Joakim Noah = Shane Battier?

[Channing]

I have now seen/heard two people say Joakim Noah should expect to be a Shane Battier type player in the NBA (one was on an Atlanta radio station and one is on nbadraft.net - http://www.nbadraft.net/stockwatch036.asp). I am certainly biased, but Shane was a far superior offensive player than Noah while in College, and is an integral part of the Houston offense, as he serves to stretch the D by being a pretty reliable three point shot. I also think Shane was a far better defender in college and is called on to guard the best players in the NBA (Kobe, Dirk etc). I dont see Noah being asked to guard the best player on the other team in the league. The only real similarity I see is that both hustle . . . a lot, and neither will be prime time stars.

Am I way off here? Do other people think they will be similar players at the next level?

[NW Indiana Dukie]

Shane was far superior in every aspect of the game. I do enjoy watching Noah's drive and hustle(could do without all the clapping, head bobbing, and chest thumping) I firmly believe Shane is better

[dukejunkie]

True points. However, Noah does have one clear advantage. You can't teach height. He has that all day, all night- and you know what I'm talking about!

[MrBisonDevil]

Tangent: I’m a sucker for nbadraft.net also but has anyone looked into the credentials of the folks running the site?

The only kind of "credential" I see on NBADraft.net is the following statement:
"Our projections are based on the opinions of the scouts that work for NBADraft.net, and the NBA and International scouts that we speak with."

Regardless, it's fun to see what nbadraft.net thinks of players and where they stand. But I would like to see how actual drafts measured up to the NBADraft.net projection.

[Exiled_Devil]

I have now seen/heard two people say Joakim Noah should expect to be a Shane Battier type player in the NBA (one was on an Atlanta radio station and one is on nbadraft.net - http://www.nbadraft.net/stockwatch036.asp). I am certainly biased, but Shane was a far superior offensive player than Noah while in College, and is an integral part of the Houston offense, as he serves to stretch the D by being a pretty reliable three point shot. I also think Shane was a far better defender in college and is called on to guard the best players in the NBA (Kobe, Dirk etc). I dont see Noah being asked to guard the best player on the other team in the league. The only real similarity I see is that both hustle . . . a lot, and neither will be prime time stars.

Am I way off here? Do other people think they will be similar players at the next level?

Noah=Battier is only a discussion because Shane is underrated and Joakim is overrated.

I can see the argument - Noah is a 'glue' player. Passion and camaraderie are why he is there. He hustles. He's a good team player.

That's what the underinformed say about Shane. Of course, Shane shouldered Houston's scoring load when Tmac and Yao were out. He can guard the 1-5, play 1-4 and he is the guy that gets the job of covering the opposing teams best player.

I remember paying attention to the draft Shane's year (instead of just looking at it the day after, as I usually do) and seeing that 'unathletic' Battier outperformed Richardson on key physical tests - the 'consecutive turn and dunk' drill stands out. I don't know the link - I can look it up tomorrow if anyone is interested. But the point is, Shane is a heck of a lot better than he gets credit for.


Edit: I just found the nbadraft.net quote:

He may never be more than a Shane Battier type of role player on the next level, but his energy and enthusiasm will surely be a value to the team and fans of the city he joins.

This underscores my point - nbadraft.net uses Shane as a qualifier for 'role player' implying that Shane is the typical role player. I would say Shane is the exemplary role player.

Exiled

[JasonEvans]

Tangent: I’m a sucker for nbadraft.net also but has anyone looked into the credentials of the folks running the site?

The only kind of "credential" I see on NBADraft.net is the following statement:
"Our projections are based on the opinions of the scouts that work for NBADraft.net, and the NBA and International scouts that we speak with."

Regardless, it's fun to see what nbadraft.net thinks of players and where they stand. But I would like to see how actual drafts measured up to the NBADraft.net projection.

Here is their final 2006 mock: http://nbadraft.net/index.asp?content=mock2006

And here is the actual 2006 draft: http://nbadraft.net/2006.asp

They match up pretty nicely. As we approach draft day, NBADraft.net and other mock draft sites massage their mocks to conform with what everyone is hearing from the teams. So, everyone and their brother had Shel going to the Hawks at #5 even though a month before that no one had him that high.

The impossible thing to forecast is if the draft were today, how would NBADraft.net and the other mock drafts do in projecting where players go? We will never know that answer.

It is worth noting that I very rarely see a kid drop from lottery to non-first round in the span of a few weeks on NBADraft.net. The fact that they do not jump around too crazy and yet they tend to get things pretty close to right when the actual draft happens tells me that their rankings are at least a little bit accurate.

-Jason "look at how few PGs they have in the first round this year. This is the yearr for PGs to come out because next year is FULL of good PG prospects" Evans

[WeepingThomasHill]

Any pundit that claims Noah will be equal to Battier in the pros is simply insulting Shane Battier and all that he stands for. While comparing the pro Battier to the college Noah is unfair, the college Battier is a far, far better all-around player than Noah. Noah has no offensive game, can't shoot the 3, is an awful free throw shooter, and can only guard bigs. He is Anderson Varejo of Cleveland with worse hair.

I still maintain that Shelden Williams would have destroyed Noah last year in the NCAA tournament, and thus the myth of Jo Noah would have ended last March, sparing us an entire off-season and season of seeing his ugly mug.

[CMS2478]

Here is their final 2006 mock: http://nbadraft.net/index.asp?content=mock2006

And here is the actual 2006 draft: http://nbadraft.net/2006.asp

They match up pretty nicely. As we approach draft day, NBADraft.net and other mock draft sites massage their mocks to conform with what everyone is hearing from the teams. So, everyone and their brother had Shel going to the Hawks at #5 even though a month before that no one had him that high.

The impossible thing to forecast is if the draft were today, how would NBADraft.net and the other mock drafts do in projecting where players go? We will never know that answer.

It is worth noting that I very rarely see a kid drop from lottery to non-first round in the span of a few weeks on NBADraft.net. The fact that they do not jump around too crazy and yet they tend to get things pretty close to right when the actual draft happens tells me that their rankings are at least a little bit accurate.

-Jason "look at how few PGs they have in the first round this year. This is the yearr for PGs to come out because next year is FULL of good PG prospects" Evans

Yeah, you hear that Lawson....YOU NEED TO COME OUT THIS YEAR. Unfortunately, draftexpress.com has pulled him out of their draft as stated in another thread. I wonder if they know something we don't

[rthomas]

I can see Battier being President of the U.S. someday.
I can not see Noah as the King of France.

[hc5duke]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ3y5hTHuP4

Wait... is lacking the right word?

[johnnydakota]

Juiced....?

[DevilAlumna]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ3y5hTHuP4

Wait... is lacking the right word?

This reminds me of something Grant Hill said when looking back on "The Shot" highlights -- it was to the effect of, "friends don't let friends wear high top fades."

I have a feeling Noah will have a similar reaction down the road...

[hurleyfor3]

I can see Battier being President of the U.S. someday.
I can not see Noah as the King of France.

You're giving the French waaaaaay too much credit.

[Cameron]

It's been believed for years that the guys over at Draft.net are just chronic junkies typing from their old Doss blocks in rural Harlem. I guess this makes it official