NBA Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers Fans Shouldn’t Get Too Excited About Michael Carter-Williams’ Return to Practice

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By @Greg_Sacidor

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Getty Images

When speaking to the media after practice Saturday afternoon, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown said that point guard Michael Carter-Williams has been cleared to participate in physical scrimmages beginning on November 6.

Just about a week ago, Carter-Williams said that the timetable for his return from offseason shoulder surgery, which he had in May, would be 6-9 months. Well, November 6 will be exactly six months since Carter-Williams’ operation. Although having Carter-Williams participate in physical scrimmages may be seen as good news by some, it shouldn’t. Just because the reigning Rookie of the Year will be back at practice next month doesn’t mean that he will see game action immediately.

Last season, 76ers first-round pick Nerlens Noel was cleared in January to return to practice following surgery to repair a torn ACL. When the news broke about Noel’s return to practice, it was speculated that he would be able to return to play in some of the team’s regular season games. However, as everyone knows, he did not play a single minute.

The same fate could await Carter-Williams. With the 76ers in complete rebuilding mode, the front office and the coaching staff will be in no rush to put arguably their best player back on the court. They will likely instead hold him out as long as they can to ensure that he is absolutely healthy.

So although it is a good sign that Carter-Williams is returning to practice soon, 76ers fans shouldn’t get too excited. Despite the talks that he could make his season debut November 13 in Dallas, Carter-Williams will likely not see the court until February, the end of his original 6-9 month timetable.

Greg Sacidor is a Philadelphia 76ers and NBA writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Greg_Sacidor or add him to your network on Google.

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