I doubt his parents are stressing over the fact that their son won't be signing a rookie contract for the lottery. His father is French national hero.
Clutch, I will be simply flabbergaster if you side with Sam Smith in his conclusion that Noah merits the No. 1 pick in the draft. I saw everything you saw in the NCAA tournament series, and I will tell you that Noah is the second coming of Scott F'ing Pollard!!! Pollard's a good player, but he didn't go No. 1, and he most cetainly shouldn't have. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, get off the Noah bandwagon. The kid is all hustle and height. Period. I would take a rookie Samuel Dalembert over Noah. In fact, I get the whole J.J. Reddick as a no.8 pick before I buy Noah as the potential no. 1. -P1st, Snd
People keep bringing up Matt Leinhart and comparing him to Noah. This is not a valid comparison because of the amount of cash that 1st overall picks in football get. Alex Smith was the most overpaid player in football last year because he went first overall. Andrew Bogut is actually pretty good value, Juwan and Swift make more than the 1st pick is going to make. Basketball's first contract is actually very short. That's why the 2nd contract is the big score in basketball, if he can improve his game and get a better 2nd contract, then he'll make more money in the long term.
Where did Clutch say he thinks Noah SHOULD go number one? I think he just believes Noah COULD go number one. Where Clutch seems to be siding with Sam Smith is in the conclusion that Noah should come out now while his stock is high. Clutch wants that to happen because it would mean there is one more player available for the Rockets to choose. What's wrong with that thinking? I think Noah will be better than Scot Pollard, but I don't think he'll ever be an All-Star.
It is so rare for a player to be drafted number #1 into a winning team with an excellent fan base which is also extremely well run. It did wonders for Tim Duncan. (I am not comparing Noah to Duncan because i've never seen the kid play-just saying his NBA success will come alot sooner and with less pressure than it would playing for a league door mat) If money is no concern then surely having a successful NBA career would be at the top of his list right?
Thank god for this information. I've been wondering who the hell Matt Leinart is. I thought they were talking about a basketball player I had never heard of or forgotten all about, and in either case my knowledge would be slipping!
Have the people calling Noah a bust seen him play more than a few times?? That's quite a judgment call to make for the Most Outstanding Player during the tournament. Did you guys see his statlines? He's a great shot blocker, and rebounder and has mad energy. His offensive skills need work but that will come with time because he is a gym rat with a great work ethic. Yes, I'm a Florida alum and I'm biased-- but I have seen that kid play in person over a dozen times -- he plays with fire and passion that is rare to see in the NBA these days. Of course--this isn't a guarantee he will be great , but he has not done anything in his college career to merit being called a future bust.
I think he'll be a solid pick if he's taken in the late lottery/middle of the the first round or later. If he is taken in the early lottery, I think he'll be considered a bust. To be fair though, I thought both Danny Fortson and Marcus Fizer were going to be dominant players in the NBA.
noah could possibly be a top three pick. if he's gunning for a nba career what better start could he want than a guaranteed three year contract. with a high probabilty of being groomed for a larger role in the club by a franchise because of his draft position?
I think it's funny that Sam is all offended that Noah's not tripping over himself to play for the Bulls. Nothing against the Bulls who are a young interesting team with a future, but the "How can you not see how great my team is" attitude is amusing in an annoying sort of way.
Great post. What a sorry article...'Declare for the draft, not because you're the best player or can set yourself and your family up for life financially, ...Give up your eligiblity so you can potentially play for the team I cover & indirectly make a living on.' And some people wonder why athletes are jerks to the media.
The reason I disagree with the point Sam Smith makes doesn't have much to do with the fact he's talking up his team. His arguments seem silly because he plays two opposing angles. He says that Noah should come out because he won't be able to be #1 pick next year or the year after, but he also says Noah should come out for the chance to be on a team as good as the Bulls. The problem with that logic is that the more he slips in the draft, the better his chances are to play for a decent to good team. If that happens, it's unlikely he'll land on any of those teams Smith mentions anyway. So basically, Smith needs to pick an argument. His possible positions are: A. Noah needs to declare now to lock himself in as a top 3 pick. B. Noah needs to declare now because (as a lock to go in the top 3) this is his only chance to play on a solid squad. I just don't think he can have it both ways. Incidentally, I think the first is the valid point. I'll be surprised if Noah is a top 5 pick next year. He'll have to duplicate his post-season performance (or atleast come close) throughout the entire season next year to meet expectations. If he falls short of those expectations his stock will fall accordingly. Couple that with the kids like Oden, Hawes and Durant that are expected to come out next year and Noah's chances of going top 5 next year seem pretty slim.
Nothing, if that's what Clutch was thinking. I just can't stand the buzz that Noah was getting, and am worried that the Rockets might draft the guy. But if he's staying in school, that removes the risk, which was so high to me that I am not worried about what falls in our lap at no. 8.
Why does everyone assume that someone will have the same motivations as them? What if his reasons for playing basketball are simply that he enjoys it, rather than to make money or be the #1 pick in the draft? Lots of people choose less profitable choices in life due to different goals - just because most NBA athletes don't doesn't mean he's one of them. Perhaps he really just wants a degree? It amazes me that people claim that he's stupid for not making money his #1 priority in life.
Because job security, financial security, marketability and prestige generally aren't stretches to assume as motivations for today's college athlete. You're right -- not 100% accurate, but I'd guesstimate a percentile in the very high 90's live by that code. Like almost all of us in college, students are fairly poor... so when millions of dollars guaranteed are on the table and you risk losing that by staying in college, you generally take it. It would probably be a safe bet that Noah would as well if he didn't already have the financial end fairly secure.
Oh I tend to agree with all of that. But Noah *does* have other options because of his family background. So if he simply wants to enjoy his college years and get a degree, at the expense of several million dollars, why is that a bad thing for him? I understand its bad for us and all - but I guess my question is why so many people criticize him for being stupid or making a bad decision, when he's just taking advantage of the opportunity he has (that he doesn't need the money now)? Most athletes don't have the choice - they *have* to go to take of their family and such. But saying that implies that if they did have the choice, they might make a different decision. And Noah does have that option. He can have the best of both worlds - maximizing his college experience, getting a degree, and still going to the NBA, albeit for less money which he doesn't need.
Even if your family has money, I don't see why it should play too much into your decision. Noah not entering the draft this year would cost him atleast 2mill if not more.. So essentially Noah is passing on 2million dollars. That's an idiot decision anyway you slice it.
Maybe he does want to be the #1 pick and get the money but he knows stealing is wrong. My girlfriend's family are pretty big Florida fans with the flag outside and all that so I got to watch a lot of him in the tourney, supposedly his best showing. I wasn't impressed at all. The guy could be a mid 1st rounder next year, but the way ESPN is jocking him his stock is way overinflated by the avg fan. I want him to declare just so he can push someone down to us and so I can feel warm inside when I give his supporters a hard time for how bad he's playing on a regular basis.
Yep, it's confirmed his father is stupid too and and doesn't care if his son doesn't enter the draft and loses out on millions. http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news;...bYF?slug=ja-florida040306&prov=yhoo&type=lgns FATHER'S NO PEST
