Nerlens Noel expects 'weird feeling' when he faces Sixers
Nerlens Noel's tenure with the 76ers was defined by emotion and energy. There was disappointment when he did not play in his rookie season. There also were celebrations after stellar games, frustration with tanking and the logjam at center, and joy when the team went 10-5 in January.
Nerlens Noel's tenure with the 76ers was defined by emotion and energy.
There was disappointment when he did not play in his rookie season. There also were celebrations after stellar games, frustration with tanking and the logjam at center, and joy when the team went 10-5 in January.
Noel was traded to the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 23. On Friday, he will face the Sixers (24-43) for the first time as an opposing player when the teams meet at the Wells Fargo Center.
Emotions? There will be plenty of them.
"You know, I've been thinking about this game for some time now," Noel said. "So I'm definitely looking forward to seeing my guys again, playing against all my guys. It's going to be a very weird feeling. But I'm definitely ecstatic to step in that arena to play a basketball game."
Sixers fans remain dear to his heart. He used the words "real love" and "respect" when talking about his relationship with them.
Noel will never forget the faint chants of "We want Nerlens" midway through the third quarter of the Dec. 20 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. This came two days after the Sixers had said Noel would be out of the rotation for the foreseeable future.
But the fans got their wish. Noel entered the game against the Pelicans to a standing ovation in the third quarter.
So after he was traded, the 22-year-old thanked Sixers fans for supporting him during that time and for always having his back. He also thanked them for not turning their backs on him for voicing his displeasure with the organization's inability to trade a center over the summer, creating the logjam at the position.
"It's going to be so weird seeing him in a different uniform," Nik Stauskas said of his former teammate. "I think the crowd is going to show him love. I'd give him a standing ovation [on Friday] if I was the crowd. He is a good kid."
Stauskas pointed out that Noel was with the Sixers through the roughest three-year stretch in franchise history. The Pelicans selected Noel sixth overall in the 2013 draft and traded him to the Sixers. Noel was held out of what would have been his rookie season to rehabilitate a torn left anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in his lone season at Kentucky.
There was no reason to rush him onto the court as the Sixers embarked on their first of three seasons of tanking.
"It's unfortunate that he's not going to be able to see [the rebuilding] through and see it be successful," Stauskas said. "It's tough for him, but probably it's a good fit for them there. It looks like he's balling."
Noel returned to action Wednesday night against the Wizards in Washington after missing three games with knee soreness and swelling. He had 12 points and three rebounds in a 112-107 victory.
He did not sound too concerned about his knee, saying that sitting out was merely a precaution.
"It's not like I'm handicapped," Noel said. "I could move around. It's just something I chose not to play through."
He said the swelling was the result of overuse while trying to get up to speed with the Mavericks.
Noel averaged 10.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 24.2 minutes in six games with Dallas before Wednesday. Against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 3, he finished with a career-high-tying 17 rebounds to go with 15 points, two assists, one steal, and two blocks.
"I really like him a lot," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle told reporters Wednesday.
That's part of the reason the team traded for a player who will become a restricted free agent this summer. The plan is to sign Noel to a lucrative contract and make him the starting center next season.
His tenure has had one speed bump.
He initially was listed as the starter against the Atlanta Hawks on March 1. However, he arrived at the wrong airport location in Dallas the day before the game. After getting the right directions from a fan, Noel arrived 10 minutes late to the team plane. As a result, Carlisle took him out of the starting lineup.
"I learned if you ever get traded, make sure you ride with a teammate to every new place you haven't been to pretty much," Noel said. "Nothing was wrong with my timing. It was just the logistics of actually knowing where the building was inside the airport."
Other than getting lost, Noel is elated about being with the Mavs.
They are ahead of the Sixers in regard to putting a championship-caliber team on the floor. He'll also get more opportunities to showcase the things he worked on offensively. The Sixers looked at him solely as a high-energy guy and a shot-blocker.
And Noel is excited about playing with future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki. He marvels at the German star's sense of humor off the court and his work ethic and professionalism on it.
One of the biggest adjustments is that Dallas is a more veteran team with married players who have families. Noel said the Sixers have a lot of 22-, 23-, and 24-year-olds who hang out together.
Noel will face the guys he "went to war with on a nightly basis" Friday.
"I have to look them in the eye and say, 'I have to block your shot if you come my way,' " he said. "It's the little things you never really take so serious in practice. But now, it's all about [how] I've got to compete against them."
And Noel can't wait to do so.
"It's been a circled day on my calendar," Noel said. "I'm beyond excited."
Battling the Warriors
Dario Saric scored 25 points, but he regretted a lost opportunity after the Sixers lost, 106-104, Tuesday night to the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Calif.
"If we cut out just one bad play in the fourth quarter or maybe two bad plays in the quarter, that would have meant a lot," Saric said. "We would have won this game."
Golden State's Steph Curry finished with a game-high 29 points on his 29th birthday. Twelve of his points came in the fourth quarter.
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