Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown knows that All-Star center Joel Embiid is far from thrilled with being sidelined through the first two games of their first-round series against the Miami Heat.
So, even though Brown appeared to be unaware of a profane Instagram post published by Embiid after the game suggesting he was "tired of being babied," Brown knows the spirit of the message is more indicative of the 24-year-old's desire to be back on the hardwood than any bubbling discontent with the organization.
"Without getting into private conversations, the flavor that he delivers in our conversations - our private conversations - he just wants to play basketball," Brown told the press after the Sixers' 113-103 Game 2 loss to Miami. "He wants to be with his team. He wants to play in front of the fans. He wants to see this through. And when he's not able to do that, he gets frustrated. And I respect his frustration. It's born out of competitiveness and its born out him wanting to be with his team."
Embiid has been out since suffering a fractured orbital bone and concussion on March 28 versus the New York Knicks. Though the team announced Embiid has cleared concussion protocol prior to Game 2, the second-year superstar was still prevented from making his long-awaited playoff debut.
"The medical side, the different reasons (for Embiid's continued absence) - I'm not going to go there," Brown added. "But I do know the spirit in which he delivers that (social media post) reflects my conversations with him, that it's completely driven out of team, competitiveness, 'I want to play basketball,' that type of flavor more than anything."
This is the franchise's first postseason trip since 2012 - long before both Brown and Embiid became inextricably emblematic of the Sixers' infamous long-term rebuild. Both the lengthy roster overhaul and Embiid himself have been colloquially dubbed "The Process."
Having split the first two games in Philadelphia, the Sixers are Miami-bound for Games 3 and 4 on April 19 and 21.
