That would have been last year, and would have meant the Hornets choosing between Noel and Anthony Davis. I haven't seem much of Noel, but he would have had to be damn strong for me to take over AD.
the consensus is that Noel has little offensive upside (but hey, there are those exceptions to the rule that prove everybody wrong and/or hit a freakish spurt in development). you're talking about Shaq and Webber, but nobody is comparing Noel to Shaq or Webber. everybody expects Noel's upside to be a Marcus Camby, Tyson Chandler, or Joakim Noah, and those guys add a lot to your team you're thinking Noel's upside is something like this (career stats per 36 min played): Chris Webber -- 20.1 pts, 9.5 rb, 4.1 ast, 1.4 stl, 1.4 blk Shaquille O'Neal -- 24.6 pts, 11.2 rb, 2.6 ast, 2.3 blk, 0.6 stl Mose Malone -- 20.3 pts, 12.3 rb, 1.3 blk, 1.3 ast, 0.8 stl David Robinson 21.8, 11.0 rb, 3.1 blk, 2.6 ast, 1.5stl Hakeem Olajuwon -- 21.9 pts, 11.2 rb, 3.1 blk, 2.5 ast, 1.8 stl Patrick Ewing -- 22.0 pts, 10.3 rb, 2.6 blk, 2.0 ast, 1.0 stl Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- 24.1 pts, 10.9 rb, 3.5 ast, 2.6 blk, 1.0 ast Wilt Chamberlain -- 23.6 pts, 18.0 rb, 3.5 ast, NA blk, NA stl everybody else thinks Noel's upside is something like this (career stats per 36 min played): Marcus Camby (11.6 pts, 11.9 rbs, 2.9 blk, 2.3 ast, 1.2 stl) --#2 overall pick (Kobe Bryant was #13, Ray Allen was #5, Steve Nash was #15, Jermaine O'Neal was #17, Peja Stojakovic was #14) --1-time Defensive Player of the Year --4-time All-Defensive Team (twice on 1st Team) --4-time NBA blocks leader --1996 NCAA Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden, Robertson) --1996 NCAA All American (1st Team AP, 1st Team USBWA, 1st Team NABC, 1st Team UPI) Tyson Chandler (11.0 pts, 11.5 rbs, 1.7 blk, 1.0 ast, 0.7 stl) --#2 overall pick (Tony Parker was #28, Pau Gasol was #3, Joe Johnson was #10, Zach Randolph was #19) --1-time Defensive Player of the Year --3-time All-Defensive Team (once on 1st Team) Joakim Noah (11.8 pts, 11.4 rbs, 2.7 ast, 1.8 blk, 1.0 stl) --#9 overall pick (Marc Gasol was #48) --2-time All-Defensive Team (once on 1st Team) heck, compare that to our young 22-year-old SF that isn't very popular (career stats per 36 min played): Al-Farouq Aminu (10.2 pts, 8.4 rbs, 1.7 ast, 1.5 stl, 0.8 blk) --#8 overall pick (Paul George was #10) also, compare the pre draft measureables: Marcus Camby -- 6' 11", 223 Anthony Davis -- 6' 9.25", 222 Tyson Chandler -- 6' 11.5", 224 Joakim Noah -- 6' 10.5", 223 (Al-Farouq Aminu -- 6' 8", 218) Nerlens Noel -- 6' 10", 216 (others list it at 206) and note that Anthony Davis has broad shoulders to fill into, while Noel has narrow shoulders and narrow frame: here were some of the comments on a Pelicans forum when a major mock draft came out on 6/24/13 that had Noel going to us at #6: --That would be extremely depressing. --I just don't see the fit with Davis --I don't see why NO would pick him. --I hope we don't draft Noel I see Bust all over him. --I keep seeing people imply he's some super talent, but I just don't see it. He's a rangy defensive 5 with little offensive skill. There's clearly some ceiling there, but there's also a floor to be concerned about. Not saying he won't last in the league, but he's far from an "OMG CAN'T MISS" prospect. --Sure, the guy has some freakish measurables and definitely altered a lot of shots in college, but he's not the first one to do that, and not all of them succeeded in the NBA. ... I think he's worth a gander at 6, but I just don't see "can't pass him up at 6." --I really don't see him being of much use to the Pelicans. I just think he and Bennett are bad fits for the direction of this franchise. --Why does he need to be an offensive force? Can't he just rebound & defend? Clean up offensive glass? Keep possessions alive. Run the floor, catch oops. He doesn't need to be Shaq --Agreed. Having two skinny guys in the post isn't ideal. I think the risk of taking Noel is worth it at 6. Noel reaching his potential, is a great shot blocker/rebounder ala Tyson Chandler.
