Duke vs NC game

[smitty]

Funny, but I never thought of it as a racial thing like this writer did, just the usual Vitale excessive overstatements. It seems that some writers are threatened by a very good white player. Maybe this guy thinks that the top echelon of players should be reserved only for blacks. Seems a little like some kind of entitlement mentality.

[Scouter]

I didn't get a chance to read the original part of the Morrisey column where he apparently ripped into Hansbrough's future in the NBA, but I agree with him in saying that he won't be much more than an average pro. And by "average" I mean not the superstar that he is in college. I'd bet good money that a lot of pro scouts and analysts would agree.

Hansbrough's not freakishly gifted with his athleticism, but he is with his hustling and ability to bust his a$$ to go after loose balls. That'll be enough to keep him in the league for 10 or 15 years, and he'll be a fan favorite. But he won't be a perennial all-star.

[tornado]

People have said Hansbrough doesn't have a good enough shot to play away from the basket, and at 6-8 he isn't big enough to play close to it.
And that he isn't mobile enough to guard an opponent who is a 3 or a 4, but he isn't tall enough to guard a 5.

But I'll take the kid...he is a 6-8 version of Charles Barkley, Wes Unseld, and Dave Cowens all rolled into one.

[pfunk880]

I didn't get a chance to read the original part of the Morrisey column where he apparently ripped into Hansbrough's future in the NBA, but I agree with him in saying that he won't be much more than an average pro. And by "average" I mean not the superstar that he is in college. I'd bet good money that a lot of pro scouts and analysts would agree.

Hansbrough's not freakishly gifted with his athleticism, but he is with his hustling and ability to bust his a$$ to go after loose balls. That'll be enough to keep him in the league for 10 or 15 years, and he'll be a fan favorite. But he won't be a perennial all-star.

Well said.

[SFP]

People have said Hansbrough doesn't have a good enough shot to play away from the basket, and at 6-8 he isn't big enough to play close to it.
And that he isn't mobile enough to guard an opponent who is a 3 or a 4, but he isn't tall enough to guard a 5.

But I'll take the kid...he is a 6-8 version of Charles Barkley, Wes Unseld, and Dave Cowens all rolled into one.

I agree with you T. The kid has a way to will the game and shots to his favor. He'll play a solid 4 in the NBA with all the physical play he'll fit in right away. He does have a mid-range jumper and no one will out hustle him. What gets me about the article is that here is a kid who enjoys the sport to its fullest, loves to compete, plays smart, busts his a55 every minute on the floor, he has never said anything about playing in the NBA and you talk smack on him. PLEASE!!!! Every college coach in AMERICA wish they had him going to war with them.

[Scouter]

I agree with you T. The kid has a way to will the game and shots to his favor. He'll play a solid 4 in the NBA with all the physical play he'll fit in right away. He does have a mid-range jumper and no one will out hustle him. What gets me about the article is that here is a kid who enjoys the sport to its fullest, loves to compete, plays smart, busts his a55 every minute on the floor, he has never said anything about playing in the NBA and you talk smack on him. PLEASE!!!! Every college coach in AMERICA wish they had him going to war with them.

If you think I'm the one who was talking smack on him, that's not the case. I think he's a great college player and will be a decent pro. Just not a great one. He and David Lee will have similar careers.

[tornado]

If you think I'm the one who was talking smack on him, that's not the case. I think he's a great college player and will be a decent pro. Just not a great one. He and David Lee will have similar careers.

I recall some saying Kevin Durant would have a medicre NBA career because he was too thin, too weak, and was also a tweener - too small to play the post, and too gangly/unable to play a wing.

[Scouter]

I recall some saying Kevin Durant would have a medicre NBA career because he was too thin, too weak, and was also a tweener - too small to play the post, and too gangly/unable to play a wing.

Who the heck told you that? I never recall anyone saying that about Durant. If anything, people were saying he would likely be a better pro than Oden because of his length and athleticism.

Anyway, back to Hansbrough. If you do one basketball thing exceptionally well, you can play in the NBA for a long time. For Hansbrough, it's his rebounding. He'll give you something like 10 points and 8 rebounds and have a solid, but not spectacular career. I'm not sure what we're arguing.

[SFP]

If you think I'm the one who was talking smack on him, that's not the case. I think he's a great college player and will be a decent pro. Just not a great one. He and David Lee will have similar careers.

I was not pointing any fingers your way but to anyone in the media with the gull to say anything negative about a great college player as you pointed out. I like players like Hansbrough regardles of baskeball skills for the intangibles they bring, JJ for one. Hansbrough just happens to be a pretty good b-ball player also. We need a warrior on our team and I wonder who will step up. I believe that warrior will be SM and that is why he will start at the 1. MS I believe had the heart of a warrior and that is why he started but his b-ball skill was lacking and he played out of postion. This should be another thread!

[Da Coach]

Who the heck told you that? I never recall anyone saying that about Durant. If anything, people were saying he would likely be a better pro than Oden because of his length and athleticism.

There were quite a few people who made a big deal out of Durant's lack of athleticism. At the NBA predraft combine, one test was how many reps the player could bench press 185 pounds. Most did many reps, but only 1 player could not bench press the 185 pounds even once...Kevin Durant. His performance in many other areas was subpar--

See #15-

http://www.armchairgm.com/NBA_Draft_Combine_Analysis

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/06/04/kevin-durant-cant-bench-185/