Comments on: Could Nerlens Noel’s injury shake up the NBA draft? Not really.

By: Maurice Barksdale

Maurice Barksdale — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:36:26 +0000

The one and done is definitely a risk for the top prospects, as a player Noel would probably be a top five pick whether he played a season in college or not.

By: saint1997

saint1997 — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 07:52:43 +0000

true that. I’m pretty sure there was an article on the nbc pro college talk about how bad having to play one year of college is for this very reason

By: hojo20

hojo20 — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:04:25 +0000

This isn’t exactly like if Ewing would’ve tore up his knee in the 1985 season. Noel has a way to go to be NBA ready.

By: fanofthegame79

fanofthegame79 — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 19:15:45 +0000

This guy is a defensive player as opposed to Durant being an offensive player, so the extra muscle would help Noel. With that said, a better comparision would be Anthony Davis….which could also use more weight when battling below the boards.

By: sylpkt

sylpkt — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:15:35 +0000

If it is an ACL or something that would require a “redshirt” year and he drops, the Thunder could pick him using the Rapter’s pick they got in the Harden trade. They could allow him to recover, bulk up and learn like they’re doing with PJIII & Lamb.

By: zblott

zblott — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:26:27 +0000

I’ve got to agree. Without going too far into his deficiencies on offense, including the offensive glass, his ability to outplay opposing (or his own team’s) big men has absolutely no correlation with UK winning, which is especially disturbing considering how far below expectations they’re performing this year. If a supposedly elite player’s contributions don’t correlate with his club’s success in any way, then what’s he really worth?

http://www.behindthebasket.com/btb/2013/2/13/nerlens-noel-looking-back-looking-forward.html

By: Maurice Barksdale

Maurice Barksdale — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:24:39 +0000

After an injury like this, I doubt he plays another college game at all. If and when he makes a full recovery, he’ll more than likely still be a top prospect. So no need to jeopardize that any further by continuing to play college ball and risking another injury.

By: elnogo

elnogo — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:04:37 +0000

I think he will have to stay in college another yr.

By: rmfields

rmfields — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:45:30 +0000

Hopefully he’s not out too long. Kentucky is already having a down season, and this certainly doesn’t help.

As for Noel’s NBA future, I can see him being a Marcus Camby-esque style player – big time blocker, top-5 rebounder, and able to put up 11-12 points per game.

By: gpatrick15

gpatrick15 — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:42:32 +0000

He’s what, 18? He’ll be fine. Yeah he may not become a superstar, but he has a very high ceiling, and the right coach can get him to play to his maximum potential. And the 30lbs of extra bulk is nonsense, they said the same thing about Durant and many other skinny guys coming out of college.

By: euromac55

euromac55 — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:29:49 +0000

Let’s be fair here and not even think about the Draft until we know if he’s okay. That’s more important right now. Its painful to see kid’s future possibly be compromised in a split second, whether its athletics or something else. .

By: dexterismyhero

dexterismyhero — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:16:15 +0000

Don’t see this guy as a #1 pick even when healthy. Patrick Young abused him in the post last night. Unless he can put on 30 lbs of pure muscle, he won’t last real long in the NBA. Good luck to him with the injusry and hope it is not very bad.