Or even VERY silly. I always hate when folks jump on stuff like this, because it almost guarantees that the Basketball Gods will give Barnes a 43 point game at Cameron.
Well, maybe, although according to ESPN he only had 14 points. I think the point is that 14 (or even 16) quiet points against a low-major isn't really the stuff first-team All Americans are made of. In that sense he may be overrated, because it will be surprising (at least to me) if he's a first-team AA by the end of the year.
Having said that, I agree with you that anyone who's calling him a "bust" at this point is being a little bit silly.
Or even VERY silly. I always hate when folks jump on stuff like this, because it almost guarantees that the Basketball Gods will give Barnes a 43 point game at Cameron.
Yeah, that's the guy!
I am not calling him a bust. I am saying he isn't that athletic, and he will likely be a good college player, but not the "next Jordan" that a lot of people have been calling him.
Jordan? One former Carolina "star" that played in multiple final fours says his ram club buddies are comparing him to Kobe. lol.
That's worse, I like Kobe. lol
In all seriousness, I think he will be very good, but he is not going to be a Lebron or Kobe that went to college. He does not have the ability to dominate the world the way him, and his UNC people, want to pretend he can.
I am not sure which is more silly, Carolina fans comparing Barnes to Kobe/Jordan or Duke fans saying he is a bust because he only scored 14 points in their opening game and did not posterize anyone with a Sportscenter-worthy dunk.
--Jason "Puh-lease!!" Evans
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Hey call me bias but id pick Kyrie any day over Barnes. But this is coming from a guy with no pitchforks
It isn't just one game for me. I have seen a few and he has always looked like a very good player who just isn't electrifying. If nothing else, Kyrie will always have the athleticism. Athleticism is one of the things you can't learn, so that is the reason for my appraisal. I am the first to admit that I could be wrong, but I have seen a decent bit of tape that shows that he is just a good smart player with moderate athleticism.
I'll admit I'm happier to have Kyrie than Barnes, but it's mainly because the point guard is the most important position on the court. I'd rather have the top point guard than the top wing forward, especially when you have LDII, Marshall and Strickland "attempting" to get Barnes the ball. Barnes has to rely on point guards that are not of the caliber of Irving. Plus, Carolina's offense relies more on point guards and post play. I do wonder how much Williams can adapt his offense to get Barnes more touches, because he had all kinds of trouble adapting last year to his personnel. Kyrie is definitely flashier than Barnes, but Barnes plays so fluidly, that I think most people will be deceived into thinking he's not as athletic as they think a #1 recruit, National Player of the Year, etc. should be. Hey, he obviously made a mistake not coming to Duke where our players are alarmingly unathletic! He would have fit right into that ridiculous narrative repeated ad nauseum last year.
I can't imagine what it must be like for an 18 year old kid to be so heavily scrutinized. Great kid, great basketball talent. I liked the guy and his game when he was our recruit. Now I wish him well, but it's a shame he's in baby blue. And it'd be good if he choked in a couple games against a better shade of blue this year.
Still, nice kid. I wish him well in his life.
and here is video of him at the Pro-Am earlier this year. I see plenty of athleticism. Hopefully he has as much success as your nonathletic team did last year!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mubYknvQec8
i would be happy with Paul Pierce comparisons. Pierce is a great scorer and isn't physically as gifted as Kobe or Lebron. However, he is a big game player who can score in many different ways. Plus, if you underestimate him, he will throw one down on your head.
well, when you make an absolute statement like "Barnes is NOT an elite athlete...nowhere close to it" after watching one game, then I am not surprised that you are not impressed by him. Wonder if he scored 16 pts for Duke in a season opener, would you have sung his praises for playing within the system and scoring a quiet 16 pt's? Probably. But, in the end, this is what the pitchforks are for.
It isn't that he is that bad, but it is that the praise is that high. When you hear "number 1 draft pick, right there" about a guy, it had better be speaking about a guy who looks as dominant as John Wall did. The headline after the game goes to him, but the game was dominated by Zeller and, most of all, Henson. These are the things that get him looked at as just a very good freshman. He just isn't a phenom. He didn't look that dominant during his All-Star games, he trails to get his dunks most of the time, he doesn't ever really show that he is dynamic, and that is not what is going to keep him being talked about as guy who deserves a shoe deal (John Wall). He is more of a Luol Deng or perhaps an Evan Turner (I love Luol Deng, and Turner is what he could be later on in his college career, say Junior or Senior year).