Les entraînements de Joakim Noah...

Joakim Noah was one of four 2007 NBA Draft prospects working out at Target Center in front of the Wolves brass on Wednesday afternoon. After showing everyone that rumors of his extremely intense work-rate were true, he sat down to address the assembled media.   Q: On his draft workout experience thus far: Noah: This is like a dream come true. Everybody wants to play in the NBA, especially when you play basketball, and this is like a dream come true. I'm really happy about what we did at Florida, but now it's time to move on and live the dream.

If you were Joakim Noah, would you regret not going pro last year? On one hand, he probably would have been no worse than a top-three pick last summer and by now he’d have a season of NBA experience under his belt. On the other hand, he went back to school for his junior year, played another season for one of the game’s best coaches and won a second straight national title. Kind of a win-win, isn’t it?   While he won’t likely be a top-three selection in this year’s class, the 6-foot-11, 235-pound Noah will almost certainly be a lottery pick in the June 28 NBA Draft. Should he last until the 9th spot, Bulls GM John Paxson might see him as a nice piece—a long, athletic and ultra-competitive piece, no less—to help out in Chicago’s low post. Even though he won’t bring a ton of scoring to the power forward position, Noah could be one of those guys who will make an impact either way. Bulls.com talked with the former Florida standout after his Berto Center workout with Spencer Hawes on Friday about winning consecutive NCAA championships, working on his offensive game, and how he might fit in with the Bulls.   Bulls.com: How did you feel your workout went? Joakim Noah: “I think I did alright, but I think I could have done better. I’m just really excited about my situation right now. I really enjoyed meeting the staff and I liked the workout. I feel like this is a place where I could definitely get a lot better.

“I want to improve my jump shot, my running, my strength, everything really," Noah said. "There isn’t one area I can’t improve, even with areas that people say I do well in.”

"You don’t know how he’s going to look running up and down the court with nine other guys, putting a body on him and talking trash to him," Noah says of Yi Jianlian, who he trained with in Los Angeles.

Bulls.com: If you had the chance to go back and turn pro or return to school last year, would you do anything differently? Noah: “No way. I learned so much. We came back for one goal, and that was to win another national championship. Doing that was something unique and special and definitely priceless. If it had been about money, I definitely would have left last year. But to me, it’s more than just that. What we did was something that will be remembered forever. It was such a great feeling to get back in to that locker room and know that everyone who doubted us were now debating whether or not we should be remembered as one of the best teams ever. It felt so good, and it was so satisfying. At the same time, though, as a player you can’t ever be satisfied, because when you are, that’s when things go wrong.”

9 juin 2007, Charlotte Bobcats

Noah Highlights First Of Two Saturday Workouts

Charlotte's preparation for the 2007 NBA Draft continued Saturday at the Presbyterian Hospital Training Center at Charlotte Bobcats Arena with Florida's Joakim Noah, Alabama's Jamareo Davidsonand Nevada's Nick Fazekas all taking part in predraft workouts with the Bobcats.

Noah, an early entry candidate for the 2007 NBA Draft, is projected to be a lottery pick in numerous mock drafts around the web, and has been slated to be going to the Bobcats at No. 8 in five of the 15 mock drafts we are currently breaking down on bobcatsbasketball.com. The 6-11, 232-pound forward was a key piece of Florida’s back-to-back NCAA Championship teams in 2005-06 and 2006-07, averaging 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds in 79 games.  He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 NCAA Tournament Final Four and earned consensus Second Team All-America honors as a junior in 2006-07, while also being named First Team All-SEC in his sophomore and junior season.

He finished his career, ranked 34th on the Gators all-time scoring list with 1,124 points and ranks second all-time in field goal percentage (.612) and blocked shots (186).

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JOAKIM NOAH • 6-11 • 232 LBS. • FORWARD • FLORIDA • JUNIOR

(How did things go at the workout?)
I think they went alright. Worked hard and that’s what counts – these back-to-back workouts are no joke. But I feel like I gave it 150%, and it’s just exciting to be able to go from city to city and see what the coaches’ suggestions are and see what they have to say. It’s just an exciting time, and you can’t take anything for granted. Even though it’s hard, what an experience. And hopefully one of these teams like me. Hopefully it’s the Charlotte Bobcats.

(Who else have you worked out for so far?)
Minnesota and Chicago. You just have get used to the travelling and all those kinds of things.

(You said “Hopefully the Charlotte Bobcats.” How much do you know about this team, and how do you feel you would fit in on a squad like this?)
I know they’re a team that wants to go up and down. And I know it’s a great organization. Right now, I know as a player, you can’t control where you’re going to go. The only thing that you can control is how hard you compete in these workouts. I feel like I’m in a situation right now where you can’t really hope too much because you don’t know what’s going to happen. And like I said, you can’t control where you go. The only thing you can control is how hard you play.

