Joel Embiid said the reason behind his decision to sit out the past several games with left knee soreness — including Saturday night’s nationally televised showdown with the Golden State Warriors — is that he’s focusing on his long-term health.
“It’s all about long-term preservation and making sure I’m ready not just for the playoffs, but also for the next 15 years,” Embiid said before Saturday night’s game at Wells Fargo Center. “Knowing the team, what we’ve been through, and knowing me and I like to push everything, I like to play through anything. We just felt like it was better to preserve.cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale
He also said multiple times that if he had to, he could play now, but that there’s little need to push things given Philadelphia’s comfortable positioning in the middle of the East standings.
Embiid had been playing through both back and knee soreness leading up to the All-Star Break and was a starter in this year’s All-Star Game in Charlotte. But after feeling some discomfort in his left knee, Embiid underwent an MRI, which came back clean.
“Game by game, I felt like it was getting worse,” Embiid said. “I felt like me, personally, I didn’t feel comfortable. Coming from me you know that if I don’t want to push through anything, I really need [the rest].
“But I’m glad it was nothing, and the MRIs showed nothing, so it was good.”
Still, the decision was made to give him some rest to allow the tendinitis in his knee to dissipate and get him into the best place possible physically before Philadelphia reaches the playoffs.
“Right now it’s all about preserving, all about the playoffs,” he said. “I’ve said it in the past, but I’ve matured a lot. I’ve learned not to fight on stupid stuff. If the team wants me to rest, I’ll listen, and if I feel good, I’ll play. But if I need some rest, at the end of the day, it’s all about being healthy. I understand it.cheap nfl jerseys china nike
“They’ve got my back, and I’ve got theirs … if I felt like my teammates needed me, the coaches needed me really bad, I would feel compelled to play. But right now, with the knee and with the guys we’ve added, it’s also good to learn how to play without me; I actually think it benefits us, and I am excited to come back and fit in.”