Harrison Barnes Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Camby, Wallace, Barnes, Cavs

April 26th, 2012 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

If you were looking forward to watching Kobe Bryant try to drop 38 points on Sacramento tonight to win the scoring title, you may want to make alternate plans. According to Sam Amick of SI.com (via Twitter), Lakers coach Mike Brown says Bryant won't play in tonight's game, meaning Kevin Durant will finish as the NBA's leading scorer for the third straight season. While it would've been fun to see Kobe gun for 38, we have to give props to Durant — at just 23 years old, he's the youngest player ever to win three scoring titles.

Here are a few more Thursday afternoon odds and ends from around the Association:

Marcus Camby reiterates to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle that the Rockets will be his first choice in free agency this summer: "A lot of suitors are going to be trying to reach out. This is where I want to be. So hopefully, we can make something work."
Ben Wallace has appeared headed toward retirement all season, but wants to make sure it's the right decision, as Vince Goodwill of the Detroit News writes. Wallace will sit down with Pistons management and his family and won't rush his final decision.
Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld believes Harrison Barnes could be the ideal fit for the Raptors in the draft.
Samardo Samuels and Manny Harris will head into the summer looking to earn themselves a spot on next year's Cavaliers' roster, says Joe Gabriele of Cavs.com. Both players are on non-guaranteed contracts for 2012/13.
If the Magic let Stan Van Gundy go at season's end, the veteran coach will have no shortage of options, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.

Odds & Ends: George, Chandler, Pistons

April 18th, 2012 at 8:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Orlando is currently sixth in the East and owns a four game lead over the seventh place Knicks. A New York win against the Nets and an Orlando loss versus the Celtics tonight would reduce the lead to three with four games left to play. For both teams, the stakes involve avoiding a first-round matchup with Miami or Chicago. The Clippers have a chance at the third seed in the West with a win against Denver and a Lakers loss to Golden State. Those are just a few of the many storylines to follow as the NBA inches closer to its conclusion within the next week and a half. With that aside, here's the latest news from the world of basketball:

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reports that the Pacers' Paul George has signed with Creative Artists Agency, the same organization that represents LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul to name a few (Sulia link).
Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler is expected to miss the rest of the season, says Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. Chandler had tried to play through pain on Sunday, but decided after the game that it would be best to shut himself down for the rest of the season.
Don't expect to see the Pistons participating in the annual Las Vegas Summer League this year, as coach Lawrence Frank has opted to send his team to Orlando Magic Summer League instead (David Mayo of MLive reports). Frank cites the organizational structure and condensed schedule as the deciding factors.
Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune writes that Jazz guard Blake Ahearn hopes to earn a second contract with the team and finish the rest of the season, as his initial contract is set to expire today. GM Kevin O'Connor says that he won't make a decision until after tonight's game against Portland.
Lang Greene of HoopsWorld engaged in his weekly chat with fans tonight. A few thought provoking points included his assessment of Harrison Barnes as a player who won't be a franchise changer for a lottery team, the possibility that Austin Rivers slips in the draft, and Kendall Marshall as a player who belongs in the 16-20 pick range, among other topics.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune examines the emergence of Nikola Mirotic, a 6'10 sharpshooting forward for Real Madrid whose draft rights are currently owned by the Bulls. Johnson also writes that Mirotic could have a legitimate shot to make the Spanish team for this year's Olympics.
Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune reports that the Louisiana State of Exposition District board of commissioners has approved a long-term lease extension for the Hornets through 2024.
Billy Witz of Fox Sports takes a closer look at Jerry Colangelo's criteria for assembling Team USA amidst a season of injuries and uncertainty for a number of players who are in his selection pool. Colangelo doesn't appear fazed, implying that the pool is deep enough to counter the potential unavailability of some of his choices for summer.

