Rondo V. Nolen

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scher215

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When Tubby first started coaching Al Nolen, he compared him to Rajon Rondo. Currently the PG for the Boston Celtics.

Just wanted to, with Al's play so far, revisit this comparison.

Per Game statistics for their college career (through the West Virgina game for MN)

Rajon Rondo
PPG: 9.6
APG: 4.2
RPG: 4.5
FG%: 49.3
3PT%: 28.2
FT%: 57.6
SPG: 2.3
TPG: 2.2

Al Nolen
PPG: 5.9
APG: 4.1
RPG: 2.9
FG%: 34.6
3PT%: 31.0
FT%: 72.8
SPG: 2.1
TPG: 1.8

Clearly, Rondo was still the better college player (and had a better supporting cast for his two years in college) but I think Al is starting to get there. The career numbers are not that far off (other than points and rebounds) but this year so far (it is only 5 games) Al is starting to score more and shoot more efficiently. His numbers so far this year (again, ONLY 5 GAMES - things could certainly change) are approaching Rondo levels.

Looks like Tubby may have been correct in his comparison.

Also, with all of the "NBA talk" Devoe, Ralph, Blake, and Rodney have been getting ... does anyone see the NBA as a possability for Al Nolen if he continues to play well this season?
 

Nolen is sort of like a poorer shooting version Rondo, which isn't that much of a complement since Rondo isn't a very good shooter.
 

Personally I don't think Al sniffs the NBA, his offensive game is broke other than being able to drive to the hole and shoot free throws, which he did exceptionally well against West Virginia. Rondo is still superior defensively

Blake and the NBA...lights out shooter, but again I just don't see it

Rodney...has potential but clearly isn't living up to the hype by any stretch of the imagination, quite frankly I'm having doubts that he ever will with his lack of improvement. Not saying that he won't be a productive NBA player, but he has a long ways to go!

Sampson...has work to do but it's a possibility, I like Iverson's chances a little better for the simple fact he is much more physical

Devoe and Mbakwe are clearly the most ready NBA prospects.
 

Eye of the Gopher said:
Not a chance in hell Al sniffs the NBA, his offensive game is broke other than being able to drive to the hole and shoot free throws, which he did exceptionally well against West Virginia. Rondo is still superior defensively

Blake and the NBA...lights out shooter, but again no chance

Rodney...has potential but clearly isn't living up to the hype by any stretch of the imagination, quite frankly I'm having doubts that he ever will with his lack of improvement.

Sampson...has work to do but it's a possibility

Devoe and Mbakwe are the most ready NBA prospects.
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If Kevin Burleson can "sniff" the NBA, I believe Al can too.
 

GopherFB said:
Nolen is sort of like a poorer shooting version Rondo, which isn't that much of a complement since Rondo isn't a very good shooter.
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I guess I kind of ignore their shooting because neither can hit jumpers. Both are horrible jump shooters, and I'd say hit the wide open jumper with the same consistancy (in fact, Al has a better college 3Pt% than Rondo did) Rondo's jumper at least looks better though.

I was even surprised how close their assist, steal, and turnover numbers are. Rondo just seemed to get to the hoop and score more. Al has had difficulty finishing at the hoop, hopefully that is something that changes this season as it appears his scoring has gone up.
 


Juicer said:
If Kevin Burleson can "sniff" the NBA, I believe Al can too.
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I wouldn't doubt Al gets a tryout with the T'Wolves, Blake probably will too, seems pretty standard for Gopher players. I am sure there are NBA teams though that could use a PG with Al's quickness and defense. Would he keep a roster spot with those skills? I don't know. But I could see him getting a shot at least.

However, if the Gophers make a nice tourney run with Al as their PG and scoring 10 PPG and all other numbers the same, I think he might increase his chances quite a bit.
 

Eye of the Gopher said:
Devoe and Mbakwe are clearly the most ready NBA prospects.
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I'd agree on Trevor, but I don't understand how Devoe is even a remotely "ready" NBA prospect:

For his position, he's undersized, not very athletic, doesn't shoot a great percentage, doesn't have blow-by speed off the dribble, and isn't physical. Couple that with his very average defense, I don't see how Joseph has a shot at making any NBA roster as his skill set stands today.

