Washburn : C's interested in Nerlens Noel

[Future Celtics Owner]

I like Noel, but paying him max money? Ugh. I dont like that at all.

Trade for him and you can match offers from other teams.  That gives you the choice to re-sign him or not based on real market value.  To sign him outright as a RFA, you are competing against his perceived value only.

I would go get Noel ASAP.  Horford is not progressing in his concussion protocol and Olynyk is still out and likely will need many weeks to get into game shape after he returns.

Isnt Noel irrelevant to our current injury concerns? I thought he himself is working his way back from surgery. Granted I could be dead wrong.

The better value and better prospect is Okafor IMO. Okafor is longer and has much more legit potential on defense than people care to say and because many are down on Okafor his value is low for what you get back.

IMO many view Okafor as some type of idiot or vegetable that can't improve his game or body......from my scouting he has gotten his body in better conditioned(15lbs lighter than playing weight at end of last season) and also has improved his skill(left hand, jumper).

[celticsclay]

I like Noel, but paying him max money? Ugh. I dont like that at all.

Trade for him and you can match offers from other teams.  That gives you the choice to re-sign him or not based on real market value.  To sign him outright as a RFA, you are competing against his perceived value only.

I would go get Noel ASAP.  Horford is not progressing in his concussion protocol and Olynyk is still out and likely will need many weeks to get into game shape after he returns.

Isnt Noel irrelevant to our current injury concerns? I thought he himself is working his way back from surgery. Granted I could be dead wrong.

The better value and better prospect is Okafor IMO. Okafor is longer and has much more legit potential on defense than people care to say and because many are down on Okafor his value is low for what you get back.

IMO many view Okafor as some type of idiot or vegetable that can't improve his game or body......from my scouting he has gotten his body in better conditioned(15lbs lighter than playing weight at end of last season) and also has improved his skill(left hand, jumper).

Hasn't his game been about the same since 8th grade?

[tankcity!]

I like Noel, but paying him max money? Ugh. I dont like that at all.

Trade for him and you can match offers from other teams.  That gives you the choice to re-sign him or not based on real market value.  To sign him outright as a RFA, you are competing against his perceived value only.

I would go get Noel ASAP.  Horford is not progressing in his concussion protocol and Olynyk is still out and likely will need many weeks to get into game shape after he returns.

Isnt Noel irrelevant to our current injury concerns? I thought he himself is working his way back from surgery. Granted I could be dead wrong.

The better value and better prospect is Okafor IMO. Okafor is longer and has much more legit potential on defense than people care to say and because many are down on Okafor his value is low for what you get back.

IMO many view Okafor as some type of idiot or vegetable that can't improve his game or body......from my scouting he has gotten his body in better conditioned(15lbs lighter than playing weight at end of last season) and also has improved his skill(left hand, jumper).

Hasn't his game been about the same since 8th grade?

TP, this made me laugh. It's mostly true from a high level perspective. I'm sure he's better at finishing, but he's still the same overall player.

[LooseCannon]

I like Noel, but paying him max money? Ugh. I dont like that at all.

Trade for him and you can match offers from other teams.  That gives you the choice to re-sign him or not based on real market value.  To sign him outright as a RFA, you are competing against his perceived value only.

I would go get Noel ASAP.  Horford is not progressing in his concussion protocol and Olynyk is still out and likely will need many weeks to get into game shape after he returns.

Isnt Noel irrelevant to our current injury concerns? I thought he himself is working his way back from surgery. Granted I could be dead wrong.

The better value and better prospect is Okafor IMO. Okafor is longer and has much more legit potential on defense than people care to say and because many are down on Okafor his value is low for what you get back.

IMO many view Okafor as some type of idiot or vegetable that can't improve his game or body......from my scouting he has gotten his body in better conditioned(15lbs lighter than playing weight at end of last season) and also has improved his skill(left hand, jumper).

He has the physical tools to be a good defender, but most people vastly overestimate the probability that he will realize any of that potential.  I'm not convinced that he will ever be a better defender than peak David Lee.

[KG Living Legend]

https://youtu.be/AJZ0H-lEvb0

[kozlodoev]

He has the physical tools to be a good defender, but most people vastly overestimate the probability that he will realize any of that potential.  I'm not convinced that he will ever be a better defender than peak David Lee.

"Peak David Lee" was pretty much a zero-defense guy, so...

[footey]

I like Noel, but paying him max money? Ugh. I dont like that at all.

Trade for him and you can match offers from other teams.  That gives you the choice to re-sign him or not based on real market value.  To sign him outright as a RFA, you are competing against his perceived value only.