Prospect Profile: Harrison Barnes

April 8th, 2012 at 6:30pm CST by Alex Lee

Rare is it anymore that you see a guy who is projected as a top-10 draft pick decide to return to school. But that was the case after last season for North Carolina's Harrison Barnes. Barnes was a mega recruit out of high school and was going as high as number one in a lot of mock drafts throughout his freshman year.

The 6-foot-8 Barnes deserves credit for realizing his game needed further development. It is possible that he looked at the career of fellow Tar Heel Marvin Williams as reason to go back. Williams, while a steady contributor for the Atlanta Hawks, has yet to fulfill the expectations that come with being the second overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. But now Barnes, after averaging 17.1 points-per-game as a sophomore, has declared himself eligible for this year's draft.

Barnes is still projected as a top-10 pick with the potential to crack the top five. He is 6-foot-8 and, depending where you look, is listed at around 220 pounds. His strengths are his length and his ability to score. He can fill it up from just about anywhere and has good range. His height and length enable him to get off his shot with ease. His midrange game, now a strength, has improved a lot while at North Carolina. Barnes is smooth and fundamentally sound on the court and just has the look of a basketball player.

He is capable of being a terrific defender. He is solid athletically and has a 7-foot wingspan, which more than makes up for a lack of quickness on defense. Most importantly, he has a very high basketball IQ and is generally known as a smart kid. It isn't surprising that Barnes was self-aware enough to recognize his game needed more pre-NBA polish after his freshman season.

Barnes toes the line of being "too nice." For someone as offensively gifted as he is, he disapears too often and defers to teammates. While that is easy to do in a star-filled program like North Carolina, at some point he needs to show the killer instinct that is needed to dominate at the NBA level. Originally a big man in high school, Barnes has not always played on the wing and some aspects of his game, like ball handling and passing, are still developing.

Because of this there is a fear out there that Barnes may end up being one dimensional (scoring only) on offense. While it's not a huge knock on his draft stock, it may be enough to keep him out of the top five. Also, Barnes is undoubtably thin for 6-foot-8, but his frame looks like it can support some extra size.

Overall, Barnes is a stellar prospect. He is already a very good scorer and most see him as a potential lock-down defender. But he also has considerable room to improve, which can be seen as a good thing for lottery teams willing to be patient. If Barnes fails to develop a more well-rounded game, his best case scenario is probably Danny Granger. However, he will have to be a little more aggressive on offense to reach that ceiling. There is certainly no shame in "only" becoming an All-Star like Granger, but Barnes could be more is everything comes together.

UNC’s Barnes, Henson, Marshall To Enter Draft

March 29th, 2012 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Three North Carolina players, Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Kendall Marshall, will leave UNC early and enter the draft, the Tar Heels announced today (link via ESPN.com).

"It's a great day for three youngsters who are taking another step toward their ultimate goal of playing professional basketball," coach Roy Williams said in a statement. "On a very small stage, it's a sad day for me because I won't get to coach them again. All Tar Heel fans will miss them greatly, as well."

While Barnes, a sophomore, has the potential to be a top-five pick, Marshall (sophomore) and Henson (junior) are expected to be picked early on June 28th as well. In the latest update to his mock draft, ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) projected all three Tar Heels to be picked in the top 15 — Barnes seventh, Marshall 12th, and Henson 15th.

Draft Updates: Green, Beal, Kabongo, Cunningham

March 26th, 2012 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Associated Press announced its All-America team today (link via ESPN.com), with Thomas Robinson of Kansas leading the way as the only unanimous selection. Kentucky's Anthony Davis, Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, Michigan State's Draymond Green, and Creighton's Doug McDermott rounded out the AP's picks. Three of those players are still alive in the NCAA Final Four, but most prospects with NBA aspirations are looking ahead to the June draft. Here are the latest draft updates:

Michigan State's Green has signed with agents Ron Shade and Herb Rudoy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). ESPN.com's Chad Ford had the Spartan senior going 28th overall in his first mock draft.
Ford also takes a look at how the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight may have affected a number of players' draft stocks (Insider link). Not good news for Harrison Barnes.
Like Ford, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld recaps the weekend action for a few top prospects. He also adds that the Wizards are "enamored with" Bradley Beal.
Freshman Myck Kabongo will return to Texas for his sophomore season, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports.
Jared Cunningham of Oregon State will test the draft waters, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com. Cunningham won't officially declare or hire an agent right away, so he'll have until April 29th to make his decision. For more details on the deadlines facing underclassmen, click here.

