Sixers: Noel Saga May Have A Weird Wrinkle

The Sixers have made it clear Nerlens Noel is the odd man out, but there is an interesting aspect that could be pieced together.

Conspiracy theories are fun. Especially when there seems to be some truth to it. The Sixers have themselves a condemning situation dealing with finding minutes for three young promising centers. Nerlens Noel seemed to be the only proactive party when it came to speaking out to the media, as the front office sat on its hands about the situation.

Noel’s outbursts and distance from the team the first month of the season has pushed him to the fore front of trade talks. Maybe that was his goal, maybe it wasn’t. Either way, it’s happening. Noel getting traded is about as inevitable as yet another bottom five finish for the team, but that doesn’t mean everyone will be happy about it.

Of course one half of the Sixers’ fanbase will be up in arms, as Noel and Jahlil Okafor have split fans into fanatical sub-fans. It’s peculiar to see some of the conversations that goes around from fan to fan. It’s not strange for those rooting for the same team to argue about a topic regarding the team. But it isn’t often when two sides of an argument rooting for the same organization is so passionate about their opinions.

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There’s far more serious aspects that goes beyond “Noel Hive” and “PrOkafors”. When a team has a star, it usually must succumb to his demands. While rookie Joel Embiid is hardly demanding anything, he is making his opinion no in a not-so-subtle manner.

The statement of Embiid saying he prefers to play with others that can defend after being asked about the pairing with Okafor.

Take that with a grain of salt if you will. It could have been just a general shot at the team, and not singling out Okafor, even after it was a response to specifically how the pairing played. It’s no secret that Okafor’s defensive liabilities are holding his game back, and the success of the pairing.

There was yet another subtle comment. Again, one that could be taken with a grain of salt. After the game, Embiid said he was “interested” in seeing how him and Noel would play together.

Nothing crazy. It could very well just be a teammate wanting to see time on the court with another teammate. But it seems like Embiid and Noel’s relationship goes off the court.

The ovation also had sprinkles of “We Want Nerlens!” It could’ve just been a chant for the game that night, or a cry from fans that Noel is the center they prefer to keep. Either way, Embiid stated Noel was best friends with him for one reason and one reason only; they’re best friends.

Crazy, right?

Every Embiid quote isolated seems like nothing but pure basketball talk, but start to line them up next to each other and there’s a very evident sentiment that Embiid does not want Noel to leave. Not exactly that he wants Okafor gone either, although this in jest statement may give off that sentiment also:

That could just be Embiid’s personality coming out, so I’m not taking that into account (UPDATE: Jake Hyman states that Embiid was laughing while responding to Jahlil Okafor). But the other incidents have clearly shown that Embiid prefers Noel. Now, the Sixers can decide whether or not ridding Noel will affect their star so negatively it makes him unhappy, or that it will be water under the bridge and the team can move forward.

It’s not like Noel has put anyone, including himself, in an easy position. His outbursts not only isolated him, but also somewhat decreased the already low trade leverage the Sixers have. At this point, whether Embiid likes it or not, Noel seems to be gone.

The situation has reached toxic levels. If Embiid is indeed following the conspiracy theory and slinging shots at Okafor, it shows how the media-carved issues have infiltrated the team. Embiid is the star, which is why he should be one of the few mainstays on this team. Embiid will long outlast Noel and Okafor, but how the Sixers handle this situation could have some distant indirect effects.