NBA Notebook: Joel Embiid fires back at Ben Simmons

With NBA team media days in the rearview mirror and training camps now in full swing, we have plenty to catch up on in this week’s edition of our NBA Notebook. Let’s dive in!

EMBIID FIRES BACK AT BEN SIMMONS

In a speech that seemed anything but conciliatory, Joel Embiid recently shared his feelings about the ongoing Ben Simmons drama. When asked to respond to Simmons' claims that he believes his talents cannot be maximized playing alongside Embiid, the Sixers big man responded pointedly:

While Embiid admitted that the Sixers would be a better team with Simmons on the roster, he chafed at the notion that the team wasn’t accommodating to his style of play. He even said that he had developed his outside shot to better facilitate Simmons' play. He closed by calling Simmons' choice to hold out of camp "borderline disrespectful".

With no resolution in sight, expect more of this sort of war of words as the Sixers' season begins in earnest.

ZION WILLIAMSON REVEALS SECRET FOOT INJURY

During New Orleans Pelicans’ media day, it was revealed that Zion Williamson has been rehabbing from a broken foot since some time before Summer League. This is another major injury to the young superstar talent, and a troubling one because foot issues often become long-term struggles for NBA big men.

It’s another lost offseason where Williamson could have been developing on-ball skills, as well as conditioning himself to better avoid injury and fatigue in what will be his first 82 game NBA season.

The team and staff seem to be preaching caution, using words like "hope" and "probably" when describing Zion’s readiness once the regular season begins. Williamson himself was adamant about playing, but as we saw during Zion’s rookie season, the team is likely to be conservative with his return to play program.

Zion’s injury changes calculations for bettors. The Pelicans Over/Under was set at 38.5 wins and has not budged despite the revelation about Zion’s injury. I am not confident that he will be ready to start the season and expect that even when he plays, he will be impacted for a significant portion of the year. The Pelicans’ Under is a solid bet.

MICHAEL PORTER JR. SIGNS MAX-EXTENSION WITH DENVER

Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets signed a rookie-max extension for five years and $172 million, which could be worth up to $207 million if he makes an All-NBA team this season. Shams Charania then reported that the number is not fully guaranteed in year five. Porter is an undeniable talent, a shooter with incredible size, and a tailor-made third star for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. But it is a gamble to rely on his health, as Porter has been troubled by back issues for years.

The most important aspect of this deal is that it is a direct commitment by Nuggets’ ownership to pay the luxury tax, which they have never done before. Paying the tax is all but required to field a championship team, and with the newly minted MVP on the roster as well as surrounding star talent, the Nuggets are now positioned to contend for years to come.

SPURS EYEING GREGG POPOVICH’S SUCCESSOR

With the departure of Patty Mills, all remnants of the San Antonio Spurs' championship eras are gone, and the time is rapidly approaching for a new era of Spurs basketball. The question of who will lead the team into that era - one filled with more uncertainty than the Spurs have faced in over two decades - is becoming a hot topic.

There was a brief period when Tim Duncan joined Gregg Popovich on the sidelines that it appeared he might be groomed for succession, but Duncan called it quits after just one season and doesn’t seem to have interest in returning. Zach Lowe, in his recent write-up about San Antonio’s murky future, revealed the most likely successors to the Popovich era: Will Hardy, Brett Brown, Becky Hammon, and Manu Ginobili.

Manu was brought in as a team advisor starting this season, but this is the first time that his name has been seriously reported as a possible head coaching candidate. Given his immense popularity with the fanbase as well as his cerebral and team-oriented style of play, Ginobili would have great appeal as a potential Pop-successor.

UTAH JAZZ ARE HOBBLED EARLY

The Utah Jazz announced an unfortunate pair of absences for training camp. Both veteran swingman Bojan Bogdanovic and new acquisition Rudy Gay are out with injuries. 

While Bogdanovic seems to be on track to return soon, Gay apparently had offseason heel surgery and will miss time including the beginning of the regular season. The Jazz are under some pressure this year to build on last year’s regular-season success, and missing Gay during the early going is an unfortunate start.