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Final Four swatters have bright futures
by Dennis Hans / April 4, 2006

Of all the competitors at the NCAA Final Four, Florida’s Joakim Noah –the MVP in the Gators’ winning finale – and LSU’s Tyrus Thomas have the brightest NBA futures. The only question is whether the active, entertaining swatters will start their pro career in 2006 or return to school for another season or two.

The long, lean Noah reminds me of Andrei Kirilenko in physique, movement, so-so shot, and the ability to fill up the stats sheet. Like the Jazz star, he passes and handles the ball well, racks up points in the flow of the offense, is very easy to play with, and can guard multiple positions.

Yes, it wouldn’t hurt if Noah were stronger, but if he’s as smart as he seems to be he’ll ignore the frequently offered advice to bulk up. Wiry strong is fine, but basketball is a game of movement. What makes Noah special is his lightning quick reflexes and hops. (He’s not a skywalker, but he’s quick off his feet and has impeccable timing.) Noah’s role models should be Kirilenko, Marcus Camby, Shawn Marion, Larry Nance and Bill Russell – splendid splinters who make (or made) a point of staying thin. The 220-pound Russell wouldn’t have been a 43-minute a game monster in his 13th and final season if he were lugging around a lot of extra weight.

Tyrus Thomas is going to be a great pro. It’s unfortunate that his first and perhaps only trip to the Final Four was ruined by an overly cautious coach and foul trouble, which limited him to 17 frustrating minutes in the most important game of his life. This is a constant for active big men in the NCAA, who often face the choice of playing all-out and risking spending half the game on the bench, or playing cautiously or (in Jai Lewis’s case) just one end of the floor to ensure 35 minutes of court time. Frankly, I’m sick of writing about the topic, but any league with a lick of sense will have a system of rules that makes it easy for good, clean players to play full-bore for a full game. There’s a long list of terrific power players whose trip to the Final Four was ruined by foul trouble. That shouldn’t affect Thomas’s top-five draft position, should he declare.

Like Noah, Thomas is a splendid swatter. He’s a more explosive leaper than Noah – Thomas reminds me of Ben Wallace and Theo Ratliff – and a better rebounder. He might challenge Jeff Foster and Reggie Evans in the annual rebounds-per-minute race. Thomas looks to be a work in progress on offense, which is what one expects of a red-shirt freshman. But he’s quick to the hoop and appears to have a decent stroke that will only get better. He’ll be a factor at both ends of the court.

Thomas’s teammate Glen “Big Baby” Davis is leaning toward returning to LSU. He should. Right now he’s a borderline NBA prospect. I’m not sure he has the quickness to be a force in the league, even if he drops 30-40 pounds and gets in great shape. But that’s what he needs to do to give himself a chance.

Al Horford, another Gator sophomore with a knack for blocking shots, has the potential to be a starting NBA power forward down the road. But he’d be wise to stay at Florida at least another season. He appears to
have more raw talent than another Gator who’s already proven himself at the pro level – Udonis Haslem.

Wing man Corey Brewer looks to be cut from the same cloth as Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels. He should follow their lead and stay in school. (None of the Gator underclassmen, Noah included, would be hurt by another year of coaching by Billy Donovan and his staff, who obviously excel at player development, given the performance especially of the sophomore class.)

I wouldn’t write off Jai Lewis just yet. As noted above, he plays passive defense by design: to keep his big backside on the court. It was a good strategy for George Mason, but it makes it hard to evaluate his pro potential. His great hands excite NFL scouts, who see him as a tight end prospect. But if the NBA is not in his future, the likely flaw will be a lack of defensive mobility and quickness.

UCLA’s Jordan Farmar is a sleek, complete point guard who looks just as comfortable at off guard. He reminds me of Kirk Hinrich, though he’s not yet an NBA-quality shooter and probably can’t match Kirk’s lateral quickness. That could be a problem at the NBA’s quickest position, whether he leaves school now or, if he’s smart, later. He might find his niche in the NBA as a combo guard off the bench – or overseas as a crowd-pleasing scoring point guard a la Mike D’Antoni. Farmar might find the latter much more satisfying than a career playing garbage-time minutes in the NBA.

Dennis Hans’s essays on basketball — including the styles, rhythms and fundamentals of free-throw shooting — have appeared online at the Sporting News and Slate. His writings on other topics have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and Miami Herald, among other outlets.

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