The Sixers denied the report by the Knicks and ESPN broadcaster Mike Breen LeBron James recently warned Joel Embiid for being a few minutes late for training, writes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Breen shared the story during a preseason scrimmage between the teams on Monday, saying: “Someone told me before the game that they were ready to practice and Joel Embiid came on the court a couple of minutes late and LeBron let him hear it.”
James vehemently denied his Instagram account, saying, “He’s not late, so stop lying.” Breen claims he heard the story from “someone he trusts,” but has apologized.
“I thought it would be a fun anecdote to show the leadership LeBron is already showing in Philly.” – he said. “To me, the fact that Joel was a teammate didn’t make sense. In retrospect, I should have realized that it was Joel who made the story. I’ve always been a big fan of Joel and I feel terrible that this focused so much attention on him.”
coach Nick Nurse told reporters he didn’t find out about the mini-controversy until after Wednesday’s practice. He sees it as an unfortunate reflection on Embiid, who he says has been exemplary since training camp began.
“I’m just amazed at what I was told before and what you’re asking me about because he was great.” The nurse said. “He’s in great shape, he’s been on the training ground. He’s been working really hard and he looks really great. So it just amazes me that something like this has come out right now.”
There are more from Philadelphia:
- James, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey all sat out Monday, but Nurse intends to use his regular-season rotation in two of the team’s three remaining preseason games, McMenamin added. Nurse also said the Sixers have no plans to sign another center after the loss Ariel Hookporti for the season with a rupture of the right Achilles tendon.
- James’ teams have traditionally made short-term moves to maximize their title chances, but Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice do not believe Labron Filon the younger is in any danger of trade. Writing in the Mailbag column, Aaronson notes that Fillon will only make $3.6 million this season, so his contract won’t help much with matching salaries in a hypothetical deal. The 22nd overall pick is already showing signs that he could be useful this season. “I talked about his level of competition and his effort. His physical attributes are good. I think it was great.” The nurse said. “What shows more is his ability to run the offense. Like, he’s really taking command, getting people where they need to be, making the big call or whatever and getting it done, and he’s got a little bit — when things get a little messy, he’s got a little bit of ability to break away and get space and get into the paint and then create the offense that way.”
- The season preview is for subscribers only Gina Mizell and Chris Hine of The Philadelphia Inquirer discuss James’s additions and Jaylen Brownthe ongoing concern about Embiid’s health and some other topics concerning the team.
