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Hawks BasketBlog
Joakim Noah Workout Report
Posted by:
Micah Hart on
June 23, 2007 at
1:09AM AFT
The Hawks continued their search for potential draftees to fill the #3 and #11 draft spots Friday by working out Joakim Noah, the 6-11/ 232 lb. forward/center from the 2-time NCAA champion Florida Gators.
 Noah has been generally regarded as a lottery pick in this year’s draft and ranges anywhere in the top 11 on various mock drafts.He worked out with Craig Bradshaw, the 6-10 / 240 lb. Kiwi center from Winthrop, who helped the 11th-seeded Eagles make an NCAA tournament mini-run by upsetting 6th-seeded Notre Dame before falling to 3-seed Oregon in the second round. Noah and Bradshaw worked with Hawks assistant coach Bob Bender on post-up drills, perimeter shooting and defense before engaging them in an exhausting floor-running drill that involved blocking two shots, running the floor and dunking a ball dished by assistant coach Larry Drew, then running back and dunking again on another dish by Bender. Unfortunately, I can’t divulge how Noah or Bradshaw looked during this drill or during any other part of the workout, but I can say that I was winded after just watching it. If there's one thing that can be said about Noah, it's that he’s already a seasoned pro with the media. After his workout, he spoke to a gaggle of Atlanta reporters and answered questions about his past success, his current process of working out with different teams and his future predictions for the draft and his future in the NBA. He then took the time to speak with several smaller groups of print journalists, do a phone interview and even elaborated on the enormous tub he’ll be getting as soon as he buys a place near the team that drafts him. He’s definitely charismatic, and will be a good quote for the journalists covering whatever team he ends up with. While listening in on Noah’s interviews, he indicated he wouldn’t mind playing in Atlanta. He’s got a pretty good track record here, winning both the 2007 NCAA tournament and SEC championship in the ATL. “I did a lot of winning here, actually, but I never got to see the town. From what I hear, it’s pretty cool,” Noah said. “Atlanta’s always been good, in terms of winning.” As for when and where he’d be going Thursday, Noah also expressed interest in the possibility of being the No. 3 pick, but also conceded his lack of control over his future. “There’s a chance (I could be the No. 3 pick). That’s why I’m here – if I didn’t think I had a chance, I wouldn’t be here. You know who’s going one and two, but after that, you have no idea. And then, the craziest thing of all is that you have no idea if these superstars want trades.” Noah also talked about the transition from college to the NBA. “It’s definitely going to be an adjustment, but at the same time, as a player, I’m still going to give 150 percent every time I step on to the floor. I come from a winning program. I won a lot of basketball games in my college career. What I realize with this NBA draft is that you can’t control where you go. You have to be ready for anything, and to know who you are as a person, and what you want to accomplish in life. “I feel very fortunate, I feel very lucky to say ‘Today, I’m working out with the Atlanta Hawks, tomorrow I’m going to go work out with the Grizzlies.’ To me, not a lot of people can say they had a shot to play in the NBA. Something that I learned from my mother is to cherish these moments, because you can’t take anything for granted.” Stay tuned for more player workout updates, as the Hawks will work out Rodney Stuckey, the guard from Eastern Washington, on Saturday, and Florida’s Al Horford and Ohio State’s Mike Conley jr. on Moday. -- posted by Jonathan Carl
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