# Noah...



## onecooljew (Apr 24, 2003)

With Noah tearing apart the Tourney so far, his stock is sky rocketing as well.

With the Raps likely headed for a top 7 pick..What do you think of the Raps drafting Noah to take up some space in the middle? 
Is he too skinny to bang in the NBA?
Or would the frontcourt of CV/Bosh/Noah be too much to handle for opposing teams?


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## butr (Mar 23, 2004)

[Insert typical BUTR Shelden rant here]..


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

I don't think you're going to see our interior defense or rebounding improving by leaps and bounds with guys like Aldridge, Noah, Bargnani, Boone, or McRoberts added to the mix.

The only two draftees that would help remodel our frontcourt are, IMO, Williams and Splitter, both being defense-first type players. I guess guys like Patrick O'Bryant and Paul Davis could give us more interior toughness as well but neither of them are good enough draft prospects to be considering with our pick.

I think we are better off bringing in a veteran like Mohammed or Battie if we want to solidify our frontcourt. Defense is one of those things that is a major adjustment for college players and I wouldn't expect anyone in the current draft class to renovate our team by their presence alone.

As time goes on I'm leaning towards drafting the BPA with the pick or trading it for veteran help. If it works out that one of the big guys is our man I'll be fine with that I'm just not expecting an overnight turnaround. Fixing our defensive problems and rebounding issues is going to require a total team effort.


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## changv10 (Apr 25, 2005)

Joaquim Noah has definitely impressed me. I'm glad others are impressed too. At 6'11, he really has good bball IQ. He doesn't have the consistent jumper yet ... but he fills up the stat sheet. He will make the extra pass for the easy bucket. He will block balls at a good ratio. He will get rebounds and put backs. I definitely think he's one of the best players available ... at mid lottery. 

Shelden Williams has dropped in my radar a bit. The guy does so many weak hooks near the basket which will surely be blocked at the NBA level. I think Noah will adapt waaaay better. 

I see O'Bryant as the next Loren Woods. Good potential, good body, not enough drive. 

Having 2 unselfish big men like Villanueva and Noah would make us an incredibly tough, agile, long, intimidating team. Definitely not a bad pick if get a mid-lottery pick. 

I think I would take Noah over many 'so called top 5 picks' like Morrison and Reddick. Noah has much more dimension to his game than Morrison and Reddick.


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## FanOfAll8472 (Jun 28, 2003)

speedythief said:


> I don't think you're going to see our interior defense or rebounding improving by leaps and bounds with guys like Aldridge, Noah, Bargnani, Boone, or McRoberts added to the mix.
> 
> The only two draftees that would help remodel our frontcourt are, IMO, Williams and Splitter, both being defense-first type players. I guess guys like Patrick O'Bryant and Paul Davis could give us more interior toughness as well but neither of them are good enough draft prospects to be considering with our pick.
> 
> ...


Boone isn't a defense-first type player? Not sure why you didn't include him in the mix. But I agree on bringing in a vet, though Mohammed's D and toughness aren't all that special.

Noah's an intriguing prospect. His teammate, Horford would be a better fit for the Raptors in terms of play style, even though he is smaller. I've seen Shelden Williams struggle against bigger opponents, and I don't believe he'll be a great pro, but certainly not a bust. I'm not sold on Williams as the pick. We'll see how he fares against LSU's two young bigs. Roy Hibbert would look nice for the Raptors (I doubt he comes out though). Big body inside who is productive, and Bosh can slide over when the opposition fields a small or quick frontcourt.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

FanOfAll8472 said:


> Boone isn't a defense-first type player? Not sure why you didn't include him in the mix. But I agree on bringing in a vet, though Mohammed's D and toughness aren't all that special.


I didn't mean to imply that he wasn't, I just included him in said list because I don't think he would singlehandedly make a huge difference in our frontcourt in that respect.


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## FanOfAll8472 (Jun 28, 2003)

Ah, my mistake.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

speedythief said:


> The only two draftees that would help remodel our frontcourt are, IMO, Williams and Splitter, both being defense-first type players. I guess guys like Patrick O'Bryant and Paul Davis could give us more interior toughness as well but neither of them are good enough draft prospects to be considering with our pick.


being a solid offensive option as well doesn't make aldridge a bad defender. he was defensive player of the year in the big 12.

if the raptors are looking for a big man though, they should bring in a veteran for now. the frontcourt of the future is bosh and villanueva. in a couple of years, they'll be ready to handle the inside.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

rocketeer said:


> being a solid offensive option as well doesn't make aldridge a bad defender. he was defensive player of the year in the big 12.
> 
> if the raptors are looking for a big man though, they should bring in a veteran for now. the frontcourt of the future is bosh and villanueva. in a couple of years, they'll be ready to handle the inside.


