As news of Tyrese Maxey suffering a right hamstring injury spreads, talk still revolves around Joel Embiid‘s injury and his initially exaggerated run-in with The Philly Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes. Many fans have come to Embiid’s aid regarding Hayes’s unnecessary and disrespectful comments toward the former MVP. Daryl Morey, 76ers president of basketball operations, and Philly’s mistakes in response to the situation, and others before it, may hurt their relationship with the star big man.
Sixers Mistakes May Hurt Their Relationship With Star Big Man
The basketball world was left in a frenzy after reports of Embiid “punching” Hayes, columnist for the Philly Inquirer. It later became understood that it was just a mere shove. The altercation stemmed from a piece by Hayes that mentioned Embiid’s son Arthur, named after Joel’s brother who passed away.
The article would soon result in a physical altercation between Hayes and Embiid. The two parties crossed paths when Philly’s locker room became open to media, following their loss to the Grizzlies on November 2. The interaction would see Embiid shove Hayes and threaten to escalate the situation further if more personal attacks were taken.
“The next time you bring up my dead brother and my son again, you are going to see what I’m going to do to you,” Embiid said, “and I’m going to have to…live with the consequences.”
Afterward, both Morey and Brand would meet with Hayes and offer their apologies for the situation, stating that they regret what happened and agreed that the big man’s response to the article was unacceptable. Many point to this moment as a possible factor in Embiid’s long-term relationship with the Sixers, but the fact of the matter is that Philly made multiple mistakes in handling Embiid’s situation leading up to the altercation.
Said He Is Likely To Never Play In Back-to-Backs Again
During the preseason, Embiid would tell ESPN that he is likely done playing back-to-backs in his career. Morey would follow up with Embiid’s statement saying,
“We’re going to be smart about it. Part of being smart about it is having both Paul and Joel probably not play many back-to-backs, if any.”
Embiid did not fully shut down the possibility of playing in back-to-backs, but the damage was already done. Media heads and former players ridiculed and bashed Embiid’s comments. Many questioning his will to win, as well as his work ethic. Optically, it looked as if Philly held Embiid out to dry.
Making a crucial decision such as this one, both Embiid and the organization had to come to such a conclusion. It was Joel that seemed to be the one receiving the majority of the backlash. With a decision that is as news-breaking as this one, Morey should have been the one to tell the media of it, not Embiid, and it would be surprising if Embiid took issue with Morey’s handling of the situation.
Marcus Hayes in the Locker Room
As stated earlier, the altercation between Hayes and Embiid occurred when the Sixers opened their locker room for media access following a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The situation happened on November 2nd, and Hayes’ article was published on October 23rd. The comments made by Hayes were known around the NBA. For the team to allow Hayes to be in the locker room was a complete disregard for the situation.
Now you can argue whether Embiid’s response was acceptable or not. The Sixers should have understood the magnitude of the situation and knew that it was probably not a good time to have Hayes in the locker room. If the team had done their job and kept Hayes away from Joel, such interaction would’ve never occurred. Embiid might have already made his season debut.
After a very disastrous start to the season, it has only gotten worse for the Sixers. The aftermath of the altercation, as well as events before it, has done nothing but worsen the situation. Philly’s mistakes have gotten them here. If they aren’t careful, their relationship with the big man may become too broken to repair.
