‘To this day, I don’t understand’

Joel Embiid on why Ben Simmons left “I just didn’t understand what was going on, honestly. I didn’t understand what happened and what led up to that whole situation. To this day, I don’t understand. Even when you look at it and I don’t have any problems with him and like I say, obviously we didn’t win the championship together, but in the regular season, we went dominant every single season. 50-win seasons, I always believed that we had a chance to win together. Like I always believed that even to this day. I believe that we had a chance to win and what we were able to accomplish obviously, winning matters the most, but I feel like we had a chance and that’s what I don’t get. I don’t understand what was going on, honestly. What caused him to want to leave. I understand his explanation, but a lot of things don’t make sense.”
Source: Ky Carlin @ Sixers Wire

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
Current NBA scoring leaders (points per game):
29.95 – Joel Embiid
29.80 – Giannis Antetokounmpo
29.53 – LeBron James
The next 25 days should be interesting. pic.twitter.com/G1i6MiGZG4 – 10:31 AM

JD Shaw @JShawNBA
NBA’s best from March 16:
– L. Doncic: 37 pts, 9 reb, 9 ast
– D. Mitchell: 37 pts, 5 ast, 29 min
– Giannis: 36 pts, 10 reb, 2 stl
– J. Embiid: 35 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast
– S. Gil-Alexander: 34 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast
– K. Middleton: 32 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast
– N. Jokic: 29 pts, 13 reb, 8 ast – 10:26 AM

Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
From last night’s game, it was point guard day for the Nets. Ben Simmons had an epidural, Goran Dragic came into his own, Kyrie Irving didn’t attend and Spencer Dinwiddie reminded his old team of what they could have had: theathletic.com/3191584/2022/0… – 10:20 AM

Joe Vardon @joevardon
The best birthday gift Joel Embiid received wasn’t wrapped in paper, but a splint. Jarrett Allen’s broken finger cleared the path for a feast, on the day an MVP frontrunner turned 28, ⁦@The Athletic⁩ theathletic.com/3191219/2022/0… – 10:08 AM

Story continues

Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
Joel Embiid has made at least five free throws in each of his last 40 games.
He’s just the fifth player in NBA history to record at least 40 such games in a row within a single season.
Embiid and Kevin Durant (2009-10) are the only players to do so since the ABA-NBA merger. pic.twitter.com/VrBh0z3RXZ – 9:31 AM

Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
Joel Embiid last night:
✅ 35 PTS
✅ 17 REB
✅ 5 AST
✅ 13-19 FG
It’s the ninth time Embiid has recorded at least 35p/10r/5a in a game this season.
The only player in @Philadelphia 76ers history with more such games in a single season is Wilt Chamberlain (1965-66, 19). pic.twitter.com/dzcaPSI9Gd – 9:21 AM

Tom Ziller @teamziller
Lots of fun in the NBA last night: Wolves dancing on the Lakers’ grave, Dinwiddie ending the Nets, Lonnie Walker ending the Thunder, little LaMelo salt, big Marcus Smart energy, more excellence from Embiid and Jokic. ziller.substack.com/p/thursday-hig… – 8:25 AM

Ryan Blackburn @NBABlackburn
After tonight, Mikal Bridges took over as the NBA’s plus-minus leader:
1. Mikal, +521
2. Curry, +509
3. Tatum, +483
4. CP3, +419
5. Jokić, +396
11. Giannis, +343
33. Embiid, +263
53. Morant, +182
58. DeRozan, +169
87. Luka, +113 – 1:35 AM

Donatas Urbonas @Urbodo
Dante Exum on Ben Simmons joining Australian National Team in the near future:
“Everyone who has talked to Ben and been around Ben knows that he wants to play. When the time is right, he’ll play.”
Exum said the goal is gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics and 2023 FIBA World Cup. – 1:27 AM

