Joel Embiid believes he could have been in the conversation for greatest basketball player of all-time if it wasn't for a couple of freak injuries and his comments have Joe DeCamara fuming.
"I think so," Joel Embiid told the New York Times when asked if he could have been in the GOAT conversation. "I think I'm that talented. I didn't start believing it probably until I'll say my fourth or fifth year in the league when I had the opportunity to accomplish something special. And for that obviously you need to win championships, and to win championships you need other guys. You need help. You can't do it by yourself. It's just impossible. I want to win so bad. But if you don't, you just got to understand that as long as you care about the right stuff, if it doesn't happen, then I guess maybe it wasn't meant to happen.
"If you think about it the thing that stopped me all these years is just freak injuries. Every single playoffs, regular season, people falling on my knee or breaking my face—twice. It's always freak injuries at the wrong time."
DeCamara reacted to the NY Times interview on Monday's 94WIP Morning Show.
"It drives me nuts," DeCamara said of Embiid's comments. "We all know there have been freak injuries, I'm not pushing it aside and acting like that hasn't happened. But so to has poor condition. So to has a guy who in the fourth quarter has willed it in playoff games. So to has someone, when other players have lifted their game in the postseason like [Luka] Doncic this past year. Or I remember Dirk [Nowitzki] in 2011, lifted their team. Allen Iverson in '01 didn't win the title, but lifted his team. When has Joel ever truly lifted his team in the postseason? And it's not as simple as, 'Well he's been injured every time and therefore he couldn't.' I don't buy it! I don't buy that for Game 7 against Boston two years ago...And for him to think he's a couple of freak injuries away from possibly—we're talking greatest of all-time. He's talking about that for himself? I find it concerning for their future when he thinks that way. That ticks me off, man."
Embiid also talked about playing for Team USA, having a son, coming up short in the playoffs and playing for Philadelphia—saying he could finish his career in one place.
“I love Philly," said Embiid. "I’ve been here for 10 years and it’s looking like I’m going to be here for a long time. I actually have an opportunity to finish my career here if they let me.”