I wouldn't object to drafting LA if we get the chance but he is a similar player to Bosh mentally. He is another Mr. Nice Guy on the court and he hasn't grown into his frame so I don't know how well he will do against big NBA bodies.


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## SickGame (Jan 23, 2006)

I'm really sold Noah's abillities but I'm not sure if he's strong and big enough to bang as a 5 in the show. Yet you never know if he wits the weights.
Aldrige is a great defensive player and offensive weapon, he just seems to dissapear in games.
The one big man I've been really impressed with so far in the tournament (either than Noah) is Hibbert. Tall, lean, quick and has a great eye/mind for the game. He seems to get better with every posession in the game and never seems to do the same mistake twice. He adapts quickly and understands what's going around him on both defense and offense. He is still raw and I'm not really sold on his shot blocking skills due to what seems a lack of explosiveness/leap when he jumps, but I'm a big fan. Plus he can nail the free throw and 16-17 footers with good consistency.


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## Junkyard Dog13 (Aug 9, 2003)

PG Foye, Collins, Rondo


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## donkhan (Mar 8, 2006)

Noah won't be at the draft this year, he already told that he wanted to finish his studies before eventually going pro.
He didn't really need a lot of money now as his father is quite rich'. 
for the ones who don't know, yannick noah was a pro tennisman, won roland garros in 84, and was top 10 atp for most of the 80's. and now a quite succesful reggae singer.
(and his grand father was a pro soccer player in france too... talk about genetics?)


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

donkhan said:


> Noah won't be at the draft this year, he already told that he wanted to finish his studies before eventually going pro.
> He didn't really need a lot of money now as his father is quite rich'.
> for the ones who don't know, yannick noah was a pro tennisman, won roland garros in 84, and was top 10 atp for most of the 80's. and Noah a quite succesful reggae singer.
> (and his grand father was a pro soccer player in france too... talk about genetics?)


I hope you're wrong, this draft needs all the depth it can get.


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## onecooljew (Apr 24, 2003)

Well if Florida makes it to Elite Eight, or even Final Four, and he continues to impress..
There is no way his stock could get any higher...
IF he comes out this year he could go top 5.


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

donkhan said:


> Noah won't be at the draft this year, he already told that he wanted to finish his studies before eventually going pro.


Yep, no one has ever fibbed on that question. :angel:


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## crimedog (Jun 3, 2003)

i think noah could be a gadzuric type player pretty quickly in this league. 

all depends on what colangelo's vision is. but i am certainly impressed with noah. 

14, 7 and a steal and 2 blocks in just 24 minutes a game.


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## spuriousjones (Apr 24, 2004)

anyone remember how skinny tim duncan looked as a SENIOR? kg was a twig comming into the league. remember the "long and lean and just 19" tagline? (maybe it was 18...whatever...) bosh looked like he was made of pipecleaners. biedrins? swift? prince looked like he'd fall over in a strong wind.

we're sitting on a situation where we can go to market for a >MLE bigman to answer our defensive issues inside: pryzbilla, battie, etc.

to the questions--
_What do you think of the Raps drafting Noah?_
all for it. right now i have a hard time justifying taking anyone ahead of him.
_Is he too skinny to bang in the NBA?_
no. it will be a weakness for him but it will lessen with each season. its less of an issue than people make it out to be especially with money for a FA bigman and guys like hoffa and sow already on the roster. 
_would the frontcourt of CV/Bosh/Noah be too much to handle for opposing teams?_
cv/bosh/noah would be the envy of the league. all we'd need is a creative coach like iavaroni or a brain transplant for sam.


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## TRON (Feb 29, 2004)

With our first pick.....

Noah, Splitter or Sheldon would be fine with me

Size baby! bring it on!


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## spuriousjones (Apr 24, 2004)

and with my 500th post i'm putting Joakim Noah at the top of my draft board.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

I haven't actually seen the guy play but even I'm starting to drool. If we're going to play uptempo we need another big that can really get up and down the court. We have our muscle off the bench with Hoffa. Frontcourt set.


