Hoops

NBA Draft Combine Noise

Chris Paul could push Noels out of the paint @ 206lbs.

There has been mention of Boston looking at Steve but in his National Interview he mentioned he would love to play with John Wall in Washington as he loves to get out and run.

Nerlans Noel weighed in at around 206 pounds. To put that in perspective, Noel weighs less than Deron Williams and just six pounds heavier than Jeremy Lin.

Measurements really similar to Oden.

If I was a GM I would be intrigued by his body composition and build.

He has great bf %, very strong without unnecessary bulk.

Bottom line, he looks and plays like a player that can be around a long time and remain healthy and injury free.

Look at the family genetics (Valerie).

Len and Plumlee still above him in mock drafts. I expect that to change dramatically when he comes across those players in workouts and he has the freedom to show what he can do (which he didnt have at PITT)

Corey Joseph has as good as won the back up pg spot at Spurs. Not sure if you fans watch any Spurs. Remember he was not at uni in Texas long and the D-League did him wonders.

Defensively he is very good. offensively he does his bit and has the makings of a nice little jump shot.

Back to Steve, yer I'm hearing very good things about him. Remember Spurs have the NZ connection on the staff as well.

Read this in Chad Ford's draft notes from Day 1 of the combine (Article needs ESPN Insider)...

Pittsburgh's Steven Adams was the big winner on Day 1. Not only did Adams look the part of a NBA center (he measured 7 feet, 250 pounds with a 7-foot-4.5 span), but he showed off some terrific athleticism and toughness on the defensive end. However, that's not what wowed scouts. Adams showed off a surprising -- no, shocking -- offensive game, hitting jump shot after jump shot with a feathery touch.

"I can say I was honestly stunned," one NBA GM said. "Where did that come from? That's not something you develop with a few weeks with a trainer. He was way more skilled than we thought. That makes a huge difference in our evaluation of him."

It was the same story GM after GM. Even veteran scouts seemed surprised by Adams' skill set. He's not Marc Gasol, but the fact he showed anything from an offensive skills standpoint was huge. How big? Virtually every GM I spoke with had him pegged as a top-10 pick. He'll have to keep up this pace in workouts, but no one had a bigger day.

Could be a good selection for the spurs if he doesn't go too early

I decided to go watch the North Adelaide Rockets games this weekend to see what Reardon was like, i quickly decided he was the real deal but i then took more notice of Erik Burdon.

I have watched a fair bit of the ABL competition over the last 3 years and after seeing the way Erik played in the two games i feel that he may be the most complete player in the competition in recent times.

In last nights game against West Adelaide he totally shut down Spudavechia on the defensive end. His commitment to denial defence was exceptional and i dont think there is a better on ball defender in the comp at the minute.

I then went out today to watch the game vs Woodville and he put on a very efficient shooting display from the 3, mid range and also getting to the basket. Very well rounded game. He also held Birmingham scoreless the entire time he was on him.

What are peoples thoughts? After the top 50 players list, i wasnt totally convinced that he deserved #1 but am certain now.

Also something of note today was a guy in a Wollongong Hawks shirt taking down a lot of notes, looked like a scout. Did anyone see this guy at any games on Saturday night?