Nerlens Noel may miss whole 2013-2014 season?

[brandonislegend]

A handful of NBA teams told ESPN that their doctors believe Kentucky C Nerlens Noel (ACL) will have to miss the entire 2013-14 season.
Noel tore his ACL in February and underwent surgery in March. As we saw with Derrick Rose, it's a wildly unpredictable injury. Noel expects to be ready by December, but it's unclear if a team will clear him at that point. Throwing a 206-pound rookie center into the NBA's interior off a knee reconstruction too early could spell disaster.
Source: ESPN.com May 28 - 4:49 PM

Who will the Cavs take?

[andremiller07]

A handful of NBA teams told ESPN that their doctors believe Kentucky C Nerlens Noel (ACL) will have to miss the entire 2013-14 season.
Noel tore his ACL in February and underwent surgery in March. As we saw with Derrick Rose, it's a wildly unpredictable injury. Noel expects to be ready by December, but it's unclear if a team will clear him at that point. Throwing a 206-pound rookie center into the NBA's interior off a knee reconstruction too early could spell disaster.
Source: ESPN.com May 28 - 4:49 PM

Who will the Cavs take?

If he does miss the whole season I guess it gives Cavs a even better chance @ another #1 pick next season with Wiggins and others coming out.

[Fudge]

Otto Porter

[turnaroundJ]

If so, then he's every lottery team's dream pick!

Not only do they get this years first overall (or top 3 at worst), they also get to tank and suck for another year to land another top pick!

[KDthunderup]

Pretty much the maximum anyone takes to get back is 1 year, I highly doubt he sits the whole year.

[brandonislegend]

If he does miss the whole season I guess it gives Cavs a even better chance @ another #1 pick next season with Wiggins and others coming out.

true

[melih69]

If he does miss the whole season I guess it gives Cavs a even better chance @ another #1 pick next season with Wiggins and others coming out.

nah cavs will be much better. irving, waiters, thompson, varejao back etc. they won't be close to getting the number 1 pick, with or without noel imo

every team under .500 should tank for wiggins or parker

[RedBlackAttack]

Considering Noel hasn't met with a single team yet, let alone been looked at by any team's doctors, this is more likely a strategic usage of the press to try to lessen his value. I'm guessing the teams saying this are likely picking 2-5.

Noel is clearly the No. 1 pick unless there are REAL red flags about his recovery, which we won't know until another couple weeks.

[Is He Ill]

If so, then he's every lottery team's dream pick!

Not only do they get this years first overall (or top 3 at worst), they also get to tank and suck for another year to land another top pick!

I sincerely doubt that any of this year's rookies have the ability to make enough of a contribution to turn a losing team to much of a better team during their first season. I think the Cavs will improve next season without Noel anyway with the strides that Kyrie is taking. Unless they get lucky in the lottery, I find it hard to believe that they have a legitimate shot at Wiggins.

[PleezeBelieve]

Cavs will drafting Young Olajuwon in about a month.

Try again...

[ProfessorMurder]

Seems like a fine idea to me.

You're only going to hurt your stock more if you come back rusty as things are ramping up for the tournament.

Take the safe road, sign to a team and get paid.

[dbk123]

Inb4 magic draft mclemore and he becomes prime ray Allen 2.0

[PleezeBelieve]

Inb4 magic draft mclemore and he becomes prime ray Allen 2.0

You mean prime Jason Richardson?

[RedBlackAttack]

Inb4 magic draft mclemore and he becomes prime ray Allen 2.0

I was sold on Noel as the Cavs pick before I started heavily researching the kid. Now, I'm going to be absolutely shocked if he isn't the pick. It is a no-brainer.

Couple of notes which I think are important...

1. Because of his reclassification, Noel didn't even get on UK's campus until August. Incoming freshmen usually graduate high school in early May and have an additional three months of getting acclimated to their team, their coaches and their strategies.

To me, this is paramount in explaining why Noel had a bit of a slow start to the collegiate season, but turned it on after the first month or so.


2. Coach Cal has said Noel's growth as a player is the largest he has seen over the course of one season.


3. The weight thing is widely overblown. He weighed in at a measly 206 at the combine, but this was after Dr. James Andrews told him to lose as much weight as he could to lessen the stress on his knee while it recovers. His playing weight was between 220-225.

Joakim Noah measured 7-foot, 223 at the 2007 combine... And not as an 18-19-year-old, but as a 22-year-old. KG was 6-11, 216. Tyson Chandler was in the 220 range.


4. Despite the cries of this being a "weak" draft, all of the advanced metrics I've seen show Noel is an elite prospect (and Porter gets high marks, too).

Guys like James Brocato have an excellent track record at predicting how players will pan out. In his his scale, any player over a +2 has a high probability of being an All-Star caliber player.

There was one in last year's draft with a +2 rating or better; Anthony Davis with a 3.7. There was one in the 2011 draft; Kyrie Irving with a 3.6. Both of those are extremely high marks. There were none in 2010. The closest were John Wall and Greg Monroe, both with 1.9. Demarcus Cousins and Paul George were tied for 2nd overall with 1.7s.

http://shutupandjam.net/2013/05/24/draft-model-update/


This year, there are two guys with a +2 or better... Noel with 2.9 and Otto Porter with 2.3.

McLemore is 9th with a 0.5. Brocato is also saying, according to his analysis, this is actually the best draft since 2009.

http://shutupandjam.net/draft-rankings/


And, this is not an anomaly. Kevin Polton, who devised the WARP model of advanced metrics, gave Noel a 4.0... Extremely high rating and one of the best in his database for a college prospect.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft...p-30-prospects

Every advanced stat rating I've looked at has Noel the clear No. 1 choice and Otto Porter the only one close.


Considering how much the Cavs are said to value these advanced metrics, I have no doubt -- as long as there are no red flags -- Noel will be the pick. If there are red flags, Porter will be the pick.

I'd be shocked if McLemore was even on their board. It is not a position of need and he isn't a No. 1 overall caliber pick, imo.

[(e)]

Noel and tank tank tank lol