Fansided

5 players who would like a do-over on the 2017-18 NBA season

By Jeremy Lambert

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 28: Blake Griffin #32 of the LA Clippers reacts during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on January 28, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 28: Blake Griffin #32 of the LA Clippers reacts during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on January 28, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – MARCH 30: Nerlens Noel #3 of the Dallas Mavericks handles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 30, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – MARCH 30: Nerlens Noel #3 of the Dallas Mavericks handles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 30, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) /

5. Nerlens Noel

Nerlens Noel doesn’t want to hit the reset button on the season. He wants to take the game out of the console, snap it in two, and return it to GameStop claiming it was defective.

Noel turned down a four-year, $70 million deal from the Dallas Mavericks as a restricted free agent. He believed that teams would pony up and make him richer than Joel Embiid.

They did not.

No one bit on Noel because teams spent previous seasons paying Matthew Dellavedova $28 million, Evan Turner $53 million, Chandler Parsons $72 million, and Timofey Mozgov $48 million. Fool me out of $15 million, shame on you. Fool me out of $25 million, shame on me. Fool me out of $40 million and I’m searching for a new job.

Noel tried to save face, accepting a one-year deal worth $4 million. It was a bet on himself. He would be a high energy guy off the bench, swatting shots and busting rims. And in the 2018 offseason, teams would be lining up at his door.

That didn’t happen.

He failed to crack the Mavericks rotation despite Dallas tanking from the opening tip-off of game one. And when he did play, he wasn’t all that effective. One thumb injury and hot dog incident later, Noel would find himself sidelined for the middle portion of the season.

He returned after the trade deadline, gave the Mavericks solid minutes, and was well on his way to earning a decent contract from the Phoenix Suns.

That may not happen.

The Mavericks center was busted by the anti-doping program at the end of the year, forcing him to sit out the final games and forfeit his salary.

Noel’s season was a bad horror movie. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. And Noel didn’t help himself by going into the house.

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