Dave Early @DavidEarly
“That’s cool, that’s fine if you like that s–t,” KD says, talking about 90’s NBA. “But when you watch us now…look at Joel Embiid what he can do…Towns…we got a 6’7” point guard [Luka] we just played against. We got one our team as well.”
-KD talks evolution of basketball. pic.twitter.com/oBSZEzdM1J – 11:50 PM

Joel Embiid @JoelEmbiid
Blessings and more life!!! Thanks for all the birthday wishes pic.twitter.com/O8U54ZHYOs – 10:49 PM

Dave Early @DavidEarly
Kevin Durant says the talent and skill level is beyond what it’s been in the past. Points out what Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns are doing. And points to the defense Jason Kidd deployed tonite to slow him down as part of the evolution too. – 10:43 PM

Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Asked about keeping Ben Simmons engaged while he rehabs, Kevin Durant reminds us Simmons is a grown man and he’s not one to hold guys’ hands. Said it’s on Simmons’ to stay engaged. – 10:39 PM

Dave Early @DavidEarly
Kevin Durant says he won’t do much to keep Ben Simmons involved while he’s out, says Ben’s a grown up and doesn’t want that from us. Can’t wait to get him back out there whenever that is. – 10:39 PM

Lauren Rosen @LaurenMRosen
Tyrese Maxey on the Joel Embiid trusting him him down the stretch tonight:
“We had to make plays for each other. We had to trust each other. That’s a big pass for Joel – he trusted me. If he puts his trust in me, I’ll do whatever I’m capable of doing to knock it down.” – 10:09 PM

Lauren Rosen @LaurenMRosen
Tyrese Maxey on receiving Joel Embiid’s birthday surprise t-shirt – a surprise courtesy of Georges Niang – on his loop this morning:
“At first I thought it was Tupac. And then I looked over and I was like- is that Joel on my loop? And then I remembered that it was his birthday!” pic.twitter.com/PGg8N4OXXL – 10:03 PM

Noah Levick @NoahLevick
Observations after a birthday win for Joel Embiid.
Sixers 2-1 over their last three despite opposing benches posting 94 more points than the team’s second unit.
nbcsports.com/philadelphia/s… – 9:59 PM

Eddie Sefko @ESefko
Nail-biter going on in Brooklyn, tied at 102 with under 4 minutes left. During the upcoming timeouts (you know there will be many), check out our Mavericks notebook, which includes Steve Nash talking about Ben Simmons and making in-season trades.
mavs.com/nets-adjust-af… – 9:49 PM

Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
Joel Embiid tonight:
✅ 35 PTS
✅ 17 REB
✅ 5 AST
✅ 13-19 FG
It’s the ninth time Embiid has recorded at least 35p/10r/5a in a game this season, the most such games by a @Philadelphia 76ers player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967-68 (9). – 9:41 PM

Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
A1 Embiid game, bad bench play, Sixers win, nothing ever changes
phillyvoice.com/instant-observ… – 9:36 PM

Joe Gabriele @CavsJoeG
#Cavs took the lead w/just over 3 min to play & had their chances late, but Embiid’s big night (35pts, 17reb) just too much; PHI takes first 3 this szn – win, 118-114; FTs: CLE, 27-32, PHI, 24-28; PHI, 52%FG, CLE, 49%; CLE, six in dbl-figs; one more mtg this szn – 4/3 in CLE. pic.twitter.com/YxiXS4hKG9 – 9:35 PM

Lauren Rosen @LaurenMRosen
Joel Embiid, on his 28th birthday:
35 PTS
17 REB
5 AST
13-19 fg
8-10 FT
W. pic.twitter.com/xnla9LCQMr – 9:34 PM

StatMuse @statmuse
Joel Embiid tonight:
35 PTS
17 REB
5 AST
13-19 FG
It’s his 32nd 30-point game, the most by a player this season. pic.twitter.com/L7d6O5WpEY – 9:30 PM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
#Sixers escape with a 118-114 win. Embiid with 35 points and 17 rebounds. – 9:30 PM

