This changes the entire thinking of any team selecting high in the draft next week. All their planning could basically be null and void and have them all re-thinking who they want to pick. Kansas big man Joel Embiid, expected by most people to be taken with the first pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers is expected to miss up to six months after having surgery on his foot today. The surgeon, Dr. Richard Ferkel, said that Embiid “tolerated the surgery without difficulty” and claimed that the 7-foot center should “be able to return to NBA basketball.”

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“Two screws were inserted into the navicular bone in Joel Embiid’s right foot,” Ferkel said in the statement released by Tellem. “The surgery went very well and I’m confident that after appropriate healing he will be able to return to NBA Basketball. Joel tolerated the surgery without difficulty and will begin his rehabilitation in the near future.”

The fact he will miss so much time could effect the rest of the draft order. They will have to weigh the cost of drafting Embiid and waiting for him to be healthy or pick someone else who can give them the help the desperately need.