Hobbled and still not healthy, Joel Embiid reluctantly seemed to play against the Golden State Warriors. Previously, he had missed his blockbuster matchup against Nikola Jokic which invited immense criticism. He was alleged of ‘dodging’ a fellow MVP frontrunner. However, to protect his own case, he had to pay with a much larger and more severe consequence.

When he missed the game against the Denver Nuggets, that was his 12th for the season. With the new rule, a player has to play at least 65 games to be eligible for any awards. Many assume that’s the reason Embiid suited up against Stephen Curry and the Warriors. It was evident he wasn’t completely fit, yet to preserve his stature at the top of the MVP ladder, he had to take the risk.

Unfortunately, the prevalent injury was aggravated when Kuminga fell on his left knee during a possession in the fourth quarter. Immediately, Embiid was wincing his pain. He held his left knee and was rushed back to the locker room for further examination. He hasn’t played a game since.

The latest update has put him out of any league honors this season due to the newly introduced 65-game rule. Embiid underwent surgery for a torn meniscus and will be evaluated after four weeks. So who is to blame for ruining what would have certainly been a second straight MVP?

Joel Embiid was on track to make history

Little needs to be said about just how assertive and powerful Embiid was this season. Nothing kept him from scoring. The Process was at his deadliest, torching every opposition he faced. At the peak, Embiid scored 30+ in 22 straight games, the fifth-longest streak in NBA history. Additionally, we also saw him break through the 70-point benchmark, the ninth time anyone had ever achieved such a feat.

On a nightly basis, Embiid was a walking 35-ppg scorer. As a big, he boasted all the skills of a bruiser. Embiid would finish around the rim, engage in contact to finish, and at times hammer it right down in a defender’s face. Then there is the more pronounced part of his offense – an unguardable mid-range motion.

Imagine a 7 footer stopping and stepping back for a jumper. How do you guard that? Joel Embiid had his jump shot mastered to a point he was scoring an array of buckets from one single spot. His mid-range jumper is so efficient that even contesting didn’t do much. For the season, he was shooting it at 49.6%, one of the highest in the entire league.

He was on pace to become only the second man after Wilt Chamberlain to average 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in a season. Sadly, it all dispelled when his knee got caught under Kuminga.

It erupted a major debate. Is the 65-game rule forcing innocent NBA players, those genuinely hurt to play and preserve their position for awards? Did Embiid have to play because of the new rule? Blames are flying in all directions.

Sixers, Embiid, media, and the NBA are being blamed

Embiid’s long-term injury sparked a massive controversy. Fans were enraged and likewise so, they had been robbed of history. It was more sour for Philadelphia fans who could potentially see their season wither away when the championship aspirations were higher than when Allen Iverson bravely took them to the Finals. In their eyes, the NBA was at fault. And they have backing.

The most prominent voice is that of Draymond Green. He berated the NBA for introducing a minimum quota rule for awards. His argument was in favor of those players who were actually suffering from injuries – someone like Joel Embiid. He even spoke about young and upcoming All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is also in danger of losing his spot at the exhibition game having missed 13.

Revered analyst Stephen A Smith engaged in debate and argued it was the players who had brought it upon themselves. However, Green advocated for his point – what about those genuinely in discomfort? If there wasn’t any such stipulation, maybe Embiid wouldn’t have had to play. But now that he did, Green claims Embiid is ‘screwed’.

LeBron James immediately tweeted out in regard to the situation as well. However, he pointed the blame to the media and all the analysts who scrutinized Embiid for missing out on games. In a rage-filled rant, James said, “Where are all the media outlets, tv media personalities, hot takes that talked so much (s—) about Joel Embiid about missing those games when he knew what he was dealing with,” James wrote on X. “Now he’s out with an injury because of it. Not 1 person has went back on tv or their d*****s podcast and apologized to that MAN!! No accountability,”

Lastly, Chris Broussard and Rob Parker blame Joel Embiid and the Sixers organization. After firing Adam Silver for not taking a more direct route with the teams, Parker said nothing should be valued more than health.

“Why would you put yourself out there when you know you are not good, you are not healthy This could do damage to you. And that’s why the medical staff and the Sixers I blame a little bit because you have to stop the players from hurting themselves right?” said Parker.

With all the fingers pointed, who is really responsible for the injury Joel Embiid suffered?

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The Sixers had to be more strict

Firstly, I don’t think the media is to blame. As much as we listen to analysts, they are simply putting their points across. With Embiid’s history of not playing in Denver since 2019 and then playing a few days later against the Warriors, some pundit’s suspicions were aroused. Their take is hardly the cause that Embiid limped out to play the 2021 champions.

The next and probably the prime suspects are Silver and the NBA. Green said something that many fans and even I resonate with. Why couldn’t the league just investigate such matters when they occur like they do with most cases of speculation? They did end up fining the Sixers for benching Embiid against Denver. Instead of subjecting players to a quota, the league could just take additional efforts and investigate matters where ‘load management’ or ‘rest’ is a suspicion.

The new rule adds unnecessary stress on players to go out of their way and participate even when their bodies might be suggesting otherwise. We can only speculate whether it drove Joel Embiid to play or not. If it did, the league is somewhat to blame for his injury. His excellence throughout the year shouldn’t be discredited because he gets injured and has to miss more than 17 games in a year.

If it was him taking advantage of the facilities offered, then sure the NBA has all the right to dismiss him off any accolades. However, when there is no parameter or exception to the missed games, it pushes players to take such risks, at times it can lead to worse outcomes like it did with Embiid.

With that being said, I feel Embiid and the Sixers are the only parties to blame. At one point a question has to be asked, is the player more important, or is his qualification for awards more important? Embiid was clearly compromised when playing the Warriors. His health was always at risk. One bad turn or bad landing could have caused it. It just so happened to be Kuminga’s body.

If it is known that it could have long-term repercussions for Embiid, the Sixers should have strictly prohibited him from participating in any games until fully healed. An MVP award doesn’t define his entire legacy. The bigger objective – competing for a title and having your best player healthy should have ranked above anything else.

It should have been a relatively easy call when Embiid previously said –

“If I have a chance to get a second one, I’ll do it. I’m not going to force myself or push for it. My game is always going to speak for itself. We’re winning. That’s the main thing. We’ve got to keep winning and you put in the stats to be in the (MVP) conversation that’s great, too. But at the end of the day, if there’s something going on, and I can’t meet the requirement for the amount of games played to qualify for that, then so be it,”

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Nothing should have come above his health. When you account for the fact that he has had knee issues since he came into the league, Joel Embiid should have never been out on the floor against the Warriors. As much as Silver’s rule might have pushed his agenda to play, the major blame falls on the Philadelphia 76ers in my opinion for allowing a bruised player to play.