PHILADELPHIA -- As word spread through NBA inner circles that Kansas prospect Joel Embiid suffered a foot injury, the Philadelphia 76ers wondered if his misfortune was just the break the downtrodden franchise needed. "I sniffed opportunity," Sam Hinkie, the teams president and general manager, said Friday. "The moment he got hurt, we thought we might get him. We might be just the organization with just the set of owners, and we might be the one to do it." When the 7-foot centre was available at three, the Sixers pounced, even though he could miss up to a full season because of a broken foot. The 76ers are used to big men sitting out the season. Former All-Star centre Andrew Bynum never played a second because of bad knees in 2012-13. And rookie Nerlens Noel sat out all of last season because of a torn ACL. Noel, the No. 6 overall pick out of Kentucky, was antsy to play toward the end of a 19-63 season. The Sixers refused to rush him, not wanting to risk additional injury in what was always planned as a lost -- or, tanked -- season. Embiid recovery from a stress fracture in his right foot could take five to eight months. So will the Sixers play him in another season where the Sixers are building again toward a high lottery pick instead of a post-season berth? "Guess what our approach will be," Hinkie said, smiling. "Well focus on the long-term health of the player." Embiid wont be Philadelphias only lottery pick sitting out next season. Croatian forward Dario Saric, the 10th overall pick, signed a three-year deal last week to play in Turkey. The Sixers hold the rights to the 6-foot-10, 230-pounder for the next three years, and it could be that long until he plays for Philly. By the time hes set to join the Sixers, the organization hoped a playoff berth would be within reach. Hinkie said the Noel-Embiid frontcourt will be a "menace" at the rim. Coach Brett Brown was already drawing up plays for the duo -- Xs and Os hell have plenty of time to perfect. "I do think that Joel and Nerlens can co-exist," Brown said. "I think I can find a way to play those two guys together. Its a really good problem to have." Hinkie credited Philly fans for their "patience and understanding" for another lean season where the best outcome would be a No. 1 draft pick and not a seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Outside of rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams and veteran forward Thaddeus Young, the Sixers have few other credible players, and will likely stack the roster again with D-League castoffs and 10-day contract stopgaps. "Its not even close to demoralizing," Brown said. Brown tried his best at an optimistic spin on the seasons ahead. Knowing the security of three more years left on his contract makes it easier to wait for a project like Embiid. The versatile 7-foot Embiid had a fantastic freshman season with the Jayhawks, averaging 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds while blocking 72 shots to earn Big 12 defensive player of the year honours. Embiid, who grew up playing soccer and volleyball, only decided to pursue basketball a few years ago. He started to blossom as a senior at The Rock School and ultimately chose to attend Kansas, where he arrived with less fanfare than fellow freshmen Andrew Wiggins and Wayne Selden. Embiid hurt his back while landing awkwardly during a game late in the season, and missed the Jayhawks final two regular-season games and the Big 12 tournament. He also missed a victory over Eastern Kentucky and a season-ending loss to Stanford in the NCAA tournament, after which he said that he would have been able to play had Kansas advanced to the second weekend. Hinkie said the Sixers consulted various doctors and felt confident there was little long-term risk to his health once the foot healed. Embiid was projected as Clevelands No. 1 overall pick before the draft. The honour went to Wiggins. "In this scenario, and only this scenario, does he fall to three," Hinkie said. "If he can remain healthy, he can have a fantastic, fantastic NBA career." Notes: 76ers G Jason Richardson exercised the $6.6 million player option for next season and will return. The 7-foot C Byron Mullens declined his $1.1 million option and will become a free agent. Cheap Air Jordan 13 . Patton was placed on the restricted list testing positive for a banned amphetamine. Patton took Adderall, a drug commonly used to combat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, late in the 2013 season and then was given a random drug test. Cheap Jordan 13 Ireland .5 million contract, according to a person familiar with the deal. Hatcher agreed to terms Thursday, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been signed. http://www.cheapairjordan13ireland.com/. LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Air Jordan 13 Ireland .Mila Kunis was a guest on Kimmel last night and revealed a surprising side of herself that comes out when she watches sports. It turns out screaming something vulgar at professional athletes is therapeutic for Kunis. Cheap Jordan 13 Retro . Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc Spears says that the Boogie Smooth album may have been an elaborate April Fools prank.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Denver Nuggets snapped a losing streak last time out and will try to carry that momentum Saturday night when they welcome the Indiana Pacers to the Pepsi Center. Denver lost three straight and seven of eight until a 109-106 home victory over the Los Angeles Clippers Friday night. Nate Robinson had 20 points to lead seven Denver scorers in double figures and the Nuggets held on for the win. Wilson Chandler added 16 points and Kenneth Faried scored 14 for the Nuggets. Timofey Mozgov (13), Arron Afflalo (12) and Danilo Gallinari (10) scored in double figures, while Ty Lawson registered a double-double with 10 points and 14 assists. Hopefully we can stay level, win a few games in a row, said Chandler. The Nuggets blew a 16-point halftime lead immediately as the Clippers opened the third on a 16-0 run. The Clippers carried a three-point advantage into the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets scored the next nine, then led by seven with 7 1/2 minutes remaining. LA tied the score several times down the stretch before Denver took the lead for good on Gallinaris free throws with 3:04 remaining. That sparked an 8-0 run punctuated by 3-pointers from Chandler and Gallinari. The Nuggets hit the road on Monday with stops in Charlotte and Brooklyn. The Pacers have dropped nine of their last 10 games with the only victory a 19-point thrashing of the Los Angeles Lakers in Indianapolis on Monday.dddddddddddd. Indy hit the road and dropped a two-point decision to the Clippers on Wednesday, 102-100. David West ended with 17 points and 10 boards for the Pacers, who are an NBA- worst 1-10 on the road this season. C.J. Miles also had 17 points. Indiana started the fourth quarter on a 17-5 run to take an 89-83 lead. Miles tallied six points during the surge, including a slam with 7:44 to play. But the Clippers responded with a 16-6 spurt to grab the lead for good. Blake Griffin scored five points during the flurry, including a dunk with 1:29 left to make it 99-95. C.J. Watson made three free throws with 34.9 seconds remaining to make it a one-point contest. After Griffin turned the ball over, Rodney Stuckey missed a jumper. J.J. Redick made 3-of-4 free throws around a Watson layup to make it 102-100 with two seconds left. Miles missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer as time expired. We competed our tails off, said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. We wanted this one really bad. The Pacers finish their road trip on Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets beat the Pacers by 21 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Nov. 14. Denver has won six of the last seven versus the Pacers and is 5-0 in its last five as the host in this series. ' ' '