What I don't understand is that in the Bleacher Report article the OP cited it comments that they'd have trouble dealing Joakim Noah because he had a poor season. I mean, yeah, he had a rough season, but his stats were arguably better than Gibson in the aspects we'd need (he scored less and had a lower FG%, but rebounded more and had more assists and slightly higher blocks per game). Assuming Chicago wanted to get rid of their big man glut, am I crazy to think we should be aiming for Noah rather than Gibson? I mean, the AB+a first is an overpay for Gibson, but AB and a late first might not be for Noah if we got Monroe. A Monroe/Noah front-court could be intriguing.
Not so sure about Noah...
He doesn't have much of a jump shot, and he's a center. Getting him AND Monroe means you probably start Monroe at PF, but if you do that you're wasting his potential.
Starting both guys also means zero court spacing, especially when you consider our team ranked last in the NBA in 3PT% this season (or at least I read that somewhere).
I'd also be concerned with Noah potentially affecting team chemistry - to be honest he seems like a bit of a knob.
Starting him alongside Monroe
If we made two big moves this offseason and Noah was one of them, I would actually be pretty psyched. He is the next closest thing to KG and he would totally fit in with our defense-first system. He may not fit well with Monroe, but would be great next to KO/Sully/BB/Jerebko (I know we aren't keeping all of them).
I'm not convinced.
An issue with Noah is that I think his defensive abilities have been largely dependent on his athleticism and mobility compared to other bigs out there. He's about 6'11 but only has a 7'1" wingspan (about the same as Sully and Crowder) so he's not especially long. He doesn't have the outright muscle/weight to push people around down low either. So that makes me wonder, when age and injuries start to rob his athleticism and mobility...where will that leave him defensively?
This is a vast contrast to somebody like KG who was (even after he lost athleticism) was able to utilise his 7'5" wingspan to remain a force on defense - similar deal with Duncan (he also has a 7'4" or so wingspan).
Once Noah loses his athleticism though, he's really got nothing outside of pure hustle/motor to give him edge. I wonder if that has something to do with why his defensive numbers dropped off so heavily last season.
Given how limited Noah is offensively, that also leaves me wondering if it's worth the gamble making a run at him.
I mean really, if you try to think of a list of big men who were elite defenders despite pretty average wingspan, the list is pretty small. You basically have Joakhim Noah (6'11" with 7'1" wingspan) and Tyson Chandler (7'1" with 7'2" wingspan) off the top of my head. Both of those guys were excellent athletes when they were young, and depended on that mobility a lot for their defensive prowess (both great pick and roll defenders as a result of mobility).
I mean if you really sit here and think about the elite defenders out there, young and old...
Kevin Garnett had a 7'5" wingspan
Tim Duncan had a 7'4" wingspan
Pau and Marc Gasol have a 7'4" wingspan
Nerlens Noel has a 7'5" wingspan
Alonzo Mourning had a 7'6" wingspan
Anthony Davis has a 7'4" wingspan
Dikembe Mutombo had a 7'6" wingspan
Even when you look at perimeter players, the guys who are elite defensive players more often than not have a huge wingspan. Rondo (in his prime), Tony Allen, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Kobe Bryant (in his prime), Dwyane Wade (in his prime), Kawhi Leonard, the list goes on. Even Paul Pierce, who became known as a good defender in his later years, had great length (6'7" with 7'1" wingspan).
It's very rare to find guys like Butler who have average wingspan and are excellent defensive players.
So is it worth gambling on Noah? Did his numbers only drop because he had injury problems, or is it partly because he's simply lost a step?
I mean we DO need a rim protector, no doubt about that...it's just a matter of how much we'd have to give up in order to get a guy like Noah, and would it be worth it?
Topic: Media Speculation: Gibson for Bradley? (Read 11660 times)