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It's bittersweet being a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers of late. On the one hand, the Sixers employ Joel Embiid – one of the most dominant players of the current generation on a team that's made the playoffs for what's likely to be six straight seasons. On the other, they've been unable to break the East Semis ceiling as a myriad of issues has plagued the franchise.
Sixers fans have called for several heads on spikes over the years, but the last one you'd imagine they've clamor for is Embiid's. But apparently, the Cameroonian big man doesn't see his noggin as being untouchable.
In a recent interview with Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, Joel Embiid was asked what message he would send to “panic” felt by Sixers fans, who have expressed frustration over head coach Doc Rivers and the James Harden trade not living up to expectations. His response was interesting to say the least:
“I don’t know,” Embiid said, shrugging. “Sixers fans, they want to trade me.”
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Fischer tried to test how serious Joel was by retorting, “You don't believe that.” To which Embiid replied with, “I do believe that. They want to trade me.”
Embiid may just be trying to either deflect blame on the Rivers-Harden topic or it was an attempt to get out of talking about it altogether. But doubling down on his declaration certainly feels like he at least partly believes the notion.
Perhaps it's his mental challenge to himself that the Sixers fan base is never satisfied and wants more out of him every season. He's certainly bringing it this year, ranking as the top scorer in the entire NBA with a 33.3 per game average over 19 contests.
At the end of the day, nothing matters as much as the postseason. Joel Embiid knows it.