here's how some writers that cover the Pelicans reacted to the news that we traded Noel and our Top 5 protected 2014 1st for Jrue Holiday: Michael Pellissier: my initial reaction? I was ecstatic and slapping the picnic benches at Pluckers. And no, I hadn’t had any adult beverages, but I was definitely having a sugar rush. ... Major upgrade. We needed a quicker guard to initiate offensive sets and a better perimeter defender. Check and check. ... We’ve been talking about how Dell wants to establish a culture here, and this trade shows that desire is real. ... Dell is a very clever GM, and I’m glad we have him running our team. ... I’m a fan of Jrue and I think it’s imperative to find difference-makers wherever you can. Dell found that tonight in Jrue. Michael McNamara: Major upgrade. I watched the Finals the last two years, and I have no idea how Greivis Vasquez could play in a series at that level. Jrue Holiday, on the other hand, can thrive. Not only is his skill set better now, but he is younger and he is infinitely more gifted physically. ... So yeah, major. Jason Calmes: Pretty @#$%^&# pumped. ... Holiday was someone I wanted to get on the team when he was on his way to becoming a restricted free agent, but I just thought it was impossible once his contract was extended. In walks Cleveland, and out walks impossible. Dell just acquired the restricted free agent point guard I most coveted when he was restricted from even being a free agent. ... this is major. ... Dell is a smart, smart man. He knows that if you are not drafting a superstar, then these high draft picks are MEANINGLESS
Some very good information Tiger_fan. I root for the Pelicans but they are not "my" team. Getting a guy like Holiday that is so young, yet also a seasoned veteran is huge. I like the move and it was almost a no brainer. I happened to stumble across two interviews from NBA talking heads last week that discussed all of Noel's upside. One guy mentioned how he just turned 19 and thought he had a lot of room for improvement. All of these years later, I still think about Shaq and Webber together. They were both underrated passers and could have fed off each other. It's not at all fair to compare Davis/Noel to them, other than the situation being very similar. Off topic, but one of the radio guys in Houston thought the Pelicans offer to Tyreke Evans was much more than they should have offered. I followed the Kings situation a bit last year and the wings didn't get consistent minutes. Perhaps a change in scenery is just what Tyreke needs. I'm not sure if I hope he ends up with the Pelicans or someone else.
--Why does he need to be an offensive force? Can't he just rebound & defend? Clean up offensive glass? Keep possessions alive. Run the floor, catch oops. He doesn't need to be Shaq I agree with this post, at least initially as a rookie. Again, I haven't seen Noel play much but have heard he can do these things extremely well. Averaging 4.4 blocks and 2 steals as an 18 year old in the SEC is pretty salty. Guess my point is that I don't view this comment as a negative at all.
Ben Cafardo @Ben_ESPN 2013 #NBADraft is the second most-watched ever on ESPN with 2,999,000 viewers according to Nielsen. Also tied for second highest-rated ever.
So what's up w/offering another Guard? If we sign Tyreke, do we then shop EGordon for a forward? Or are we going to play up tempo w/guard-forward type players at multiple positions?
guess as a heads up, Woj was spilling the drafts out to everyone including Chad Ford before they were putting them out lol.
Gordon is a question mark because he is so injury prone. So if we can get Tyreke, then we can shop Gordon, and/or we can keep him and have a valuable third guard at 6th man a la Manu Ginobli/James Harden, and/or we can start all three...Tyreke has played the 1, 2, and 3 for the Kings. When the news broke of the Pelicans' offer to Tyreke, a national analyst (if i recall) was on the radio saying this brings up something he always reminds people: fans get all caught up in the positions 1, 2, 3 but like coaches have told him, that all blurs together -- what coaches want is for you to get them best guys you can, and they'll build a team around that As for shopping Gordon, there has been rumors of that. For ex, this is from Rotoworld: Jun 26 - 5:08 PM The Pelicans have made Eric Gordon "very available" in trade talks ahead of Thursday's draft, a source tells RealGM. Wait, so you're telling us the Pelicans are looking to move an injury-prone guard with a massive contract for a younger, cheaper asset? This isn't exactly surprising news since Gordon's been mentioned in trade talks ever since he landed in New Orleans. It should be noted the Pelicans would likely have to eat most of Gordon's max contract if they do end up trading him and are unlikely to get much back for a player that hasn't played anything close to a full season since his rookie year.
I've been trying not to get my hopes up for Tyreke. With us giving Tyreke a good offer to come to New Orleans (that a lot of rival fans thought was too much), the fact that he still hasn't agreed to it (knowing we can rescind the offer at any time) makes it doubtful he'll come here. News like this is just re-stating the obvious: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports: 1h It is possible Tyreke Evans never signs the proposed $44M offer sheet with Pelicans, sources tell Y! Sports. Still a fluid scenario. Also, he had news on Lopez: 2h If Pelicans don't waive Robin Lopez by Thursday -- paying 500K buyout -- his $5.1M and 5.3M salaries the next two years become guaranteed. 1h With so much trade interest in center Robin Lopez, it is unlikely the Pelicans will fail to guarantee his contract this week.
