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A closer look at Harrison Barnes

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Just heard on WKNR that barnes will tell the media if he is staying or going to the draft and signs are pointing that he will go back to N Carolina next year....
 
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ImWithDan said:
From a scouting perspective, I think a lot of people tend to focus on the wrong things.

Is 7/19 impressive? Not overly but the one minute stretch, with 5 minutes left, where Barnes single handedly got them over the hump (and gave them a chance to win) indicates he has that top gear. He just needs to figure out how to get to it a little more often.

He had a steal, a three, a rebound, layup (and 1) and jumper (and 1 missed). In a minute, he scored 8 points and finally broke through the 2 possession barrier UK had held for almost the entire second half.

While UNC eventually lost and Barnes missed some shots down the stretch, the ability to have a one minute burst is certainly something you should not ignore. Scouts measure heavily on pro potential, they don't measure strictly on college production and certainly not on a game to game basis.

In his last 15 games, Barnes averaged 19.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and shot 44% from the floor. While the 44% from the floor is a bit lower than you'd like, it's not alarmingly low (especially if you get him to shave a few threes off his shot selection). It also crept up a bit from the 40.7% in the first half of the season, which certainly isn't a negative.

Do I think Barnes is a perfect prospect? Well, no but people just seem to flat out ignore his performance over the second half of the year. Given his prototypical size (6'8'', 210 lbs), I would have to roll the dice on him over many of the other players who might be more of a finished product at this point. Stars win in the NBA. Rotational players don't. When in doubt, you always gamble on the star (or the guy who could become a star) IMO.

There's clearly some questions the FO would need to answer (or at least be comfortable with) but I don't think there's the one huge red flag that just can't be ignored. Some people question his athleticism but he certainly didn't look pedestrian against a very athletic UK front line. I'm sure his individual workouts will clear up much of the debate on his measurables.
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Agree with pretty much everything you said. I think with the pre-season All-American selection and the hype that came with it, most expected him to come in and immediately dominate. When he didn't do that, some labeled him a bust after only half of his freshman year. As you pointed out, he improved quite a bit over the last half of the season, and he has that killer instinct and clutch gene that you just can't teach. He also has great size for his position and while he may not flat out wow you with his athletic ability, he's one of those long guys who is deceivingly fast because of how fluidly he moves. His form on his jumper is great. I'm not going to act like he doesn't have any negatives (see ball-handling) but his positives and future potential far outweigh any negatives. Sadly for us, it's looking less and less likely like he'll be in the draft this year.
 
Barnes is taking a major risk not coming out if he does stay. If he doesn't drastically improve his game to the tune of his ball-handling and ability to get to the rim, he's risking dropping out of the top 10 in next years draft.
 
God dammit. Not necessarily because I was drooling over Barnes, but because that reduces the talent at our Clippers pick, likely.

=/
 
Cavs just have the worst luck. Sullinger may be staying, maybe Barnes...who else? Gilbert basically paid $12 mil for a lottery pick in a draft where a lot of the top talent is deciding to stay in school. Next year's draft is gonna be so deep...that's truly when we need two lottery picks to highly speed up the rebuilding process. I hope Grant can pull that off.
 
This is an example as to why if someone like Irving says they're staying -- I wouldn't be surprised. I just don't see these guys coming out this year.
 
If Irving doesn\t come out I will definately cry.
 
BrownsBoy315 said:
This is an example as to why if someone like Irving says they're staying -- I wouldn't be surprised. I just don't see these guys coming out this year.
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I'll still be surprised. Barnes is making a huge mistake. He has guaranteed top 10 money right now. He'll stay at UNC even though they have nice freshmen coming in next year and it's going to annihilate his draft stock. He'll get less touches, he'll have the same athletic concerns that he does this year, the talent level of next year's draft is way higher. He'll be a mid first round pick and miss out on a chunk of guaranteed cash.

Irving has the same kinda thing. He's unquestionably either the #1 or #2 pick this year. There's no way you can say the same about next draft, especially with Austin Rivers coming to Duke to steal the spotlight. Irving needs to leave now, as does Derrick Williams, Perry Jones, and Harrison Barnes. Stock will never be higher. I don't get why any would stay in school...
 
Education? Maybe playing professional basketball isn't at the top of Barne's priorities?
 
Mike Manifesto said:
Education? Maybe playing professional basketball isn't at the top of Barne's priorities?
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Possible, but that's weak if true. Take the money while it's there; you can always go back and get a degree. Plus, education is only a viable reason if he's planning on staying 4 years.
 
Marc Spears Twitter:

Despite speculation, UNC freshman Harrison Barnes still in no rush to make NBA Draft decision, source tells Y! Sports. Deadline April 24.
 
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