June 8, Noah and Hawes workout for Bulls

Noah and Hawes to visit the Bulls June 8
New! The Chicago Bulls will hold private individual workouts for draft prospects beginning June 7 at the Berto Center. On Thursday, Thaddeus Young (Georgia Tech), Javaris Crittenton (Georgia Tech) and Acie Law (Texas A&M) will work out. Other scheduled workouts include Joakim Noah (Florida) and Spencer Hawes (Washington) on Friday (June 8), Corey Brewer (Florida) and Al Thornton (Florida State) on Monday (June 11), and Wilson Chandler (DePaul) and Jared Dudley (Boston College) on Thursday (June 14). Visit Bulls.com for the launch of Bulls Draft Central on Monday.

Bulls may not go by the book in draft
Scheduled workouts not just for big men
By K.C. Johnson

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Still, any way you slice it, Friday at the Berto Center will be a big deal for the Bulls, emphasis on big.

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The Bulls liked Noah enough after his sophomore season last year that they might have used the second overall pick on the eventual two-time NCAA champion.

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"Chicago would be a good fit," Hawes told reporters last week at the predraft camp in Orlando.

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Those workouts give credence to Paxson's declaration from May 21:

"I'm not committing that if we stay with our pick we'll necessarily take a big. There might be another player we want and a way to move some players we currently have to address [getting one]."

riv' wrote:I want Noah !

He has French origins, this is why we speak about the Bulls in my country,
and it is obviously a good player.

Notes and Observations
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Here's what happened:

-- Noah and Taylor teamed up against Hawes and Neal in a game of 2v2, with Wolves general manager Jim Stack running the show (while Wittman, Bob Ociepka, Kevin McHale, Rob Babcock and Fred Hoiberg looked on). Whoever scored two buckets first would be the winner.

-- On the first possession, Taylor provided the entry pass for a flashing Noah, who gave Hawes a terrific up-and-under move for a bucket. However, Neal countered with a nice look to Hawes, who finished underneath, and then dished back out to the Towson guard for a three to win it.

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-- While his team lost, Noah showed that all of the buzz regarding his work ethic is certainly not without reason. He was literally all over the court, doing a little bit of everything, including knocking down jumpers despite his awkward-looking form. Furthermore, his intensity isn't exhibited solely through physicality; after missing the chance for an offensive board on a Taylor miss, he screamed "Two hands!" at himself. There's no way he isn't effective in the NBA ... he does too many things well and is already a terrific "glue guy."

-- Noah and Taylor got their revenge when Stack and Hoiberg switched the drill to a controlled (three-dribble max) high pick-and-roll set in which the first team to five took the cake. Taylor showed his explosiveness getting to the rim despite the dribble restriction, and won it for Noah after the UF grad earned an extra possession with a terrific leaping save when most would have given up on the play.

-- The final drill of the day featured the two guards taking on the two bigs 1v1. Essentially, Taylor or Neal would start with the ball at half court with the bigs waiting in the lane. If the bigs got a stop and secured the rebound, it was a point for them, and if the guards scored, they likewise got a point. Taylor struggled to find the hole in this particular drill, and both Noah and Hawes showed strong defensive presence in the lane to emerge with a 5-3 victory. While Hawes is just 19, he has terrific feet and hands, and has all of the skills you look for in a big man. It might take a year or two, but just like Noah, it's hard not to think he'll be a good pro. Finally, don't sleep on Neal just because you haven't heard of him. He has some serious game.

Wolves Head Coach Randy Wittman

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Q: On what he looks for from a player like Joakim Noah:
Wittman: I just think that with the game is evolving a little bit, we've seen how the people in the West are playing and we're looking to become bigger and more athletic. Obviously that's what Spencer [Hawes] and Joakim provide. Spencer being a younger guy with a great ability to score in the low post and has good feet; he's a young kid that has to continue to work on his strength. Joakim is a guy that's tall, athletic and does all the intangibles -- he runs, defends and rebounds, all those little things that a coach likes.

Q: On Noah's winning background:
Wittman: Obviously he is a winner. To do what that team did back-to-back, it hasn't happened since 1991-92 and there's a reason why it was that way: It's hard to do. You've got to look at that group of (Florida) players there and know that they're winners.

Q: On whether or not Hawes has received too much criticism for his lack of agility:
Wittman: Absolutely. He's got great feet and hands, and like I said, it's just a matter of his body maturing as he continues to get older. He's going to be a good player in our league.

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Q: On Noah's size and skills:
Wittman: He's a guy that has great size, and along with that size, (he has) athletic ability. He's a freak a little bit in that nature in terms of what he can be. He could be one of the great runners in our league up and down the floor, and he has the ability to guard any position. They had a lot of switching and pick-and-rolls at Florida where he was put on the point guard, and he has the ability to move with his feet and rebound and defend. Those intangibles are things that coaches love, and you'd love to have a player that's capable of doing all those things while playing multiple positions. Those are the things that make your team better.

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