Why didn't Warriors draft Noah at 8 instead of Wright?

by kirkkazas on Oct 9, 2007 5:52 PM PDT

I've talked with all my Warrior friends and we are all in agreement. We can't understand why Nellie and Mully didn't draft Noah instead of Wright? We have argued about the KG trade going up in smoke and whether he was worth it (I thought so, friends didn't) but we figured if McHale wanted Wright, Biedrins,and Ellis than that's why the Warriors had to tell Rod Higgins/Jordan to draft Wright (for the rights to Warriors JRich). I mean the Warriors didn't even work Wright out and he was injured anyways so maybe that's why the deal fell through or McHale just wanted to fool the Warriors and wanted to help his old teammate and Celtics team (though Nellie was also a Celtic). But if the Warriors brass had just let go of the KG pipedream then they should have told Higgins to draft Noah who went right afterwards at No. 9. They say Wright can score but heck he has the body of Joe Smith. I weigh almost as much as Wright and I'm only 6 feet so he must really be skinny and you don't hear Nellie praising him. He sounds like a project while word is Noah might break into the starting lineup though they already have Ben Wallace.

Noah's game, high intensity and defense/rebounding and running the floor would have been a perfect fit for the Warriors. They don't need anymore shooters now that they have added Marcos B. and Croshere and Barnes/Pietrus returned along with the playoff starters minus JRIch. It really bothers me that we didn't get Noah because I think with him and Biedrins we could've gone deeper in the playoffs and set us up for future championships.

I hope this Wright guy pans out but there's nothing we can do since the Warriors did what they did. But Mully and Nelly must really like Wright and he might turn out to be a beast like the Matrix or Stoudamire. I just thought NOah was a better fit.

This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!

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Um....

The Warriors didn't draft Wright. He came in a trade for J-Rich with the Bobcats. Our draft pick was Belinelli at 18

by pingpong on Oct 9, 2007 5:59 PM PDT reply actions

Well

We did have Charlotte draft Wright for us. We could easily have asked for Noah if we wanted him.

BTW, it was #8, not #9.

OZ actually started a diary on the same subject a couple of weeks ago: http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/story/2007/9/27/134351/979

Basically, I think you're overreacting to Nellie's lack of public praise for Wright. FWIW, here's a little scouting blurb from yesterday's final scrimmage written by a guy named "Al Oha" in Lauridsen's blog:

Nellie singled out Brandon Wright (sic) today. When they went from 3-on-3's to 5-on-5's he told him to change his shirt and "play w/ the blues" (the 1st teamers). He said aloud that Brandon has progressed w/ every session of practice and has really impressed. This guy is a PLAYER. He has freakishly long arms and has instincts on the court that are beyond his 20 years of age. He can run the court and leap around the basket. He is a quick jumper and retains his balance and recovers fast. He WILL be making an impact in this league, it is only a matter of WHEN. From 20 and in he can shoot and has alot of different moves. He plays tough defense and will be difficult to shoot over. The vets seem to like him, they see his potential. He could use some muscle, but he is aggressive in blocking shots AND hitting the boards. He is a good FT shooter, too.

Sounds pretty promising, no? And here's what I wrote in OZ's diary:

Draft Express had a cool feature a few weeks back in which they ranked the Top 20 NCAA players by position in a whole bunch of different statistical categories. Thought I'd repost the relevant power forward rankings. For statistical context, I'm including the consensus "best power forward" in the draft, Al Horford. Keep in mind:

Wright is 1.5 years younger than Horford, nearly three years younger than Noah and five years younger than Lasme.
Wright, Horford and Noah played against the toughest competition in the country, while Lasne was a half-notch below.

NCAA '06 rank/player

Points per Possession
Wright 1.26
Horford 1.20
Lasme 1.14
Noah 1.11

FTA per FG
Lasme .70
Noah .70
Horford .66
Wright .44

Blocks per foul
Lasme 1.51
Wright 1.18
Noah 0.80
Horford 0.74

True shooting percentage
Wright 65%
Horford 64%
Noah 64%
Lasme 63%

PER
Horford 29.9
Noah 29.0
Lasme 27.8
Wright 26.5

Efficiency per 40 minutes
Horford 29.6
Lasme 29.0
Noah 28.7
Wright 26.1

Win score per 40 minutes
Horford 16.8
Noah 15.9
Lasme 15.5
Wright 13.5

Conclusion? Well, Lasme sure looks like a steal in the second round. ;-) As for Wright v. Noah, I'm torn. I'm actually a big pretty Noah fan. When DraftExpress guru Jon Givony was asked which player in this year's draft other than DurantOden had the best chance of being impact player in the NBA, he said Noah. At the same time, Wright is nearly three years younger, and already a much smoother and more gifted scorer, with by all accounts a much better chance to be a bona fide NBA star. As a general rule, I hate drafting people for immediate need.