Draft Notes: Harkless, Barnes, 2013

March 10th, 2012 at 6:52pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Along the impending excitement surrounding March Madness lies the opportunity for college players to solidify or increase their stock in the eyes of NBA scouts. We take a look at a few names that could be headlining the draft on June 28 as well as introduce you to the hoopla surrounding one name to consider for 2013.

Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com writes that St. John's freshman forward Moe Harkless is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks concerning whether or not he will leave for this year's NBA Draft. Harkless is currently projected to be the 21st pick by DraftExpress.com.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer provides her take on Harrison Barnes of North Carolina and lists her projection of the top 10 players of this year's draft.
Rick Bonnell of CharlotteObserver.com takes a more comprehensive look at Kentucky's Anthony Davis, who appears to have a great chance at being this year's #1 pick if he turns pro.
Pete Thamel, writing for the New York Times, examines the fevered world around high school senior Nerlens Noel, projected by Draft Express as the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft. He's surrounded by college recruiters aplenty and is being sought by a representative with Creative Artists Agency.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com gives you his updated list of the top 100 prospects of the upcoming draft.

Odds & Ends: LeBron, Chandler, Lin, Barnes

February 16th, 2012 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

LeBron James raised some eyebrows earlier today when he told reporters, including Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, that he wouldn't rule out eventually returning to Cleveland:

"It would be fun to play in front of these fans again," said James. "I had a lot fun times in my seven years here. You can't predict the future, and hopefully I continue to stay healthy. I'm here as a Miami Heat player, and I'm happy where I am now, but I don't rule that out in no sense…. And if I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me."

While James sounded contrite about the way he left the Cavaliers, I can't bring myself to put much stock into his comments about potentially returning. It strikes me as an attempt to mend fences and shed the villainous reputation he earned in Ohio following "The Decision."

Here are a few more links from around the league:

While J.R. Smith seemed anxious to leave China as soon as possible, Wilson Chandler had nothing but positive things to Sun Xiaochen of China Daily about his experience in the CBA: "It has been a very good learning curve and experience for me and has helped me mature in some ways and develop parts of my game that I hadn't worked on in a while."
The latest "We could have had Jeremy Lin!" story comes out of Boston, as Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports the Celtics twice hoped to claim Lin on waivers, but lost out to the Rockets and Knicks.
Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle doesn't blame Rockets GM Daryl Morey for letting Lin go.
Sophomore Harrison Barnes tells Chris Thomasson of FOX Sports Florida that it'd be a "no-brainer" to declare for this year's draft if UNC wins the national championship this year. I'm betting Barnes, who figures to be a top-five pick, will be entering the draft even if the Tar Heels are bounced from March Madness early.

Bonnell On Bobcats, Top Draft Prospects

January 30th, 2012 at 10:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Charlotte Bobcats have the league's worst record (3-18) and are headed to L.A. on Tuesday to face the Lakers. The consolation is the team is likely headed for a high draft pick in June. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer broke down some of the probable top picks and how they would fit in with the Bobcats. Some highlights:

Kentucky's Anthony Davis, a Marcus Camby type, could help fix Charlotte's porous interior defense.
Andre Drummond of Connecticut has raw athleticism and the body of a center, a position the Bobcats need to improve as much as any other, Bonnell says.
Catch-and-shoot small forward Harrison Barnes could provide an heir apparent to Corey Maggette, and the fact he comes from North Carolina is a plus.
Ohio State's Jared Sullinger is a big man with range and deft passing skills, but the power forward position is already too crowded in Charlotte.