Hansbrough's NBA future?

[weezie]

Rick Pitino fairly well raved about Hansbrough's pro potential after the UNC-Louisville game. Of course, Rick might not be the best judge of that given his less than stellar tenure in the NBA.

Rick still has that fly white suit.

[moonpie23]

i disagree....yes, they are gonna hit him hard....but the more successful he has become, he has taken a ton of abuse under the board...and the thing that CONTINUES to amaze me, is he gets the ball in the hoop AFTER getting hammered...


he'll draw fouls and he will hit foul shots...

[jacone21]

Dude is big, strong, can rebound, can finish inside after contact, will seriously dunk on you, can hit a midrange shot, and make freethrows. My blue glasses are Duke blue, but that sounds like a pretty good NBA power forward to me.

Declare for the draft, Tyler! Please.

[soccerstud2210]

I don't see a better offensive move than the "ball-go-in-basket-even-if-you-hit-me-hard" shot that hans has....

his trash shots will not go in when he is in the NBA, he will be facing way better defensive players who will not let him get his throw up trash shots off... duncan, howard, garnett, ming, so on and so on... his only chance is to become a three point threat... ok maybe an exaggeration but seriously

[soccerstud2210]

But NBA guys are a little bigger...and they probably hit harder. Plus, he would have to take the hits for 82 games...no 4-5 days off between games.

and he will not get every call every time someone touches him... he will get thrown around

[BobbyFan]

Even if he adds versatility to his offensive game, his defense will be the limiting factor. Best case, he will be a quality 6th/7th man.

[Matches]

He's going to be a lot better in the NBA than many think. He's got good size, a pretty nice array of post moves, and can spot up and hit a 15 foot jump shot. He works extremely hard at rebounding, passes the ball reasonably well, and is quick enough to get up and down the floor. His footwork is a little suspect, but passable - and he's not going to get called for walking in the NBA either.

His biggest weakness in the NBA will be defense, because he is not a good shot-blocker, even at the college level, and will have trouble defending skilled guys who are his size or taller.

But that's overall a pretty good package. He will be a starting PF for some team and have a lengthy career. C'mon - Joe Wolf had a ten plus year NBA career, and he didn't have 1/10th the talent Hansbrough does. Size will get you a LONG way in the NBA, and while Hans may not be the most talented guy in the draft, it's not like he's a stiff either.

IMO a lot of UNC fans are intentionally understating Hansbrough's potential in the hopes of keeping him another year.

[moonpie23]

if he brings his work ethic to the nba, he will be a force that will HAVE to be dealt with...think about it...how many nba'ers NEVER take a play off....?

not many.

[davekay1971]

I dont' think you can even talk about comparing hanstravel and boozer. boozer had/has a better array of offensive moves then him. I was reminded of that today when I watched the 2001 championship game and boozer had that sweet up and under move on loren woods. Plus boozer could pick hanstravel up and body slam him into that stupid ping pong table. on a side note boozer could/can also talk in complete sentences...

lmao. Awesome post.

I don't think an adequate comparison can be made between Whiny T and Boozer or Laettner. Laettner had offensive skills that Hansbrough can only dream of, but Hansbrough's undoubtedly a better rebounder. Boozer was a better low post offensive player than either, better defensively than Hansbrough, but probably not quite the rebounder. Hansbrough, despite the fact that he gets away with setting up campfires in the lane and climbing over backs all day long, DOES have a tremendous instinct for the boards. He's got that knack, which is an instinct or skill that some guys just have. That alone will keep him in the rotation on an NBA roster. I think a few things will stand against him being a standout, however. First of all, he won't get the Hansbrough calls that put him at the lane for about half his points, the way he does in the ACC. Second, he's a defensive liability. Sorry, Tar Heel fans, but skilled big guys abuse him. There aren't very many skilled big guys in college, but there are plenty in the NBA. Lastly, he hasn't developed enough of an offensive game to be effective as a smallish (in terms of height and wingspan) power forward in the pros.

Lastly, anybody posting that Laettner was a dud in the pros obviously has been buying way too much of the "Duke guys suck in the NBA" crap. Laettner had a very solid career in the pros, as detailed by a couple of the earlier posts.

[Exiled_Devil]

Even if you hit me hard, Mr Howard?

Come on Moonie, Hansbangs has never, EVER been hit as hard as he will be by the Gentlemen of the National Basketball Association. I, for one, can't wait...sooner or later, Frank's monster will be wondering just what hit him.

And if Carlos needs a slow white chick to watch his back, he's got me. The nerve of anyone calling out Carlos in comparison to tbangs....

I think Boooz is the s*^#@t, but one thing that he and Hans(--) have in common is an insane work ethic.

I don't feel comfortable with talking about Boozer's college game as a clear indicator of his pro potential. He was worked his but off to improve year after year. Hansbott will do the same. Who know is he will get to Boozers level, but I also think that if Boozer hadn't dodged the bullet with Cleveland (or cheated them, if you are a Cav or UNC fan) then he wouldn't be the player he is today either. Hansbaba could get in a good situation and end up excelling in the NBA, or end up in Europe. Niether would surprise me.

