Nerlens Noel: Worth the Risk?

IWantAKouki said:

Yeah I understand what they are doing, I just think it isn't as cut and dry as the Kyrie situation....

Heck just look at this board, only like 60% want to draft Noel, I'm sure a few years ago, 90% + wanted Kyrie...

Click to expand...

I would hope 90% of this board wants Noel at this point. If it's only 60%, I feel really bad for the other 40%'s intelligence deficiency..

is there a poll on here for that? i dont see one

IWantAKouki said:

Yeah I understand what they are doing, I just think it isn't as cut and dry as the Kyrie situation....

Heck just look at this board, only like 60% want to draft Noel, I'm sure a few years ago, 90% + wanted Kyrie...

Click to expand...

What worries me is I hear people on sports talk radio talk about drafting Porter or McLemore at #1 or trading the pick away for role players, and it makes me angry. I know these people need to fill their shows with things to talk about, but I wish it was as obvious to them as it is to the rest of us that Noel is the clear-cut #1 choice.

Dave K said:

is there a poll on here for that? i dont see one

Click to expand...

There was one in another thread I think, pretty sure it was about 60%.

http://realcavsfans.com/showthread.php?42153-Entirely-Premature-Poll-about-the-1-Pick

56% want to draft Noel...

IWantAKouki said:

http://realcavsfans.com/showthread.php?42153-Entirely-Premature-Poll-about-the-1-Pick

56% want to draft Noel...

Click to expand...

Sort of misleading. A lot of people want an established player instead which seems a bit unlikely at this point. If we had to take someone, it looks like a huge majority would select Noel.

shoes22 said:

What worries me is I hear people on sports talk radio talk about drafting Porter or McLemore at #1 or trading the pick away for role players, and it makes me angry. I know these people need to fill their shows with things to talk about, but I wish it was as obvious to them as it is to the rest of us that Noel is the clear-cut #1 choice.

Click to expand...

Luckily, we know the FO is smart and will do the smart thing. That means if we keep the pick, it's gonna be Noel. It's a no brainer. And the odds of getting an acceptable offer for the pick are almost nil.

getBUCKED said:

I would hope 90% of this board wants Noel at this point. If it's only 60%, I feel really bad for the other 40%'s intelligence deficiency..

Click to expand...

I think its not that the other 40% are less intelligent but would rather a different situation play out if possible but would still be happy with Noel. Like I would be perfectly happy with drafting Noel #1, but if the situation presents itself where we could trade back and get Porter then trade up and draft Len, I would prefer that as it fills both holes with players I expect to do extremely well in the NBA. Basically if we use the common predictions on players would you prefer Ben Wallace or Prince and Big Z. Even if you change Noels projection to KG if you could add prime KG vs prime Prince and prime Z, which would be more impactful on this team and a better fit?

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2

Noel is going to be such a bigger force on the offensive end than Ben Wallace.

Anglefan said:

It won't be offered and there absolutely is a way you pass on that. Scoring isn't everything. Noel is a better fit for this team than Cousins. Not saying I wouldn't consider it, but I think ultimately I'd rather pick Noel.

Click to expand...

There's absolutely no way. He played 28 minutes a game and averaged 17 points, 10 boards and a block all while posting a 20.10 PER.

I know as Cavs fans we never really get a chance to watch Boogie, but if you look at his game log anytime he played more than 30 minutes he was usually well above 20 points per game, and at about 14 boards. The guy is fun to fuckin watch, and would fit beautifully beside Kyrie and TT.

This is personally my top situation, I just don't see the Kings offering it to us.

Also, that 206 pound number is really misleading. That is not his playing weight. John Calipari is on 92.3 The Fan right now, and he said that doctors told Noel specifically to keep his weight down while he was recovering, because it would help with his rehab. His playing weight at Kentucky was 225 lbs, and in the NBA Calipari projects he'll be 230-240 lbs, with a potential max at 250 lbs a couple years down the road.

Triplethreat said:

He's a much better fit here, and he's not 206 pounds.

Click to expand...

