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Despite All-Star snub, Embiid grateful for fan support

AMONG OTHER things, Joel Embiid is one of the most competitive people on the 76ers. He didn't win a starting spot for the Eastern Conference All-Star team when it was announced on Thursday evening, but his good-natured attitude won out over the competitor in him when the news came down that he came in fourth place overall in the vote for frontcourt players – third in fan voting, fifth in media voting and eighth among player votes.

AMONG OTHER things, Joel Embiid is one of the most competitive people on the 76ers. He didn't win a starting spot for the Eastern Conference All-Star team when it was announced on Thursday evening, but his good-natured attitude won out over the competitor in him when the news came down that he came in fourth place overall in the vote for frontcourt players – third in fan voting, fifth in media voting and eighth among player votes.

"The fans, they gave everything they had and I came up short," he said. "But I was just happy to see that the fans supported me and they are behind me and they wanted me to succeed.

"I've said this before, there is a lot of talented big men in the league, especially at the center position. That's something the NBA should think about, putting a center back in the All-Star ballot. That's on them to make that decision. I'm not disappointed. I just got to go out there and keep on competing, winning games and helping my teams win."

The remaining All-Star roster spots will be filled in with the reserves on Thursday. as chosen by the coaches in each conference. Embiid, who entered Friday night's game against Portland averaging 19.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 25.4 minutes, could be selected to the team at that time. The game will be played Feb. 19 in New Orleans.

Comings and going

The 76ers made a move Friday that has become a very familiar one over the past few years.

To inch them closer to the salary-cap floor, they signed, then released veteran guard Mo Williams. His $2.2 million salary will put the Sixers that much closer to the salary-cap floor of $84.7 million.

With Williams' salary added to the books, they are now about $5.6 million below the cap floor. The move was first reported by ESPN's Marc Stein.

After the Williams move was cleared, the team signed guard Chasson Randle to a second 10-day contract. On Monday in Milwaukee, with starter T.J. McConnell back in Philadelphia with a sprained wrist, Randle provided a spark off the bench for coach Brett Brown by scoring 10 points in 15 minutes, 47 seconds of action.

"We just watched him play in Milwaukee and saw somebody take his length and come up with loose balls and deflections," said coach Brett Brown. "You saw somebody that had a swagger and a confidence where he could rise up and make a 'three' and he's a four-year Stanford graduate who just has a very distinct pedigree and intellect and maturity that add to it."

Brown also noted that he has fit in well with his teammates.

"He's a high-character guy," Brown said.

Tough stretch ahead

Joel Embiid will sit out Saturday night when the team visits the Atlanta Hawks for the second of back-to-back games.

Over the next 12 games, Embiid is expected to miss five of them, as the Sixers get a heavy dose of back-to-backs over the next few weeks.

The rest is part of a prescribed effort to ease him back to a full NBA season after he missed all of last season because of a foot injury.

cooneyb@phillynews.com

@BobCooney76

Blog: philly.com/Sixersblog