At this point, Nolen has a better chance of making a roster IMO than Joseph, based on his speed, ability to create, and defense.
 

Eye of the Gopher said:
Not a chance Al sniffs the NBA, his offensive game is broke other than being able to drive to the hole and shoot free throws, which he did exceptionally well against West Virginia. Rondo is still superior defensively

Blake and the NBA...lights out shooter, but again not happening

Rodney...has potential but clearly isn't living up to the hype by any stretch of the imagination, quite frankly I'm having doubts that he ever will with his lack of improvement.

Sampson...has work to do but it's a possibility, I like Iverson's chances a little better for the simple fact he is much more physical

Devoe and Mbakwe are the most ready NBA prospects.
Click to expand...

The way Mbakwe is starting the season he may be in the NBA next year. Devoe, clearly has a chance as well, but right now Mbakwe is getting a lot attention. I think Mbakwe will need to be a better shooter to get drafted in round 1, but he's got the make up that someone will draft him in the 2nd. That's assuming he continues to do what he'd doing.
 

I think we all need to calm down here. I love Nolen, but let's not compare him to Rondo...one of the top 5-7 PGs on the planet. One of, if not the best passer on the planet.

Mbakwe is a beast and he's an awesome college player with definite pro potential but he's not nearly ready. He needs to develop his footwork in the post, a jump shot with decent range and work on his perimeter defense...I'm sure he'd be the first one to tell you that.

I think you are all underestimating how skilled NBA players are...there are 7 foot centers in the league who are better shooters than Blake.
 




Dirk Diggler said:
I think we all need to calm down here. I love Nolen, but let's not compare him to Rondo...one of the top 5-7 PGs on the planet. One of, if not the best passer on the planet.

Mbakwe is a beast and he's an awesome college player with definite pro potential but he's not nearly ready. He needs to develop his footwork in the post, a jump shot with decent range and work on his perimeter defense...I'm sure he'd be the first one to tell you that.

I think you are all underestimating how skilled NBA players are...there are 7 foot centers in the league who are better shooters than Blake.
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Blake is one of those roleplayers though. I think you underestimate his shooting a bit. There may be a few 7 footer in the NBA that can shoot better but that's not the norm. Blake is good enough that he might get a shot to try out for some teams and possibly be a roleplayer that comes off of the bench for some outside shooting. He's clearly not athletic enough or big enough to be a starter at SG or even warrant a lot of court time.

I don't think he'll be drafted but he'll get plenty of attention in tryouts. Anyone who can get a shot off that fast and accurately will at least get some looks.
 

Dirk Diggler said:
I think we all need to calm down here. I love Nolen, but let's not compare him to Rondo...one of the top 5-7 PGs on the planet. One of, if not the best passer on the planet.
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I brought up the comparison because when Tubby first arrived here, it was in fact him, who compared Nolen to Rondo.

I took it a step further and decided to compare their career numbers and see what they looked like. I did not expect them to be as close as they even are and Rondo is definitley a top PG these days, I was comparing their college careers.

Dirk Diggler said:
I think you are all underestimating how skilled NBA players are...there are 7 foot centers in the league who are better shooters than Blake.
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I agree fully that NBA players are definitley pretty talented, but where do most NBA players come from? Believe it or not, it's college! From such Universities as Kentucky, Duke, UNC, Minnesota, Davidson, Ohio State and many more.

BTW, there are also DII and DIII players who shoot better than Blake.

I wasn't trying to turn this in to (another) thread beating to death if Blake can make it in the NBA or Devoe or Trevor, we've talked about them. Merely stating that Tubby once compared Al Nolen to Rondo. And their numbers are fairly similar (Rondo stil better though) so I was wondering people's thoughts on Al's chances if Rondo earned a first round draft spot with only slightly better numbers.
 

