PHILADELPHIA — This bone has been chewed to death, but since the Sixers’ season ends this weekend, it bears repeating to anyone who cares about the franchise that the 12th year of The Process, the concept, was completely wasted, possibly because of the whims and desires of The Process, the player.

Joel Embiid underwent meniscus surgery on his chronically compromised left knee on Feb. 6, 2024. He returned from surgery on April 2, 2024. He played 11 games, looked great in seven of them, and, after the Sixers lost to the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, it seemed like the big fella was on track to make 2024-25 another season to remember.

Then, he played in the Olympics.

Now, 2024-25 is a season to forget.

It was millions of dollars wasted, not to mention precious seasons for budding young star Tyrese Maxey and aging superstar Paul George.

An Olympic gold medal has an approximate value of about $1,000.

Embiid’s gold medal cost the Sixers 156,200 times that.

Hope it was worth it.

Embiid used his newly acquired United States citizenship to command a place on Team USA for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. I was outraged — why risk it? — but mine was a voice in the wilderness. The Sixers had signed George to a max contract, extended Maxey with a max deal, and were ready to extend Embiid, too (which they did just before the season began; more on that later). Still, they were powerless to stop him from competing.

As it turned out, Embiid played in the Olympics without incident, and usually without much impact, and nobody thought much of it … until he showed up at training camp in October unprepared to begin the season.

He was not in great shape, as usual. His knee cost him the first three weeks, or nine games (he was suspended for Games 7-9, but he probably wasn’t going to play in those games anyway). He played in four of five games, then missed the next seven games in a row.

It was obvious by December that his season, and the Sixers’ season, was in peril. Sure enough, on Feb. 28, the Sixers announced that Embiid would be shut down for the rest of the season. He played fewer than 20 games. But he still got paid.

So did George, Maxey, president Daryl Morey, and coach Nick Nurse.

Combined, they made $156.2 million this season. They were built to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001. They will finish 13th in the conference and will miss the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

Why?

Because Embiid wanted to add an Olympic gold medal to his trophy case, sparsely populated as it is. Because he sought personal glory. Because he did not prepare himself for the season.

What a waste.

Squandered

First, Embiid. He’s a 7-foot, 280-pound man with the power of Shaquille O’Neal, the footwork of Kobe Bryant, and the touch of Alex English (look him up, kids). That’s $51.4 million down the drain. Embiid also turned 31 last month. He’s peaked.

Second, George. He came to Philly because Philly offered a fourth year, and he came with a significant injury history. He has dealt with his own injuries, and he hasn’t played since the Sixers entered full tank mode in early March, and he got shut down, too. But you know George would have battled through whatever he needed to battle through to earn his $49.2 million.

Third, Maxey, also suspiciously shut down since early March, which is dirty pool, and he’s making $35.1 million, but I can’t blame the Sixers. Why risk your 24-year-old franchise player to earn a play-in spot? That’s right: In the decline of Embiid, Maxey is now the franchise player.

And as much as you might want to disparage Morey, he’s a capable and respected executive. That’s why he makes $12 million a year. Nurse is an elite coach, and he’s at $8.5 million, which puts him among the league’s top 10.

Check my math, but I calculate that it’s $156.2 million.

Down the drain.

Fan depreciation

Much of that income is derived from paying customers, who were deprived of their chance to watch a competitive team. The Sixers held Fan Appreciation Night on Friday. The giveaway: replica gold medals (not really).

Facing pressures from the fans, media, and the NBA, the Sixers announced April 2 that Embiid would have arthroscopic surgery on the knee “next week.” Jonathan L. Glashow performed the surgery Wednesday at NYU Langone Sports Medicine Center, and it was termed a success — though no details were offered regarding what was actually done.

To be clear, this is me. All me. There’s no proof that the Olympics torpedoed Embiid’s season, but then, there can’t be, can there? There is, however, common sense.

I asked the Sixers to tell me what the team doctors recommended before Embiid played. They said that none of their doctors recommended that Embiid not play.

Unconvinced, I sought independent opinions. Most agreed with Sixers doctors.

I got one soft “maybe.”

“It’s certainly possible he didn’t rehab as long as he could have because he had other commitments this summer,” said Meghan Bishop, a surgeon with Rothman Orthopedics, a former team doctor for the New York Knicks and currently a team physician for the Phillies and Drexel University. “However, I think likely he would have had issues with this knee regardless of having played in the Olympics this summer.”

Well, there are issues, and there are issues.

Embiid’s issues limited him to a career-low 19 games, in which he managed a career-worst 1.4 win shares. Plainly put, it was a wasted season. A wasted $51.4 million, plus all of those collateral wastes.

Now, the Sixers have to figure out how to squeeze some sort of return from the nearly $193 million they owe him for the next three seasons. They have not been transparent about what the surgery entailed. All we can do is guess.

“I think the reason why they’re probably doing the scope to see what kind of procedure would be appropriate later on, if another procedure is deemed appropriate,” Bishop said.

Most of these radical procedures — meniscus replacement or, say, an osteotomy — entail a recovery period of as long as a full year. The Sixers have said only that Embiid is expected to make a “full recovery.”

The Sixers did not address why this procedure didn’t occur as soon as they decided to shut him down Feb. 28. Bishop said operating sooner probably wouldn’t matter to Embiid’s long-term prognosis, but still.

The Sixers also have not offered any solid, possible return dates for Embiid. They said only that he will be evaluated in six weeks. So yes, it seems, if Embiid needs one of the more radical procedures, he might miss all of next season, too.

Full disclosure

I’ve had my issues with Embiid, ever since his first NBA practice, when he called himself “The Process,” thereby presenting himself as being bigger than his teammates, the team, and the game — all before he even played a game.

I’ve had further issues with his unprofessionalism. With his chronic lack of conditioning. With his poor treatment of his coaches, teammates and support staff, largely concentrated on his continual disregard for punctuality and participation. With his intermittent unwillingness to play sick or hurt. With his ridiculous on-court bullying and off-court beefs, particularly on social media — conflicts that have had a detrimental effect on the profile of a team whose willingness to lose on purpose for several years in a row had poisoned its profile enough.

Having the centerpiece of The Process act like a churlish boor further degraded the brand of the Philadelphia sports team, the Philadelphia sports fan, and, yes, the Philly media, too.

And, of course, I have my very personal issue, since he attacked me in the locker room in November, which resulted in that three-game suspension.

But I can tell you that none of these issues color my judgment regarding how the past calendar year has unfolded. Joel Embiid’s sole responsibility after last season was to prepare himself for this season. Not to win a medal. To win a championship.

Joel Embiid’s sole responsibility after last season was to prepare himself for this season. Not to win a medal. To win a championship.

He won for himself.

He failed everyone else.

Hope it was worth it.

____

©2025 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.