The injury news came fast and furious for the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. None of the news was good.
First, it was reported that the dislocated finger that star big man Joel Embiid suffered on Monday night resulted in a torn radial collateral ligament of the fourth metacarpal.
About an hour later, it was announced that Embiid would undergo surgery on Friday in New York, and would be re-evaluated in one-to-two weeks.
Any extended absence for Embiid is bad news for the Sixers, who have put themselves in a tough spot with their uneven play over the first two months of the season.
Joel Embiid to have surgery tomorrow and he will be re-evaluated in 1-2 weeks #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) January 9, 2020
Prior to the announcement of the surgery, Sixers Insider Jon Johnson reported that a sprain of that ligament can take 3-6 weeks to heal, while a tear can take 2-3 times as long. Clearly, the hope is that having the injury surgically repaired will cut down on that recovery time.
Prior to today’s news, there was hope that the fact that Embiid returned to the game in which the injury occurred meant the injury wouldn’t be too serious. However, the fact that Embiid spent the last two days seeing specialists hinted that unpleasant news may be coming.
It’s terrible news for the Sixers, who are in a serious battle for playoff positioning. Hopefully, the surgery can cut down on Embiid’s recovery time and his teammates can handle business until he returns. Al Horford will certainly have an opportunity to demonstrate his value to the Sixers in Embiid’s absence. [lawrence-related id=23106]