http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0605010102may01,1,4692988.story?coll=chi-sportsnew-hed Note to Noah: Are you stupid? Florida's big man passing up chance to go No. 1 in draft Sam Smith Published May 1, 2006 The NBA's deadline for early entry into the draft passed Saturday night, and it's probably not good news for the Bulls. Or Joakim Noah. The list won't be released until later this week, but all indications from Florida are that Noah will stick around for another season with the Gators. What, he couldn't find women, get drunk and watch NASCAR in the NBA? This probably isn't great news for the Bulls because I believe if the Bulls get the No. 1 draft pick in the May 23 lottery, they would take Noah, if available. He's not Tim Duncan, but he's 6 feet 11 inches with skills. He's not Bill Walton, but he dominated an NCAA final like few have. And the more big guys in the draft, the better chance the Bulls will have to get one. They still could fall as far as No. 5 in the lottery, though their odds are second best with the Knicks' pick from the Eddy Curry trade. I can't figure out what's wrong with Noah. The college experience? Baloney! This was Noah's last chance to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, which does mean something. Next year it will be Ohio State's Greg Oden with 7-footer Spencer Hawes, who is going to Washington, second if they come out. The year after that, it's high school junior O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati. Why not put your name in and just see what happens? There are bad places to be in the NBA. There's Portland, for one, with Zach Randolph and Darius Miles. Or Atlanta with a menagerie of kids. Do you want to spend at least the next five years of your professional life there? Usually, the lottery teams are the worst and years away from being a contender. The Bulls are there already. They get a rare top-of-the-lottery spot only because of the Curry deal, which also gives them the option to exchange first-round picks with the Knicks in 2007. Rarely do teams trade high lottery picks. Noah would get a chance to join a team that may be on the verge of a breakthrough in the NBA, based on this series with Miami. What a chance for a kid to walk into a ready-made contender. And to work in one of the world's great cities, Chicago, with a great fan base. And with some personality, as Noah clearly has, the chances for stardom and endorsements would be fantastic. We'll know later this week if Noah is eccentric or just stupid.
He's in a unique stuation in that he and his family have zero money concerns. If college is rewarding for him, go for it. I can fully believe that it beats the 82-game NBA grind. Sucks for our draft board, but that's not his problem. Evan
He probably doesn't need the money all that bad, but the kid is gonna lose a couple million by not coming out this year. He's risking quite a bit to stay, ask Leinart. The risk of injury and loss of money is too high IMO.
I'll second this (with a wish that more putative draftees could make decisions from the same data bank).
I keep hearing this, but I want figures. Both of my parents are multi-millionaires and they're both still concerned with money. As Notorious B.I.G. once said, "Mo' money, mo' problems." Aside from that, all of my parents multi-millionaire friends are still concerned with money. You know who should no longer be concerned with money? Bill Gates! But he still works to make more. It has generally seemed to me that the more money people have, the more concerned they are with it. I think this "he doesn't have to be concerned with money" angle is a myth. If there is any truth to it at all, it's because he himself doesn't have money. I know I'm certainly not nearly as interested in money because I see how my parents constant pursuit of money leaves them little time to enjoy their lives. I don't think Noah's situation is like mine though. (Do retired tennis pros work much?) Personally, I think the college experience is over-rated. I'm in college. I go to a respectable school. I have a 3.9 GPA, so I do apply myself. Still, there are very few classes in which I actually learn anything at all. I'm starting to think that the only people who learn anything in college are the people who don't read outside of school. I'm not saying College is completely worthless. I have had a great professor or two who have taught me things I may not have otherwise learned, but if I had a job lined up like the one Joakim Noah has waiting for him, you better believe I'd be done with school. And I'm somebody who actually values learning; most college students do not. Rather than reading books, they watch the movie and scan over sparknotes.com. They complain about having to actually attend classes and they'll readily admit they're only there because either A.) their parents expect it of them B.) so they can get a good job or C.) both. If you ask me, Joakim Noah isn't stupid. He's smart enough to know he isn't going to meet expectations in the league, and he's rightly terrified of falling short of those expectations. I don't think he'll ever be as good as Emeka Okafor, and Okafor hasn't yet showed us that he can be a star in the NBA yet.
Ohh NOOOOOO!! he will only be able to afford 3 ferraris instead of 5 now!!! the HORROR!! ohh nooo!!! OMG!! Dude is living the dream. He's got hoards of hot florida chicks all up on his nuts, he knows he is fittin to get paid so he has no money worries, and he is a national champion, why would he want to go through the stress of joining the NBA right now?
