For those that have been paying attention, yes, I have been on a ‘who should they draft’ kick for the last month. With the team doing as poorly as they did, it was getting to be a little too depressing to talk about it. At least in the end the team did one thing right and got rid of Paul Silas.

Going forward (since it is too depressing to look back) it appears that the Charlotte Bobcats are virtually guaranteed at least one talented player. Odds are good they’ll get the No 1 pick and highly likely that they will at least get the No 2 or 3.

What if they the basketball Gods decide to spit on Jordan the Owner since he was so successful as Jordan the Player and the ‘Cats get a later pick in the lottery (all the way down at 4)?

Most of the predictions and mocks that I’ve read all said the same person is expected to go No 6—North Carolina small forward Harrison Barnes. On the off chance that the Bobcats happen to be at the 4th spot or if they trade down a few slots, should they pick him and be happy?

Absolutely not.

I didn’t watch much North Carolina ball last year or the year before (I live in Indiana; I think there’s a law against watching anyone but IU and Butler). To talk about this guy I had to do my research.

Everyone says he has the body of a NBA small forward at 6-foot 8-inches and 210 pounds. Most people call him athletic (there was a couple that said he lacked athleticism). The 7-foot wing span is nice. People said one thing in many ways, but when you cut through the crap all they were saying was he’s a good shooter.

However, I think the negatives these guys mentioned are pretty bad:

-          Struggles as a playmaker; can’t create his own shots

-          Lacks killer instinct and leadership ability

-          Still needs to improve perimeter play

-          Needs a go-to move; too one-dimensional

-          Afraid of contact

-          Lacks explosive finish and first step

So essentially he can shoot, just don’t ask him to do anything else.

The word on this kid is that he has yet to live up to the high school hype, but his shot is so pretty he’s destined for a great NBA career. I don’t see it. From everything I’ve read he sounds more like he belongs on Venice Beach hustling games with Sidney Deane and Billy Hoyle.

Harrison—you should have stayed in college a couple more years. You need the work.