The Philadelphia 76ers are in a bit of a crisis right now (probably an exaggeration, given how chaotic their season has been). Even so, how bad is it? Bad enough that Paul George has quit his podcast to focus on helping his team get back on track. But he can only do that if he’s healthy and available to play for the Sixers, right?

Ahead of Philly’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, reports stated that Paul George was OUT of the game with a groin injury. But that has changed since, as he’s now QUESTIONABLE for the game. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has also updated us about his injury. Fair warning to you Sixers fans; it’s not very optimistic.

Paul George’s groin issues flared up at halftime during the 76ers’ upset win against the Golden State Warriors. Coach Nurse says this injury “hasn’t got much better,” according to the Sixers’ beat reporter, Sam DiGiovanni.

Paul will want to return to being game-ready as soon as he can. That said, we’re sure this isn’t how he envisioned his debut season with the Sixers. Then again, the Philly side did know the stakes when they made the blockbuster move. PG13 might be an All-Star caliber player even at 34, but there’s no getting around his injury concerns.

He’s averaging a little more than 16 points per game—his lowest since the 2014/15 NBA season. Moreover, George only played 6 games that season. Not the benchmark he’ll want to be held to, of course. So maybe quitting his podcast to focus on his health was a good move.

However, Paul isn’t the only one on the Sixers’ active roster struggling with injuries this season. Nick Nurse also revealed that Tyrese Maxey, who has a finger injury, isn’t faring any better either.“It hurts, but I’ll be fine,” said Maxey himself about the injury. But is their best player playing through an injury really the way to salvage this season for the Philadelphia 76ers?

Is it time for the Philadelphia 76ers to shut down Tyrese Maxey and Paul George?

The Sixers recently shut down their biggest star, Joel Embiid. He’ll be out for the rest of the season as experts from around the world attempt to fix his banged-up knee. But what’s stopping the Philadelphia 76ers from going that route with the other stars on their roster?

We’ve seen Paul George and Tyrese Maxey play through injuries quite a bit this season. And we’re sure you’ve winced for every second of those games if you’re a Sixers fan. So, should Nick Nurse and Daryl Morey pull the plug on this season and tank? Well, the answer’s not so simple. What’s the biggest roadblock? The NBA’s player participation policy comes to mind.

This policy prevents a team from resting or shutting down stars unless they have a legitimate injury. And it’s not very easy to convince the NBA of this! And why is that? The league has its own process of evaluating it.

They bring in a former team physician to answer a simple question. “Could an average player have played without worsening this injury?” If the answer is yes, the team gets to breathe a sigh of relief. But if it’s a no, well … that’s $10,000 less from the franchise’s pockets.

And guess what? The Sixers have already paid a $100k fine for “inconsistent statements” when it came to Joel Embiid’s health. Their next fine? That’ll cost them a quarter of a million dollars, and if they violate the policy again, it’ll jump to a hefty $1 million per offense. So they’d rather avoid it. But it’s not just the league’s player participation policy that’s an issue. It’s also GM Daryl Morey’s foolhardiness that’s costing the Sixers.

At the post-trade deadline press conference, Morey revealed that his team was still “focused on the championship.” While this was before the Sixers went on a 9-game skid, it’s still a little painful to hear. Right now, Philly has no shot at winning a championship. Even making it to the post-season would be a miracle! Given his comments, fans in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ will be hoping the reports of Bob Myers replacing him are true.

Nevertheless, Morey’s line of thought and the player participation policy are the hurdles the 76ers need to clear to have a shot at getting some draft picks for next season. And we believe it’s in their best interests to shut down Maxey and George, provided they can do it without running afoul of the participation policy! After all, winning enough games to not get any Draft picks while losing enough to not make the postseason is the worst-case scenario for the Sixers.