[UPDATE: Looks like it is the 4-6 week recovery for Jared McCain. He’ll be back after 7-12 games… In theory.]
Media Day is usually a pretty fun time to see what Sixers got in better shape over the summer, see the rookies in their new jerseys, but mostly just to see Tyrese Maxey’s smile again. While all of that holds true this year, there is so much extra Sixersy things this season. Obviously, the term “Sixersy” does not have a positive connotation.
Jared McCain
We couldn’t make it through a single day of training camp without bad injury news. Yesterday, on the very first day of camp, Jared McCain apparently tore a ligament in his shooting hand. Wonderful. We don’t know exactly how bad the injury is yet. If he does not need surgery, he is looking at a mid-November return. However, if he has to go under the knife, that’s probably keeping him out until January. However still, since it’s the Sixers, expect him to be re-evaluated several times until he is out for the season. I’m joking, but I’m also not.
McCain’s return after his season ended early last year was one of the brightest beacons of hope on a team that is in desperate need of positivity. His injury doesn’t snuff that light out, but visibility isn’t great in here. I know he (probably) will not miss the rest of the season, but still. Why does God hate this team so much?
Quentin Grimes
While all I can do is cry and overreact to Jared McCain, I can provide some actual insight into the Quentin Grimes contract extension drama. Word yesterday was that the sides were far apart. Derek Bodner reported that the Sixers had only offered 4/$39m while Grimes wants around $20-$25m per season. I’m here to tell you that this is fine.
In my old lawyer life, it was routine for sides to try to convince each other that they would head for trial. So many times I was convinced that there was no way we could settle only for the parties to come together at the 11th hour. Folks, we are not at the 11th hour yet. In fact, we are still full from lunch. In fact, I see these figures pretty optimistically.
I always told people that the first offer is never meant to be taken. Unless it’s a max contract, the two sides are circling each other to try to get them closer to where they need them to be. The Sixers don’t expect Grimes to take $10m per year, but they probably want him to take around $15m. If they start him at $15m, then Grimes will be thinking $20m. This is all part of the process.
There are also reports out there that the Sixers have made him a 1 year offer that is higher than the $8.7m qualifying offer. This type of deal would allow him to be traded during the season. This isn’t a bluff, but it sure seems like a negotiating maneuver by the Sixers to try to telegraph to Grimes that they are serious.
When looking at offers, I would calculate the middle ground between the two sides. The middle ground between Grimes at $100m and the Sixers at $40m is $70m. They are going to get a deal done in the 4/$65m – $72m range. That’s right in between both of them. Bet on it (not really, but I’m pretty confident).
Joel Embiid
I don’t mean to arouse anyone, but Joel is looking pretty slim. Other than arthroscopic knee surgery in the off season, I don’t know what he did but it looks to be working. Maybe someone finally got through to him to say that 300 pounds might seem strong, but it is too much for bad knees to handle. Anyway, this, the surgery, and the mental advantage from both have to have him feeling good. That explains the ESPN expose a few weeks back. He wouldn’t want something like that coming out unless he was feeling good about where he was with his game.
All that being said, there is no timetable for his return and no guarantee he is ready for the season when it starts. This is part of the Joel Embiid experience, uncertainty. We can take him not playing in back to backs and we can take him being done for the season, but what we can’t take is not knowing day to day if he is going to play. The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t the best movie in the world, but there’s a line in the end that stuck with me after someone didn’t die or get better after a shark attack, “Get better or die. It’s the hanging around in between that really pisses people off.” I know it’s callous, but I think that’s where we are with Joel.
Paul George
No time table for return, just like Joel. He claimed that last year was his “rock bottom.” I mean the guy even stopped doing his own podcast for God’s sake! Don’t count your chickens yet PG, you don’t know how Sixersy things get around here. Who knows what could happen next. Maybe he has an Xfinity allergy that only activates due to the new arena naming rights? VJ Edgecombe could dunk so hard that the percussive blast impairs his vision. I think the smart money’s on Podcast Elbow though. It’s rough out there.
Despite my negativity, I am decently optimistic about his ability to rebound from last year’s disaster. The guy had mallet finger! That’s about as Sixersy as it gets without having a bad reaction to sesame seeds (why can’t this team just have normal injuries?). An injury like that is debilitating because there’s basically nothing to be done about it in the moment. He had to simply not use it for like 8 weeks. How are you supposed to basketball like that? I know our expectations are shot with him, so really anything would be a plus.
City Editions
I was not looking forward to the black jerseys coming back. My stance was that they were a product of a certain era and our nostalgia would betray us. I could not have been more wrong. The new old Iverson era jerseys are flawless. One of my biggest complaints of the old jersey was the gold lettering. It looks like that’s the only thing they changed. Gorgeous guys. For all the bad on court stuff perpetually surrounding the team, they seem to always get the aesthetics just right.
Philly Front Office 
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