I guess overall I'd say it's close to a push. I do wish Nellie wouldn't say crap about his lack of NBA readiness. Maybe it's his motivational tool, maybe it's candor, whatever. I just hope they let Wright see some real minutes rather than sitting him all game and messing with his confidence. I'd be happy to give up 2 or 3 wins if it meant developing Wright into the player he can be.

by Sleepy Freud on Oct 9, 2007 6:13 PM PDT up reply actions

Thanks!

Yeah, Wright sounds good. So does Lasme for that matter. Heard good things about Lasme too. Hope Wright pans out but some of those descriptions above remind me of what they said about Joe Smith's rookie year.

by kirkkazas on Oct 9, 2007 6:21 PM PDT up reply actions

Wright v. Smith

Smith was a senior, Wright a freshman. Those three years are hugely important in a player's development. In Smith, we basically picked a guy who "was what he was." Wright still has tons of room to improve.
Wright's a little bit taller, a good bit longer (not sure of Smith's wingspan, but don't think it was 7'4"), and, by all accounts, a much quicker and more gifted athlete. Just much more of a physical freak overall.

Also, Joe Smith had a pretty decent NBA career. If you can get a Joe Smith at #8, you've done pretty well for yourself.

All in all, you can't do much better than Brandan Wright at #8, unless you luck out with a highschool phenom like Kobe or Amare.

by Sleepy Freud on Oct 9, 2007 6:31 PM PDT up reply actions

Smith was a Sr?

I remember correctly he was 19 when the Warriors took him- just a few months older than KG.

by Atma Brother ONE on Oct 9, 2007 6:35 PM PDT up reply actions

Oops

My bad -- you're right, he was only a sophomore. I had remembered the "player of the year" part and assumed senior. But the part about his being limited by his physical tools still applies. He had great hands, a good nose for the ball, and a decent shooting stroke, but was always a bit of a plodder. He wasn't a physical freak like Garnett. I think Wright's closer to KG in that regard, even if his chances of blowing up like KG are as slim as his 210 lb. frame.

by Sleepy Freud on Oct 9, 2007 6:45 PM PDT up reply actions

Sleepy: Speakin' the Truth!!!!

Also, Joe Smith had a pretty decent NBA career. If you can get a Joe Smith at #8, you've done pretty well for yourself.

Tony.psd = Da Man

http://adonalobsessed.blogspot.com/

by Zorgon on Oct 9, 2007 9:38 PM PDT up reply actions

Oops

Sorry, brain fart. I forgot Mullen talked with Charlotte before they chose Wright.

by pingpong on Oct 9, 2007 6:02 PM PDT reply actions

The

Dubs didn't take Noah because he's a scrub. He's going to turn out to be a huge bust. He's basically Verajao 2.0, which is all fine and dandy but with the 8th pick in a draft you want a guy with more upside, not someone like Noah who will never be more than a role player at best. IMO Noah was nothing more than a product of the Florida system much like how Duke players are a product of the system they play, good in college but rarely do you see a Duke player contribute in the NBA, hence Dunsissy Jr.

by J Rich 4 MVP on Oct 9, 2007 6:08 PM PDT reply actions

Well...

I sure hope you're right. That would ease my mind a great deal. But I don't know why I believe Noah has WINNER written all over him. Maybe cuz I remember his dad was such a athletic and dynamic tennis player.

Kirk

by kirkkazas on Oct 9, 2007 6:12 PM PDT up reply actions

I think maybe, just MAYBE

it's because he's won two back to back national championships in college...that kinda spells winner. :-)

by sadleavy on Oct 9, 2007 7:14 PM PDT up reply actions

Misunderstanding

Warriors were pushing for KG, they didn't realize they might not get him in time to warn Charlotte to pick another player, Charlotte, in an effort to play it safe, picked the best player they thought was in the draft. I'm sure if the Warriors had time to call, they woulda got Noah, because his style and energy and attitude would blend in well with our system, and we're actually fillin up in the PF position kinda quick.

