The 76ers said Joel Embiid’s left knee had a bone bruise… then a contusion… then a torn meniscus. They called him out day-to-day… then indefinitely… then for the rest of the season.
Eventually, Embiid underwent surgery.
But even then, he was getting mixed messages.
Embiid, via Jackie MacMullan of ESPN:“I feel very lucky,” Embiid said in his first public comments since his operation to repair a meniscus tear. “When I went into that surgery, I went in thinking I was going to have a six-month recovery. That’s what they told me: six months or more. I’m thinking, ‘No, not again.’
“When they did the MRI [before the surgery], it looked like my meniscus was fully torn. But when they got it in there, they realized that wasn’t the case. It really turned out to be nothing, just a small, little thing. So that’s very good.”
That’s fantastic news for Embiid and the 76ers. A six-month recovery period would’ve allowed him back for the start of next season, but it would have been close enough to raise questions. Instead, Embiid’s recovery is being measured in weeks.
But the bigger concern still exists: The 76ers can’t find someone who accurately diagnoses Embiid’s injuries? The process (lower-case p here, for sure) might yield less favorable results next time.
