"Slow" players don't win defensive player of the year and Sheldon Williams blocks a lot of shots and almost never fouls out. So strike one and two for you, care to go for strike three?
Noah is loaded, what with his father being Yannick and his mother being a Miss Sweden. He really doesn't need that extra million now as much as these other kids do. Also, you'd be suprised how many players truly enjoy succeeding in college over benchwarming in the league on a losing team (money aside). Even a guy like Villanueva, who declared last year as a sophomore has had regrets. He's later stated that he only decided to leave school because his mother had been in a car accident and they had suffocating medical bills. Often, he mentions how he wishes he was on the UConn team which lost to Mason because he felt he could have been dominant and been the missing piece to make them champs again.
I would consider Ben Wallace, Deke, Mourning, Eaton all slow players and they won defensive player of the year (in the NBA). I for one don't care if Sheldon Williams is slow or not, but I do question his transition to the league. He is a bruiser that almost always got his way in college, that won't be the case in the NBA. His offensive game is pretty raw IMO. I thought Boozer was a much more well-rounded player than Sheldon and he fell to the 2nd round, some have Williams in the top 10.
Good point which is why I'm most impressed with Corey Brewer. Noah is the most loaded for sure but Green and Horford's families have money too. Brewer's dad on the other hand is a farmer so to turn down that money for another year in college is really impressive.
Sure they do, playing center in college. What happens when we play him at PF next to Yao? He's a big, hulking guy, and he just doesn't move well. He averages 3.2 PF's per game. While he may not foul out much, he has historically had problems with foul trouble. Most big games that Duke has lost the last few years has had the same formula: Sheldon gets into foul trouble, and Reddick chokes. Not to mention the fact that he gives up 25 points to every other decent big guy he plays against. Then there's his offensive game which, as mentioned above, is very raw and mechanical even after 4 years of college.
We won't know until next season but I can't see Noah improving much. As the draft is all about potential I can see his draft position falling badly. He'll be a marked man next season. In addition the year after a breakout season is always the most difficult. All it takes is just an ordinary season for this outstanding year to be regarded as a fluke.
Noah has a long way to go. Why is he ranked so high? He has no offensive game at all from what I saw of him in the tournament. If he came out I have no doubt his rookie year would be a complete waste. He reminds me a little of Jared Jeffries. If Noah doesn't show more NBA game skills next year, no way will he be top 5 next season. For the long term good of his career, staying in school was the right choice. In the short term, he'd better go to another level next season or his stock will fall. If he's anything like his father, his dedication to basketball as an adult will be lacking. Yannick Noah was very ethereal and had a lot of interests outside of tennis that caused him to never reach the level of success his talent dictated. If "like father, like son" applies here, Yoakim Noah will disappoint in the NBA. No way would I take him high in the 1st round.
I don't know if people realize this or not, but this exactly what Sean May, Marvin Williams and all those guys said after winning their championship last year. They all claimed they would return but instead entered the draft. If I were a Gators fan, I certainly wouldn't assume anything just yet.