I am so sick of people mentioning his weight like he is going to be playing at 206 lbs for his entire career and is never going gain any additional mass. First of all he played last season at Kentucky at roughly 225 lbs (keep in mind he was just 18!). He lost the weight because of his knee and he has plenty of time to keep putting on more and more good weight. Kevin Garnett is about the same height and he has played a majority of his career at around 245 lbs. I am confident that a kid who just turned 19 and is still physically growing can add an additional 20 lbs or so from his 225 lbs playing weight from last year.

Revenged25 said:

I think its not that the other 40% are less intelligent but would rather a different situation play out if possible but would still be happy with Noel. Like I would be perfectly happy with drafting Noel #1, but if the situation presents itself where we could trade back and get Porter then trade up and draft Len, I would prefer that as it fills both holes with players I expect to do extremely well in the NBA. Basically if we use the common predictions on players would you prefer Ben Wallace or Prince and Big Z. Even if you change Noels projection to KG if you could add prime KG vs prime Prince and prime Z, which would be more impactful on this team and a better fit?

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2

Click to expand...

To be nice and to put it simple: Yes, prime KG > prime Prince + prime Z. It's about quality, not quantity. KG is a hall of famer while Z & prince struggle to even make an all-star game.

shoes22 said:

Also, that 206 pound number is really misleading. That is not his playing weight. John Calipari is on 92.3 The Fan right now, and he said that doctors told Noel specifically to keep his weight down while he was recovering, because it would help with his rehab. His playing weight at Kentucky was 225 lbs, and in the NBA Calipari projects he'll be 230-240 lbs, with a potential max at 250 lbs a couple years down the road.

Click to expand...

The importance of weight is also relative to the style of play. I'm guessing that for Noel's first 6-7 years in the league, when he is relying the most on his timing, instincts, and athletic ability, 230-235 is going to be his ideal playing weight for his style of play. If he was at 220-225 while playing at Kentucky, he'll have no problem getting to 235 post recovery. The way he affects the game defensively is not based on sheer strength or ability to hold position against a 270 lb center backing in slowly. Its about cat quick reflexes, sneaky hands, innate unteachable timming on blocking shots from all angles while avoiding fouls, leaping ability, and lateral movement. To best retain and maximize those positive impact things he does, he shouldn't need to get much heavier than 230-235. Accentuate and develop all the impact things he does on defense rather than trying to immediately make him fit a traditional notion of what a certain position has to do or look like.

clevelandrox23 said:

I am so sick of people mentioning his weight like he is going to be playing at 206 lbs for his entire career and is never going gain any additional mass. First of all he played last season at Kentucky at roughly 225 lbs (keep in mind he was just 18!). He lost the weight because of his knee and he has plenty of time to keep putting on more and more good weight. Kevin Garnett is about the same height and he has played a majority of his career at around 245 lbs. I am confident that a kid who just turned 19 and is still physically growing can add an additional 20 lbs or so from his 225 lbs playing weight from last year.

Click to expand...

It's because 206 pounds at around 7' tall is pretty jarring, whether you're talking about a healthy pro athlete, a currently injured athlete, or a starving Samalian. I don't think bringing it up as a concern is just completely outrageous, even accounting for the weight loss since injury. I think he's the clear cut best prospect in this draft and I hope the Cavs keep the pick and take him, but that definitely represents at least some concern I have about him, especially given that we've seen him get out-muscled by thicker opponents in college (as I've mentioned before, by Patrick Young, a skill-less dude with an excellent NBA body).

This was a concern even before the jarring 206 number. Way back when, the board discussed a photo of him standing next to Anthony Davis and the difference in shoulder-width was pretty drastic (in favor of Davis). And while teenagers tend to put on weight and strength, almost across the board, there are some examples of guys who just never really bulked up the way they were projected (or hoped) to. Anthony Randolph is an example that's jumping out at me at the moment.

All that said, I still want him because I think he'll be an extraordinary defender and an absolutely disruptive presence even if he doesn't pack on weight. He's quick and explosive and long as hell with great hands, great instincts, and a great motor/attitude. If he adds significant physical strength to his game as he matures (which I agree he very likely will), we're looking at an all-around, game-changing, needs-to-be-schemed-against, monster of a defensive player. If by some small chance he's just always vulnerable in the post against bigger back-to-the-basket pivots in one-on-one situations, and that's really his one defensive weakness, fuck it I'll still take it if he's as disruptive as I think he'll be in all other facets of defense.