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UPDATE: Sixers Confirm Joel Embiid Will Miss Entire 2015-2016 Season

By Tim Kelly

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The Sixers‘ big-man has his short and long-term future in doubt. 

According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sixers’ big-man Joel Embiid will sit out a second consecutive season as he is expected to have a second surgery this week on the Navicular bone injury he suffered in the lead-up to the 2014 NBA Draft.

"The 7-footer will have a second surgery after the latest setback in the healing of his right foot, according to several NBA sources. The team will decide whether to have it in North Carolina or at the New York Hospital of Special Surgery“I would say there’s a great possibility that Embiid won’t play next year,” the source said. “Just think how long they sat him when they thought he was healthy.”The Sixers are planning as if Embiid won’t play this season, sources say. Another source said the franchise is concerned that this setback could be career-threatening.The Sixers are expected to release a statement about Embiid’s immediate future. It could come as early as next week."

Just yesterday, CSN Philly’s John Gonzalez hinted that surgery was still an option after the team had seen multiple doctors with Embiid.

All of this comes after Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported nearly a month ago that Embiid had a ‘set-back’ on his recovery. Sixers’ fans and those in the organization were quick to point out that Embiid wasn’t in pain, just that the injury didn’t appear to be healing the way it was expected to. Many were upset with it being deemed as a ‘set-back’, though calling it a ‘set-back’ at this point may be putting it lightly.

As I wrote yesterday, the idea that the Sixers will end up with a logjam of big-man after adding Jahlil Okafor to Embiid and Nerlens Noel seems to be a dream scenario. The Sixers may not have taken Okafor because Embiid’s future was in doubt, but they did so knowing that he provided a pretty good fall-back option.

We will have more on the Embiid news as it comes out, stay tuned.

***UPDATE 9:01 PM — EST***

The Sixers have confirmed earlier reports regarding 2014 3rd overall pick Joel Embiid’s health and his status for the upcoming season. Here is the press release, courtesy of GM and President of Basketball Operations Sam Hinkie.

"“As we previously communicated, we have spent the last several weeks working closely with Joel and his representatives to further evaluate Joel’s foot following the results of the most recent CT scan. This included conference calls and in-person visits with renowned foot and ankle specialists from the United States (New York, North Carolina, Colorado, California and Pennsylvania) and internationally (Australia, the Netherlands and Qatar).  This group of experts unanimously agreed that the routine CT scan in June did reveal less healing than anticipated, an unexpected result since Joel was not experiencing any foot pain.“We have been consistent in our philosophy that our focus will be Joel’s long-term health and wellness to ensure he will have a long and impactful career in the NBA. After receiving the input of the aforementioned medical experts, as well as conversations with Joel and his representatives, there was careful consideration given to a number of options related to this particular situation. A collective decision has been made that the best approach to promote full healing would be to proceed with a bone graft of the fracture site. We anticipate the procedure will take place in the next 7-10 days and result in Joel missing the upcoming season.“We are still in the process of determining the doctor who will perform the procedure, which should be finalized in the coming days. Sixers Director of Performance Research and Development Dr. David T. Martin will outline and lead Joel’s rehab and recovery plan, in collaboration with a worldwide network of experts and specialists.”"

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Next: Sixers Rumors: K.J. McDaniels 'Very Interested' in Return

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