Joakim Noah is strange.? He doesn’t like haircuts, he hates losing, and apparently he hates Michael Jordan.? “I hated Michael Jordan.” Noah told the press on Friday while talking about his days growing up as a Knicks fan.

Noah, who is projected to go in the top ten in the draft, is heavily rumored to be going to the Bulls at the ninth overall pick.? The irony of the situation?? The Bulls got the pick from the Knicks in the Eddy Curry trade.? How sweet irony is.

It’s no secret that he may be the most emotional and passionate player in the draft.? And while many people, myself included, criticize him for disappearing during games, his emotion and intensity is never lost on the court.? That passion is what will make him millions of dollars in the NBA, and for comedys sake lets hope it’s for a team that he watched dismantle his Knicks year after year in the playoffs during the 1990’s.

I don’t fault Noah for hating Jordan, especially since he seems like the kind of kid who would throw things at the television?while Jordan was burying jumpers over Glen Rice and Allan Houston.? I have my certain hatred for players in sports, and it has nothing to do with my lack of respect for their talent.? Isn’t that what makes a rivalry?? Red Sox fans hate Mariano Rivera with a passion, but I’d be willing to bet if you asked a Sox fan if Rivera was one of the best closers of all-time the answer would be yes.? Millions of people hate Alex Rodriguez but that doesn’t detract from the respect he gets around the league and the fact that he is certainly one of the best hitters in the game right now.? The same applies for Jordan.

Show me where it says that everyone must like Jordan (who is addicted to gambling but we won’t get into that.? so much for a role model) and I’ll show you a fat lie.? Hating players is what builds rivalries and what makes competition so great.? It’s the respect that comes with the hate that makes one’s opinion about a player worthwhile.? Yes, Noah hates Jordan, but I’d be willing to bet you that he respects Jordan more than any other player to ever step on the hard wood.? That’s just the way it works.