Don't listen to the haters, they're just jealous of his cool hair and back to back titles from a non "duke" school.

1 dub.

If War brings peace Dubz wit' it den!

by gsdubz on Oct 9, 2007 6:14 PM PDT reply actions

yea ok

because celebrating every little thing you do on the court is now apparently positive style, energy, and attitude. sorry but the dude was annoying when he played at florida, and lets all keep in mind that his jumpshot still sidespins.

by llamalimbo1 on Oct 9, 2007 7:31 PM PDT up reply actions

lol

ok he's not perfect, but he has 2 titles, give him props, i mean, don't u get mad when people dont give jax for credit for his title? he was a starter on that spurs team.

If War brings peace Dubz wit' it den!

by gsdubz on Oct 9, 2007 10:23 PM PDT up reply actions

beacuse

noah is ugly and cocky and not all that good. sorry, but thats how i see him

by frankiescgswhoops on Oct 9, 2007 6:16 PM PDT reply actions

Yup

Take any description of Noah that includes the word "ugly" for what it's worth.

Personally, though I can see the appeal of handsome dudes like Buki and JRich, it's not my first (or even last) consideration when judging whether a guy would be good on the Ws. You might not want a poster of Joakim Noah on your wall, but he'd be a fantastic fit on this team.

by Sleepy Freud on Oct 9, 2007 6:38 PM PDT up reply actions

Peep Jonathan Givony's thoughts

He's pro-Noah and thought he'd be perfect for the Dubs:
http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/story/2007/10/6/191123/515

The thing is none of us honestly knows if it was even possible for the Dubs to tell the Bobcats to get Noah for them. Everything we know about that draft is really cloudy. All I know is it was a wild, wild day- especially on GSoM. We had like 100,000+ hits that day.

by Atma Brother ONE on Oct 9, 2007 6:34 PM PDT reply actions

Yeah, you're right again as usual.

Hey, Atmo Bro 1! Who knows if the Ws had a shot at Noah? Just like when the Warriors chose Jamison over Carter, folks were saying we should've taken Carter.

by kirkkazas on Oct 9, 2007 6:44 PM PDT up reply actions

Haha Gotta Luv Opening Preseason Night

Brings out all the old GSoM friends. kirkkazas is one of the GSoM community member O.G.'s. I remember back when GSoM was much, much smaller and the Warriors weren't on the NBA map kirk used to post tons of great diaries and comments.

You're coming to GSoM Night II right man? Maybe even Muss will be there to say he's going to haunt the Warriors again. Haha, good times.

by Atma Brother ONE on Oct 9, 2007 6:53 PM PDT up reply actions

GSoM Night II ?

Heck yeah! Count me in!

by kirkkazas on Oct 9, 2007 7:18 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah, I started reading your topic

and there was way too much information. At least I'm glad you agree that a good argument can be made for the Ws to take Noah.

by kirkkazas on Oct 9, 2007 6:41 PM PDT reply actions

lol

I had no idea that the topic would blow up, but I feel pretty good that Giovanni agrees with me.

Questions? Complaints?

(AIM: JetForze; email: Jon.d.ma@gmail.com)

by OptionZero @ Golden State Of Mind on Oct 9, 2007 6:43 PM PDT reply actions

Yeah, I started reading your same topic and

all the responses go on and on. I didn't know you had broached the same issue but I agree with everything you said!

Kirk

by kirkkazas on Oct 9, 2007 6:50 PM PDT up reply actions

Noah

Is going to be a huge bust. He has already hit his ceiling as far as potential is concerned. He also digressed from his season before. I am actually thankful that the Warriors did not pick him. Sure, he may bring some energy, but there is the sneaking thought that Nelson would never play him.

by sloth11 on Oct 9, 2007 7:32 PM PDT reply actions

noah would of been horrible

the guy has no offensive skills what so EVER, hes not a very good lowpost player too (at least in the nba he wont be) hes purely a defensive guy. Brandon Wright can post, he has a decent mid range, he can board, block, run.. i mean come on now!

by djchuckdeez on Oct 10, 2007 1:52 AM PDT reply actions