Mike Muscala Ripped 76ers in February: Joel Embiid Talks 'A Lot of S--t'
July 20, 2018
Mike Muscala provided a less than glowing review of the Philadelphia 76ers and soon-to-be teammate Joel Embiid during a podcast appearance in February.
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia, Muscala appeared on Road Trippin' last season and said the following about Embiid and the Sixers:
"I don't like the Sixers. I just don't like them. I just feel like they talk a lot of s--t, especially Embiid. I understand there's going to be some trash-talking. But I just feel like—I don't know. Sometimes, I just—I respect players that just let their play do the talking. And I think sometimes, it just gets excessive, especially with Embiid.
"I don't think it's a bad thing for the league. I think it's entertaining, and I think people can feed off of that. In a weird way, I respect him for being [able] to do that, because it takes a lot of guts and confidence, at the same time."
Per ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to acquire Muscala and guard Dennis Schroder from the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday for Carmelo Anthony and a protected first-round pick in 2022.
The Thunder then agreed to deal Muscala to the 76ers for forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Philadelphia will be sending guard Justin Anderson to the Hawks.
In the one game Embiid and Muscala played against each other in 2017-18, Embiid dropped 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while Muscala finished with just two points.
Embiid was named an All-Star for the first time last season, and he is among the NBA's fastest-rising players.
He is also quite outspoken on social media, and Muscala's comments suggest that carries over to the court as well.
The 27-year-old Muscala has largely been a backup during his five-year NBA career, but he is coming off his most productive campaign. In 2017-18, he averaged 7.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He also shot a respectable 37.1 percent from beyond the arc.
With the Sixers stacked at power forward, Muscala will likely serve as the primary backup to Embiid at center next season.