76ers' Joel Embiid's Importance Shown By Handling Of Surgery

The importance of necessity in the NBA is crucial for organizations to develop and compete at an ideal level that meets their goals. When the Philadelphia 76ers embarked on a revolutionary journey in 2013, they had needs similar to other rebuilding organizations in the NBA. Players who the Sixers drafted, after sacrificing an entire season for, had to be worth the struggle.

Joel Embiid, a hulking Cameroonian still transitioning to the game of basketball, was the initial reward in 2014. After drafting the Kansas product, whose fresh foot injury disabled him front going to the draft, general manager Sam Hinkie addressed a safe route for his newest addition:

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"“Guess what our approach will be? We will focus on the long-term health of the player,” Hinkie said per csnphilly.com. “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.”"

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The five- to eight-month time frame for Embiid’s recovery translated into the No. 3 pick watching the 2014-15 season from the sidelines. His presence on the court would have driven Philadelphia’s win total up, but the term “risk” deterred any chance of Embiid seeing game action.

In another drudgery of a season, the Sixers flashing Embiid’s potential and tandem-esque pairing with Noel would be a myopic sequence.

Chatter of the big man playing in the summer league erupted and had the Philadelphia faithful giddy. Embiid would be dream shaking and splashing triples and even though it would be against mostly D-Leaguers, he’d still be on the court. The thought was just a pipe dream dissipating throughout fans in the 215 area.

Embiid endured a setback before the 2015 NBA Draft per Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski; one eventually leading to surgery. The navicular bone that Embiid broke in 2014 ended up breaking again. Hinkie addressed the latest setback:

"“A collective decision has been made that the best approach to promote full healing would be to proceed with a bone graft of the fracture site,” general manager Sam Hinkie said in a statement per The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. “We anticipate the procedure will take place in the next seven to 10 days and result in Joel missing the upcoming season.”"

Hinkie’s response to Embiid’s injury occurred on July 12. The estimate of “seven to 10 days” obviously was just “an estimate.” Embiid’s surgery happened Tuesday. Hinkie’s psychic powers failed. However, he didn’t fail to give his 21-year-old player the support needed to properly go under the knife.

The bone graft surgery similar to Kevin Durant‘s had a bevy of doctors focused on the important event.

Embiid's surgery was at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. He had a team of FIVE doctors involved in procedure.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) August 19, 2015

All renowned too. Samuel Hinkie might be the calculating shark who’s both adored and seethed, but putting complete attention to the matter of Embiid’s surgery speaks volumes on what the 7-foot-2 charismatic and jovial individual means to the Sixers organization. In a conference call following Embiid’s surgery, Hinkie relayed his immediate action in getting Embiid the proper treatment:

"“First thing I did… I think I found out on a Friday; I jumped on a flight saturday morning. I took David Martin (Head of Sports Science) with me. We flew directly to LA, drove to Joel’s hotel, picked him up and took him to Dr. (Richard) Ferkel. The original surgeon from his surgery last June. We asked a whole bunch of questions. My job, in a situation like this, is to help people gather information and to help be a steward of that information and to help us get the right information to make the right decision.”"

Hinkie’s intuitiveness to helping Embiid and getting opinions from many surgeons ties into his belief that you can’t have enough information. Joel is a young individual going through another risky surgery. Embiid’s health might be vital to the Sixers future, but his vitality is pivotal to playing a sport he excels at and has tossed aside his childhood favorite (Soccer) for.

"“He’s 21 years old and just four years ago was living in Cameroon,” said Hinkie. “… And just thrown into the NBA and everything you love the most taken away from you in basketball. You’re stuck being a rehab machine and that’s not fun for any of us. Most of us can’t truly empathize what that must be like.”"

Centers of mass proportions have been hobbled in the past from foot injuries. Hoops Habit’s Chase Senior eloquently noted Yao Ming‘s chronic foot issues that decimated Houston’s playoff runs. Yao was a monster few could contain at 7’6″ with a post game and elite shot blocking ability.

He made the All-Star Game every season he was in the NBA, according to sports-reference.com, but the injury bug bit the giant hard. Yao missed the entire 2009-10 and was forced to retire after playing in only five games a season later.

Durant, who Embiid contacted for surgery advice, had a bone graft inserted after missing a chunk of the 2014-15 in which the Thunder missed out on the playoffs altogether. The evidential absence of one of the game’s elite scorers eliminated title aspirations Oklahoma City had entering the season.

Embiid is essential, despite not playing single minute in the NBA, for the Sixers quest to prominency. He’s their primordial option, both selected and ceiling related, to having a star on the team. Hinkie stressed the importance of Embiid’s surgical process:

"“I’ve had conversations with him and with everyone since then (surgery). ‘Like everyone’s got to step up their game here.’ Like we have to have a whole new level of focus to what we’re trying to get done because the stakes are very high. Obviously, everyone always knew the stakes were high. It’s clear to everyone and to everyone in this call that however high they were, they’re higher.”"

Hinkie understands that and has once again played the safe card per Pompey:

"“Talking to my sources, they want to see him return around October – not this October, but the next October, for that season. And he may not even return for the start of that season. He may miss a couple of games. But that’s their goal.”"

The Sixers, based on their rebuilding trajectory, aren’t in any rush to complicate Embiid’s medical status any further. They’ll bide and let him rehab before making a just decision on his return. Philadelphia preaches for the player’s best interests and has let Embiid’s long off-court leash reign free.

Embiid threw down between-the-legs dunks during the season and rode on a Phunkee Duck moped-like transportation device in the offseason. Hinkie said Embiid wasn’t ordered to wear a protective boot in the summer and even participated in live basketball a week until the CT scan.

The surgery went “really well” according to Embiid on his Instagram account and Hinkie is optimistic about Embiid’s recovery and future. What bodes well for the organization is the revelation of Embiid’s bone integrity in his foot:

"“Visual inspection suggested good vascularity of the bone,” said Dr. Martin J. O’Malley, the surgeon who headed up the operation per phillymag.com’s Derek Bodner. “We were able to identify that bone’s integrity was even better than expected and has been put in a great position to support full recovery.”"

He’s in a promising situation as a young athlete with plenty of teammates in his age group. Many of his fellow Sixers gave Embiid support on social media including Jahlil Okafor, Robert Covington and Isaiah Canaan who are all part of a young core in Philadelphia. Last season, Embiid showed, at times, elation when the Sixers went ahead leading to a timeout or finishing a win.

The endurance to once again sit out a season and regain fluidity in his body will test Embiid. Pre-game dunk theatrics remain to be seen if they occur however. He’ll entertain nonetheless while hopefully dropping a few hilarious tweets during the season.

It’s the freedom and trust off the court that Sam Hinkie has given to one of the most charismatic figures in the NBA that converts into a bond.

Embiid is the link to a future Philadelphia hasn’t witnessed for decades. Hinkie’s making sure the steel doesn’t rust by choosing the ideal routes for his Cameroonian, franchise-altering savant.

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Philadelphia 76ers Handling Of Joel Embiid Injury Illustrates Importance To Team

By Jake Hyman | Aug 22, 2015

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