I think the real meaningful comparisons are being left-out in this thread. The quickness of Rondo is almost beyond comparison. His passing (no-look) to the open man is incredible, too. He sees the entire court so quickly. Points and rebounds matter, but his quickness and vision are what sets Rondo apart and kept him in the NBA until he learned to shoot from the field and FT line. Al is quick, but not nearly as quick as Rondo. I hope Al gets a shot at the NBA, but he'll have to go with more skills. I would like a real one-on-one comparison of Rondo and John Wall, after John gets some experience in the NBA. I watched them both play in college. I think John Wall is quicker, but Rondo sees the court better.
 



CollegeBBallFan said:
I think the real meaningful comparisons are being left-out in this thread. The quickness of Rondo is almost beyond comparison. His passing (no-look) to the open man is incredible, too. He sees the entire court so quickly. Points and rebounds matter, but his quickness and vision are what sets Rondo apart and kept him in the NBA until he learned to shoot from the field and FT line. Al is quick, but not nearly as quick as Rondo. I hope Al gets a shot at the NBA, but he'll have to go with more skills. I would like a real one-on-one comparison of Rondo and John Wall, after John gets some experience in the NBA. I watched them both play in college. I think John Wall is quicker, but Rondo sees the court better.
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Agree 110%

I think you can tell with Rondo (at least today, I admitedly did not watch him in college at all) via the "eye test" that he is a much better PG than Al.

I was simply, as stated before, going off of a Tubby Smith made comparison, looking at their numbers, and seeing (since the numbers are fairly close) if Al might have a shot at the NBA as well. Not necessarily getting drafted or starting or anything like that, but is he a player that could get some chances, and he will definitley (I think) at least get a tryout with the Wolves as most Gophers do.

This is a guy though who played pretty quality defense on Evan Turner and other current and future NBA players during his career. Al is one of the few "true" PG's in college basketball though, which is why I think he has some chance to at least make a summer leauge team.
 

Rondo is extremely long armed and is really a great athlete. Nolen is quick and strong but Rondo is one of the top 5 athletes in the NBA along with Rose, Wall, Wade and Bron IMO. Nolen also has never been able to score in the paint which Rondo has always been able to do. Nolen is a good college PG who will play pro ball somewhere but not very comparable to Rondo talent wise
 

ShowinGoldyLove said:
I'd agree on Trevor, but I don't understand how Devoe is even a remotely "ready" NBA prospect:

For his position, he's undersized, not very athletic, doesn't shoot a great percentage, doesn't have blow-by speed off the dribble, and isn't physical. Couple that with his very average defense, I don't see how Joseph has a shot at making any NBA roster as his skill set stands today.

At this point, Nolen has a better chance of making a roster IMO than Joseph, based on his speed, ability to create, and defense.
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You make a valid argument
 

Eye of the Gopher said:
Personally I don't think Al sniffs the NBA, his offensive game is broke other than being able to drive to the hole and shoot free throws, which he did exceptionally well against West Virginia. Rondo is still superior defensively

Blake and the NBA...lights out shooter, but again I just don't see it

Rodney...has potential but clearly isn't living up to the hype by any stretch of the imagination, quite frankly I'm having doubts that he ever will with his lack of improvement. Not saying that he won't be a productive NBA player, but he has a long ways to go!

Sampson...has work to do but it's a possibility, I like Iverson's chances a little better for the simple fact he is much more physical

Devoe and Mbakwe are clearly the most ready NBA prospects.
Click to expand...

Eric Snow from MSU had a long productive NBA career & made Nolen look like Larry Bird in terms of shooting.

Blake, not happening imo. Lot's of good shooters in the NBA & many of them casn create their own shot & play man defense, Blake can't.

Rodney will play in the NBA. Book it. It's a league mostly unconcerned with fundamentals & all about athleticism & highlight reel dunks. Even if he's not fully developed by that time, some team will take him for his athletic ability & hope he can learn at the end of an NBA bench.

Sampson will play in the NBA. A 6'10" player who can run the floor, shoot the J & swat balls on D will find a spot for himself as a role player.