Greg Dickerson @gregdickerson13
Watching sixers cavs..I should be impressed w 35-17-5 from @Joel Embiid , but I’m not…cause he does it every night! – 9:27 PM

Rich Hoffman @rich_hofmann
Embiid has been fantastic. That is just a ridiculous foul. – 9:24 PM

Wes Goldberg @wcgoldberg
I like that even after getting Harden the Sixers’ crunch-time offense still has Joel Embiid initiating from the perimeter. Harden/Maxey/etc just have more space to move off ball. – 9:23 PM

Austin Krell @NBAKrell
If you’re going to call that foul on Maxey, you can’t justify not calling the one on that Embiid finish. – 9:20 PM

Greg Dickerson @gregdickerson13
If @Joel Embiid isn’t the mvp this year, mike lindell needs to get involved – 9:17 PM

Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
That was a really good play by Markkanen guarding Embiid. Even with him having a down shooting year, that signing couldn’t have worked out better for Cleveland. – 9:15 PM

The Ringer @ringernba
Count it for Joel Embiid!
(📼 @NBA)
pic.twitter.com/8pI43pHHK7 – 9:13 PM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
Games like tonight are why it’s tough to give Joel Embiid a night off.
The MVP frontrunner needs to rest during the stretch run — but the #Sixers can’t survive without him inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-… via @phillyinquirer – 9:07 PM

Joe Vardon @joevardon
Joel Embiid is up to 30 points, with more coming, giving him an NBA-best 32 games with at least 30 points this season. – 9:05 PM

Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
#Nets‘ Ben Simmons gets epidural injection to relieve back pain nypost.com/2022/03/16/net… via @nypostsports – 8:54 PM

Joe Vardon @joevardon
Joel Embiid has been grabbing his right knee for several minutes, and not moving nearly as well as he has for most of the night. – 8:45 PM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
Joel Embiid has been absolutely dominant tonight. My goodness gracious. #Sixers – 8:34 PM

Ryan Blackburn @NBABlackburn
The Wizards color commentator has moved from Embiid as MVP to Jokić as MVP which is objectively funny.
That’s honestly how close the race is. You see one guy, and he kicks ass. Then you see another guy, and he kicks ass in a different way. – 8:32 PM

Noah Levick @NoahLevick
Embiid-Harden-Maxey-Harris at the half:
59 points on 23-for-31 shooting, 11 AST, 2 TOVs – 8:11 PM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
Great look by James Harden to find Tobias Harris in the corner at the buzzer. Philadelphia leads it 72-59 at the half. Embiid has 20, Harris has 16, and Harden has 10 and 5 assists. Maxey with 13. #Sixers – 8:11 PM

Lauren Rosen @LaurenMRosen
A very strong first half for the @Philadelphia 76ers, who lead, 72-59 at the break.
Embiid: 20 PTS / 11 REB / 4 AST
Harris: 16 PTS / 7-9 fg
Maxey: 13 PTS / 5-7 fg
Harden: 10 PTS / 5 AST
If you’re not impressed, read Joel’s line again, thx – 8:10 PM

Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
Really good half for Tobias Harris, aside from the Embiid dominance. Feels like he has looked more comfortable in his role the last week or so – 8:09 PM

Gina Mizell @ginamizell
Halftime: Sixers 69, Cavs 59 after the great find by Harden out of the double to Harris for the 3 at the buzzer. Harris has 16 on 7-of-9 shooting. Embiid with 20-11-4 on 9-of-11 shooting. – 8:09 PM

Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
Joel Embiid has 20-10-2 and there’s still 2:34 left to play in the first half – 8:01 PM

Austin Krell @NBAKrell
Niang and Embiid should run the “short lob off the backboard for Embiid to catch and finish high” more often. – 7:54 PM

Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor
BREAKING: #Cavs have made a 3-pointer. After missing their first 10 triples, Isaac Okoro hits one from the corner to trim the lead to 12 and force Philly to call timeout — and likely put Joel Embiid back in. – 7:51 PM

