Comments on: Joakim Noah (07-08 Synopsis)

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:35:36 +0000

I first started seeing him at the gym when he was 14 or 15 and he was already very impressive, playing with decent players 10 years older than he was. By the time he was 17-18, he had grown to 6-10 and he was playing on a different level than the rest of us. He just came by to dominate and mess around. He’d play point, shoot threes, handle and distribute. But when the game got close, he’d drop into the paint and take over. With his length and athleticism, he was able to deny every shot except long threes.

Whenever I’ve played with players at this level, I’ve been struck by how different they are from me. A player like Noah, even at 17, seemed like he was a different species than me–a bigger, stronger, more athletic species.

The last time I saw him, I asked where he was going to college, and he started reeling off the schools he was thinking about: Duke, Michigan, Florida…

By: FeetinthePaint

FeetinthePaint — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:42:14 +0000

Thanks for the props, man. And Horford is a beast!

By: fouledout

fouledout — Fri, 09 May 2008 01:58:39 +0000

nice post.. noah is one of my favorite rookies along with al horford and jamario moon..

By: Read to Achieve: « FOULEDOUT!

Read to Achieve: « FOULEDOUT! — Fri, 09 May 2008 01:49:03 +0000

[...] Feet in the Paint takes a look back at Joakim Noah’s rookie season. [...]

By: FeetinthePaint

FeetinthePaint — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:12:58 +0000

That’s the funny thing about fans, Jeff. They want their athletes to be “real.” They want people that are willing to open up to the media (Tim Duncan).

And when they get people that say what’s on their mind, it revolts them. As if the audacity of a personality should be reserved for “normal people.”

I was actually using this Joakim season synopsis as a set-up for a post later on in the week…

Anyway, how old was Joakim when you guys balled? I’m sure his talent translates differently when he’s not surrounded by NBA talent. What was his game like when you guys played?

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:22:45 +0000

I actually used to play with him in NYC. When he was a teenager, he’d play pickup at the NYU gym. The only thing we knew about him was that he was Yannick’s kid, he was outrageously tall, and he was a fantastic player.

After he left for college, I totally forgot about him until I saw him on the cover of SI during the 2006 Final Four. I was like, “That’s the freak that used to pin all my shots in NY!”

The point of all this is that I always found him to be a nice kid–polite, a good sport, and not a guy who acted like he was above the game (although he was). He comes from a non-typical background for a pro baller (ie, rich), and has quite a bit more to say than the average player, which is refreshing in an age of rote interviewing and mind-numbing controversy-avoidance. Unfortunately, his candor and immaturity sometimes get him in trouble with traditionalists.

Whatever, I like him.

By: Ben K

Ben K — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:20:12 +0000

I am an Ohio State fan, so I cant like Noah.

But I dont think I would anyways.

By: FeetinthePaint

FeetinthePaint — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:56:49 +0000

Josh Boone. Very nice comparison. Damn, I wish I thought of that.

By: picodulce

picodulce — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:54:40 +0000

Joakim Noah made me almost want to go to Bulls games.

Almost.

Side note: I had a chance to see him in high school (he went to prep school in Jersey, my friend attended the same school) but we couldn’t coordinate. But his game, and Josh Boone’s game… guys like that are flourishing under the slightly faster and less isolation-play NBA. Hope their next coach takes advantage of Noah well.