What It Means:

"I said something to you guys about the first week of February was a possibility," Carlisle said. "I don't know if that's the case. I think it's going to be later than that." It sounds like Noel won't be back prior to the February 8 trade deadline, but that doesn't rule out the possibility of a deal getting done. The 23-year-old big man hasn't played since November 22.

Prior to injury, Noel averaged 12.6 FanDuel points in 18 games (six starts) this season, with 4.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 12.6 minutes per contest.