Noel looking really good so far in the first half. In limited minutes he has a three point play, a couple rebounds, a block on Cuz, and has altered numerous shots at the basket. Their interior D is so much better with him in there.
It'll be a shame if someone else gets him for cheap, though I think he could really, really help Portland.
Just checking the box score, and he's only played three minutes total. Must have looked terrific to give that impression in so few minutes.
I said in limited minutes!
In all seriousness, though, it actually was. The defense immediately improved dramatically, and Noel even blocked Cousins on his first possession, along with altering numerous other shots at the rim. You should read some of the comments over at the game thread on LibertyBallers.com, which pretty much say the same thing.
Of course, now they have Okafor in there as the center, and the defense is atrocious.
I fully believe they're trying to "showcase" Okafor for a trade now and restrict Noel's free agent value at the same time. Of course, Okafor has looked absolutely terrible and is doing nothing but making himself untradeable. I'm not sure that there's any other logical excuse for that rotation choice.
EDIT: So far in 20 minutes Okafor is a -9 with 6 pts (3-5 fg), 2 rebs, 2 asts, 1 stl, 3 TOs, and 4 PFs, all while giving up a ton of points in the paint.