The world of professional sports is a complicated beast at times. Players get traded in the blink of an eye, sometimes leaving no time for coaches to say goodbye or wish outgoing guys luck.
Vincent Poirier is the newest “commodity” left with a bad taste in his mouth. The Philadelphia 76ers sent him packing as part of the three-team trade that landed them George Hill. The 7-footer was a seldom-used bench piece in Philly who played in just 10 games and none since seeing three minutes on March 20. He was buried on the center depth chart behind Joel Embiid, Dwight Howard, Tony Bradley. Fair or not, Poirier was a blip on the radar and never a part of the Sixers’ long-term plans.
The Knicks have waived Terrance Ferguson and Vincent Poirier, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Still, the 27-year-old big man felt slighted that head coach Doc Rivers didn’t personally reach out to him after the trade. He told Le Parisien (via Euro Hoops) that Rivers should have called to wish him “good luck” even if it was a “bogus thing” that the coach didn’t mean.
The coach didn’t even send me a message although I know he sent others. I’m not asking him to give me compliments but just a message to wish me good luck. We are not commodities, we are still human beings. It’s a minimum of sending a message, to say that the situation was complicated, but thank you for your professionalism. A bogus thing, even if he doesn’t really mean it.
Poirier has since been waived by the New York Knicks and may head to Europe to continue his professional basketball career. The Frenchman was the EuroLeague’s rebounding champion in 2019. He spent two seasons in the NBA, including stints on the Sixers and Boston Celtics.
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Dwight Howard Mentioned Poirier By Name
Count Dwight Howard as one Sixers player who went out of his way to bid Poirier adieu. He name-dropped all three players dealt in the George Hill trade when he addressed reporters on March 25. The veteran center praised each and every one of them for their contributions to the team.
“It’s sad to see Tony [Bradley] and Terrance Ferguson and Vince [Poirier] leave,” Howard said. “I would say those three guys, no matter how many minutes they played, they worked extremely hard every single day. We’re going to miss those guys dearly and wish them the best.”
Doc Rivers’ first half strategy for Joel Embiid in his first back-to-back of the season? Play him twice as much as Dwight Howard and keep Tony Bradley, Vincent Poirier, and Paul Reed on the bench. That’s… one way to handle it.
As mentioned above, Poirier was a reserve to the reserves. He averaged 0.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 3.9 minutes per game this season while shooting 25% from the field. He went undrafted in 2015 and then spent 2016 with the Orlando Magic’s G League team. He eventually went back to Europe to play for Baskonia of the Spanish Liga ACB and then returned to the United States in 2019 after joining the Boston Celtics.
Joel Embiid Expected to Return Saturday
Joel Embiid is expected to return to the Sixers on Saturday when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The team put out an official injury update saying that the All-Star big man is “responding well to on-court work and conditioning.” They didn’t confirm a Saturday return.
Official @sixers update:
Joel Embiid is out tomorrow at Cleveland. He is responding well to on-court work and conditioning and is expected to return to play this weekend. An update will be provided on Friday.
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Ex-Sixers Center Rips Doc Rivers: ‘We Are Still Human Beings’