2013 NBA Draft: Nerlens Noel’s Entourage Scaring Away NBA Teams?

While many NBA teams have questioned the recovery of projected number one pick Nerlens Noel, who suffered a devastating ACL injury earlier this year, there appears to be something else scaring teams just as much – Noel’s entourage.

While Noel himself has a pretty solid reputation with most (though some have claimed the big man to be an entitled, spoiled brat), his “handlers” are reportedly nothing but trouble and according to Kentucky Sports Radio, it’s a sentiment that rings true with many who’ve experienced Noel and his entourage first hand.

ESPN’s Ryen Russillo discussed Nerlens’ draft stock and touched on the iffy entourage in an interview with Bill Simmons, essentially calling members of the entourage “leaches” – just in much gentler terms:

"“I guess his handlers are looking for something here. They have him, I don’t know if it’s brainwashed or scared, but they’ve attached themselves to him. Maybe they don’t even want him signed with an agent and they’re just trying to figure out the best deal for themselves. So you factor in that he’s hurt, he had this growth plate thing that happened to him when he was a sophomore in high school and he’s not exactly…you know, this isn’t Anthony Davis. In Anthony Davis, you saw a wide set of skills. I’m wondering if he’ll even go #1 now. I heard Washington say if he’s on the board at #3 that they won’t even take him. So, I imagine this stuff will get out more and more, because these agents are unbelievably frustrated. …It’s kind of sad, because I don’t really think it’s even on Noel. So many times we hear about these guys that are involved in the process that make it far more difficult for the player to pursue his career when they’re supposed to be the ones that are helping him when they’re really just helping themselves.”"