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Joakim Noah Workout Report
Posted by:
Micah Hart on
June 22, 2007 at
4:39PM EST
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
(20) Comments
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Posted by: will on June 22, 2007 5:42PM EST
First of all tell Noah that he will be picked by the Hawks at eleven not at three. Horford will be picked at three. Horford, Noah, Smith, Josh C, and Joe. MW and SM coming of the bench with speedy and A>J> and Salim and Tlue. Contenders immediatley.
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Posted by: Jay on June 22, 2007 6:18PM EST
we need a guard and a center so it should be either conley jr. and noah or horford thats the way it should be.
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Posted by: pleasefalltoeleven on June 23, 2007 7:53AM EST
instantly brings passion, energy and heart to a team - all the intangibles plus a solid set of skills
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Posted by: idecris on June 23, 2007 11:53AM EST
Noah is the only guy, I'm willing to take at #3 instead of Conley.
This guy brings GOOD Basketball Karma, something that Atlanta sorely needs.
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Posted by: Charles on June 24, 2007 12:23AM EST
Noah is a skinny center that was able to play well against college competition through hard work and intensity. Sorry Noah, but that only gets you so far. In the NBA you'll need a post up game and a jump shot. He's too one dimensional, and his greatest strength, rebounding and shot blocking, will not necessarily translate when he plays more athletic and bigger centers/ power forwards in the nba. Noah's got bust written all over him.
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Posted by: BeeWard on June 24, 2007 10:40PM EST
I don't like Noah. I don't think he would really fit in with the Hawks. I would much rather Horford at #3. Noah isn't worth a #3 pick anyway and then the Hawks have said that they are concentrating on the PG with the 11th pick.
Sorry Noah... go to the Bobcats instead or something.
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Posted by: mike on June 25, 2007 9:28AM EST
It's hard to tell with noah. His intangibles and work ethic are great, plus leadership, winning experience, and poise. But i don't know if the true skill that the NBA requires is there! There is a good chance he may just be another bust. However, the last thing we want is him to go to the bobcats or something and become a superstar there and make us pay!
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Posted by: CALi on June 25, 2007 11:49AM EST
Noah could be a good pick for ATL. He will get bigger and can block shots and rebound. He would compliment Josh Smith well. He can also run the court and with a good pg( Conley) the Hawks could run teams up and down the court. Lastly he brings positive energy and a winning attitude.
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Posted by: Theodore CoCo Bullard on June 25, 2007 11:40PM EST
Please use the draft picks to get us a veteran center like marcus camby and try hard to get chauncy billups. Thats a championship team. Billups would love to move to atlanta because he have two daughters who would fall in love with the city and the shopping here is better for his wife. listen to me we can make this happen
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Posted by: HT CHRISTOPHER on June 26, 2007 12:57AM EST
As the future onwer of this franchise, I would like to see the GM's office snag Noah. Why? It serves two puposes: (1) the current excitement surrounding this youngman is excellent for the city of Atlanta, and may very well possibly rejuvenate the city's and the region's support of the franchise (2) Noah, additionally brings a lot of energy with him. He has great enthusiasm for the game; he will be a greater asset in the low court than Conley would at the point. Also, he is a fresh two-time champion...he's not ready to lose! The current roster will work great with Noah. The Hawks should think long-term. If the Hawks snag Noah, they will win a championship within 1-3 years.
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Posted by: HT CHRISTOPHER on June 26, 2007 1:15AM EST
Correction, I mispelled "owner." You know the owner has got to be on point! A good center is hard to come by. Everyone and their dad wants to be a PG. I see some guys talking some verbal flatulence.
Attitude is everything. Attitude will take you far in life. Noah has attitude. Not a Chris Webber kind of attitude, you see where it get him. Noah also has confidence. Confidence will allow a small guy to chip away at a big guy until he crumbles. The Hawks must have the same attitude. They must envision progress and focus on the ultimate goal - success. Adding Noah is what they need to make this vision concrete. I am the future owner of this franchise. Everything is being put in place for me; it's all about attitude!
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Posted by: Da Truth on June 26, 2007 1:27AM EST
I mouldnt mind having noah drafted by the hawks, although he is not good enough to be drafted at pick three. Him being 6'11 gives him a good chance to be a true center (something that the hawks really need) and his winning attitude and dedication to his team and for the game of basketball is also a big plus. He would be a great addition to the hawks organization.
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Posted by: the boulder on June 26, 2007 8:50AM EST
Just for something different, I would like the Chinese center, Yi. He is 19 which is a plus. If he is anything close to Yao Ming, it can only mean good things for the Hawks.
With that being said, they are down to Horford or Conley Jr. I'm not sold on Speedy Claxton, so if it were me, I'd take Conley. The Hawks always find a way to screw up landing a solid PG though, so Horford will probably be the pick.
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Posted by: Da Truth on June 26, 2007 1:56PM EST
YI IS NOT A CENTER AND HE WILL NEVER BE 1!!!!
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Posted by: King Cain 04 on June 27, 2007 12:18PM EST
Best case scenario, we land Noah and Conley. How much better drafting can you do than aquiring two guys who played in the national championship game last year? Both are proven winners! To pull this off, we will need to make some type of trade. Because neither one of these guys will slip to #11.
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Posted by: LAKER-FAN on June 27, 2007 3:58PM EST
Hawks please draft Conley and then trade it to the Lakers for Bunym. Everybody would win, we would get a young PG and you would get a true young center.
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Posted by: Maurice on June 27, 2007 4:18PM EST
The hawks are a VERY, VERY bad team, an the only thing they can do is to fire everybody in the office an start over again because we SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...
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Posted by: cjhunt on June 28, 2007 10:29AM EST
Atlanta can package a deal that would get Kevin Garnett and Jason Kidd. They can trade their two first round draft choices this year and their first and second round next year.
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Posted by: B Brent on June 28, 2007 11:27AM EST
I would love to see Garnett of Kobe in an ATL jersey.
Please don't get Amare he will get hurt in the first two months of the season
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