Nerlens Noel was not happy about only getting eight minutes on the court in the last Sixers game.
He’s going to like this even less.
Sunday night in Philly’s win over Brooklyn, Noel was not part of the Sixers’ rotation, and the implication is that’s going to be the trend going forward. Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor are going to get the run at the five spot. From Sixers coach Brett Brown, via Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com.“I think trying to force feed three bigs in a game is unfair,” Brown said Sunday before the Sixers faced the Nets. “I intend on going with two of those three bigs tonight. Nerlens will not be one of those people that will be in rotation unless something happens with foul trouble or some type of other circumstance.”
“I think a lot of people know it was going to get to a point like this,” Noel said. “Now I’m the one that’s in it, so I’m going to deal with it the best way possible.”
Noel has been critical of the Sixers front office more than once for the glut of bigs, and he’s not wrong there. They have too many big men who deserve minutes and time to develop on the court, and not everybody is going to get a fair shake. Noel is on the losing end of that deal.
The Sixers would like to move him in a trade. However the combination of his injury history and the buzz around the league about how poorly he has handled his demotion – poor attitude and body language — has teams making lowball offers, if any at all.
The Sixers likely will move Noel before the trade deadline, and maybe he blossoms in a different setting. He is athletic and has real potential as a rim protector. Sometimes all a player needs is a change of scenery. But the Sixers aren’t going to get much in return for him anymore.