The feeling of being the best player in NCAA must be so good. Why bother entering NBA to be schooled? Spending the money from Dad must feel good too.
Problem is it wasn't just Noah ... both Brewer and Horford were likely first rounders and both decided to stay in school also. This draft doesn't have a clear #1 ... so it's possible that Noah could be the #1 choice. Not a chance next year, according to what they say about Oden. Not to mention the injury risk. You'd have to ask Matt Leinart if another year of shagging USC chicks was worth the $15 million he gave up (not to mention the interest lost and the fact he would have stayed in California playing for a storied franchise). For the life of me, I don't understand why these three didn't atleast put their names in sans agent. Maybe they did but it doesn't look like it. I believe the official list comes out later this week? And yes, my motivation is to increase the value of our draft pick. But to me, it just seemed to make sense to come out.
I'm not so sure if his family's as super rich as is assumed. I mean, Yannick Noah? Ok he has some tennis money left over I'm sure, but that was a freaking long time ago. MC Hammer made and lost Noah's career earnings many times over.
Read Clutch's post. Noah will lose a lot of money by staying another year. He may be living the dream right now, but if he gets injured next season, he'll be living a nightmare for the rest of his life. The guy is almost a guaranteed #1 overall pick, he will get every single perk you can imagine, I would hardly call it "stress."
It's not just Oden either. Kevin Durant and Spencer Hawes will likely rank higher than Noah, and that's before we even get into the lesser known players (like Noah was this year) who aren't highly touted coming into college but shine once they get there. I'll be surprised if Noah cracks the top 5 next year, and the year after that kids like OJ Mayo and his buddy Bill Walker will be getting a whole lot of attention. This was not only Noah's best chance at being the number one over-all pick, but his best chance at even being in the lottery. There are a whole lot of things that could happen that would drop Noah's stock. Florida could have a disappointing season next year. Noah could have a season in which he doesn't show any indication he's improved, resulting in scouts wondering if he's already peaked. He could be injured. Hell, something ridiculous could happen off-court that drops his stock. Fame can lead to some pretty ridiculous situations. I honestly think Noah came out of the Finals vastly over-rated. Sure, he's talented, but he's so raw! I won't be surprised to see him become a quality starter in the NBA, but I'll be shocked if he's ever a star. In short, there are lots of things that can happen between now and next year. And I, for one, won't be surprised if many of us have practically forgotten all about Joakim Noah by draft day in 07'. I'm not saying we WILL forget all about him, I'm just saying it's possible.
It's not so much from Yannick's tennis career, from what I understand. He's basically a national hero in France (being the first Frenchman to win the Open in 30+ years will do that) - lots of endorsements over the years since then & he now has a pretty successful music career from what I understand. Read a good article about Yannick & Joakim's relationship, wanna say in the NYTimes, I'll see if I can dig it up.
Well at least in Noah's case, he has to KNOW he will be a top 3 pick. Throwing his name into the draft without an agent won't really alter his decision. To the other poster, more money doens't always mean more problems. Some people can live comfortably and have a savings still. If that's the case with his parents and with what they provide for him, then he's smart. And I would *think* that the value he's getting out of college is what people used to always say with NBA players. "They needed another year to develop." He'll learn more in college, have more experience in the NBA, be even more ready to contribute. Hell, he may even get drafted lower and go to a decent team (ala Leinart). If he's the kinda guy that isn't gonna live like a rich guy, the money he makes will last him for a long time, no matter what he gets. Maybe he realizes that. Really, the only risk he runs is the career-ending injury risk. Which isn't as likely nowadays with all the surgical options.
My point is that VERY few people have enough saved up that they can snub their noses as the kind of money a #1 over-all draft pick gets. My parents would certainly slap the hell out of me if I did, and incidentally, they do live comfortably and have a large savings, but now it's "I sure would like to be able to retire on my own ranch".
well it really depends on what kind of lifestyle you (and your parents) are looking for. Shoot, next year Noah might get what, (guessing) 4 mil per year for 4 years? (assuming he comes out next year and not this one) minimum? $16 million... I can support myself and a wife/2 kids for about 50 years without doing another thing. If I have a wife who works, that's even more. If I can get another NBA contract after 4 years, or do ANYthing else with the rest of my life, that's even more.
