Nerlens Noel is a KING! One year deal
- Thread starter NewArena
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To be fair, that entire Detroit franchise was pretty much a huge mess from the second they traded for Bagley during the 2021 trade deadline. I didn't really mind the deal for them from a pure "let's take a flier on the guy and see what happens" perspective but the dude got injured almost immediately and didn't look that great when he did play and Troy Weaver signed him to a three season extension anyways while also drafting Duren (which to his credit looks like a massive homerun) and then bringing in Noel via trade.
Obviously as a rebuilding team the Pistons were going to prioritize developing Beef Stew and Duren over playing Noel but I do wonder if Noel wouldn't have ended up in their rotation had Cade not broken his foot a couple of games into the season and essentially turned them into a tanking team by mid-November.
It feels like Detroit may have learned its lesson from the Bagley-for-Lyles trade and simply refused to give away another player to the Kings last season.
Obviously as a rebuilding team the Pistons were going to prioritize developing Beef Stew and Duren over playing Noel but I do wonder if Noel wouldn't have ended up in their rotation had Cade not broken his foot a couple of games into the season and essentially turned them into a tanking team by mid-November.
It feels like Detroit may have learned its lesson from the Bagley-for-Lyles trade and simply refused to give away another player to the Kings last season.
I don't think Detroit was ever really going to be focused on winning games last season. And I don't think they cared that they had (have) too many bigs. All that really matters is finding players long-term who fit well around Cade. So I don't think Noel was ever in the picture for them.
I doubt Bagley, Wiseman, or Hayes will stick around either.
Duren looked good at times. Stewart has played well for them. Ivey wasn't great in Summer League but fits well with Cunningham . So should Ausur Thompson and Marcus Sassed off the bench.
They need more shooting, but they've probably got enough pieces now to shift from strictly being in talent acquisition mode to starting to balance the roster.
I doubt Bagley, Wiseman, or Hayes will stick around either.
Duren looked good at times. Stewart has played well for them. Ivey wasn't great in Summer League but fits well with Cunningham . So should Ausur Thompson and Marcus Sassed off the bench.
They need more shooting, but they've probably got enough pieces now to shift from strictly being in talent acquisition mode to starting to balance the roster.
What I wonder is why didn't they take at least something for Noel rather than letting him walk, esp if he was never in their long term plans? Unless the rumors around Monte trying to acquire him last trade deadline are without substance. Cash considerations weren't enough?
Regardless, we got him on a cheap contract without giving up assets, so I guess we won that "trade". Still, would have been nice to have him help us beat the W's.
Regardless, we got him on a cheap contract without giving up assets, so I guess we won that "trade". Still, would have been nice to have him help us beat the W's.
They should have let him go then... like wtf.. They gain nothing by keeping him.. why not do whats best for the player, whats the risk?
TBF - lets say we got Noel and he played great for us, and we beat the warriors in 6... n then Noel plays great for us in the 2nd rd.... We damn sure aint signing him for 3 million this offseason, he'd have been owed closer to Trey Lyles type of money... So maybe its one of those bullet dodged type scenarios n we dont even know it..
So there's always these like 'split off into alternate reality' scenarios but yeah I dont understand why they wouldnt have done Noel a solid n let him go play when he's in his late 20's looking for a contract.. Seems to me like NBA teams have a solid gentlemans agreement going in situations like that (see Charles Bassey's journey from Philly to San Antonio, thats usually how things go) and far as I can see DET didnt hold up their end of the bargain.. Were they trying to squeeze the Kings for 2nd rd picks which became a non-starter?
TBF - lets say we got Noel and he played great for us, and we beat the warriors in 6... n then Noel plays great for us in the 2nd rd.... We damn sure aint signing him for 3 million this offseason, he'd have been owed closer to Trey Lyles type of money... So maybe its one of those bullet dodged type scenarios n we dont even know it..
So there's always these like 'split off into alternate reality' scenarios but yeah I dont understand why they wouldnt have done Noel a solid n let him go play when he's in his late 20's looking for a contract.. Seems to me like NBA teams have a solid gentlemans agreement going in situations like that (see Charles Bassey's journey from Philly to San Antonio, thats usually how things go) and far as I can see DET didnt hold up their end of the bargain.. Were they trying to squeeze the Kings for 2nd rd picks which became a non-starter?
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I love the optimism in this thread and once upon a time I was a believer. It's hard to see how 9 years and 7 teams into his NBA career Nerlens Noel could still have untapped potential, but as a no-risk signing there's nothing to be mad about here. You couldn't draw up a better scenario for Noel's career than playing for Coach Thibs in New York at age 26 and even for the most defensive-focused coach in the league he saw his role decline until he was eventually benched and salary-dumped. I haven't followed him closely enough to know what's holding him back though. As always with Noel, if he can ever translate his per36 numbers into actual production he'd be a key rotation player.
