitely rubbed Klay the wrong way. Talking about his opinion further, Martin said, "You paid Draymond [Green]...I'm a bucket, I've averaged more points than him, we don't do none of this without me...And this is the thanks I get? It's a slap in the face." But Martin's interpretation of loyalty and respect seems to conflict with NFL veteran, Shannon Sharpe's interpretation of the whole situation. The former NFL tight end believes that Klay got what he deserved, and the Warriors didn't low-ball him. The 56-year-old further added that in a contract year, players are expected to show out and prove their worth. But Thompson did the opposite, as the 34-year-old posted the second-worst statistical season of his career. Airing out his opinion further, Sharpe said, "If you go back and look at it, Jordan Poole had a career year when his contract was up, they paid him. Draymond played well, they paid him. Stephen A. said last week, This is statistically Klay’s worst year.’ It happened to be in a contract year. They didn’t wrong him.” Unlike his NBA counterpart, Sharpe seems to think that Klay got paid for his legacy when the Warriors paid him $190 million over 5-years back in 2019. It's important to note that Thompson signed that contract just weeks after blowing out his ACL, and still was offered the second-largest contract in franchise history. Another NBA veteran, Richard Jefferson, also seems to be siding with his league mate, calling out the Dubs front office for their disrespect of Klay. Richard Jefferson reveals how Thompson has been demanding a better contract since X'Mas last year After the news of Thompson's signing to the Mavericks finally went official, Richard Jefferson appeared on ESPN's daily show, 'NBA Today' to call out the Warriors for fumbling the bag, and not paying Thompson his due respect and money. During his rant, the former Warriors forward highlighted an incident between him and Thompson to further point out how the contract issues between Thompson and the Warriors had been lingering for over a year. Recalling the incident, Thompson said, " This was on Christmas Day. I get off the elevator, and I see Klay, and I'm like, 'Klay, what's up?' I'm like, 'Hey man, keep your mentals right.' He's like, 'Man, tell them to pay me my money...This was on Christmas Day. On Christmas Day, a guy that had won four Championships. I don't give a damn what anybody says how much money they gave him over the years because he turned their franchise around." As far as perfect situations go, the whole Klay-Warriors scenario is less than ideal. Not only do the Dubs lose out on a bona fide franchise legend and one of the best shooters to ever play the game, but Klay also needs to adjust to life in a new team, a new city, and with new teammates and coaching scenarios. He will, of course, hope that all works out well, but if it doesn't we may see a Klay that regrets his decision to leave the Warriors.](https://cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com/2024/07/e368aa5e-untitled-design-2024-07-03t092652.398.jpg?format=auto&w=384&q=75)