 |
| Sixers C Joel Embiid celebrating a 3. Image courtesy: bleacherreport.com |
Dear 2016,
For us Philadelphia Sports fans it's been a year full of ups and downs as another calendar year has come and gone without a legitimate contending team in the four major sports, but hope is on the horizon. The Eagles failed to make the post season after a 3-0 start, but they may have found their franchise Quarterback in this years draft with the 2nd overall pick in NDSU QB Carson Wentz. There was not too much to expect with the Phillies this past season as they are in the midst of a rebuilding process that should have begun a few years prior, but better late than never, right? Dating back to the 2nd half of last season and the first half of this season, the Flyers have seen the emergence of Rookie Defencemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov along with Forward Travis Konecny and a 10 game win streak to boot, all thanks to former Flyers goalie great and current GM Ron Hextall. Now you would think here is where I talk about how the Sixers FINALLY won the NBA Draft Lottery (after 3 years of tanking) selecting Australian Guard/Forward Ben Simmons in a year when there was a clear-cut top selection, unfortunately he broke a bone in his right foot in Training Camp and has still not made his debut yet. That leads me to what I am absolutely the most thankful for this year, being its just about the conclusion of the Holiday season, Sixers Rookie Center Joel Hans "The Process" Embiid!
Like Batman, Joel Embiid may not have {originally} been the hero that we wanted, but the hero we needed. The 7-plus footer, who hails from Cameroon did not start playing basketball until the age of 15 and besides half of a season at the University of Kansas that put him on the map he has not had too much basketball experience. Along with his inexperience he has faced a great deal of injuries in his young life, which can eventually take a toll on a basketball player of his size. In 2014 Embiid was days away from being drafted 1st overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers until a back injury and a foot injury put him in jeopardy of his draft stock plummeting. Insert Sixers Former GM Sam Hinkie (Died for our Sins and should still be here), who in the tanking process saw the potential of what Embiid could be compared to the players available after and took the chance on him with the 3rd overall pick that year.
Fast forward to October 26th, 2016 in Philadelphia PA at the Wells Fargo Center and there you have Embiid's first career regular season start in a Sixers uniform. But before that, it took Embiid two whole seasons before he could get on the court due to multiple surgeries on his foot, but with the "Trust The Process" movement revolutionized by Sam Hinkie, Sixers fans learned to become patient as this team has not been legitimately relevant since the 2001 NBA runner-up Sixers lead by Hall of Fame Guard Allen Iverson. Joel spent a good amount of time rehabbing overseas where he would heal as well as work on perfecting his shot, which was already good for a 7 foot 2 inch center and found a way to get better. Embiid before stepping on the court slowly but surely won over the fans via his hilarious social media antics, such as for example, reaching out to Rihanna who he has a crush on and pretending to be on a date with her. Having a great personality, especially in Philly, can only get you so far...bottom line: your play better be bigger than your mouth and we would soon see that he put his money where his mouth is!
The Sixers lost the first game of the season (as mentioned above) to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a close one 103-97 and in his debut Embiid was an impact player scoring 20 points with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 22 minutes. Joel has continued to put up great numbers night after night and has a real chance of making it to the All-Star game with his stats and popularity across the country. All season Embiid has been on a minutes restriction set by team doctors which started at 24 minutes a game and has increased to 28 minutes a game just a couple of weeks ago. Along with the minutes restriction Embiid is not eligible via team doctors to play on back-to-back days. What is so incredible about all of this is that Embiid in limited time has not only been the best "rookie" in his class but has been one of the better players in the league averaging 18.7 points per game along with 7.4 rebounds per game and 2.4 blocks per game. Fun Fact: Embiid has scored in double digits in 20 out of the 21 games he has actually played in.
Not since Iverson has there been such a player who can command the attention of all who watch him play. There is a complete difference in the crowd when Embiid is on the floor and when he is not, as well as when he touches the ball everyone anticipates something exciting will happen and so far more times than not Embiid has not disappointed. One way to really understand how much of a difference Embiid has been making in this town so far in a limited amount of time, his jersey is next to impossible to find anywhere, his popularity is only going to continue to grow. Joel Embiid for being 7 feet tall can make a difference on both sides of the court in ways a player of his size has not really ever done. Embiid's potential has even been compared to one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time in Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. By the way, Embiid himself has taken on the "Trust The Process" mantra and has made it his own as he has even given himself the nickname "The Process" and still gives homage to former GM Sam Hinkie who drafted him without saying his name. I mean come on, who does that? It's truly incredible how one player can completely turn around the mindset of a franchise and city and make them believe again that this team can become something special AND we haven't seen him with Simmons AND the most-likely high draft pick that the Sixers should be getting in the next draft with plenty of talented guards coming out of college. IF, a very big if, the luck of the Sixers has changed for the better than the possibilities for this team going forward are endless. Joel Embiid has been a breath of fresh air and has restored my faith that we will not have to wait another 25 years for a championship in Philadelphia. So thank you 2016 for giving us Joel Embiid and thank you for giving us hope!
Sincerely,
Philadelphia
No comments:
Post a Comment