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## NeoSamurai (Jan 16, 2003)

im for drafting him if he decides to come out....Shelden Williams would be the only other guy I would consider as a pick...it will be interesting how well he defends Baby Davis next weekend since Davis has the size and offensive style that is comparable to the NBA low-post players...and i've always felt that Shelden has difficulty defending the low post against players that are taller and more physical than him (which is rare, but happens on occaision)...

but a frontline of Noah/CB/CV running up and down the court and providing defenses with mismatches to deal with is certainly intriguing....im usually down on the SEC and its teams but Florida has really made a believer out of me and certainly Noah has been a key to their success....


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## onecooljew (Apr 24, 2003)

Well then..

Would you rather have Aldridge or Noah??


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

Lemme see what kind of game he has against the Hoyas bigs..


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## donkhan (Mar 8, 2006)

SkywalkerAC said:


> I hope you're wrong, this draft needs all the depth it can get.


I read an interview of him last week in a french basketball newspaper (i'm not sure he is officialy french, but he'll be able to play for the french national team, because his father is french, and i believe he is born in Paris too?)

So, in this interview he said that he is currently having the best time of his life on the university, with friends, party and all the stuff, and have no interest at all to becoming pro before his senior year.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

donkhan said:


> I read an interview of him last week in a french basketball newspaper (i'm not sure he is officialy french, but he'll be able to play for the french national team, because his father is french, and i believe he is born in Paris too?)
> 
> So, in this interview he said that he is currently having the best time of his life on the university, with friends, party and all the stuff, and have no interest at all to becoming pro before his senior year.


Yeah, he and Horford and maybe Brewer are supposed to be best friends and have said they want to stick together. But you never know, being a top pick is a lot more than just money.


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## billfindlay10 (Jan 24, 2003)

Noah looks like he has a frame that would put on size more easily than Bosh...He has great length to play the 5 spot in the NBA. I see him as a big time hustle player....like a Pape Sow but with better size and more skill.

I would be very happy if the Raps had this guy on the roster.


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## butr (Mar 23, 2004)

NeoSamurai said:


> im for drafting him if he decides to come out....Shelden Williams would be the only other guy I would consider as a pick...it will be interesting how well he defends Baby Davis next weekend since Davis has the size and offensive style that is comparable to the NBA low-post players...and i've always felt that Shelden has difficulty defending the low post against players that are taller and more physical than him (which is rare, but happens on occaision)...
> 
> but a frontline of Noah/CB/CV running up and down the court and providing defenses with mismatches to deal with is certainly intriguing....im usually down on the SEC and its teams but Florida has really made a believer out of me and certainly Noah has been a key to their success....


I would not worry too much about the matchup. There are not many 6-7 fat guys in the league. I'll tell you right now I expect Baby to have a very nice stat line by the end of the game. This is not a reflection of Shelden, but more of the system Duke plays. He like Sean May and Marco K, get to have their way inside. Watch for ticky tack fouls.


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## butr (Mar 23, 2004)

billfindlay10 said:


> Noah looks like he has a frame that would put on size more easily than Bosh...He has great length to play the 5 spot in the NBA. I see him as a big time hustle player....like a Pape Sow but with better size and more skill.
> 
> I would be very happy if the Raps had this guy on the roster.


Actually, depending on who you listen to, people think he'l have trouble adding weight due to his very narrow shoulders.


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## spuriousjones (Apr 24, 2004)

from nbadraft stockwatch 


> Noah has played incredibly well this entire season and is one of the most improved players in the country. Besides giving incredible effort, he's beginning to show court vision and the ability to pass the ball, which is rare for a bigman.
> 
> In the opening round game against South Alabama, Noah finished with 16 pts 8 rebs and 7 asts. He followed that up with 17 pts, 7 rebs and 6 asts against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
> 
> ...


swipe at the competition?


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Did somebody say the NCAA tourny doesn't affect draft standing?


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## Benis007 (May 23, 2005)

I don't think it should have such a huge bearing on draft order. 

I think/hope the raps have already done their homework.

case in point see May, Sean.


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## 85 lakers (Dec 22, 2005)

The thing you have to watch is that Noah is very close with the other 3 sophmores in his class on the Gators. Will he want to leave that to jump to the league? 

Next year, there are 3 freshman big men coming into the college ranks (Oden, Durant, Brandon Wright of UNC, Julian Wright of Kansas, Watkins at Syracuse, and if Aldridge of Texas and O'Bryant of Bradley, Cedric Simmons of NC State, Roy Hibbert of G'Town don't come out this year, you're looking at 8-10 HIGH QUALITY LEGIT NBA 4s and 5s.
When you factor in foreign players, and other positions, next year is shaping up as a nice draft.

