As soon as they signed Demarco I was shaking my head. Made zero sense for them to bring him in when they have guys like Sproles and (eventually) Mathews that were perfect fits.
He's definitely scared. He doesn't play like the same guy anymore because I think he is scared of re-injuring himself since he seems to be so prone to doing so. If he gets that reckless fire back he could rebound, but I don't think we will ever see that again... For obvious reasons.
I mean, he's definitely in "do-or-die" mode right now. Even if he continues the rest of his career like he has been playing lately I don't think he's hall of fame worthy.
They drafted Okafor after Russell was off the board bro. If they move anyone I believe it'll be Okafor. He doesn't have the defensive presence that Embiid does. You can teach an offensive game down low, but it's difficult to teach good defense when you're already at the pro level.
I've noticed that too. He'll make a sick play or do something crazy and it's like "There he is! Maybe this is the return!" and then he'll do some dumb shit like 3-4 possessions directly following and you're like "aweeee"
From what I've read they are actually leaning more towards bringing him back for the last 1/4 of the year or so. I agree with you though that I wouldn't risk it.
I took it more to show that he is working on himself rather than the previous reports that he was fat and out of shape. If he's in shape that bodes better for the joints and ligaments than if he is overweight.