Joel Embiid Praises Jimmy Butler as Heat Star Scores 40 vs. Giannis, Bucks

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. A 40-point game in the playoffs presumably has the same effect based on Joel Embiid's posts.  

Like many NBA fans, the Philadelphia 76ers star watched on as Jimmy Butler powered the Miami Heat to a 115-104 victory over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. It looked as though Embiid was longing for what could've been.

The three-time All-Star effectively subtweeted his own front office.

The Sixers sent Butler to the Heat in a sign-and-trade rather than bring him back this offseason. Yaron Weitzman reported for B/R earlier this month that Philadelphia had a number of reasons for not committing a max extension to Butler.

That appears to have been a significant miscalculation. The Sixers were bounced in the first round while the Heat might be a serious threat to Milwaukee with Butler leading the way.

Sixers general manager Elton Brand is probably the world's biggest Bucks fan right now. The deeper the Heat go into the playoffs, the more Butler-related scrutiny he'll face.

He might also have to deal with an even more frustrated Embiid, who still has three more years left on his deal.