# What Do You Expect of Nocioni vs. Team USA?



## Kismet (Mar 1, 2003)

Because of its importance to him on a _variety of levels_, tomorrow's Argentina vs. USA game may turn out to be the biggest game of Andres' basketball career so far.

As always, he's going to want to win for his team and his country. Its the semifinals of the Olympics. He's on a world stage.

He's also going to get his first test as a new NBA player to see how he measures up against some of the best players in the world at his position...Marion, Anthony, James, Richardson, Odom. 

He knows his performance will be closely scrutinized by his new organization, including his new head coach and many of his teammates. He also knows he'll be performing for the largest and most loyal NBA fanbase the league has ever known. No doubt he'll want to make a favorable first impression.

I expect he'll be a very nervous and excited young man by the time tipoff rolls around. He'll be tested to keep his composure. If he can avoid comitting fouls of over-exhuberence early in the game, I suspect he'll settle down after a shaky start and play a solid game. If he can't play under control, if he simply tries too hard, we may see him spend more time on the bench in foul trouble than he or anyone else would like.

Either way, it'll be an exciting game to watch. Win or lose, I hope Andres acquits himself well and plays up to his ability.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

What time is the game to be televised? Or is it?


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

NBC at 1 eastern. According to NBA.com

Nocioni will play well. I can't wait for this game. Argentina and Team USA are my two faves. Too bad this couldn't be for the gold medal. And too bad I'll be rooting for Team USA on this one. But I hope Nocioni, Manu, Scola and Oberto come to ball tomorrow.


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## ez8o5 (Aug 22, 2002)

today was the 1st time watching Nocioni play didnt get to see much of him cuz of foul trouble but i was impressed by Walter Hermman i think was his name the long haired blonde guy, he reminded me a bit of scottie pippen on offense, tomorow's game will be telivised on telemundo


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

I think Nocioni is probably the type of player who just wants to win for his team, and thats his focus right now. While all those things you stated are definitely true, I doubt Mr. Nocioni will be thinking of those things much at all, which is a good thing. 

Argentina is also my other favorite team in the olympics because aside from loving the way they play, my favorite teams are the Bulls and Spurs. Manu is on the Spurs, Nocioni is on the Bulls, and the Spurs own the rights to Scola. 

It should be amazing, 9 hours away! I cant wait. Too bad its not the finals, but atleast in the real finals I will be really rooting for either USA or Argentina to beat Lithuania, who I've come to dislike (but I respect them a lot).


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## Scipio (Feb 18, 2004)

You know...he played against NBA talent in INdiana 2002. I don't remember how he did agains US but at least they won the game.

Maybe someone can check this out if intrested. 

Anyway this will be intresting game. US will win if one or two players find the basket from perimeter as Marbury did against Spain. Your defence will keep in the game no matter what.


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## Kismet (Mar 1, 2003)

The day before one of the biggest games of his life, what do you think was on his mind?

"Any basketball player in the world who does not know the history of the Chicago Bulls is not really a basketball player," said Nocioni, 24, of Argentina in a conversation Thursday with the Tribune.

"I would always watch from Argentina if the Bulls could be found playing on television. Everyone I know did. Obviously, they had the best player in the world in Michael Jordan and also the best team.

*"To me, the Bulls are still the Bulls. It will be a great honor for me to put on one of their uniforms."*

"It (Lake Michigan) looks more like an ocean to me," said Nocioni, an avid fisherman. "I cannot wait to get to Chicago and make it my home. It is so huge compared to where I have been. So many big buildings!"

"That was very important to me, that the man directing the team was a man like John Paxson, who won so much as a player," Nocioni said.

"I also have hoped to play with Scottie Pippen, whose game I have tried to style mine after. I am sad if he is going to retire and I do not get to share a locker room with him for even one year."

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...nocioni,1,5899765.column?coll=cs-home-utility

Well, as focused as he may be on beating Team USA Friday, there's no doubt that he's very excited about getting his NBA career underway with the Bulls as soon as possible. And he couldn't have picked a better player to look up to and admire than one of the best to ever play his position, Scottie Pippen. Whether Pip's in uniform or street clothes, I think he's really going to enjoy mentoring this kid.

I've said it before and I think it bears repeating: This kid appears so genuine in everything he says and in the way he plays the game, that I've got to believe he'll become an instant favorite of UC fans in particular and Bulls fans everywhere. The best of what he'll bring to this young Bulls team won't be seen in his personal line score. But people who watch him play regularly will notice the positive effect his energized style of play has on his new teammates. What a great addition to the Bulls Andres Nocioni is going tol be!


