QUOTE (Chicago Bulls Franchise @ Jun 1 2007, 01:56 PM)
I would goudge (sp) my eyes out before watching that pathetic piece of garbage play for the Bulls. If it were up to me, he wouldn't even be picked in the 2nd round. Not only can he not score AT ALL, he can't even play great defense. I honestly have NO clue as to how he is getting so much hype. He did much worse this year than last year and even then I hated him. We don't need a forward who can't score. O god if we get him....
Geez, overreacting a bit?
He's projected to be a lottery pick because he's 6'11", pretty athletic, and plays with a lot of energy. He has slid a bit because after another season the hype died down and the draft is considerably stronger than last year.
Also, I must have missed this massive drop-off in his play. A comparison between the two years:
Sophomore: 24.9 minutes, 14.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 2.4 blocks, .627 FG%, .733 FT%
Junior: 25.9 minutes, 12 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.8 blocks, .605 FG%, .663 FT%
Looks pretty similar to me. About the only area where he fell off considerably was free throw shooting. The scoring was down a little, but between the previously mentioned free throw percentage and the increased role of Brewer and Horford (Noah took about 30 fewer shots, almost one per game), he's at roughly the same level of efficiency if not better.
No, he's not a great scorer, but how many guys in the draft are, and how many of them would be available at #9? There's basically no way we get Oden, Durant, Jian Lian, Brewer, Horford, or Brandan Wright, which means the only guys we could realistically get that are definitively a better scorer are Hawes, who many worry might not be athletic enough (though I personally like his game), Green, Thorton, and Young, who are all small forwards that we don't need, and Acie Law, who is a combo guard that may not be quick or big enough to stick long term.
Noah has been compared to a more skilled Anderson Varejao or a 6'11" Andrei Kirilenko. We could do A LOT worse than that...