BOSTON -- Dallas Mavericks big man Nerlens Noel will undergo thumb surgery and miss "several weeks," according to coach Rick Carlisle.
Carlisle said Noel, who has played sparingly in 18 appearances, has a torn ligament in his left thumb and will undergo surgery in Cleveland.
"He's got some kind of a torn ligament that is just effecting his ability to catch the ball and things like that," Carlisle said before Dallas' game in Boston on Wednesday night. "He'll be out for several weeks -- I don't know how long."
Carlisle had been asked about Noel's role with the team in the aftermath of the big man being spotted grabbing a hot dog at halftime of a game last week.
"In terms of all the other stuff, look, he's a part of this team. He's been very professional, with the exception of the hot dog incident the other night, which we all had fun with," said Carlisle. "That's over with now. And he realized that was a mistake. And my No. 1 thing -- and our No. 1 thing as a team, franchise -- is just getting him 100 percent healthy, and let's go from here."
Noel is averaging 4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks over 12.5 minutes per game.
