Kane Pitman: Kyle Korver remains the only Milwaukee player on the injury report ahead of tomorrow night’s game against Philadelphia. He is out again with back soreness. Ben Simmons is probable with back tightness for the Sixers.
Philadelphia 76ers Rumors
Tim Bontemps: Brett Brown tried to give Al Horford a full endorsement today after he struggled mightily last night, as Philly was outscored by 26 points in his 19 minutes. “I want to help him help us,” Brown said. Reminded everyone they signed him to help them in April, May and June.
Tim Bontemps: Brett Brown also tried to compare Al Horford’s current role to what Manu Ginobili did for Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. There’s one significant difference, though: Ginobili was always going to play in the most important minutes at the end of games. Horford has no such guarantee.
Ky Carlin: Ben Simmons is listed as probable for tomorrow’s game. He went through an individualized workout and he responded well. #Sixers
Shamet orders by reading off his phone. Weitzman had heard that the 76ers’ star, Joel Embiid, had a special order. Shamet confirmed as much, and was careful to make sure the Chick-Fil-A people put that order—four spicy chicken sandwiches, four large fries, four cookies and cream milkshakes—in its own separate bag.” Embiid is a giant man who could be expected to eat a lot. He’s also battled injuries and weight issues. This funny little story about fast food maybe does kind of matter to the 76ers’ title chances. “And I found that so telling,” says Weitzman, “because Joel’s not in shape, generally. I don’t care how much you’re burning. I counted up the calories. It’s not healthy.”
At the time, Embiid was out injured and it was among the franchise’s chief stress points. Weitzman reports in “Tanking to the Top,” that Sixers head coach Brett Brown shouted at the team’s medical staff: “we’re all going to get fired because Joel’s out of shape.”
Earlier in the book, there’s an anecdote about Embiid ordering three chocolate lava cakes at a dinner with Cavaliers personnel, immediately following one of the greatest pre-draft workouts of all time. “I heard that summer Joel did some media tour where he was like I was just joking, that was just rookie hazing,” Weitzman says. “It wasn’t rookie hazing. What’s the rookie hazing? [Shamet’s] already going.”