Interesting article on Joakim Noah by David Aldridge.... http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/14297957.htm Noah opting for the NBA would please many pro scouts BY DAVID ALDRIDGE Knight Ridder Newspapers PHILADELPHIA - For those of you who think there is nirvana in the draft for the Sixers, you better hope that Joakim Noah changes his mind. Because Noah is exactly what the Sixers need. And even if they don't draft him, his presence in June's draft will push more good players down to where Philadelphia is likely to be drafting - the middle of the first round - if it doesn't catch lightning in a bottle and get one of the top three picks. Right now, Noah, the Gators' outstanding forward, is saying that he's going to return to Gainesville for his junior season. He's very close to his teammates, especially the fellow sophomores who helped lead Florida to its first national championship last week. The Gators dominated throughout the NCAA tournament, and the 6-foot-11 Noah was the most dominant. His performance against UCLA in the championship game - six blocked shots, a record for a title game - completed his two-month meteoric rise to the top of draft boards throughout the league. You may have to go all the way back to 1987, when an unknown forward from a Division II school, Central Arkansas, got invited to the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational tournament for NBA prospects and exploded onto the scene, going from nowhere to the fifth overall pick. That was Scottie Pippen. Noah, though, is on his own rocket ride. "On my list, he's not top three, he's top one," says a veteran NBA personnel man, who, like everyone else in the league, cannot talk about Noah for attribution because he's still an underclassman. "The growth from late November to March has been remarkable for this kid," the personnel man said. "Remember, Florida played in Madison Square Garden the first week of the season (against Wake Forest and Syracuse in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic) and he barely played. Scottie's (rise) was understandable, because he was an unknown to everybody. We knew about (Noah)." Indeed. Noah's been part of the basketball scene since he was a kid. Growing up, one of his best friends happened to be Patrick Ewing Jr., the son of the famous Knicks center. Noah went to several basketball camps run by Ewing's coach, John Thompson - who promptly nicknamed Noah, the son of tennis star Yannick Noah, "French Toast" in honor of Noah's French-Cameroon heritage. But still. He played a grand total of two minutes for Florida in last year's tournament. "He has opened up a lot of eyes here," says another personnel man. "You don't see guys picking up 10, 15 spots in the draft this time of year. It's like the old (Bill) Parcells line - you are who you are at this point." Noah's game brings to mind that of Marcus Camby, who went second overall to Toronto in 1996. Others think of Kenyon Martin, who went first overall to New Jersey in 2000. Martin was certainly viewed as more physical and tougher than Noah when he came out of Cincinnati, but Noah's quickness and passing ability is superior to Martin's. "I think Kenyon can make a 15-footer," yet another veteran personnel man said in comparing him to Noah. "I'm not sure this kid can. But if you look at Kenyon's rebounds per minute, I think this kid is a better rebounder. And he's a better shot-blocker." Noah is also intriguing to pro scouts because, while he has a European bloodline - his mother, Cecilia Rodhe, is a former Miss Sweden - he's familiar with the rough-and-tumble of the U.S. game. He spent last summer playing in the Rucker League in New York, where he got a nickname ("Sunrise") and more than held his own against the likes of Ron Artest and Jamaal Tinsley. He plays with emotion and fire, and we haven't seen too much of that around the Wachovia Center this season, have we? He would be an active big man on a team that thought it had one in Samuel Dalembert. But we haven't seen much of that from Dalembert all season. And as we've said all season, the Sixers' problem isn't scoring - it's at the other end of the floor. But even if the Sixers can't get Noah, he'll push other good players further down in the first round. The presence of underclassmen like Noah, LSU freshman forward Tyrus Thomas and Duke freshman forward Josh McRoberts would mean that Philly could have a better shot at talents such as University of Washington guard Brandon Roy or Villanova guard Randy Foye. (Thomas, who's also flown up the draft boards in helping LSU to the Final Four, has not said whether he'll come out. Neither has McRoberts.) To be sure, Noah doesn't need the money. And he's having a blast with his friends. But with the presence of high school center Greg Oden looming in future drafts - Oden will have to play a year at Ohio State next season, but is likely to be the first pick in the draft whenever he decides to come out - Noah may not ever have a better shot at being a top pick. The Sixers need a break. Noah pulling a 180 and opting for the pros would be a big one - one way or the other.
Really hard to believe the number of nay sayers in this thread regarding Noah. I agree with the NBA scouts quoted in this article, kid is going to be a good pro player. A mid-range jumper would be nice and he can develop that but if he doesn't he will be a great low post player, shot blocker and rebounder in the league. An intangible that the kid has is he has so far been a winner in his young life taking his HS prep school team and the Gaters to the state and national championships.
Rox need guys to stay IN to push value of @#11 up, to have a shot at Roy, for example. Sheldon? No. Rox need a Murphy/LaFrentz 'type' at the 4. BTW - Yao + TMac = NO Lotto '07. Trade the Lotto (and @#32) and Howard (and/or Stro) for better and immediate help.