I would go get Noel ASAP.  Horford is not progressing in his concussion protocol and Olynyk is still out and likely will need many weeks to get into game shape after he returns.

Isnt Noel irrelevant to our current injury concerns? I thought he himself is working his way back from surgery. Granted I could be dead wrong.

The better value and better prospect is Okafor IMO. Okafor is longer and has much more legit potential on defense than people care to say and because many are down on Okafor his value is low for what you get back.

IMO many view Okafor as some type of idiot or vegetable that can't improve his game or body......from my scouting he has gotten his body in better conditioned(15lbs lighter than playing weight at end of last season) and also has improved his skill(left hand, jumper).

Okafor has great footwork and hands.  He is a very good finisher within 5', and is able to create space for himself (due to his footwork) to get within 5'

But his defense is pretty bad.  And I see no ability to become a stretch at any point. He is no Embiid, and never will be.  He probably looks worse lately because of injury recovery, and being compared to Embiid, who is such an incredible athlete.

I just don't see us making any play for Okafor.

[Eddie20]

I like Noel, but paying him max money? Ugh. I dont like that at all.

Trade for him and you can match offers from other teams.  That gives you the choice to re-sign him or not based on real market value.  To sign him outright as a RFA, you are competing against his perceived value only.

I would go get Noel ASAP.  Horford is not progressing in his concussion protocol and Olynyk is still out and likely will need many weeks to get into game shape after he returns.

Isnt Noel irrelevant to our current injury concerns? I thought he himself is working his way back from surgery. Granted I could be dead wrong.

The better value and better prospect is Okafor IMO. Okafor is longer and has much more legit potential on defense than people care to say and because many are down on Okafor his value is low for what you get back.

IMO many view Okafor as some type of idiot or vegetable that can't improve his game or body......from my scouting he has gotten his body in better conditioned(15lbs lighter than playing weight at end of last season) and also has improved his skill(left hand, jumper).

Okafor has great footwork and hands.  He is a very good finisher within 5', and is able to create space for himself (due to his footwork) to get within 5'

But his defense is pretty bad.  And I see no ability to become a stretch at any point. He is no Embiid, and never will be.  He probably looks worse lately because of injury recovery, and being compared to Embiid, who is such an incredible athlete.

I just don't see us making any play for Okafor.

This was from a Sixers beat reporter

Derek Bodner ‏@DerekBodnerNBA  · 11h11 hours ago 
The Jazz scored on the first 6 pick and rolls they put Okafor in during last night's game.

[alldaboston]

I like Noel, but paying him max money? Ugh. I dont like that at all.

Trade for him and you can match offers from other teams.  That gives you the choice to re-sign him or not based on real market value.  To sign him outright as a RFA, you are competing against his perceived value only.

I would go get Noel ASAP.  Horford is not progressing in his concussion protocol and Olynyk is still out and likely will need many weeks to get into game shape after he returns.

Isnt Noel irrelevant to our current injury concerns? I thought he himself is working his way back from surgery. Granted I could be dead wrong.

The better value and better prospect is Okafor IMO. Okafor is longer and has much more legit potential on defense than people care to say and because many are down on Okafor his value is low for what you get back.

IMO many view Okafor as some type of idiot or vegetable that can't improve his game or body......from my scouting he has gotten his body in better conditioned(15lbs lighter than playing weight at end of last season) and also has improved his skill(left hand, jumper).

Okafor has great footwork and hands.  He is a very good finisher within 5', and is able to create space for himself (due to his footwork) to get within 5'

But his defense is pretty bad.  And I see no ability to become a stretch at any point. He is no Embiid, and never will be.  He probably looks worse lately because of injury recovery, and being compared to Embiid, who is such an incredible athlete.

I just don't see us making any play for Okafor.

This was from a Sixers beat reporter

Derek Bodner ‏@DerekBodnerNBA  · 11h11 hours ago 
The Jazz scored on the first 6 pick and rolls they put Okafor in during last night's game.

Ouch.

[LooseCannon]

I just don't see us making any play for Okafor.

Once a clear championship core is in place and Okafor gets overpaid by someone, I can see the Celtics acquiring Okafor to be a scorer off the bench once his team gets tired of his lack of value.

[LooseCannon]

This is all a smokescreen to hide that after December 15, Ainge is going to trade Gerald Green and draft considerations for Richaun Holmes.

[celticsclay]

I like Noel, but paying him max money? Ugh. I dont like that at all.

Trade for him and you can match offers from other teams.  That gives you the choice to re-sign him or not based on real market value.  To sign him outright as a RFA, you are competing against his perceived value only.

