Sixers big man Nerlens Noel, who had surgery on October 24th because of inflamed tissue above his left knee, has rejoined the team after doing his rehab work in Alabama, notes Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com. Coach Brett Brown is thankful that Noel is back with his teammates, noting that he wants the center to embrace the concept of team and challenge of earning his playing time, Camerato relays. “First, [I want Noel] just embracing the team aspect of everything,” Brown said. “To come into this and to try to draw his own line in the sand and reclaim minutes that he will want. This is going to be on a deserved basis. We have a lot of people at that spot. We will help him. I will coach him. I will put him in an environment where he can succeed and get him back in shape and integrate him with the team.”
No specific time frame was given for when Noel will be cleared for game action, Camerato adds. “Most people that I talk to talk about a few week period that’s just going to let him play basketball again,” Brown said. “After that, when he actually plays a game, I don’t know. But it’s going to take, for sure, a few weeks just to get him back, moving around and playing basketball again. I think after that base, that limited base, has been established, we can be more sort of specific of what it really means time-wise.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- There is still no timetable for when Jeremy Lin will take the court once again for the Nets, as coach Kenny Atkinson told Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily (Twitter link). The point guard is recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered earlier this month.
- Based on early returns, the Knicks signing of Willy Hernangomez to a four-year, $5.86MM contract may end up being team president Phil Jackson‘s second best move during his tenure (No. 1 is drafting Kristaps Porzingis), Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes.
- Doug Smith of The Toronto Star revisited the trade which sent Rudy Gay from the Raptors to the Kings, which was a swap that turned Toronto into contenders and rejuvenated the franchise, according to the scribe.