[Fischer] Sources close to Embiid say he still hoping for a cure-all procedure that would allow him to return to his MVP form, but the 76ers and doctors consulted do not believe that is possible. 76ers were caught off-guard by Embiid’s comments that he needs another surgery to return to MVP form.
According to those with knowledge of the situation, Embiid is still hoping for some sort of cure-all procedure that would allow him to return to his MVP form. Heading into this week, however, neither the Sixers' own medical staff nor any of the external doctors consulted throughout this saga had been able to pinpoint a clear-cut pathway to steering Embiid in his desired direction. There are potential complications in almost every scenario, as my buddy Kyle Neubeck detailed here thoroughly for PHLY. If there was an obvious treatment course for a 7-foot bruiser with an extensive injury history, it would have been taken by now.
It seems inevitable that Embiid is going to be dealing with recurring swelling in the knee for some time. Opting for any significant procedure, of course, could force him to miss a significant portion of next season, too. By the way: Remember the recent game in which ESPN's Lisa Salters reported that Embiid told her he likely needs offseason surgery? It's a disclosure that took Sixers staffers by surprise, sources said. Consider it just the latest example of a thorny dynamic for team and franchise center regarding the flow of information on his health and injury status.
And, so, I can't blame my Sixers fan friends for wondering whether the Embiid Era — if the window to win a championship with the loquacious big man as Philadelphia's focal point — is winding to a fruitless close. Yet another factor that spawns such thinking: Philadelphia surely knows that the idea of trading Embiid, which once generated fanciful visions of extracting an absolute haul from the Knicks, would no longer generate that sort of value in return.