I would go get Noel ASAP.  Horford is not progressing in his concussion protocol and Olynyk is still out and likely will need many weeks to get into game shape after he returns.

Isnt Noel irrelevant to our current injury concerns? I thought he himself is working his way back from surgery. Granted I could be dead wrong.

The better value and better prospect is Okafor IMO. Okafor is longer and has much more legit potential on defense than people care to say and because many are down on Okafor his value is low for what you get back.

IMO many view Okafor as some type of idiot or vegetable that can't improve his game or body......from my scouting he has gotten his body in better conditioned(15lbs lighter than playing weight at end of last season) and also has improved his skill(left hand, jumper).

Okafor has great footwork and hands.  He is a very good finisher within 5', and is able to create space for himself (due to his footwork) to get within 5'

But his defense is pretty bad.  And I see no ability to become a stretch at any point. He is no Embiid, and never will be.  He probably looks worse lately because of injury recovery, and being compared to Embiid, who is such an incredible athlete.

I just don't see us making any play for Okafor.

This was from a Sixers beat reporter

Derek Bodner ‏@DerekBodnerNBA  · 11h11 hours ago 
The Jazz scored on the first 6 pick and rolls they put Okafor in during last night's game.

This is the kind of analysis that is really hard to incorporate into evaluating a guy after watching a few highlights or seeing his stats. I do have some respect for Pelton and Lowe and their analysis and they ranked Okafor as the 8th or 9th best rookie in his class for potential. I just can't dismiss that as some nonsense from these guys that know basketball and advanced stats. This was posted today on liberty ballers. May warrant it's own thread...

http://www.libertyballers.com/2016/11/8/13559540/jahlil-okafor-lack-of-defensive-awareness-appalling-duke-nba-nerlens-noel-center-sixers-76ers-embiid

[tazzmaniac]

I like Noel, but paying him max money? Ugh. I dont like that at all.

Trade for him and you can match offers from other teams.  That gives you the choice to re-sign him or not based on real market value.  To sign him outright as a RFA, you are competing against his perceived value only.

I would go get Noel ASAP.  Horford is not progressing in his concussion protocol and Olynyk is still out and likely will need many weeks to get into game shape after he returns.

Isnt Noel irrelevant to our current injury concerns? I thought he himself is working his way back from surgery. Granted I could be dead wrong.

The better value and better prospect is Okafor IMO. Okafor is longer and has much more legit potential on defense than people care to say and because many are down on Okafor his value is low for what you get back.

IMO many view Okafor as some type of idiot or vegetable that can't improve his game or body......from my scouting he has gotten his body in better conditioned(15lbs lighter than playing weight at end of last season) and also has improved his skill(left hand, jumper).

Okafor has great footwork and hands.  He is a very good finisher within 5', and is able to create space for himself (due to his footwork) to get within 5'

But his defense is pretty bad.  And I see no ability to become a stretch at any point. He is no Embiid, and never will be.  He probably looks worse lately because of injury recovery, and being compared to Embiid, who is such an incredible athlete.

I just don't see us making any play for Okafor.

This was from a Sixers beat reporter

Derek Bodner ‏@DerekBodnerNBA  · 11h11 hours ago 
The Jazz scored on the first 6 pick and rolls they put Okafor in during last night's game.

This is the kind of analysis that is really hard to incorporate into evaluating a guy after watching a few highlights or seeing his stats. I do have some respect for Pelton and Lowe and their analysis and they ranked Okafor as the 8th or 9th best rookie in his class for potential. I just can't dismiss that as some nonsense from these guys that know basketball and advanced stats. This was posted today on liberty ballers. May warrant it's own thread...

http://www.libertyballers.com/2016/11/8/13559540/jahlil-okafor-lack-of-defensive-awareness-appalling-duke-nba-nerlens-noel-center-sixers-76ers-embiid

One thing to remember is Okafor is coming off an injury and only played one preseason game. 
Okafor's defense does need a lot of work especially on the pick and roll.  He's never going to be a good defender.  The question is can he become an average defender.  I think he can if he puts in the effort.  Offensively he's looking better.  He had a couple really nice dunks on Gobert.

[LooseCannon]

I like Noel, but paying him max money? Ugh. I dont like that at all.

Trade for him and you can match offers from other teams.  That gives you the choice to re-sign him or not based on real market value.  To sign him outright as a RFA, you are competing against his perceived value only.

I would go get Noel ASAP.  Horford is not progressing in his concussion protocol and Olynyk is still out and likely will need many weeks to get into game shape after he returns.

