Noc at the 2 position?

by leeac on Dec 4, 2006 5:57 PM CST

i apologize in advance if this sounds completely ludicrous, but after watching noc's defensive ability, i get the feeling that he can guard the 2 position. he's not the quickest guy on the court, but recovers quickly and seems to perpetually disrupt the person he's defending. this, coupled with his newfound scoring ability, has lead me to wonder on several occasions if he could actually play the 2 position consistently, or if he would get into foul trouble early and/ or tire on the offensive end. he appears to be confident with his outside shots, and isn't exactly shy on pulling the trigger, and with his size, i'm sure he could post up smaller guards on mismatches, and could adequately defend the position. the only real concern would be his perceived lack of dribbling skill... but i don't think the bulls would ask him to bring the ball down the court much if hinrich or duhon were in the game. the odd man off the bench, of course, would be b-jizzle, who appears, from recent performance, to be successful coming off the bench, or duhon.

this question is posed purely to pick brains, and not to suggest that any lineup changes be made this year... i would like to know your thoughts on noc, and if you feel he is athletic enough to play a combo 2/3 game instead of the 3/4 game, and if you feel he could contribute at that position on this team... or if you feel he would get abused at that position (and why). i'm not sure if it would be of much help on this year's team, but theorizing we pick up a 'big' via trade this year or in the draft next year, i wouldn't mind trying him at the 2 in order to keep him on the first team with hinrich, deng and wallace. of course some of the floor 'leadership' would be reduced if duhon didn't start, but isn't that what captain kirk is there for?

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Noc too slow and bad handles

Noc and Deng both are too slow to play the 2 regularly, especially with the trend toward smaller faster 2s. Noc is actually a horrible perimeter defender. Noc is a strong straight line player, but he lacks the lateral quickness necessary to be a perimeter defender. Moving him away from the hoop, hurts his one defense skill (besides simply irritating people) taking charges. His ballhandling is also too weak to play many minutes at the 2. He can drive against slower 3s and 4s, but he would never be able to get to the basket versus 2s.

by Scotter on Dec 4, 2006 6:15 PM CST reply actions

I like Thabo at the 2

by joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever on Dec 4, 2006 10:14 PM CST reply actions

No.

And why?

by Eddy Currys Broken Heart on Dec 4, 2006 11:32 PM CST reply actions

I only read the bold print too

this question is posed purely to pick brains...

by Paxson Jackson @ Blog a Bull on Dec 5, 2006 12:28 AM CST up reply actions

What the hell is the point then?

Here, I'll play.

Can Hinrich play center? He seems to be very physical for a PG and would be a touch matchup for bigger players on the perimeter.

Answer: no. That was fun.

by Eddy Currys Broken Heart on Dec 5, 2006 3:38 PM CST up reply actions

i...

... imagine that just because you read a post should not mean that you comprehend it.

by leeac on Dec 5, 2006 7:30 PM CST up reply actions

I'm pretty sure I got it.

And you're right, it was completely ludicrous. So we agree.

by Eddy Currys Broken Heart on Dec 5, 2006 10:51 PM CST up reply actions

hmmm...

...well, based on the well thought out question in your first response, it sounded like either you didn't read the entire post, or you wanted someone to spoon feed the meaning to you. i was hoping it was the former and not the latter.

by leeac on Dec 5, 2006 11:55 PM CST up reply actions

Sorry if I wasn't clear.

The "why" in my first post was more of a "why would you bother suggesting this, it's silly if you think about it for half a second" than a "why would the Bulls consider this intriguing idea."

by Eddy Currys Broken Heart on Dec 6, 2006 2:14 PM CST up reply actions

Speaking of Noc

I just read this arguement on SI.com.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/jack_mccallum/12/05/choosing.sides/index.html

This is the worst arguement I've ever read. Haslem over Nocioni?! Laugh away.

by Option27 on Dec 5, 2006 11:27 AM CST reply actions

Not a guard

Nocioni is too slow to defend the guard position - watch him guard quicker players

and he's not a post up player or that much taller then some of the bigger 2s to give an advantage on offensive end - plus he is not a ballhandler which Bulls need at 2 for their motion offense to work

by NY Chicago Fan on Dec 5, 2006 11:35 AM CST reply actions

BREAKING NEWS :

Noc is going to have an MRI today on his hip. Let's hope for the best.

by Option27 on Dec 5, 2006 11:47 AM CST reply actions

Noce not a 2

Noce had trouble last night gaurding Paul Pierce. I would not want to see him on a quick 2 gaurd who could shoot. On the other hand, Deng did a VERY good job gaurding PP. Keep them both as combo forwards.

by Jesse07 on Dec 5, 2006 2:23 PM CST reply actions