Joel Embiid made some headlines this week with his comments about wanting to win a championship “whether it’s in Philly or anywhere else.”
The Philadelphia Sixers center is coming off an MVP season but ultimately came up short in the playoffs after holding a 3-2 lead against the Celtics.
Embiid walked back his comments on Twitter, implying that he was trolling, but that act is growing tiresome for fans and analysts alike.
Kyle Neubeck of the Audacy Original Podcast “Clap Your Hands” responded to Embiid’s comments with a pretty strong stance.
“To say what he did in public, he knows exactly what he’s doing by saying that,” Neubeck said (5:53 in player above). “It doesn’t mean that he wants a trade right now. It means that he knows by saying that he’s putting some pressure, he’s exerting some pressure on Daryl Morey, on ownership, on everybody else in the front office to say that ‘I’m not going to be satisfied with a punt year. I want to compete. I want the right people around me.’”
The Sixers have tried to build around Embiid for years now but between Ben Simmons, Al Horford, Tobias Harris, and now a potential James Harden trade, nothing has worked.
“Don’t f—ing come out on Twitter and tell me that you’re trolling,” Neubeck continued. “If you’re going to be passive-aggressive and do things like this, which I think is honestly fine. A player of his stature should feel empowered to say ‘I’m not going to just take a gap year, essentially, in the midst of my prime coming off of an MVP.’”
It makes sense that someone in Embiid’s position would make the comments that he did. He doesn’t want to waste a year in his prime, especially with a seemingly open Eastern Conference.
“That is completely justifiable. Regardless of what happened in the playoffs, that is an understandable notion to have,” Neubeck said. “But don’t say s–t like that then when people find out you said it, hide your hands. That’s nonsense…
“If he’s going to be a championship-level leader of this team, you have to make decisions and then stand behind them and not act like a little kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.”
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