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'Andrew Bynum set a lot of comeback dates that never
quite came to fruition; the Sixers franchise is hoping that it won’t be the
same with Nerlens Noel.
Noel, the piece the team traded all-star Jrue
Holiday to acquire, has the potential to be an explosive and dominant defensive
player, but there was certainly some gamble involved in acquiring a kid who had
a serious knee surgery before his 19th birthday.
Sixer fans are obviously eager to see the former
Kentucky Wildcat out on the court, but as of now a debut date has not been
discussed, although Noel still hopes to return by Christmas, according
to NBA.com.
“I feel great. I’m really starting to feel like my
old self, being able to have my explosiveness. But I’m definitely being careful
with it,” Noel stated.
While there is absolutely no need to rush Noel back
into on-court action considering the Sixers intentions to struggle, it would
still be nice to get a small sampling of what he may be able to do on the NBA
level.
Noel is doing his best to keep a positive outlook on
the situation, even though the injury cost him a chance at being the first
overall pick in the draft, and the money that comes along with it.
“I definitely feel the injury is a blessing in
disguise, and I feel that Philly is perfect as to my style, and definitely my
playing style. I’m just always playing hard, working for everything and, of
course, the city of Philadelphia itself having the die-hard fans they do and
just being a blue-collar city.”
Fitting in is nice, but it is safe to say that fans
are more concerned with seeing him out on the court; understandable considering
that the last center with injury issues the Sixers gambled on didn’t log a
single second.
Noel understands the apprehensive excitement and is
extremely eager to get back out there himself, but he knows not to rush things.
“In rehab, I would just think how bad I want to get
on the court because of how much I want to prove to myself that I can get back
and be the player I want to be,” Noel stated, before adding:
“I want to be 100 percent confident not only
physically, but mentally coming back from it.”
Although it may be difficult, when it comes to Noel
Sixers fans need to practice patience. He will likely pay future dividends for
the franchise, and his return shouldn’t be rushed because of the bad taste left
by Bynum.
By enlisting budding stud center Roy Hibbert to help
him develop his low-post game Noel is demonstrating his desire not only to
return, but to be better.
“With my work ethic and my focus, I can develop an
offensive game,” Noel
pledged.
While adding an offensive arsenal would append an
incredible amount of value and versatility to his game, for now it will just be
nice to see him out on the court in a Sixers uniform, whenever that may be.'
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