76ers fans facing a tough tradeoff this season

News that 76ers star center Joel Embiid would miss Philadelphia's season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks, and the following two games, was met with confusion and annoyance by some fans in Philly, and understandably so, especially for those who purchased tickets to the opener.

The last time we saw Embiid on a basketball court he was winning a Gold Medal with other greats of the game in Paris. Since then, Embiid has suffered no new injuries and no setbacks regarding the lingering knee injury he has been dealing with since last season (that we know of), and the date of the opener was set in stone months ago. So normally, one could safely assume that a player would be good to go under those circumstances.

However, the 2024-25 season isn't going to be "normal" for Embiid and the Sixers, and maybe it's better that fans realize that right out of the gate.

There were breadcrumbs at media day, when Embiid emphasized the importance of getting to the postseason as healthy as possible. Then there was the polarizing quote about back-to-backs.

"If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career," Embiid said. 

Kevin Garnett doesn't like the approach, and there's plenty of people in Philly who would agree with him. But, at the end of the day, what's the one thing that Sixers fans have been clamoring for? Postseason success.

Embiid has been here for a decade now, and despite his undeniable greatness, the Sixers still haven't made it past the second round of the postseason since 2001. That fact is driving everything that the Sixers are doing regarding Embiid's availability, and Paul George's, too.

George, 34, will also miss the opener due to a knee injury he suffered during preseason play, and it doesn't sound like the Sixers plan for him to play in many back-to-backs either.

"We're going to be smart about it," Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said. "Part of being smart about it is having both Paul and Joel probably not play many back to backs, if any."

And so there's the tough tradeoff that Sixers fans will be facing this season. The team is prioritizing long-term health, which is a positive, but it could mean a lot of games where one, or two, of the stars are sidelined.

There are probably going to be some nights at the Wells Fargo Center where fans are annoyed that they even bothered buying tickets, kids are sad that they don't get to watch their favorite player and there will assuredly be some losses that could have been W's if the heavy hitters were available. But, that's life for a Sixers fan in 2024.

Any true Sixers fan would gladly trade a disjoined regular season for a title, or even a Finals berth. But, there are no guarantees in the NBA. Will the tradeoff be worth it ultimately? We won't know until the playoffs roll around. 

But, we do know that the approach that involves Embiid chasing awards and trying to maximize his time on the floor during the regular season hasn't worked, so the team is going in a different direction this time around. Hopefully the ends justify the means. 

Follow Michael Kaskey-Blomain on X @therealmikekb.