3 Questions to tip-off: Expert weighs in on OKC Thunder vs. Mavericks

TI Q2 –  The Nerlens Noel Dilemma

Donnie Nelson went out and got Nerlens Noel seemingly with the belief he would be added to the core of Dennis Smith Jr. and Harrison Barnes.  Then the summer negotiations for the rookie extension contract dragged on culminating In Noel signing a 1-year, $4.1 million deal and turned down a 4-year $72 million deal. He’s now an unrestricted free agent this coming summer. For me the red flags went up as soon as Noel did that.

I’d heard rumor Noel can be a handful and hasn’t exactly shown himself to be invested in the process if you will. To wit, his one tangible asset was supposed to be his defense, yet his 115.7 on court defensive rating is dead last on the team.

Rick Carlisle ranks up there with Popovich for me as far as top coaching minds.  Not to mention the man’s work ethic.  To wit, back when the draft had more than two rounds Carlisle was selected 23^rd in the third round by the Celtics and played his way onto the team through old fashioned hard work (and smarts). To say Carlisle would be the last one to suffer fools seems like an obvious statement.

Now that undrafted rookie Maxi Kieber is even playing ahead of Noel there are a myriad of questions regarding Noel’s status.  Is Carlisle sending Noel a wake-up call? Do the Mavericks even want to re-sign him? Or are the Mavericks doing this to drive down his value?

Rast expounds on Nerlens Noel situation:

First off, props on the Rick Carlisle bio there. Carlisle is losing a little favor in some Mavs circles (which happens with any coach on a losing team) but his brilliant mind and his attention to detail are a big part of the reason the Mavericks won the 2011 championship. That attention to detail and demand for respect are the same reasons Dallas have struggled for years with big ego players. This is not the coach’s fault as he was hired to coach not to sit next to the team on the bench.

Now, to the real questions. The Carlisle-Noel relationship is very unknown as there has been no actual announcement as to why Noel isn’t on the court. There are rumors of off-court issues, but Carlisle has openly praised Noel’s patience with the situation as well as the work he has put in.

So, to answer the question in the worst way possible, we have no idea what is going on. The Mavs front office is notorious for not l leaking what their actual plans are until they are done, such as the Noel trade last year, when there wasn’t even a scent of a trade rumor ten minutes before it happened.

Best guess right now, the Mavs have something up their sleeve for Noel. It’s doubtful they expect to get him back next season and that expectation was probably understood before season start. There are trade considerations and/or other centers on the radar for next summer. Either way, the Mavs understand that Noel’s value is going to be more than what they value him at. Ultimately, that is the most important detail of the future between both parties.