Isnt Noel irrelevant to our current injury concerns? I thought he himself is working his way back from surgery. Granted I could be dead wrong.

The better value and better prospect is Okafor IMO. Okafor is longer and has much more legit potential on defense than people care to say and because many are down on Okafor his value is low for what you get back.

IMO many view Okafor as some type of idiot or vegetable that can't improve his game or body......from my scouting he has gotten his body in better conditioned(15lbs lighter than playing weight at end of last season) and also has improved his skill(left hand, jumper).

Okafor has great footwork and hands.  He is a very good finisher within 5', and is able to create space for himself (due to his footwork) to get within 5'

But his defense is pretty bad.  And I see no ability to become a stretch at any point. He is no Embiid, and never will be.  He probably looks worse lately because of injury recovery, and being compared to Embiid, who is such an incredible athlete.

I just don't see us making any play for Okafor.

This was from a Sixers beat reporter

Derek Bodner ‏@DerekBodnerNBA  · 11h11 hours ago 
The Jazz scored on the first 6 pick and rolls they put Okafor in during last night's game.

This is the kind of analysis that is really hard to incorporate into evaluating a guy after watching a few highlights or seeing his stats. I do have some respect for Pelton and Lowe and their analysis and they ranked Okafor as the 8th or 9th best rookie in his class for potential. I just can't dismiss that as some nonsense from these guys that know basketball and advanced stats. This was posted today on liberty ballers. May warrant it's own thread...

http://www.libertyballers.com/2016/11/8/13559540/jahlil-okafor-lack-of-defensive-awareness-appalling-duke-nba-nerlens-noel-center-sixers-76ers-embiid

One thing to remember is Okafor is coming off an injury and only played one preseason game. 
Okafor's defense does need a lot of work especially on the pick and roll.  He's never going to be a good defender.  The question is can he become an average defender.  I think he can if he puts in the effort.  Offensively he's looking better.  He had a couple really nice dunks on Gobert.

I think he won't put in the effort and I think he will never be as good of a defender as Al Jefferson.

[tazzmaniac]

I like Noel, but paying him max money? Ugh. I dont like that at all.

Trade for him and you can match offers from other teams.  That gives you the choice to re-sign him or not based on real market value.  To sign him outright as a RFA, you are competing against his perceived value only.

I would go get Noel ASAP.  Horford is not progressing in his concussion protocol and Olynyk is still out and likely will need many weeks to get into game shape after he returns.

Isnt Noel irrelevant to our current injury concerns? I thought he himself is working his way back from surgery. Granted I could be dead wrong.

The better value and better prospect is Okafor IMO. Okafor is longer and has much more legit potential on defense than people care to say and because many are down on Okafor his value is low for what you get back.

IMO many view Okafor as some type of idiot or vegetable that can't improve his game or body......from my scouting he has gotten his body in better conditioned(15lbs lighter than playing weight at end of last season) and also has improved his skill(left hand, jumper).

Okafor has great footwork and hands.  He is a very good finisher within 5', and is able to create space for himself (due to his footwork) to get within 5'

But his defense is pretty bad.  And I see no ability to become a stretch at any point. He is no Embiid, and never will be.  He probably looks worse lately because of injury recovery, and being compared to Embiid, who is such an incredible athlete.

I just don't see us making any play for Okafor.

This was from a Sixers beat reporter

Derek Bodner ‏@DerekBodnerNBA  · 11h11 hours ago 
The Jazz scored on the first 6 pick and rolls they put Okafor in during last night's game.

This is the kind of analysis that is really hard to incorporate into evaluating a guy after watching a few highlights or seeing his stats. I do have some respect for Pelton and Lowe and their analysis and they ranked Okafor as the 8th or 9th best rookie in his class for potential. I just can't dismiss that as some nonsense from these guys that know basketball and advanced stats. This was posted today on liberty ballers. May warrant it's own thread...

http://www.libertyballers.com/2016/11/8/13559540/jahlil-okafor-lack-of-defensive-awareness-appalling-duke-nba-nerlens-noel-center-sixers-76ers-embiid

One thing to remember is Okafor is coming off an injury and only played one preseason game. 
Okafor's defense does need a lot of work especially on the pick and roll.  He's never going to be a good defender.  The question is can he become an average defender.  I think he can if he puts in the effort.  Offensively he's looking better.  He had a couple really nice dunks on Gobert.

I think he won't put in the effort and I think he will never be as good of a defender as Al Jefferson.

He's got big money incentives to do so.  He could focus on improving his jumper.  If he could shoot 3s like Embiid that would bump up his value quite a bit.