Joel Embiid and Paul George aren’t ready to play for the Philadelphia 76ers this season, and Nick Nurse doesn’t really want to talk about it.
The NBA, however, fined the team $100,000 for public statements they made about Embiid’s health on Tuesday afternoon. The punishment was imposed after a team investigation was launched into Embiid’s status after he missed the season opener earlier this month. The investigation, the league saidconfirmed that Embiid could not play in that game.
The 76ers head coach largely dismissed questions about the two stars’ health on Tuesday after ruling them both out for Wednesday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons. Both Embiid and George are dealing with knee injuries and have yet to take the court this season.
While both players participated in parts of practice Tuesday, Nurse ruled them both out for Wednesday’s game at the Wells Fargo Center. However, as to when they will be able to make their season debut, Nurse did not elaborate.
“We want these guys to play and we want them to be healthy and we want them to play really well, and we want them to play really well all season long,” Nurse said. “So my main goal is to do the job I have to do. I have to try to make this team play as well as it can tomorrow night. That takes a lot of my concentration and whatever… I’m just trying to focus on the job at hand.”
Embiid is out for the season due to what the 76ers call left knee management. He played in only 39 games last season due to knee injuries, but returned in time for the playoffs and played with Team USA in its gold medal run at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Embiid also said he lost more than 25 pounds this past offseason in an effort to stay healthy and relieve stress on his knees. It’s unclear specifically what’s holding him back now with his knee. Embiid also received a technical foul on Monday for waving a towel near his bench in the final moments of their overtime victory against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
The league also opened an investigation into the team’s handling of his injury, although the investigation determined that the 76ers did not violate the player participation policy. The team still made statements that were “inconsistent” with Embiid’s health status, the NBA said, which led to the fine.
George, who signed a four-year, $212 million contract to join the 76ers this past offseason, has been dealing with a bone bruise in his knee after falling in a preseason game. He did not suffer any structural damage to his knee, but it is unclear when he will be able to take the field.
The 76ers, who have a 1-2 record, will host the Piston on Wednesday and then the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. They will then embark on a three-game tour of the West Coast next week.
Based on Nurse’s latest comments, no one still knows when Embiid and George will be ready to play for the 76ers.