A closer look at Harrison Barnes

RikSmits said:

This piece in the Sam Amick article bugged me.

After the whole LBJ drama, do you really want to bring on this guy and his brand-awareness?
I'd prefer Beal and MKG by a mile, Robinson by a full yard and will even throw the dice at Drummond before taking on this guy.

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Like LBJ, Barnes apparently does enjoy a little theatrics:

Harrison Barnes commits to UNC.mp4 - YouTube

For those who don't want to watch the video, he announced his college decision by 'Skyping' the coach of the team that he chose, which was Roy Williams of UNC. I personally don't care for the theatrics, but I know alot of kids get into it nowadays. One thing I noticed is Barnes looks noticeable thinner & more athletic in those prep videos. He seems to have lost some quickness & athleticism when he bulked up in college.

By comparison, MKG announced his decision by phone:

Michael Gilchrist Commits - YouTube

"Boobie" Gibson said:

[video=youtube;SSu2t7-CijU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSu2t7-CijU[/video]

I do like the high release, and while he isn't lightning quick, his first step isn't as bad as a lot of you make it out to be.

I think when someone says something on this board, other posters will just take it as fact.

One concern I have is his size, he seems to be built like a SG instead of a SF, but I don't think that really matters all too much at this point.

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I watch NC a lot,they're one of my favorite college teams..I saw too many times when Barnes tried to drive ,he was out of control and lost the handle, or simply ran into a defender.
His first step isn't always what concerns me,it's what comes after that first step..that HL reel isn't going to show that,you have to watch the games.

Gimme Some Mo said:

Man.... If we draft this guy, I will be pissed. I am so convinced that this guy is going to be nothing more than a role player in the NBA. It is painful trying to watch this guy dribble a basketball. A 6'8 version of Boobie Gibson. Joy!

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I'm not Barnes' biggest fan, but his ball handling will not hinder him as much as Boobie at all. Boobie is a PG who is supposed to initiate and create offense. This will not be asked of Barnes. Not all that many SF's have elite ball handling ability. He will be asked to finish plays...open jumpers, one dribble pull ups, post ups, cuts, and beating defensive rotations by driving to the rim. He will be able to do all of these things, as well as defend.

Again he's not my top choice, but don't underestimate that he does have game and would complement Kyrie well.

RikSmits said:

This piece in the Sam Amick article bugged me.



After the whole LBJ drama, do you really want to bring on this guy and his brand-awareness?
I'd prefer Beal and MKG by a mile, Robinson by a full yard and will even throw the dice at Drummond before taking on this guy.

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You're right and you're wrong.

Brand awareness, ego, etc are all reasonably common among the top flight prospects (though to varying degrees). Bringing on a guy like that is fine if his talent justifies it. In this specific case, it does not.

SixStringAxis said:

His first step is just too slow. He will be a good crafty scorer and shooter from the perimeter for a SF.. but without that explosiveness you need at SF in the NBA, he wont get easy buckets. He will end up shooting a low fg%. His footspeed defending is better but hes not super tough on that side of the ball.

If he could do something else really well, maybe be a tough defender, a good passer when he gets in trouble.. I would really like him.

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Paul Pierce begs to differ... Right now at his age and out of his prime, yes he has lost a step but he still gets easy buckets and is still effective. Not trying to be a dick, but you don't have to be explosive to be effective. As long as you can do other things well to above average.

He's a less athletic Wes Johnson.

I just have this awful feeling that Barnes is going to be the pick. It's going to set the franchise back 2-3 years if they do it...

If we pick this kid then I hope we trade Kyrie. Why waste his talents.

Mdog1 said:

If we pick this kid then I hope we trade Kyrie. Why waste his talents.

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Only on a cleveland forum.........

Why does 90% of the people on this forum NOT like Barnes. He's an all-around player. If he improves his 3-point shot consistency and left handed ball handling, he will be great for Cleveland. I see him at worst, Luol Deng, and at best a Carmelo Anthony (expect not as clutch and better defense) but we have Kyrie for clutch time. I think as long as Kyrie makes All-Star squad, Barnes will make the All-Star Bench. He's for sure gonna be a 2nd Rookie team (if not 1st)

TrueCavsFan2 said:

Why does 90% of the people on this forum NOT like Barnes. He's an all-around player. If he improves his 3-point shot consistency and left handed ball handling, he will be great for Cleveland. I see him at worst, Luol Deng, and at best a Carmelo Anthony (expect not as clutch and better defense) but we have Kyrie for clutch time. I think as long as Kyrie makes All-Star squad, Barnes will make the All-Star Bench. He's for sure gonna be a 2nd Rookie team (if not 1st)

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Nobody likes Barnes because he is not good at basketball.

TrueCavsFan2 said:

Why does 90% of the people on this forum NOT like Barnes. He's an all-around player. If he improves his 3-point shot consistency and left handed ball handling, he will be great for Cleveland. I see him at worst, Luol Deng, and at best a Carmelo Anthony (expect not as clutch and better defense) but we have Kyrie for clutch time. I think as long as Kyrie makes All-Star squad, Barnes will make the All-Star Bench. He's for sure gonna be a 2nd Rookie team (if not 1st)

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I like barnes ok, I just would rather have him if we pick 6, not at 4. At 4 that means we passed up MKG, Beal or Drummond. Personally I rather have those 3.

Mdog1 said:

Nobody likes Barnes because he is not good at basketball.

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Evidence that number of posts does not necessarily correlate with quality of poster.

Mdog1 said:

Nobody likes Barnes because he is not good at basketball.

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I'm not as high on Barnes as some, but that doesn't mean he doesn't make this team better with the skills he does have. Sure, I think there are better prospects, but let's not pretend that Barnes doesn't have the potential to be a solid starting SF and a good shooter next to Kyrie.

Try harder.

For the record, I do NOT want them to draft Barnes. But that being said, I do not think he'll be a bad basketball player. You just have to accept Barnes for who he is. If you expect multiple all-star appearances, then you're going to hate him. He's not that kind of player. But if you at least want a player that will be solid, then you'll appreciate him for that. I understand that doesn't exactly excite anyone, but you can do a lot worse and gamble on a prospect with huge upside like Drummond, have him bust, and be really screwed.

I do hope we look elsewhere, because I think we'd all like to have an all-star, but that's harder to do than you think. We just need whomever we pick to not be completely useless.

If Beal, and MKG aren't available, Barnes might be the best bet for this team. I personally see more red flags in Robinson than I do Barnes. I love Drummond's upside, but he is a huge risk. It's not an easy decision to make.