It has been a newsy week for the 76ers. On Monday, Paul George had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The next night, VJ Edgecombe returned to summer league action after being sidelined 10 days with a sprained left thumb.

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid remains defiant after shoving a reporter who referenced his late brother and son in a critical column. Despite a three-game suspension, Embiid stated he'd repeat the action to protect his family's honor.

Philadelphia is the hardest team to project in next season’s Eastern Conference. If healthy, they are legit title contenders — but “if” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. Paul George has had offseason knee surgery.

Embiid said in the piece that he began therapy last year at the urging of Jameer Nelson, whom the Sixers recently promoted to assistant general manager. The story mentions that Embiid and Nelson have become good friends, which is a pretty big deal when you see the way Akintoye describes how guarded the big man is and how tight he keeps his circle.

Batum's open comments highlight Embiid's suffering and tenacity, casting doubt on his capacity to play at a high level going forward.

Of course, things come down to whether Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey will be on the floor healthy, but ESPN's Kendrick Perkins believes there's a bigger problem in Philadelphia: a bad culture. He issued a warning to the Sixers when it comes to Maxey:

ESPN analyst doesn't hold back in his assessment of Joel Embiid while recalling a what he said a year ago about the big man's health.

ESPN's recent profile of Joel Embiid discusses the former MVP's struggles with injuries, mistrust and adapting to the NBA. But while the piece is sympathetic, it also details the way Embiid hasn't helped his own cause.