<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Jan 27 2008, 08:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>But the Hornets, led by Pargo and Chandler, are best team in the West right now.</div> If the Bulls fall in the desert, but no one is around to see it, do they still suck?
/sarcasm LOL Though last year the Hornets finished 39-43 and were in contention for most of the season. That was with Pargo playing 36 minutes/game, Chandler, David West missing 30 games, Paul missing 18 games, Peja missing 69 games, Devin Brown missing 24 games, etc. Adding healthy Peja, Paul, and West is a huge difference for them.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Jan 30 2008, 04:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>/sarcasm LOL Though last year the Hornets finished 39-43 and were in contention for most of the season. That was with Pargo playing 36 minutes/game, Chandler, David West missing 30 games, Paul missing 18 games, Peja missing 69 games, Devin Brown missing 24 games, etc. Adding healthy Peja, Paul, and West is a huge difference for them.</div> Will Joakim Noah be better than Tyson Chandler by the end of next year? By this time next season? By the end of this year? None of these seem out of reach to me.
No, I don't think Noah will be as good as Chandler. Not ever. Chandler is a terrific defender and gives you more game in all respects than Noah. I do like Noah a lot.
Sam Smith compares Noah and Chandler in his latest mailbag: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>There is talk weekly about how bad it was to give up Tyson Chandler. How would you compare Noah's game to Chandler currently? Do you think Noah has a higher ceiling? --K.C., Dallas I like Noah, even if it's not mutual. He's told friends he needs to stay away from the media and seems to be blaming media members for some of his team issues of late. But he's been a spoiled kid in some respects and is growing up fast. He had no idea what the NBA was about. He thought it was just a richer version of college. He knows better now. He's different than Chandler in that he probably will never be quite the rebounder, but he can be a better defender. Like Chandler, he'll need time to put on weight and gain strength, but he'll get there. He has what the Bulls have missed with Thomas and Wallace: Size.</div>
I remember a post on another site where the poster had gone to a Bulls game. His comment about seeing Chandler in person was that he was so big he looked like "a big umbrella." When you have a guy like that near the basket on defense, it intimidates the offensive players - they don't want to try to take it to the hoop. I saw this effect over and over when Chandler was a Bull. Paired with another big guy, whether it was Curry or AD, the effect was magnified. Like him or not, Wallace is still way better than AD was. Curry wasn't (and still isn't) a particularly intimidating force at the defensive end. This is what Noah lacks. If I remember right, he was criticized at draft time as having overly short arms as well. Yet Noah is big enough that he addresses one of the Bulls biggest needs coming into the season, he's certainly a fine athlete for his size, and he has a basketball IQ above that of the typical rookie. He seems to play within his limitations, even if he does attempt a few ugly shots. It shows up in the +/- and PER kinds of numbers.
