The last thing the Philadelphia 76ers need less than a week before the season begins is more bad news on the injury front.
That's exactly what they got on Friday, when Nerlens Noel elected to have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and coach Brett Brown acknowledged that he may have been overly optimistic about the timeline for Ben Simmons' highly anticipated debut.
Noel has been experiencing soreness and, after consulting with several specialists, elected to have inflamed plica removed from his knee, the Sixers announced. There was no timetable for his return, but general recovery periods range from three to five weeks, meaning Noel will miss the season opener at home against Oklahoma City on Wednesday.