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Bill Self on Joel Embiid’s back: He needs ‘four weeks with some rest’

Joel Embiid

AP

Early on Sunday morning, news broke that Joel Embiid would be headed to California to see a back specialist to get a second opinion the injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the past two games.

Kansas head coach Bill Self elaborated on that concern on Sunday evening in a conversation with Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star.

“It’s nothing where he won’t be feeling great in four weeks with some rest,” Self said, while also telling Dodd that the injury is more significant that a simple back strain, which is what Kansas called it when it was announced Embiid would sit out the end of the regular season. “We don’t have four weeks.”

The Jayhawks kick off Big 12 tournament play on Thursday, playing the winner of Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

With Embiid healthy and in the lineup, Kansas is arguably the nation’s most talented team and one of the favorite to win the national title come April. But if he’s flying to California to see a specialist and get a second opinion about a back injury, how confident should we be that his injury is actually going to get better?