Iverson will play in the NBA. You can't coach size & you can't coach attitude, Colt's got them both. I LOVE the half smirk he walks around with & his body language that says "get the hell out of my way punk". I've said it for some time now, he's going to end up the guy every other team loves to hate, our Bill Laimbeer. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone take a poke at him this season. There's no doubt other teams are going to resent all those horses manhandling them on their own court & Colt's the mostly likely to get sucker punched imo..

Devoe....I'm not sold on Devoe as an NBA player yet. At 6'3" 179lbs he's no 2 in the NBA & he's not quick/strong enough to be a natural 1 either. Where does that leave him?

Trevor is an NBA player, period.
 

I love, love, love Blake. There is zero chance of him playing in the NBA, imo.
 



I love your enthusiasm, but there's no way that Rodney, Ralph, Williams, and Trevor play in the NBA. They can certainly all play in the d-league and some can make rosters, but no way they all actually get minutes in NBA regular season games imo (unless they all get a lot better).

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Eric Snow from MSU had a long productive NBA career & made Nolen look like Larry Bird in terms of shooting.

Blake, not happening imo. Lot's of good shooters in the NBA & many of them casn create their own shot & play man defense, Blake can't.

Rodney will play in the NBA. Book it. It's a league mostly unconcerned with fundamentals & all about athleticism & highlight reel dunks. Even if he's not fully developed by that time, some team will take him for his athletic ability & hope he can learn at the end of an NBA bench.

Sampson will play in the NBA. A 6'10" player who can run the floor, shoot the J & swat balls on D will find a spot for himself as a role player.

Iverson will play in the NBA. You can't coach size & you can't coach attitude, Colt's got them both. I LOVE the half smirk he walks around with & his body language that says "get the hell out of my way punk". I've said it for some time now, he's going to end up the guy every other team loves to hate, our Bill Laimbeer. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone take a poke at him this season. There's no doubt other teams are going to resent all those horses manhandling them on their own court & Colt's the mostly likely to get sucker punched imo..

Devoe....I'm not sold on Devoe as an NBA player yet. At 6'3" 179lbs he's no 2 in the NBA & he's not quick/strong enough to be a natural 1 either. Where does that leave him?

Trevor is an NBA player, period.
Click to expand...
 

I'd love to see Al get a chance in the NBA, but unless he magically gets a LOT better at shooting and finishing at the basket, he doesn't really have much of a chance. If he were either 1) 2/3 inches taller 2) super athletic (jumping wise) or 3) a much better shooter/finisher, he'd have a chance. Obviously those are all huge aspects, but if he just had one of them, I think he'd at least be drafted based on potential. College-wise, he's an elite defender, he has an elite first step and ability to beat his man, he has as much heart as anyone, and he has pretty damn good handles. Unfortunately it's hard to imagine he'll ever play in the NBA. His shooting and finishing near the basket will prevent him. I think he's more of an NBA prospect than Devoe. Nolen could at least be an average defender in the NBA. Players would blow by Devoe every time and he isn't THAT good offensively to make up for his athletic ability/quickness/defense.
 

Athleticism and quickness are the prime talents for the NBA. It is really a one on one league, or pick and roll league. That's why college is so much better. Having said that I would say the best bets to play long years in the NBA are: Rodney, Trevor, Sampson, then Al. I really don't think Devoe does it unless he becomes a lights out offensive player like Stephon Curry because he doesnt have the athleticism. An exception to the athleticsm rule would be someone like Colt who has the strength and attitude to be an enforcer, post scorer off the bench. On another note, if Chip learns to play the point and Hollins puts on 20 lbs they have potential also.
 

underground629 said:
I love your enthusiasm, but there's no way that Rodney, Ralph, Williams, and Trevor play in the NBA. They can certainly all play in the d-league and some can make rosters, but no way they all actually get minutes in NBA regular season games imo (unless they all get a lot better).
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Just curious. Do you think that Rodney and Williams could end up on the same NBA roster?
 

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