Colin Cowherd Rips Joel Embiid After Collapse to Knicks: 'He Lacks Effort'

Colin Cowherd: “What has the constant been in Philadelphia for eight years? They’ve had multiple GMs, Nick Nurse is Embiid’s third coach, we had the trial balloon with Ben Simmons, James Harden, ‘The Process’, draft picks... The ‘constant’ is Joel Embiid. He’s been labeled a ‘superstar’, but I don’t know, I’ve got a higher standard. To be a ‘superstar’ in the NBA you have to – I don’t know – ONCE win a second-round playoff series in the MUCH, MUCH weaker Eastern Conference. The Knicks, although gritty, are hardly the Shaq/Kobe Lakers. They’re doing it on guile, moxy, and toughness. They want it more and they care more. That last sequence for the Knicks was all desire and effort.

Embiid the first two games... NO REBOUNDS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER. Is Ewing on the floor? What am I missing? Rebounds is an effort stat. Dennis Rodman wasn’t skilled, Ben Wallace wasn’t world-class, it’s effort. Embiid is 7’2” -- did Shaq ever have two games with no rebounds in the fourth quarter? I don’t think so. He has the talent, he has the size, but he lacks effort.

If you look at Embiid’s playoff career, his numbers plummet in the fourth. His plus/minus, his field goals, his rebounds, everything goes down. That’s effort. In the NBA, you’re superstar if you win in April, May, and June, and you have a big personality. Kawhi doesn’t, Jokic doesn’t, they’re stars. But you’re a ‘superstar’ if you win in April, May, and June, and you have a big personality. Embiid has plenty of personality, but I waited through ‘Trust the Process’, Ben Simmons, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, multiple coaches, multiple GMs, and drafts, and I get the same thing. Big playoff games in the East, where is Embiid?

I just didn’t see the effort. Last night was OVER and then it became rugby on the floor. Did you have any doubt when that ball was on the floor that the Knicks would come up with it? I saw the Sixers complaining that there was no timeout... You know what I saw? Nobody blocking out and no effort. That game was over last night, and the Knicks were cooked. I don’t wanna hear about timeouts, and you ‘missed this, or missed that’, where is the effort??” 

Watch Colin Cowherd call out Joel Embiid after the Philadelphia 76ers notoriously blew Game 2 of their first-round playoff series to the New York Knicks in the dying seconds Monday night. 

Check out the segment above as Colin rips Embiid for failing to grab a fourth-quarter rebound for the second consecutive game, saying Embiid can’t be considered a ‘superstar’ if he can’t even get past the second round of the playoffs. 

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