(The Sports Xchange) – Center Nerlens Noel, the Philadelphia 76ers’s first-round draft pick, is expected to sit out the entire 2013-2014 season following knee surgery, coach Brett Brown said yesterday.
“I doubt, everybody doubts that he’s going to play this year,” Brown said, according to ESPN.com. “We don’t want to waste this year. I think from a skill perspective, it’s an opportunity for us to break down his shot, really work on his free throws and start a little bit from ground zero.”
Noel, the number seven overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, had surgery on his left knee last March to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
The original timetable for his recovery was 6-8 months, which would have allowed him to return at midseason.
Philadelphia acquired Noel and a 2014 first-round draft pick in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday.
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Denver Nuggets guard Nate Robinson was fined $10,000 by the NBA for pushing Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams from behind and hitting him in the chest.
The incident occurred in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 109-81 preseason loss to the Thunder last Tuesday.
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Thunder center Hasheem Thabeet was suspended one game without pay by the NBA for head butting New Orleans Pelicans center Greg Stiemsma.
The incident occurred in the second quarter of last Thursday’s preseason game, which the Pelicans won 105-102.
Thabeet will be suspended for the Thunder’s first regular-season game.
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The Miami Heat waived forward Jarvis Varnado and guards Larry Drew II and Charlie Westbrook and the Atlanta Hawks waived forward James Johnson. Johnson, a non-roster camp invitee, appeared in four preseason games for the Hawks.