Thing is though we don't even need that much out of him. I think he's worth that contract if he can come in and play 10 minutes a game in key spots to intimidate around the rim. As long as he's not a complete liability on offense, this is a win.
Upside is he can play a bit more in matchup situations just so we don't get bulldozed by a Walker Kessler or a Looney. That's all we really need out of him.
I think everyone else who acquired him along the way still had hopes that he'd be that high lottery pick defensive savant he was projected to be. Monte is probably taking a much more realistic view. Dude will probably be much happier as well without all that pressure. Let's hope his knees hold up.
Upside is he can play a bit more in matchup situations just so we don't get bulldozed by a Walker Kessler or a Looney. That's all we really need out of him.
I think everyone else who acquired him along the way still had hopes that he'd be that high lottery pick defensive savant he was projected to be. Monte is probably taking a much more realistic view. Dude will probably be much happier as well without all that pressure. Let's hope his knees hold up.
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Sure. Like I sad -- zero risk. He fills a need as a proven shot blocker at the NBA level and he's cheap. I think it's safe to say that he's not going to transform himself into a Rudy Gobert level stopper in his 10th season or anything, but if he can give us 10-20 minutes a game of solid defensive roleplaying that's well worth what he cost. I do think it's an open question whether he will be any better than Neemias Queta would have been in the same amount of minutes but Monte McNair and company have seen a whole lot of Queta over the last 2 years and don't seem committed to the idea of giving him any guaranteed minutes on the Kings so I guess we'll just have to trust their judgement on this.
Yeah, I'm not convinced this is him stepping into an everyday role at the back-up 5. I think this is more about filling out the bench with a big we can rely on if Domas does go down. Before Noel, literally just Domas/Lyles/Len as actual bigs on the roster.
We paid Lyles and Vezenkov. I just don't see either of them getting there minutes cut in lieu of 2 vet min centers. Not to mention, we traded 2 actual seconds for Duarte and traded up for Jones; if Noel is in the everyday rotation, those dudes don't have any means of getting on the floor.
We paid Lyles and Vezenkov. I just don't see either of them getting there minutes cut in lieu of 2 vet min centers. Not to mention, we traded 2 actual seconds for Duarte and traded up for Jones; if Noel is in the everyday rotation, those dudes don't have any means of getting on the floor.
Noel & Len combined would be very literally the best defensive player in the game really … so I love the versatility of having 2 guys behind Sabonis known for defense. Noel is elite as a disrupter defensively, pick and roll defender, quick on feet, etc. Len is elite at post defense, interior shot blocking, deterring shots, etc.
I think Kings really need to prioritize defense from the 5 man behind Sabonis so great to have 2 guys to turn to for that role, in case of injury or just for competition really too.
I think Kings really need to prioritize defense from the 5 man behind Sabonis so great to have 2 guys to turn to for that role, in case of injury or just for competition really too.
ehh maybe “very good” is a better term. But in terms of post defense, I think Len is definitely top 5 in the nba and “elite” in that regards though. Always in great positioning, elite size, agile enough for 7-2, etc. You’d be hard pressed to pick another couple guys over him if told “pick a guy to defend a valincunis, Sabonis, Jokic, Embiid post up”. Interior shot blocking / rim protection he’s probably top 10. Noel’s top 10 in some aspects of defense as well.
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You really like Len lol
I think you're overrating him by a substantial amount. Unfortunately post up defense isn't needed much anymore. Len can get some stops in the paint but he also fouls at a very high rate. Advanced stats have Noel as a far superior defender by a mile. Hopefully he isn't cooked and can at least play 2/3rd the season.
I think you're overrating him by a substantial amount. Unfortunately post up defense isn't needed much anymore. Len can get some stops in the paint but he also fouls at a very high rate. Advanced stats have Noel as a far superior defender by a mile. Hopefully he isn't cooked and can at least play 2/3rd the season.
I love Len as a situational player. He can ride the line for stretches, yet still be ready to contribute when called upon And he can add a level of needed physicality when the Kings are being pushed around. Plus - he seems like a good professional and teammate.
Noel is a much more dynamic player - and could be the lob threat that Metu provided last season (with hopefully much better rim protection). But I have no idea how committed Noel is to winning in Sac.
Noel is a much more dynamic player - and could be the lob threat that Metu provided last season (with hopefully much better rim protection). But I have no idea how committed Noel is to winning in Sac.
