Noel is not a team player, he gets injured all the time yet he have the balls to complain about not getting enough minutes and asks for a trade.
Noel would give us more trouble come re-sign time.
Vuc is a better asset as well, neither Vuc or Noel completes us as a balanced team so getting the better player is top priority on our way to the draft.
Here's how it's gone down and why I can't blame Noel.
1.) He was the first pick that started the Hinkie "Process". They made the playoffs the year before he got there, and blew it up and started that process by trading Jrue Holiday to the Pelicans for New Orleans' 6th pick, Nerlens Noel.
2.) He missed a year due to rehab, but was coined the cornerstone of that rebuilding process. In the off-season, the team decided to draft Embiid over other players that would've fit better next to Noel (Randle, Smart, Warren, etc.). It was the right pick, but certainly not endearing to Noel as it was obvious Embiid and him wouldn't fit next to each other. They also drafted ANOTHER big at 12 in Saric.
3.) Noel finally played as a rookie and put up great numbers while Embiid was hurt. There was still no problems from Noel, even though the team won only 18 games.
4.) Then, in the off-season, they drafted YET ANOTHER CENTER in Okafor. Now they had 3 centers and Saric waiting to come over.
To recap: Noel, once coined the cornerstone of the rebuilding process, had two centers drafted at #3 in consecutive years. I'd be pissed too.
5.) Fast forward to this year: Embiids finally healthy and playing great, Okafor is his backup at C, and Saric has come over. There was some talk that the team delayed his return from injury because of the logjam they created. Then he finally comes back and they barely play him because they have two many bigs. They barely play him even though he's a great defensive big and would be the best C on some playoff teams.
So he states how he shouldn't be playing only 8 minutes and that the organization put themselves in a spot where 1 of their 3 young centers will have to be traded. That's obvious. He's not saying he should be playing above anyone, and he never complained about the players they brought in. Embiid called him his best friend. He simply stated that he's too good to be playing 8 minutes (truth) and that the organization will have to trade one of the centers (truth).
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So given that situation, how do you figure he'd give us trouble? We haven't coined him the center of our franchise then drafted over him, made him go through sub-20 win seasons, delayed his return from injury, then benched him for the guys we drafted over him.
It's situational. He's not a bad team player or a bad teammate. I've heard many good things about him. The only thing that might've been a problem is how he treated a rental house (which we don't even know is true or not). Even if it was, he's 22. He's been in a shitty situation that's gotten the best of a (so-called) classy guy in Jahlil Okafor. Our situation would be heaven to him.
