Joel Embiid has appendicitis and is undergoing surgery in Houston today

Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with appendicitis and is scheduled to undergo surgery this afternoon in Houston. No official timeline has been given.

I do not have the words right now. Honestly, what’s the point of even writing about the Sixers? It’s just constant pain and disappointment. Maybe I should take a quick jump off the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and just call it a day? That seems like a logical decision at this point.

Joel Embiid to undergo appendicitis surgery

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The play-in tournament starts April 14th!!!

The first round of the playoffs begins April 18th. A typical laparoscopic appendectomy puts a patient back on their feet for light activity within one to three weeks.

Return to strenuous physical activity, the kind that involves playing center in the NBA playoffs, generally takes three to six weeks minimum. Google says that. I am not a doctor. But the math is not great.

Playoff seeding after the Magic beat T-Wolves, pushing the Sixers to the 8th seed in the East with 3 games left >>

I am not a doctor and I do not know exactly how this plays out.

What I do know is that the Sixers built everything around having a healthy Joel Embiid going into the postseason. Every decision this month, every game management call, every conversation about rest and oblique management and illness, was oriented around having him right when it matters.

And now he is in a Houston hospital having his appendix removed two days before the final regular season games and a week before the play-in.

This is the Sixers. This is always the Sixers.

If there is any version of this where he returns in time for a deep playoff run it requires everything going perfectly with the surgery, the recovery, and his body responding faster than the typical timeline.

That is possible. Athletes recover faster than average people. But banking on best-case medical outcomes for Joel Embiid at this point in his career feels like a conversation we have had before.

The Sixers have three games left to figure out their seeding. Then they have the play-in or the first round staring at them without their best player. Whatever happens next, this season just got a lot harder.

Prayers up for a quick recovery. Get well soon Joel.

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