The Sixer Sense
Fansided

To Nerlens Noel Two Is Company, Three Is A Logjam

By Bret Stuter

Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (R) and center Jahlil Okafor (M) greet Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (L) prior to game action at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (R) and center Jahlil Okafor (M) greet Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (L) prior to game action at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

I Saw The Sign

The first sign is the fact that neither the Philadelphia 76ers nor Nerlens Noel have begun any vestige of contract extension talks per Keith Pompey in a recent article on Philly.com. In his narrative, Bryan Colangelo was somewhat evasive on the topic when asked:

"“It’s not really something that we’ve discussed given some of the concerns that I think Nerlens has had right now,” said team president Bryan Colangelo. “There’s been very little, if any, discussion with his agents about any extension scenarios. But, I’ll just leave it at that.”"

If that were the extent of it, it would not be enough to raise suspicion.  But this is in the wake of Noel’s outburst over the team’s center situation… an outburst where he questioned the logic of the team’s front office.

The problem with that gaffe is two-fold.  While his assessment was correct, he publicly called the team’s executives to the carpet… a new regime that has not been in office for even a year.  The second thing is that his complaint was about playing time before the season began.  In short, his discontent happened before he was shorted playing time.

Meanwhile, the team has begun to explore the synergy of placing Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor on the basketball court simultaneously.