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

Good read Kismet, thats what I like to hear. It looks like Nocioni will take great pride in playing for the Bulls. If only all our players had the same attitude, the team we put on the floor would be giving 100% at all times. 

Its also good to know that he loved the Bulls team when he was younger, and he didnt model his game after Jordan, but after Pippen. To me, that speaks volumes of his approach towards the game.


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## L.O.B (Jun 13, 2002)

I want to see Nocioni and Argentina win but I am just a racist, just ask Jason Whitlock :upset: 
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=whitlock/040826

I have really enjoyed watching the way Argentina plays basketball. The US has Duncan, the Argentina team has a team full of Duncans. Players that follow the script and run the offense. The US has better players but Argentina is the better team. I love watching Argentina's sets and the passing that comes from running a crisp offense. Or is it seeing their coach celebrate like Jimmy V ? 

It will be a good game, It will be fun to watch how Andres guards the likes of Marion, Jefferson and Odom.


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

to me the important thing is how he handles himself on defense , people are touting him as a 3/4 in skills and pyhsical ability , in this game it will be a better indicator of how he matches up on defense against true 3's and 4's in the nba .


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## Kismet (Mar 1, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>happygrinch</b>!
> to me the important thing is how he handles himself on defense , people are touting him as a 3/4 in skills and pyhsical ability , in this game it will be a better indicator of how he matches up on defense against true 3's and 4's in the nba .


I agree. The Argentine system doesn't permit much individualism on offense, so were not going to see him showcase whatever scoring ability he has all that much. But he's regularly been assigned to defend the other team's best overall forwards and so far he's done a great job. But now he's going to have to take his game up a notch and compete with players every bit as athletic as he is. If he tries to muscle, he'll get muscled back. If he tries to outleap his opponent he'll find out that every one of these NBA players likes to play above the rim as well. I think we might get some real insight as to what kind of basketball IQ he has because he's going to need to do more than beat his opponent up physically.


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## such sweet thunder (May 30, 2002)

Chapu's hit a couple of nice shots, but it's so hard to tell how any of this is going to translate in the NBA. It's one thing to scout how players will make the transition from college to pros and quite another for Euorleague to pros. I'm having a hard time sizing him up...


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## dkg1 (May 31, 2002)

Anyone out there watching the game so far? I'm at work and unable to watch. I'm real curious as to how Nocioni is playing.


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## fl_flash (Aug 19, 2002)

Nocioni has done well so far. Hit a three. Posted up Marbury and made a nice move and hit a tough shot in the lane. The US team, right now, is playing like crap. Can't shoot for anything.


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>dkg1</b>!
> Anyone out there watching the game so far? I'm at work and unable to watch. I'm real curious as to how Nocioni is playing.


I posted a link to the real time game play-by-play.

Here it is:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/results/5053683/detail.html


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## Kismet (Mar 1, 2003)

Yuch...its been delayed an hour in the Chicago area.


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## fl_flash (Aug 19, 2002)

Gotta love the refs. One from Spain and one from Serbia-Montengro. Can anyone say objectivity?


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

phantom foul on duncan


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## L.O.B (Jun 13, 2002)

Duncan just picked up his 4th w 7:41 left in the 3rd quarter. Ouch


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

Looks like Starbury had his one good game and promptly went back to sleep. Hope he wakes up again soon.


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## ogbullzfan (Mar 9, 2004)

What station is it on? I'm on the West Coast.


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## L.O.B (Jun 13, 2002)

Holy smokes does Andres play hard. He just knocked Duncan on his can. 

BTW game is on NBC


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## L.O.B (Jun 13, 2002)

Oh my Nocioni just undercut Marbury. Looks like the newest Bull already has already made friends .


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## ogbullzfan (Mar 9, 2004)

I'm in Cali and it's not playing.


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## L.O.B (Jun 13, 2002)

Duncan has fouled out, while setting a screen. 5 minutes left USA down by 11


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## Nater (Jul 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Kismet</b>!
> Yuch...its been delayed an hour in the Chicago area.


Are you serious? That sucks. I set my VCR for noon. :upset:


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## L.O.B (Jun 13, 2002)

Fabio is kicking the US's butt.


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## L.O.B (Jun 13, 2002)

Argentina gets to go for the gold. 
Hermman was awesome off the bench.