For money reasons, this is the year to come out. Heck, Rudy Gay is a top 5 talent, but I'm now hearing the name 'Tim Thomas' in the same sentence. That's not a good thing.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

85 lakers said:


> Next year, there are 3 freshman big men coming into the college ranks (Oden, Durant, Brandon Wright of UNC, Julian Wright of Kansas, Watkins at Syracuse, and if Aldridge of Texas and O'Bryant of Bradley, Cedric Simmons of NC State, Roy Hibbert of G'Town don't come out this year, you're looking at 8-10 HIGH QUALITY LEGIT NBA 4s and 5s.
> When you factor in foreign players, and other positions, next year is shaping up as a nice draft.


next year's draft looks like it should be great. that's why all these guys having big tournaments should come out this year. why risk a down year going into a loaded draft when they can go into a weaker one?


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

Benis007 said:


> I don't think it should have such a huge bearing on draft order.
> 
> I think/hope the raps have already done their homework.
> 
> case in point see May, Sean.


Why would you choose an injured rookie to make your case in point? Was the injury to be expected?


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## Benis007 (May 23, 2005)

sean may is a fat 6-8 power forward.

he wasn't a top 20 pick before the tourney last year. 

Its too bad he got injured, but i don't think a healthy May could have produced much.

Players that I would have taken before Sean May in this years draft.

David Lee, Hakim Warrick, Danny Granger and Joey Graham.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

Benis007 said:


> Its too bad he got injured, but i don't think a healthy May could have produced much.


i guess you thought wrong. over 8 points and almost 5 boards in 17 minutes isn't bad for a rookie.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

rocketeer said:


> i guess you thought wrong. over 8 points and almost 5 boards in 17 minutes isn't bad for a rookie.


And that's withtout getting time to round into shape and fully adjust as a rook. Not a horrible pick IMO. If he and Okafor were healthy they'd be playing well together by this point.


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

speedythief said:


> Did somebody say the NCAA tourny doesn't affect draft standing?


Yep - Danny Ainge today. Not bad drafting lately either.

And if you want to heavily rely on games against career collegians like South Alabama and Wisconsin-Milwaukee go right ahead - NBA Scouts won't.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

JuniorNoboa said:


> Yep - Danny Ainge today. Not bad drafting lately either.
> 
> And if you want to heavily rely on games against career collegians like South Alabama and Wisconsin-Milwaukee go right ahead - NBA Scouts won't.


It's so easy to get you going.


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

speedythief said:


> It's so easy to get you going.


Damn - caught me again.


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## Benis007 (May 23, 2005)

great Noah article

http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20060323-120048-5567r.htm



> NBA scouts agree, tabbing Noah as a lottery lock this year and possibly a top-five pick. Nobody in the nation has a better combination of size, athleticism and post moves than Noah, who shoots 64.1 percent from the floor. Perhaps the only downside to Noah is that like his father, he has a chatty, flamboyant side.


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## shookem (Nov 1, 2005)

Benis007 said:


> great Noah article
> 
> http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20060323-120048-5567r.htm



That is a really great article, I'm looking forward to the game.

I wouldn' be opposed to drafting Noah...if Splitter was off the board.


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

JuniorNoboa said:


> Damn - caught me again.


Can anybody else read this on post #40. 

The only reason I ask is this morning I saw that ST was the last person to post, and yet when I opened up the screen, my post was there. It shows 40 replies on the main page, yet I see 41 replies on my screen.

Odd.


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## NeoSamurai (Jan 16, 2003)

Noah had one sequence tonight against G'Town which was very impressive....He had 2 blocks on a penetrator who tried to follow up his own missed shot. Then with the turnover off his own block, he was the first guy down the floor for Florida and hit a baby hook in transition. This guy is an awesome athlete, just needs 10-15 lbs without losing his quickness and explosiveness and he'd be an intriguing addition for this club...


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

JuniorNoboa said:


> Can anybody else read this on post #40.
> 
> The only reason I ask is this morning I saw that ST was the last person to post, and yet when I opened up the screen, my post was there. It shows 40 replies on the main page, yet I see 41 replies on my screen.
> 
> Odd.


Yeah, its the way it should be.


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

speedythief said:


> Yeah, its the way it should be.


It is now. I think at the time it was stored on a local page on my computer and was not saved on the main page.


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