http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20971278/joel-embiid-philadelphia-76ers-accepts-max-rookie-scale-contract-extensionWhat an expected surprise. A 148 mil max deal (he could earn as much as $178 million per Woj) for a league's great talent, that played merely 12,6% of his possible games in his first 3 seasons. It hasn't been reported yet, but the contract should be very complicated in terms of the guarantees in the last years of the deal.
Many will criticize this contract right from its start. I won't be in that category and here is why.
Embiid is both the offensive and the defensive force. Able to score in bunches (low post, FTS, outside shot, commanding double-teams) while locking down the paint (controlling the defensive glass, erasing shots and showing nice mobility a bit further out. Currently the 2nd best center of this generation (AD is the best (year older), but without the fluid low post scoring skills, KAT/KP can't/didn't yet anchor a good defense or have shown they will).
Many will say OK, he is good, but what is its worth if he can't stay healthy.
The way I see it,
Phillie's process is Joel Embiid. If he doesn't pan out, the process will disappoint too. If Joel really becomes healthy, they could contend in 3 to 5 years from now (perhaps they could even give us a true rival in the East). If he doesn't pan out, they will enter some playoffs in those years, but they won't raise any dust in the air (Simmons isn't that scorer, he and Fultz need a center to cover for them). This way it is worth the gamble since they have a young core that can follow Joel in any of his positive futures.
Can you think any other way that Philly locks an external potential top 10 player for the next 5 years? Hard to envision that, Joel is here. Invested, magnetic, talented.
Topic: Joel Embiid signs the MAX, 148$ for 5 years (Read 611 times)