Charting a path for the 76ers with Joel Embiid out for at least a month

So what should the team's course of action be? With Embiid out of the lineup, Philadelphia is obviously not the same team.

While he was healthy and playing, an Eastern Conference Finals run (at least) wasn't far-fetched. Philadelphia looked every bit like a contender during the first half of the season, posting one of the league's best offenses behind Embiid and Tyrese Maxey while getting good production from bench players Kelly Oubre, Marcus Morris and Patrick Beverley. 

One more trade could have put this team in the mix with powerhouse Boston and defending champion Denver. All reports pointed toward Philadelphia being interested in making that trade, whether it was for Atlanta's Bogdan Bogdanovic or Dejounte Murray or some other immediate impact player. 

As weird as it may sound, the Sixers should still do whatever they were going to do when Embiid was healthy and playing. Why punt on the season now? Even if the chances of Embiid returning at full strength are low, it's too late for an all-out tank, so president of basketball operations Daryl Morey's best option is to operate under the assumption that Embiid will return.

There isn't a player (that we know of, at least) available at this deadline who will require Philadelphia to give up a haul to get. If it wants Portland's Malcolm Brogdon or Bogdanovic, a first-round pick might suffice. Detroit's Alec Burks or Charlotte's Gordon Hayward can probably be acquired for even less. Philadelphia doesn't have to mortgage its future for the extra wing shooter or ball handler it would acquire at the deadline, so it might as well do it anyway and simply hope for the best from Embiid.

On the flip side, Philadelphia doesn't have any players — Tyrese Maxey excluded, who the team is surely not going to trade or even entertain offers for  — who will net a big return. Tobias Harris is on an expiring deal and so is De'Anthony Melton, and the rest of the roster is made up of talented but middling veterans. So "selling" at the deadline isn't really an option, either.

This team won't make a playoff run without Embiid, and the uncertainty surrounding last season's MVP might make the front office hesitant to make any moves before Thursday's deadline.

Philadelphia, however, will likely finish the season with a top-six record in the East, and giving up on a season because you're afraid your star might not be fully in the playoffs — especially when he's never been fully healthy in the playoffs — doesn't seem like the right path forward. 

Proceeding as normal and hoping Embiid comes back in time for the playoffs doesn't sound like a great strategy, but it might be the best one Philadelphia has at the moment.