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## GB (Jun 11, 2002)

Do some poking tonight or tomorrow:

http://www.waxy.org/archive/2004/08/24/olympics.shtml


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## BealeFarange (May 22, 2004)

I came away from this game hating the refs and hating Nocioni. 

When he's on the Bulls, I'll be happy to have him. As it is right now, he's a dirty complainer with no class. That foul on Marbury, the time he knocked Duncan over etc; etc;...these are cheap Artest/KMart type fouls that I just don't like. But, then again, I loved Artest as a Bull...


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## Chi_Lunatic (Aug 20, 2002)

I'm LOVIN nocioni's game...can't wait til' he's in a BULLS uniform...


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## fl_flash (Aug 19, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>BealeFarange</b>!
> I came away from this game hating the refs and hating Nocioni.
> 
> When he's on the Bulls, I'll be happy to have him. As it is right now, he's a dirty complainer with no class. That foul on Marbury, the time he knocked Duncan over etc; etc;...these are cheap Artest/KMart type fouls that I just don't like. But, then again, I loved Artest as a Bull...


I didn't mind his play on Duncan. His cutting out Marburys legs on that layup was plain dirty and I didn't like it at all. Worse yet was the no-call by the refs. Also, the officiating on both sides of the ball was inconsistant to say the least. When there was a little over a minute to go and the US intentionally fouled one of the argentinian players and there was no whistle, that was just plain ridiculous. Argentina was the better team today and they beat the US, but it was a pretty poor representation of the game as a whole from an officiating standpoint.

I'm looking forward to the gold medal game. It should be a good one.


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## Kismet (Mar 1, 2003)

Nocioni lowbridged Marbury while Stephon was in midair on his way to making a layup right in front of the USA bench. No other way to describe it as anything else but a cheap shot. He started out facing Marbury as though he was going to take a charge. But then he turned his back on Stephon and bent over. The result was that Marbury took a dive over Nocioni's back and could have been injured. 

What made the play even more amazing was that no foul was called. Players like James and Anthony jumped off the bench and looked like they wanted to bust Andres in the mouth. And frankly, a good pop to the jaw is what Nocioni would have deserved.

Knocking a player on his can is one thing. But taking a player's feet out from under him when he's in the air is inexcusable. I hope to God we never see something like that from him when he's wearing a Bulls uniform. Hopefully when the dust settles it can be chalked up to a youthful indescretion.

What's most disappointing about the incident is that it took away from an otherwise solid performance by Nocioni. He did just about everything well...shot well, put the ball on the floor and created shot opportunities for himself, rebounded with authority, blocked or changed shots and banged inside with the best of them. 

No more lowbridging, Andres. Marbury deserves an apology at least.


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/basketb...A--?slug=ap-argentina-usbko&prov=ap&type=lgns

FWIW, I can't find Nocioni's name mentioned once in the game recap. Did he have any real impact on the game?

I also didn't see a box score, though I didn't look too hard for one.


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## mizenkay (Dec 29, 2003)

the boxscore:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/results/5053191/detail.html 

all i could think when nocioni was doing that was...

pull a stunt like that and skiles is going to sit his
*** down so fast. then again, a foul would have been called and he would have probably gotten a technical too. 

he played well but that was totally uncalled for.

guess the knicks/bulls rivalry now has a whole new dimension - as if we could take any more drama!

that said, i cannot wait to see this guy in a bulls uniform. talk about blood on the horns! wow.


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## Kismet (Mar 1, 2003)

http://www.nbcolympics.com/results/5053191/detail.html

Ginobili was so dominent that I'm not surprised none of his other teammates are getting much in the way of props. Nocioni was extremely impressive and may have been the biggest reason his team got off to a fast start. I think he scored seven points in the first quarter (it may have been 9) and he was agressive at both ends. He seems to thrive on physical contact. He's fundamentally sound as well. When Argentina went zone, more often than not it was Nocioni who sought and boxed out Duncan from the boards. He's got a very strong base.

I can see why people who have seen him play say he's a 3/4. Argentina started out man to man, and Andres had no problem staying with Richard Jefferson. He's definately got enough quicks to stay with NBA threes. What makes him unique though is that he's also got the power to bang with most fours. The only drawback as a PF would be his length. 6'10" plus power players will post him and shoot over him. So, IMHO, in the NBA, SF will be his best position.


