76ers' Brown says Noel out of rotation for foreseeable future

This is the opposite of what Nerlens Noel asked for.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown told reporters he won't play Noel in Sunday's game against the Brooklyn Nets unless forced to by an unplanned issue, like foul trouble.

In fact, the coach made a point to say he's going forward with Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor as his starters at the four and five-spot, as quoted by Bob Cooney of Daily News.

Noel responded to the benching pregame, saying: "A lot of people know it was going to get to a point like this. ... I'm going to deal with it the best way possible. That just means being a professional and getting better at every aspect that doesn't involve being on the court and in the game."

After recovering from knee surgery and making his season debut last week, Noel suffered a sprained left ankle in his first game back. Altogether, he's played just 18 minutes over two games in 2016-17.

The third-year center complained to the media, saying it's "crazy" how little floor time he's seen.

"I think I'm too good to be playing eight minutes," he vented Friday, later adding, "We need to figure this s--- out."

Afterward, he met with his coach and they talked it out. Noel told reporters Saturday that Brown kept it real with him so he respects him more. It's unclear if he knew he'd be a healthy scratch the following night.

For his part, Brown said his decision to bench the 22-year-old has nothing to do with him voicing his frustration, according to CSN's Jessica Camerato.

In any case, the writing does appear to be on the wall.

With three talented young bigs, it seems Noel is the odd man out in Philly. His name has been floated in trade rumors for months, and this recent move suggests his future lies elsewhere.