Joakim Noah works out for Grizzlies
Noah was a member of the 2007 NCAA Champion Florida Gators.
grizzlies.com
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.
The Grizzlies will continue to hold workouts daily for the remainder of the week. Check grizzlies.com's Draft Central 2007 daily for further updates.
Player Stats
Joakim Noah FLORIDA
| Position: F-C Class: Junior Ht: 6-10 Wt: 245 DOB: 6/3/86 | ||||||||||||
| SEASON AVERAGES | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEASON | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | TO | A/T | STL | BLK | PF | FG% | FT% | 3P% |
| 2004-2005 | 9.4 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.88 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.577 | 0 |
| 2005-2006 | 24.9 | 14.2 | 7.1 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.05 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 0.627 | 0.733 | 0 |
| 2006-2007 | 25.9 | 12 | 8.4 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 0.605 | 0.663 | 1 |
Quick Facts: Named Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 NCAA Tournament Final Four. Earned consensus Second Team All-America honors as a junior. Named First Team All-SEC his sophomore and junior seasons. Set the NCAA Tournament record for blocked shots (29) in 2006. Posted 15 career double-doubles. Finished collegiate career as Florida's 34th all-time leading scorer with 1,124 points. Also ranks second all-time in career field goal percentage (.612) and second in blocked shots (186). Helped lead Florida to national championships in 2006 and 2007, as the Gators became the first school to post back-to-back titles in 15 years. Father, Yannick, was the 1983 French Open champion and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Mother, Cecilia Rodhe, was Miss Sweden in 1978. Is an avid Bob Marley fan. Speaks fluent French. |
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