This is fine.
Okay, really, it’s not.
The Philadelphia 76ers have officially moved Nerlens Noel out of their big-man rotation, per Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News:
Nerlens Noel is out of the rotation for the foreseeable future, according to Brett Brown
— Bob Cooney (@BobCooney76) December 18, 2016
Well, that didn’t take long.
Noel has appeared in two games for the Sixers this season, totaling eight minutes of action. After his second outing in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, during which he logged eight minutes, he called out the team’s glut of big men once more, per Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly:
Nerlens Noel: "I think I'm too good to be playing 8 minutes. That's crazy. That's crazy. That's crazy. We need to figure this s— out."
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) December 17, 2016
Here’s what Noel had to say of the Sixers making his removal from the rotation final:
Nerlens Noel: "I think a lot of people knew it was gonna come to this. I'm just handling it the best way possible."
— Christopher A. Vito (@ChrisVito) December 18, 2016
Noel said he's going to handle what he can control and approach being taken out of the rotation "in the most-professional way possible."
— Christopher A. Vito (@ChrisVito) December 18, 2016
Noel, on if comments Fri. played a role: “No. I think this has been decided a long time ago. I think it's something that was set in stone."
— Christopher A. Vito (@ChrisVito) December 18, 2016
Nerlens Noel: "I’m going to…be a professional and get better at every aspect that doesn’t involve being on the court or in the game.”
— Christopher A. Vito (@ChrisVito) December 18, 2016
Sixers coach Brett Brown mentioned the fact that Noel missed all of the preseason following knee surgery as something that factored into the latest decision. But Noel’s general disposition likely hasn’t helped.
There is, of course, a chance that the status quo changes. Brown still plans on starting Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor together, which could eventually open up minutes for Noel if the team doesn’t decide to stagger the playing time of the other two.
The Sixers also have to keep in mind that they need Noel to drum up his trade value. He will be a restricted free agent this summer, and rather than lose him for nothing, or matching the contract of a player they don’t have room for, it behooves them to send him elsewhere for something in return.
Teams will no doubt trade for Nerlens Noel now, but his attitude and health bill don’t leave the Sixers with much leverage. The only way to gain an advantage in negotiations is to, at some point, turn him loose on the court. Otherwise, they’ll have to sell low on the player they once viewed as a co-cornerstone.