The Vertical @YahooSportsNBA
The Nets now hope Ben Simmons can appear in a “couple” of games before the playoffs, per @Adrian Wojnarowski and @Ramona Shelburne.
➡️ https://t.co/oQTFw02QQa pic.twitter.com/9MIS3Td2kF – 7:44 PM

Austin Krell @NBAKrell
Kevin Love has put Georges Niang in hell as much as Joel Embiid has put the Cavaliers in hell this season. – 7:37 PM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
Joel Embiid is up to 13 points on 6/7 shooting and Tyrese Maxey has 9 points. Philadelphia leads 30-23 after 1 quarter in Cleveland. Matisse Thybulle had a few opportunities at the basket, but he missed a handful of layups so he has to clean that up a bit. #Sixers – 7:36 PM

Lauren Rosen @LaurenMRosen
Joel Embiid’s [28th bday] first quarter:
13 PTS / 8 REB / 2 AST / 6-7fg
…in 11 minutes. – 7:36 PM

Gina Mizell @ginamizell
Sixers 30, Cavs 23 at the end of the first. Sixers led by as many as 16, but Cleveland trimmed that in the latter part of the quarter. Embiid is off to a scorching start (13 points on 6-of-6 shooting, 8 rebounds) after being listed as questionable to play with back soreness. – 7:36 PM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
So, Joel Embiid looks fine to me y’all #Sixers – 7:26 PM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
Forget the cake. Embiid is out here eating up the #Cavs for his birthday. Twelve early points on 5-5 shooting to go with six rebounds and two assists. #Sixers lead 24-10with 3:45 left in first quarter. pic.twitter.com/j0XDPQslqx – 7:26 PM

Gina Mizell @ginamizell
Methinks Embiid looks OK so far: 8 points on 4-of-4 shooting and 5 rebounds in less than 7 minutes. – 7:22 PM

Gina Mizell @ginamizell
Sixers with an early 14-4 lead. They’ve made 6 of their first 8 shots. Every starter has scored. Embiid has 4 points and 4 boards. – 7:17 PM

Joe Vardon @joevardon
Less than ideal for Cleveland, but, so it goes: Joel Embiid (back) will start for the Sixers on his 28th birthday – 6:46 PM

Rich Hoffman @rich_hofmann
Joel Embiid (back soreness) will play against Cleveland tonight.
Doc Rivers is on record saying there will be some rest games for him down the stretch. Sixers have a jam-packed schedule down the stretch, including three back-to-backs. – 6:39 PM

Lauren Rosen @LaurenMRosen
Good @Philadelphia 76ers news:
Joel Embiid – the birthday boy – will play tonight.
🎉🥳🎉 – 6:32 PM

Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
Load Mismanagement w/@jphanned is LIVE @Underdog__NBA
• Colossal 12-game slate
• What to do about Embiid
• KD/KAT/Luka predictions
• Revenge Street
• Celts/Warriors
• LeBron playing or what?
Taking your questions now through tipoff
➡️ https://t.co/2vrcKvdmmA pic.twitter.com/8jRM6QKWGK – 6:32 PM

Gina Mizell @ginamizell
Joel Embiid will play and start tonight in Cleveland after being listed as questionable with back soreness. – 6:31 PM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
Joel Embiid will play – 6:31 PM

Brian Mahoney @briancmahoney
Today is the first time I can recall Nash sounding more hopeful than sure on Ben Simmons playing. I had said an over/under of 12 games not long ago, and it’s obviously going to be way under. – 6:23 PM

Eddie Sefko @ESefko
Per Steve Nash, Seth Curry is out tonight. No timetable still for Ben Simmons, who had an epidural while the team was in Orlando Tuesday.
Same starters for Mavericks — Luka, JB, Dinwiddie. – 6:10 PM

