The August stretch of the NBA offseason is a long, terrible slog. While the news cycle may be slower than peak season, bills must still be paid, which unfortunately leads to the ever-frustrating non-update. Sixers fans are among the latest fan base subjected to a non-update, which described "growing concern" around Sixers star Joel Embiid, particularly, whether he will be ready in time for training camp.
Now, this isn't to refute the idea that Embiid may not be ready in time for camp, nor is it to openly combat the author of the piece in question or even their sources. Simply put, it is to acknowledge that Joel Embiid's current known condition could accurately be summarized as business as usual, and that is by design.
Since the team announced his arthroscopic procedure, which took place in April, little has been stated publicly about his status. The team announced a period of time after which the star would be re-evaluated, but no update came with that re-evaluation. Some choose to look into the lack of updates and interpret it as negative, while a hopeful few may consider no news good news. The reality, though, is far simpler.
There are no updates because the Sixers and Embiid do not wish there to be.
Embiid has long guarded any news regarding his health. He has been protective of himself and his private life and has shown little trust outside of his inner circle, and he has occasionally been inside that circle as well.
This lack of trust was clear as ever in a recent ESPN article by Dotun Akintoye on Embiid.
Does this mean there will never be a meaningful update on Embiid? Will every nugget of news come with an asterisk? Not necessarily, but as the old saying goes, consider the source.
Embiid has those within the national media whom he, surprisingly, trusts. There will also come a time when the team's hand is forced to provide more than silence on the matter. Then there's the matter that we have received an update of sorts from Embiid himself via the aforementioned ESPN article.
"We're not going to push anything," Embiid told Dotun in June. "For my whole career, I felt like we never took that approach."
As for this year, Embiid told Dotun, "We don't have a timeline. Hopefully, sooner rather than later."
Encouraging? No. Surprising? Also no.
As frustrating as the situation is, there is no magical cure-all for Embiid's knee condition, including the procedure He underwent earlier this year, or the lack of communication around his recovery. While it's natural to seek information, especially regarding such an important matter, one will drive themselves insane searching through various non-updates, and are better off without.
