Joel Embiid suspended 3 games for locker room altercation with Sixers journalist

The NBA's hammer has come down on Joel Embiid for his altercation with columnist Marcus Hayes in Philadelphia's locker room on Saturday after the Sixers loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Well, this suspension isn't much of a hammer, it's more akin to a pool noodle hitting you on the arm. It doesn't feel great, but won't do any real damage, either.

Embiid has been suspended three games, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, a suspension that will start on Wednesday versus the Clippers and run through Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets. Embiid will be able to — and apparently will — make his season debut against the New York Knicks in the opening game of the NBA Cup on November 12th.

Joel Embiid's punishment isn't much of a punishment

Although he's being forced to miss the next three games, it didn't appear that Embiid was going to play those games anyway as the Sixers continue to prioritize his season-long health and ease him back onto the court. Embiid has played 66 and 68 games in the past two years, respectively, the most he's played in any two seasons of his career.

If anything, the Sixers might be happy with a suspension because it allows them to keep Embiid on the sideline without drawing the ire of the league for what it believes is a classic case of load management (in the league's defense, this definitely is a classic case of load management.)

To be fair, Embiid's punishment shouldn't be much of a punishment. Of course the NBA has to suspend a player who puts their hands on a media member — we all knew a suspension coming. But the reason Embiid got into this altercation in the first place is because he — understandably — took offense to a column that mentioned his deceased brother, which clearly crossed a line that should never be crossed by sports journalists.