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
ESPN reporting with @RamonaShelburne: Brooklyn Nets All-Star Ben Simmons has remained sidelined with an irritation of the L-4 disc of the lower spine and hope remains he can return for a “couple” of regular-season games prior to the Eastern Conference playoffs. Story soon. – 6:08 PM

Brian Mahoney @briancmahoney
No Seth Curry tonight for Nets. Cam Thomas a maybe. Ben Simmons had an epidural on his back in hopes of accelerating his recovery and relieving his symptoms. – 6:04 PM

Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Dr. Rahul Shah, a board certified orthopedic spine & neck surgeon, spoke with the Post two days ago and predicted Ben Simmons would need an epidural. #Nets #NBA nypost.com/2022/03/14/ben… via @nypostsports – 6:02 PM

Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
Steve Nash confirms the team is still formulating a return plan for Ben Simmons. – 5:52 PM

Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Steve Nash said Ben Simmons has to see how the epidural takes before determining the next phase of his rehab. – 5:51 PM

Chuck Cooperstein @coopmavs
Per Nash: No Curry. Cam Thomas is game time decision. Ben Simmons received an epidural in his back yesterday trying to speed up the process. 6:45 tip @theeagledallas – 5:50 PM

Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Steve Nash said Ben Simmons had an epidural while the #Nets were in Orlando. – 5:49 PM

Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Ben Simmons had an epidural while the Nets were in Orlando. The expectation is that the procedure helps Simmons accelerate his back rehab, says Steve Nash. – 5:49 PM

Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Steve Nash said Ben Simmons got an epidural while the Nets were in Orlando. – 5:49 PM

Barbara Barker @meanbarb
Ben Simmons had an epidural while team was in Orlando, Nash said. – 5:49 PM

Dave Early @DavidEarly
Steve Nash says Seth Curry is out tonite.
Ben Simmons had an epidural to help relieve his back symptoms. – 5:49 PM

Gina Mizell @ginamizell
Doc Rivers said Joel Embiid (back soreness) will go through his pregame warm-up before determining if he’s going to play tonight at Cleveland. – 5:48 PM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
Joel Embiid touched on a number of topics today with Draymond Green. Here were a couple that stood out to me. #Sixers sixerswire.usatoday.com/lists/joel-emb… via @SixersWire – 5:43 PM

Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor
Doc Rivers called Joel Embiid a gametime decision for tonight against #Cavs. Said Embiid went through stuff earlier today at pregame. – 5:33 PM

Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
The usual suspects out for tonight’s game with the Jazz, while Zach LaVine is probable and went through the shootaround this morning.
Injury to watch? Joel Embiid questionable for the Cavs game. – 5:10 PM

Rich Hoffman @rich_hofmann
Funny line from Joel Embiid on the Draymond podcast: “Can you imagine the skill level that we have nowadays, or let’s say me doing that back in the freaking 60s? They would’ve probably put me in jail or I would’ve been the greatest player ever.” – 5:04 PM

Joe Vardon @joevardon
We’ll find out within the next 30, but Joel Embiid is indeed questionable to play against Cavs, on his birthday, due to some back soreness. He had a big wrap on his back this morning, and the soreness is from the hard foul he took from JaMychal Green on Monday. Sixers are hopeful – 5:00 PM

Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Dunc’d On Prime: Jokic vs Embiid and Apologies For Blatant False Advertising w/ @Danny Leroux
Listen by becoming a member and you’ll get our 5 subscription pods/week. Subscribe: https://t.co/XSgwN6BUIK pic.twitter.com/k1EjN0kKAH – 4:00 PM

Austin Krell @NBAKrell
Joel Embiid, in his interview on The Draymond Green Show, said that he played JV — instead of varsity — at Montverde.
Trying to imagine Embiid in a JV game to no avail. – 3:17 PM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
Joel Embiid needs to rest during the stretch run — but the Sixers can’t survive without him inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-… via @phillyinquirer – 2:22 PM

