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I was talking to a buddy of mine, and we were discussing who we thought Joakim Noah was most like in the pros. The more I think about it, the more I like the comparison to our main man Marcus.

Tall, lean, long, runs the floor, serviceable jumper, can change the game defensively, emotionally charged, a leader ... that's the both of them, right?

I think at this stage Marcus had a definitive advantage offensively, but I see Noah, who you'll note is also 6-11, 230, following a similar career path ... a solid third scoring option but known for his defense.

Who's with me?

I am. I have not seen him play a lot, but last night he reminded me of Marcus for sure.

i don't like this noah kid. he had a decent year, and i usually love CBS, but they went over the top with this kid. i remember one of the CBS guys saying he's playing like the best player in america. give me a break. i think he's gonna garbage in the nba and he might be the most overrated player in the country. the kid thinks he's god's gift to the world.

How can you have a problem with them saying he was playing like the best player in America last night? You see anyone playing better than him in the biggest game of the year? The kid carried his team to a national title in his soph year, and can do everything well.

pierce34 wrote:the kid thinks he's god's gift to the world.

I disagree ... at what point during the game did he think he was God's gift to the world? During the game, he was spectacular. In fact, in this day and age, what makes him so unique is that he can win you the game without getting tons of touches on the offensive end. He can board, pass, dribble, defend and lead ... and yes, he can score too. And at no point did I see him awestruck by the moment or without his undivided attention to the task at hand -- winning that damn game.

If, after the game, he wants to go off and be 19 again, that's fine by me. I would have done the same after winning a national championship. He's a heck of a ballplayer. I don't see why he can't match Marcus' production in the NBA.

pierce34 wrote:i don't like this noah kid. he had a decent year, and i usually love CBS, but they went over the top with this kid. i remember one of the CBS guys saying he's playing like the best player in america. give me a break. i think he's gonna garbage in the nba and he might be the most overrated player in the country. the kid thinks he's god's gift to the world.

I can understand why you may think CBS went over the top about Noah.
But you have to admit he did play a great game last night.
I also don't understand where you get the idea that he thinks he is 'he's god's gift to the world'. Whenever I have heard him speak it all about the team, how well the team played, how he and his teammates care only about winning etc.
I hope he stays in school at least one more season, getting stronger and developing his game. His chances of becoming a great NBA player would increase if he stays in school. Since he may be a top five pick he may enter the draft this year. However unlike some other college kids he really doesn't need the money maybe his will want to stay and enjoy college life.

I think it's a reasonable comparison - he needs to improve offensively, though.

Ajmal wrote:I was talking to a buddy of mine, and we were discussing who we thought Joakim Noah was most like in the pros. The more I think about it, the more I like the comparison to our main man Marcus.

Tall, lean, long, runs the floor, serviceable jumper, can change the game defensively, emotionally charged, a leader ... that's the both of them, right?

I think at this stage Marcus had a definitive advantage offensively, but I see Noah, who you'll note is also 6-11, 230, following a similar career path ... a solid third scoring option but known for his defense.

Who's with me?

I agree its a good comparison. However I never really thought of Camby as a leader.

pierce34 wrote:i don't like this noah kid. he had a decent year, and i usually love CBS, but they went over the top with this kid. i remember one of the CBS guys saying he's playing like the best player in america. give me a break. i think he's gonna garbage in the nba and he might be the most overrated player in the country. the kid thinks he's god's gift to the world.

I think Noah looks like a pissed off version of Michael Jackson.

I don't think Noah is good now as Camby was in college, but I don't think he needs to improve offensively. I think he'll continue to get better and get stronger, but I think his offensive repetoire is far more diverse than even what Camby has now. The kid puts it on the floor and passes like a guard. Getting stronger will help him get better in the post because he has the athleticism and the moves.

here are both camby's and noah's averages per game in the ncaa tourney. noah played 1 more game but still:

Noah: 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 4.8 blocks, 1.3 steals

Camby: 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.2 blocks (probably didnt have many assists or steals)


seems like a pretty good comparison to me

I totally agree. Pissed off version of Jacko.

God bless you guys for taking the time to watch Florida's last 2 games. They were so one-sided I could barely pay attention.

ktabz16 wrote:i think the god's gift comment has some merit... some reports had him blowing kisses at the ucla cheerleaders and sprinting off to the scorer's table immediately after the game to showboat for the fans didn't help his case. that was almost as bad as peyton manning "leading" band after leading the vols to 3rd place in the nation

I'm not going to defend what Noah did because I didn't see it, but if you're going to knock every guy that jumps on the scorers table after a game you'll be tied up for some time making that list.
I've never heard anything negative about his personality (outside of this board) and I love the way the kid plays, so I'm willing to let these very, very minor transgressions slide from a college soph.

I think Camby was a better player, but Noah did with a National Championship as a soph

I've seen about 4 different interviews/press conferences with him the last couple weeks....have to say I didn't like his attitude. He has a real arrogance about him that really makes him hard to like......great talent....maybe he'll grow up a little.