(What are you trying to showcase during these workouts? What are you hoping that the teams come away with when it comes to Joakim Noah?)
You only have like an hour and a half to showcase yourself. They’ve seen a lot of college games and stuff, so I want them to see that I’m somebody that’s very serious about basketball, somebody that really wants to win, and somebody that has really strong, good work ethic – somebody who works hard every day, day-in and day-out. Even yesterday, I worked out with the Chicago Bulls and didn’t get in last night until pretty late. Didn’t get to the hotel until pretty late and then just coming here – they know that but being able to come out here and just give it all you’ve got. I just wanted to show them that I’m somebody who takes basketball very seriously and not somebody who’s just all about going out and partying and doing all kings of things like that. That’s not me. I’m somebody who takes basketball very seriously.

(You must have had an idea of what this was going to be. Has this turned out to be what you thought or has it been completely different?)
Actually, during the season we tried not to think about the NBA at all. Talking about the NBA was kind of taboo, actually, just because we were so focused on our task at hand and trying to repeat as national champions. I’m just trying not to think anything for granted, and everybody’s worried about draft and stock and where they’re going to go. I mean that’s understandable, but at the same time, what an opportunity to just be able to visit all these different cities and meet so many different guys who have been in the situation before. This is like a dream come true for all of us – to be in a situation to play in the NBA is special, and I think we shouldn’t forget that as players.

(So you’re absolutely enjoying this process, you’re having a ball?)
I’m enjoying it. I’m loving it. It’s very different than I’m used to. But it’s cool, man. This is dream come true. And it’s hard; nobody said it was going to be easy. It’s not easy at all. What a great feeling to be able to say that, hopefully, I’ll be able to play basketball as my profession. That’s kind of cool, to pay for your own hamburgers playing basketball. That’s pretty cool (laughter).

(In nine mock drafts, five have you coming here. What are your thoughts on that?)
I think mock drafts are a complete joke. I mean, who makes the mock drafts? I have no idea who makes them. I heard a couple of guys who make the mock drafts are like kids in basements and stuff like that (laughter). I’m serious, that’s what somebody told me. And I think it’s true, too, because I mean you read what these guys say and they have no idea what they’re talking about. So I think, to me, it’s all the situation of what a team needs, and I’d rather listen to a general manager and the people who are going to get the pick than a mock draft. I think a mock draft doesn’t mean anything. And like I said, you can’t control who likes who and what the opinion is of the “mock draft” – I mean, who cares. The people from Draft Express, who are a mock draft site, they’re from Florida, so they always rank me pretty high – you know what I’m saying (laughter)? To me, that’s how it works. I mean, if they like you, they like you. If they don’t, they don’t. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean anything. They’re not the ones picking you. I’m not really worried about a mock draft.

(But can you speak on the possibility that this may be the team that takes you)
You shouldn’t ask me, you should ask Mike, you know what I’m saying? (laughter) Mr. Jordan, you know, Michael Jordan would probably know best. I have no idea. Like I said, those aren’t things that I can control. I feel like right now, the only thing I can control is when I step between these lines, you know soak the jersey. You guys see it right? I got proof. I went hard today.

(Has your jumpshot improved?)
I think it’s improved. I’m actually really tired. I don’t think I shot the ball particularly well today. I feel like I’m more and more confident in taking it and I’m going to keep shooting it and keep working on it.

(You said, in response to the mock draft, you’d rather know that teams needs are. Do you feel you fit what this team needs going into the draft?)
I feel like I’m somebody who’s going to bring energy every night, somebody who really cares about winning – really, really cares about winning. Winning is everything to me. I’m somebody who is pretty versatile and runs for days. So I feel like that’s what I bring, and if they like it then I’d love to come here. But I feel like they would know better than I would.

(Where do you go tomorrow?)
Tomorrow I go to Boston.

11 Juin 2007, Boston Celtics

Noah, Wright Workout, But Not Against Each Other

By Peter F. Stringer

WALTHAM - Joakim Noah and Brandan Wright were both in Waltham Monday morning for another round of draft workouts, but they didn't actually take the court against each other.

Wright told reporters that it was his decision to work out alone, saying that he'd rather have the team's staff focus on what he can do on the floor.

"I've been working out by myself throughout this whole process, and I'm in pretty good shape, so it's not a big thing. It has advantages and disadvantages, but I think I do a good job by myself," Wright said. "I think there's more focus on you and the coaching staff can actually see what you can do and not compare you to anybody."

Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge isn't too worried about it, as he stressed that the workouts  are more designed for his coaching staff to get to see the players in person and also to get a chance to talk to them about life on and off the court.

But as far as evaluating basketball abilities, Ainge reiterated that the workouts aren't incredibly valuable for him.

"It's tough to determine how workouts go when you don't play against people," Ainge said of today's session. "I'm not going to comment on that, that's Brandan's decision and his agent's. That's their strategy. It's worked before and it hasn't worked, so we'll see."

Noah, who is coming off back-to-back NCAA titles at Florida, went up against Michigan product Courtney Sims during Monday's workout and afterward told reporter "I feel you" when a it was suggested that it was strange to want to work out without competition.

