<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">CHARLOTTE AUDITIONS POTENTIAL PICK Noah discounts draft 'experts' Bobcats could take Florida star at No. 8 RICK BONNELL rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com To Florida's Joakim Noah, the "mock" in mock draft is short for "mockery." "I think mock drafts are a complete joke," Noah said when told several mock drafts link him to the Charlotte Bobcats. "I heard a couple of guys who make the mock drafts are kids in basements. You read what these guys say, and they have no idea what they're talking about." That's Noah's way of discounting conjecture three weeks before the NBA draft June 28. He was in Charlotte on Saturday auditioning for the Bobcats, who have the eighth and 22nd overall picks. Had he turned pro a year ago, Noah would have been gone before the eighth pick. But he acknowledges this is a much deeper draft, headlined by Ohio State center Greg Oden and Texas forward Kevin Durant. An athletic power forward, Noah figures to go anywhere from fifth to 12th. Choosing a power forward might seem an odd move for the Bobcats, considering they have Emeka Okafor and Sean May. However, May has had injury problems that some team officials link to poor conditioning. Noah and May are as different as two players can be at the same position. May is highly skilled and fights a weight problem. Noah is sleek and energetic, but his skill level is in doubt. His jump shot is an ugly two-handed push shot that didn't look dependable Saturday. "I'm really tired and I didn't shoot the ball particularly well today," Noah said. "But I feel like I'm more and more confident taking it. I'll keep working on it and maybe someday I'll be a Larry Bird." Noah's Gators won back-to-back national championships and the Bobcats have always been attracted to that. They drafted Okafor, May and Felton off NCAA champions. "I'm somebody who brings energy every night and really, really cares about winning," Noah said. Coming home New Bobcats assistant Phil Ford says he wasn't looking to escape the New York Knicks. Ford, a three-time All-American at North Carolina, was a contractual holdover as a Knicks assistant, after his boss, Larry Brown, was fired. Ford said he felt welcome working for Brown's replacement, Isiah Thomas. "Isiah was fair to Dave (Hanners, another Brown disciple) and myself; he included us in everything," Ford said. "I spoke with (Thomas on Thursday) and he understood tremendously about family -- my mom, my wife and my kids are here. It's something that was hard to turn down." Ford's family stayed in the Raleigh area last winter, while Ford coached in New York. Ford was a longtime assistant to Dean Smith at North Carolina before Brown hired him. "I don't look at myself as a pro guy or a college guy, just as a coach," Ford said. "Most young guys want to get better and if you can show them how you can help them get better, they'll listen, whether it's high school or junior high or college or pro."</div> Source
<div class="quote_poster">Smitty Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Brewer, yes. Noah, hell no.</div> Someone email this post right to Jordans computer. I would absolutely HATE to see Noah on this team.
Lol, he said maybe some day i'll be a Larry Bird. Wow, haha they are quite different players and if he thinks he can improve his shot that much then he is crazy.