LOL - what the hell is this supposed to mean? Folks with European blood (though in this case it's Algerian from his dad, I believe) are more "intriguing" than us poor folks with North Americanized European blood? Is that a joke? Having parents with an EU passport makes you a better player? .....or is this a silly argument that European coaching gives you better fundamentals. Well if so it's not a good one, because Joakim, born in NYC, lived in France from ages 3 till he was 13. After that he moved to Brooklyn with his mom and finished his HS career at Lawrenceville, an NJ prep school. So unless the European Pee Wee league coachiing is what make or breaks a player is what we're talking about here, this is a little silly.
I think you may have misread it, I think he meant the different style of play they have in Europe as opposed to the U.S. Aldridge is saying even with Noah's European background (Mom is Swedish--Dad is French Cameroon )--he is familiar with the "rough and tumble" way of playing in the United States. He's not talking about anything inherent in a particular race.
Noah is making the smart move. He can rule school, College basketball next season will revolve around him for better or for worse. He may fall out of the top 3 picks especially with Oden coming availalble, but his game will probably be much improved.
BINGO! Guys, just because Noah (and Horford, Brewer) say they are coming back NOW....doesnt mean they will eventually do so. They have I believe until the end of April to declare. Let's see what happens over the next couple of weeks.
When? I remember all those players saying something to the extent of "I'll worry about that later" along with the typical "I'm only thinking about the team" quote. I don't remember them outright stating they were going back to school and then leaving for the draft. Not that the Florida players are a lock to go back to school, but I'd say it's very unlikely for them to go to the draft at this point.
http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/366940.html May Says He Will Return By: Ben Sherman - Inside Carolina Date: Apr 5, 2005 CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- After earning MVP honors for the national champion Tar Heels, Sean May appears intent on returning for his senior season. "You don't need to worry about me staying one more year - you need to worry about some of the other guys staying one more year," he told the more than 11,000 fans at the Smith Center Tuesday afternoon. May recorded 26 points and 10 rebounds in Monday night's title game. He was the tournament scoring leader, and set the UNC season record for rebounds with 397, topping Antawn Jamison (389 in 1997-98). "We're going to try and come back and do it next year. Along with that, I'm going to try and get some of these other guys to come back with me," May said as the crowd roared in response. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7397371/ CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina coach Roy Williams expects guard Rashad McCants to forgo his senior season to enter the NBA draft. “I think Rashad told people last night he was going to go; we had that discussion as early as first of the semester, as early as January, knowing at that time is was probably going to happen,” Williams said at a news conference Tuesday in St. Louis, where he accepted the national championship trophy. At the championship celebration in Chapel Hill on Tuesday, title-game hero Sean May suggested to the crowd he was returning. I love ya'll. Thank ya'll. We're going to try to come back and do it next year. Along with that I'm going to try to get some of these guys to come back with me." McCants had 14 points, two rebounds and an assist in the 75-70 win over Illinois on Monday night. For the season, he averaged 16 points, three rebounds and nearly three assists. The Tar Heels returned to Chapel Hill for a victory celebration with fans in the Smith Center on Tuesday afternoon. McCants addressed the crowd, but gave no indication he planned to head for the NBA early. “It’s going to be great to look up in the stands and see 2005 national champions (on a banner),” he said. “Let’s see if we can make it in 2006.” Players were unavailable for further comment after the event, which drew about 15,000 fans. North Carolina is definitely losing seniors Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel and Melvin Scott. Roy Williams alluded to other non-seniors on the team who could go pro in his remarks in St. Louis. “Raymond (Felton), he and I sat down before the season started and said we would have a discussion once the season was over,” Williams said. “Marvin (Williams), I’ve heard him say that he’d really love to stay, but he and I are going to sit down and talk. Sean (May) has said publicly he is coming back, but we’ll sit down and talk there as well.”
Good catch baller ... I assume in Noah's case, his family is wealthy (may or may not be the case), so money may not be as big of a draw as it is for others. But being the #1 pick? No way will he have that chance next season. We'll have to see what he says after agents, friends, family, advisors, etc. plant some bugs in his ear. With high schoolers unable to come out, this draft is weaker than most .... we can't afford a top ten pick pulling out.
