Andre Drummond vs Joel Embiid — where both sides lose the battle and the war

Andre Drummond vs. Joel Embiid might be appointment viewing for some but I just find the whole thing embarrassing, annoying and exhausting. These two big men continually show their ass any time they face off against each other because one is a troll who doesn’t know when to stop and the other thinks that if he only takes the bait every single time he’ll prove his doubters, and his tormentor, who the bigger man is.

They trash talk each other like either player has proven anything with their respective franchises. Since both have been paid professional athletes together starting in 2014 — in that time the Sixers have the third-worst record in the NBA and the Pistons have the 12th worst record.

Shut the hell up and win some ball games. Then maybe your tough-guy act will actually register with people.

But, no, instead they keep talking.

“I feel like I own a lot of real estate in his head,” Embiid said with glee after goading Drummond into a second technical and an ejection.

Oh, yeah, this also happened to be after a game in which Embiid and the Sixers lost. And following the Drummond ejection Joel, the master NBA troll, scored zero points. He also committed a costly turnover when he couldn’t deal with being bodied up by Zaza Pachulia in a case of the master realy putting a student in his place.

Worst of all, of course, was what Embiid did to get Drummond tossed. He committed on of the most blatant flops in NBA history. Flopping does not win you fans, Joel. It just makes you look like a punk.

Embiid is one of the most talented big men in the NBA, maybe the most talented, so what is he doing flopping while channeling as inner Nicolas Cage in “The Wicker Man”?

Why is he telling reporters in the post-game locker room after a loss talking about “owning real estate” in Drummond’s head?

Of course, fairness dictates acknowledging that, yes, Embiid is all the way up in Drummond’s head. The amount of ridiculously awful shots Drummond took in an attempt to prove something to Embiid and everyone else was a sight to behold.

So why couldn’t he just live with dominating Drummond during the game? Why couldn’t he focus on actually, you know, winning the game for his team? In truth, if Drummond stays in the game the Sixers are probably more likely to win.

But just because Embiid took the L doesn’t mean Drummond could take the W and simply move on. He had to keep barking.

And he wasn’t done yet.

Worried about Drummond? Fat? Out of shape? Locking him up? No. No. No. Hell no.

Sorry, Dre. Just take the win and be happy people are talking about Blake Griffin’s 50 points and not your drives to the basket that caught no rim, no net and no backboard.

I think collectively when these two get together they each lose a little sliver of their fan base. Hopefully, they’ll eventually realize it’s not about them, and certainly not about the one on one match-up.

It’s about playing with the four other guys with the same jersey on. And winning. Maybe Drummond can ask Blake how that’s done.