Noah also mentioned that after having seen Yi Jianlian workout in one-man drills recently, he looked like the "#1 pick in the draft."

"In terms of shooting the ball, having someone pass him the ball, rip through and dunk, [he was] very impressive. There's no contest," Noah said. "But I don't know how he's going to react when someone trash talks him on the court...or when someone throws an elbow at him or something like that. I can't judge that, but from what I saw, the way he handles the drills, he's pretty impressive."

The most comfortable interview subject to date since workouts started in Waltham, Noah was very direct and engaging with the media, and he stuck around to talk about the New England prep school basketball teams he competed against back in the day. He also offered that he "had a blast in college at Florida" and joked that he would share some college stories after the cameras were shut off.

Noah also noted that he had a big mouth that occasionally got him into trouble, but seemed at peace with giving the media a piece of his mind, which is pretty rare for a collegiate player.

13 juin 2007, Memphis Grizzlies

Joakim Noah works out for Grizzlies
by Graham Kendrick

Wednesday morning, June 13 - With the NBA draft just 15 days away, Grizzlies management has hours of videotape to watch and binders full of scouting reports to obsess over. Wednesday morning, they added to their to-do list by beginning player workouts at FedExForum.

They opened with Joakim Noah, a two-time NCAA champion at Florida, who worked out by himself Wednesday morning for team brass. Grizzlies Director of Player Personnel Tony Barone, Sr. ran the workout, and came away very impressed with what he saw.

“We were excited today about the way he shot the ball, he shot the ball really well. He’s a unique player in that he brings to the table a certain amount of enthusiasm that a lot of college guys don’t have. He brings that to the table, and we’re excited about him, he’s a very good player,” said Barone.

While media only see the last 15 minutes of each workout, viewers did see Noah impress Barone after one particular drill. It called for Noah to rebound the ball at one end of the court, throw an outlet pass to Barone, who was standing just shy of halfcourt, and race to the other end.

As Noah was running, Barone would intentionally throw him a bad pass, testing his ability to make adjustments on the fly. In one instance, Barone essentially rolled the ball on the court at Noah’s feet. Without breaking stride, Noah turned, picked it up, spun to his right, and finished at the hoop.

Of course, as Barone is quick to point out, the Grizzlies already have thorough scouting reports on what Noah can do on the court, and the workouts are as much an opportunity to get to know the players on a personal level.

“We had dinner with Joakim last night, and he’s a delightful young man. (He’s) extremely intelligent, very opinionated, and tremendously into basketball, so it was a fun dinner,” said Barone. “I think it’s real obvious when you come from a winning program like Florida has been, it’s almost beyond winning, when you win two national championships it’s just an unbelievable experience. And the road that he’s come down, having experienced that pressure on campus, off campus, in the media, really prepares him for the NBA beyond just being a really good basketball player.”

For Noah’s part, he was excited about the opportunity to work out for the Grizzlies, and was very intrigued by the possibility of playing next to Pau Gasol.

“I love Pau Gasol, I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. He’s exciting to watch, I’d love to go up against him every day in practice and get better,” said Noah.

He was asked what he thinks he can bring to a team, and his answer showed a remarkable sense of self-awareness.

“I think I bring a lot of energy to the game. I think I affect winning in more than one or two ways. I think I’m a locker room dude. I’m a clown. I’m somebody who takes basketball very seriously, I want to win, I think I understand what it takes to win and I’m going to give 150 percent wherever I’m at. I’m not saying we’re going to win basketball games if I come to an organization, but I’m going to control the things I can control and give 150 percent every day,” said Noah.

dans tous les cas, Joakim a impressionné les coaches. ils ont pu le découvrir sur le terrain et se rendre compte de l'énergie positive qu'il dispense, de son agilité et ont pu également le découvrir sur un plan plus personnel... je pense qu'il a de bonnes chances d'être dans les 5 parce qu'il n'a montré qu'une partie de son jeu. faisant parti d'une équipe soudée où coach Donovan avait distribué un rôle bien défini à chacun, il n'a pas montré l'étendue de ses talents... il a de bonnes mains et il ne faut pas oublier qu'il a commencé en tant que meneur...

les journalistes et analystes sportifs, quant à eux, n'en finissent plus de débattre sur le sort de Noah dans la ligue.

ce qu'il faut retenir (par ordre de passage)...

#1 Portland, #2, Seattle et #3 Atlanta, oubliez!

#4 Memphis: même s'ils sont enthousiastes au sujet de Noah, je doute qu'ils le choisissent. ce serait génial pour Noah mais il y a beaucoup de très bons joueurs en liste...

#5 Boston, l'entraînement c'est bien passé mais c'est comme le #4...

#6 Milwaukee: n'ont pas prévu d'entraînement avec Joakim...

#11 Atlanta: Joakim Noah est prévu pour le 22 (seul), son compère Al Horford, le 25... de toute façon, je crois qu'à ce stade il sera déjà choisit...