JOEL EMBIID may have to undergo surgery that deliberately breaks a bone with the rest of his season in limbo.
The Philadelphia 76ers star has a problem with his left knee and has missed 38 of 57 games this season.
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Injury woes also plagued Embiid’s campaign last year as a torn meniscus saw him play just 39 times.
He is currently undergoing testing, with rest and surgery on the table depending on the results.
But The Philadelphia Inquirer report that 30-year-old Embiid is at risk of needing a meniscus replacement.
Discussing treatment, they claim: “Low-dose radiation therapy; or even the ominous-sounding osteotomy, in which doctors break a bone in the hip to realign the joint to alleviate pressure.
“One source called the procedures ‘radical’ in light of the mundane injury and surgery that brought Embiid to this point.
“For some reason, what should have been a routine rehab and a routine return to play has gone horribly wrong.”
Asked if the Sixers center has already played the last game of his season, coach Nick Nurse replied: “Not at that point, at all.
“We are playing and testing and trying to figure it out and go from there.
“I don’t think anybody envisioned it going like this. It’s disappointing on a lot of levels.
“He wants to play. We want him to play. Our best version is with him playing. It hasn’t worked out like that. Yet.”
The former MVP and seven-time All-Star signed a three-year contract extension in November worth a whopping $193 million.
And with him off the court, the Sixers fell to 20-37 after a devastating 142-110 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