[SilkyJ]

duncan, howard, garnett, ming, so on and so on... his only chance is to become a three point threat... ok maybe an exaggeration but seriously

Tyler will play the 4 or PF position in the pros. Howard and Ming are without a doubt 5s or Centers, and Duncan and KG play quite a bit of Center. Against the magic he would actually face Rashard Lewis who he would OWN down low, and against the Rockets he would have faced Chuck Hayes (be4 Yao was injured) who is an average defender.

[Scoring Point]

I don't follow the NBA much these days, but I do think that we Duke fans should be quite wary by now of betting against Hansbrough.

Freshman year - How many of us eagerly anticipated our Senior A-A Center Shelden Williams abusing TH head-to-head? Didn't exactly turn out that way; in fact, Hansbrough held his own in the first meeting and then put on a very impressive show in helping ruin Shel and JJ's Senior Night in Cameron.

Sophomore year - How many of us readily assumed that Psycho T's numbers and impact would decline, given the huge influx of talent (3 consensus Top 10 recruits in Wright, Lawson, Ellington)? Didn't exactly turn out that way; although the team arguably underachieved, Hansbrough's numbers were virtually identical to those of his rookie campaign, and he clearly remained the Heels' most dominant player.

Junior year - How many of us were of the view that, for all of TH's intensity and production, he was still strictly a below the rim, in the paint player with limited athleticism? This one is a little more subjective, but I would still argue that this has proven to not be the case; he has clearly expanded his shooting range and offensive game in general, while demonstrating some genuine explosiveness, both around the hoop and in the open floor (the tip slam against Louisville was simply nasty). Much like Shane, Psycho T as an upperclassmen seems to have focused his conditioning more on improving his "athleticism" (e.g. plyometrics), rather than the traditional strength and aerobic endurance.

Again, I'm no expert on the NBA, but I will honestly be shocked if Hansbrough is a bust at the next level. He may never be an All-Star, but I could easily see him being a productive starter on an average team, and a strong 6th or 7th man on a contender.

[greybeard]

Hansbrough is one of the better readers, manipulators, disguisers of momentum I have seen. He creates space for his shot by creating width after freezing the defender with his body better than anybody since Kevin McKale.

However, his seeming aversion to working on the left side of the lane, and to have a diversity of finishes moving to his left might be a killer. You'd have thought that he would have developed that half of his game by now. Hey, maybe Roy needs to hire a big man coach.

[Kdogg]

Well here's one take on the subject (with the added bonus of a few jabs at Greg Doyle). This is how I feel and the reason I think Tyler comes back for one more year of the good life.

http://www.sportsline.com/columns/story/10756097

[SilkyJ]

^you just made my day. i hate doyel

[Jumbo]

^you just made my day. i hate doyel

Who doesn't?

[pete89]

I don't follow the NBA much these days, but I do think that we Duke fans should be quite wary by now of betting against Hansbrough.

Freshman year - How many of us eagerly anticipated our Senior A-A Center Shelden Williams abusing TH head-to-head? Didn't exactly turn out that way; in fact, Hansbrough held his own in the first meeting and then put on a very impressive show in helping ruin Shel and JJ's Senior Night in Cameron.

Sophomore year - How many of us readily assumed that Psycho T's numbers and impact would decline, given the huge influx of talent (3 consensus Top 10 recruits in Wright, Lawson, Ellington)? Didn't exactly turn out that way; although the team arguably underachieved, Hansbrough's numbers were virtually identical to those of his rookie campaign, and he clearly remained the Heels' most dominant player.

Junior year - How many of us were of the view that, for all of TH's intensity and production, he was still strictly a below the rim, in the paint player with limited athleticism? This one is a little more subjective, but I would still argue that this has proven to not be the case; he has clearly expanded his shooting range and offensive game in general, while demonstrating some genuine explosiveness, both around the hoop and in the open floor (the tip slam against Louisville was simply nasty). Much like Shane, Psycho T as an upperclassmen seems to have focused his conditioning more on improving his "athleticism" (e.g. plyometrics), rather than the traditional strength and aerobic endurance.

Again, I'm no expert on the NBA, but I will honestly be shocked if Hansbrough is a bust at the next level. He may never be an All-Star, but I could easily see him being a productive starter on an average team, and a strong 6th or 7th man on a contender.

It seems as though you have read my mind. While I may not be the biggest tyler supporter I can put bias aside and see that his will and his improvement over the past couple years will earn him some 6/7th man spot in the NBA. I for one refuse to bet against human will because 9 times out of 10 it is a losing bet

[davekay1971]

This is a Duke forum. I seriously propose that the only way the nickname "Psycho T" gets used in a post is in complete and total mockery of one of the weakest, silliest, goofiest nicknames in all of sports history. Really...that is just a dumb nickname. Which makes it quite fitting for a Tar Heel, of course.

[allenmurray]

I didn't realize until today (from an article in the N&O) that a full 1/3 of Hansbrough's points have come at the free throw line. I think that is a testament to how hard he works (even if he plays at UNC I'm not going to trash him, he is one of the hardest working players I have ever watched).

However, the calls he gets in college he won't get in the NBA. If 1/3 of his points are at the free throw line I think that shows he will be far less of a scoring threat playing against the big boys.

[Kishiznit]

The last dominant big man in the ACC was Duncan. Hansbrough would have made him look bad this year - as bad as what Camby made him look when Wake played UMass.