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## johnston797 (May 29, 2002)

Foul on Marbury aside, it lools like Nocioni is going to help us quite a bit next year.

He looked like he will be very tough to guard when he gets the ball 12 feet and in from the basket. 

A touch loose with the handles but def. more of a 3 than a 4 in that regard.


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## Kismet (Mar 1, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>mizenkay</b>!
> the boxscore:
> 
> http://www.nbcolympics.com/results/5053191/detail.html
> ...


I hate lowbridging too, mizenkay. And I'm not glad he did it. But you know what? He got everyone's attention today...not just with that play, but with his physical presence throughout the game. It's not going to take him very long to establish himself as a very physical player who isn't afraid to make you pay for driving the lane.


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## Kismet (Mar 1, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>johnston797</b>!
> Foul on Marbury aside, it lools like Nocioni is going to help us quite a bit next year.
> 
> He looked like he will be very tough to guard when he gets the ball 12 feet and in from the basket.
> ...


A little loose with the handles...yes. But you've got to admit he's got a lot of confidence in his ability to put the ball on the floor and create a midrange opportunity for himself. I loved his attempt to put the ball behind his back as he drove thru the paint from the perimeter. He nearly lost the ball, but you've got to give him credit for having the stones to try it!


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## mizenkay (Dec 29, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Kismet</b>!
> 
> 
> I hate lowbridging too, mizenkay. And I'm not glad he did it. But you know what? He got everyone's attention today...not just with that play, but with his physical presence throughout the game. It's not going to take him very long to establish himself as a very physical player who isn't afraid to make you pay for driving the lane.


oh yeah he sure did!! doug collins maybe said about 79 times in calling all the games, that he thought that nocioni was the toughest competitor of all the basketball olympians, and i for one just LOVE THAT!! 

blood on the horns! could that be the new slogan for the boards cause if they don't win more games with nocioni, ben, luol and an improved kirk, eddy and tyson, then they should all be gored by the fans. ok just kidding about that last part.

go bulls! 



:yes:


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## Bulls96 (Jun 25, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Kismet</b>!
> 
> 
> ...But you know what? He got everyone's attention today...not just with that play, but with his physical presence throughout the game. It's not going to take him very long to establish himself as a very physical player who isn't afraid to make you pay for driving the lane.


And that is very good ! :yes: 

For the past six years, Bulls were abused by physical play almost every other game. I can wait another couple years to see “potential power” in action. But I cannot tolerate anymore, when team is backing down from physical contacts and loosing that important edge in the game.

No more bending over


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## Cool Brees (Aug 22, 2004)

Good I say. The Bulls could use an enforcer....


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Kismet</b>!
> 
> 
> A little loose with the handles...yes. But you've got to admit he's got a lot of confidence in his ability to put the ball on the floor and create a midrange opportunity for himself. I loved his attempt to put the ball behind his back as he drove thru the paint from the perimeter. He nearly lost the ball, but you've got to give him credit for having the stones to try it!


its all perception i guess , because if he had been african american , he would have been dubbed a streetballer ...and a bad one at that. he looked like he had the defender going before he did it , it was unneeded , but if it had worked it would have been pretty.


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## Coatesvillain (Jul 17, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>DaBullz</b>!
> http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/basketb...A--?slug=ap-argentina-usbko&prov=ap&type=lgns
> 
> FWIW, I can't find Nocioni's name mentioned once in the game recap. Did he have any real impact on the game?
> ...


Argentina really broke open the game with the reserves playing, so Nocioni's stats aren't as good looking as they would've been if he played the whole game. After watching the Olympics, I'm impressed with the guys game.

He's a competitor who wants to win. His game does have flaws, he's a very inconsistent shooter, and his stroke is pretty ugly, and he doesn't have good handles.

That withstanding, I would've loved to have him on the Sixers, but it looks like we weren't as attractive as the Bulls for him. :sigh:


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## maradro (Aug 2, 2003)

i didn't get to see the game :upset: , but did nocioni undercut marbury before or after he broke Oberto's finger and slapped wolkowisky across the face?? from what i understand marbury was out of control for a while and nocioni may well have been playing enforcer


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## The 6ft Hurdle (Jan 25, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>happygrinch</b>!
> 
> 
> its all perception i guess , because if he had been african american , he would have been dubbed a streetballer ...and a bad one at that. he looked like he had the defender going before he did it , it was unneeded , but if it had worked it would have been pretty.


:grinning: :yes:


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