When reports about whether a guy ran or walked up some steps and what protective footwear he was or wasn’t wearing while doing so becomes relevant, you can be assured we’re through the looking glass.
If the 76ers understood the specifics of Embiid’s injury but sought to obfuscate them in public statements and in conversations with the press, all I can say is that they are even dumber than I thought. Considering the amount of people that know the details of his injury—the front office, the coaching staff, the training staff, a number of independent doctors, Embiid, his agent, his family, and whoever any of these people told—the chances of this specific lie not getting outed was close to zero. And when there is already a healthy distrust that your team is conducting itself on the level (the 76ers were fined $3 million for not fully disclosing the extent of Jrue Holiday’s injury when trading him to the Pelicans in 2013), furthering that reputation is a very bad idea.
Teams lying about injuries is nothing new, but usually they do so for some sort of competitive advantage. Considering Embiid was over four months from playing in a game when the team announced they would reevaluate his foot, it’s hard to understand what advantage they gained. Instead, it looks another move that prioritizes public relations for an organization that seemingly cares more about PR than putting a functioning basketball team on the court.
Article Appeared @http://deadspin.com/did-the-76ers-lie-about-joel-embiids-injured-foot-1719150487