Gina Mizell @ginamizell
Joel Embiid has been added to the Sixers’ injury report this afternoon. He is now questionable to play tonight at Cleveland with back soreness. When asked at this morning’s shootaround if any players would rest tonight, Doc Rivers said “I don’t think so.” – 2:01 PM

Danny Leroux @DannyLeroux
Dunc’d On Prime: Jokic vs Embiid and Apologies For Blatant False Advertising w/ @Nate Duncan
Subscribe to Total Access for ad-free episodes of Dunc’d On, and much more: https://t.co/n4QLDC9m6F pic.twitter.com/nBMiZLcA55 – 2:00 PM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
#Sixers center Joel Embiid is questionable for tonight’s game against the #ClevelandCavaliers with back soreness. – 1:56 PM

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
‘Explaining why the Sixers need Joel Embiid to play, defending Doc Rivers and breaking down the Cavs’ matchup’ by Locked On 76ers – Daily Podcast On The Philadelphia Sixers megaphone.link/LKN5798929677 – 1:35 PM

Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Nets list Seth Curry and Cam Thomas as questionable for tonight’s game against Dallas. LaMarcus Aldridge, Joe Harris, Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving are all out. David Duke is with Long Island. – 1:00 PM

Austin Krell @NBAKrell
My stance on resting Embiid/Harden:
Do it when there’s more certainty as to what seed you’ll be and who you’d be facing. – 12:58 PM

Kerith Burke @KerithBurke
It’s stunning to hear @Joel Embiid tell @Draymond Green how close he came to being a professional volleyball player in a larger conversation about confidence and uncertainty about his path. https://t.co/sD9xA8bMBM pic.twitter.com/I74ksj8WUj – 12:56 PM

Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
Joel Embiid (back soreness) is now listed as questionable on the injury report for tonight’s game.
Aside from the benefit of getting him a night off, would not be the worst thing in the world to basically force a look at multiple backup bigs next to Harden – 12:48 PM

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
Joel Embiid is now questionable for tonight’s game against the Cavs due to back soreness #Sixers – 12:44 PM

Justin Grasso @JGrasso_
The #Sixers have added Joel Embiid to the injury report for tonight’s game. He’s questionable with back soreness – 12:40 PM

NBA Math @NBA_Math
RPR MVP Predictor:
1. Nikola Jokic: 17.5
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 17.2
3. Joel Embiid: 16.3
4. DeMar DeRozan: 14.8
5. Luka Doncic: 14.6
6. Trae Young: 14.0
7. Ja Morant: 13.8
8. Stephen Curry: 13.7
9. Jayson Tatum: 13.6
10. Karl Anthony-Towns: 13.1
https://t.co/onGqrEd9sz pic.twitter.com/yewyk1i5v8 – 10:55 AM

More on this storyline

Thursday evening’s Sixers-Nets meeting is one of the most anticipated games in South Philly in recent memory, a spectacle with battles within battles within battles. There’s Kevin Durant vs. Joel Embiid, James Harden vs. his former teammates, and Ben Simmons vs. just about everybody. It’s that last piece many are focused on, with league sources anticipating that Simmons and his representation will file a formal grievance against the Sixers at some point in the coming days. -via Philly Voice / March 9, 2022

The expected move has been a long time coming. Dating back to the fall, there have been many around the Sixers’ organization who have chosen to go radio silent on all things Simmons, aware that arbitration was a likely outcome for this process. And anyone with a rudimentary understanding of finances also probably could have seen this coming — nobody likes to throw away $20 million even if they have than that in the bank or coming to them down the road. -via Philly Voice / March 9, 2022

The suggestion has been floated in league circles that Simmons showing up for Thursday’s game is merely setting the stage for Simmons and Klutch Sports’ argument when the grievance is filed. Reports of an increased security presence at Thursday’s game circulated on Tuesday morning, which a cynical observer would say is meant to combat the venom directed at Simmons specifically. -via Philly Voice / March 9, 2022

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