Harrison Barnes

[secund2nun]

I disagree that he's being overpraised. He's certainly improved noticeably since the regular season and he's simply being given props for that, especially since he's a rookie. Anything more than that I will agree is being overpraised, but for now it's really nothing special. Yes, boxscores allows you to see the game numerically, but they don't allow you to see how those shots were taken. Mark Jackson admitted to wanting to force feed Barnes against Parker to get good shots. He got good shots and was aggressive, but he just didn't convert most of them. Can you ask for more? You blame his low FG%, yet who else was going to put pressure on the defense this game? Jack was excellent as always, but he's not a dynamite scorer. Steph has a bum ankle and it obviously hampered him. Klay is a spot up shooter and playmaking isn't one of his strengths.

Again, it's not his scoring output that is being noticed, it's his aggressiveness to attack the defense with good shots. You say that there are better uses for those shots, but you have to realize that in this game, there really weren't any.

If he didn't convert them he didn't go a good job scoring. The problem is the NBA today is iso-centric. Teams should score by ball movement, especially teams like the Warriors without a single dominant force. Barnes is definitely not good enough to force feed against anyone. You have to be elite to do that. Since they had a hobbled Curry they should have scored with a team game with a lot of hockey assists.

[upside24]

He shot 9-26 for the entire game, thats 34.6% from the field.

He was forced to carry Curry and Klay's load offensively in his first playoff season as a rookie.

Watching the game he was aggressive and put points on the board while Bogut missed tip ins and wide open layups and in doing so keep it close along with help by Jack who struggled playmaking still scored and made timely shots (though I wish Curry could have worked around a few double screens for the last Reg shot.)

He scored when the Spurs seemed to be puliing away and that made the OT win possible.

[DoodleDa]

If he didn't convert them he didn't go a good job scoring. The problem is the NBA today is iso-centric. Teams should score by ball movement, especially teams like the Warriors without a single dominant force. Barnes is definitely not good enough to force feed against anyone. You have to be elite to do that. Since they had a hobbled Curry they should have scored with a team game with a lot of hockey assists.

But that's the whole point, isn't it? I know he wasn't efficient in his scoring, but the main point is that by taking good shots, you're putting pressure on the defense. Honestly, you're acting like Barnes was playing like how Kobe plays in the triangle, which are iso post ups or perimeter isos almost every possession that hugely stagnates the offense. It honestly has nothing to do with being elite. If you have a mismatch, you exploit it. Just because someone isn't a superstar, you don't give them the ball if they have a mismatch? Ridiculous.

Also, you're implying that Barnes' shot attempts prevented GSW from playing a team game, even though everyone on the team who is an offensive threat contributed and got their shots up for the most part. Klay missed shots he usually makes, Landry missed some easy buckets (although they should've went to him a bit more), Bogut is a defensive center, Curry did his job considering his injury, and Jarret Jack was terrific.

He did what he was asked to do within the offensive scheme, which helped them to win the game. Like I said before, who else was capable of taking those shots that you say he should've given up?

[bdreason]

Most important factor for me is he's cold blooded. Steps up and hits big FT's, and big shots, in big moments. Sometimes I forget he's a rookie he's so cool out there.


That said, I'd still trade him for Drummond.

[andremiller07]

He's playing far better in the playoffs than in the regular season that's a good sign.

[SacJB Shady]

He's playing far better in the playoffs than in the regular season that's a good sign.

More touches due to Lee. But Lee is probably gaining faith now in the other players and will be willing to adjust his game next year to play with them.

[maybeshewill13]

so many box-score watchers here it's pathetic

Hey again cutie Come on man this is just getting creepy

[BlazerRed]

Good player. Second for ROTY IMO.

[RedBlackAttack]

Good player. Second for ROTY IMO.

Not even close. ROY is a regular season honor and he wasn't close. That's not a knock... Just the truth.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/0...e-year-voting/

If you're talking postseason? Yeah, he has been the best rookie playing in the playoffs so far by a fair margin. But, then again, no other top rookie is taking part, unless you want to consider Chris Copeland in that conversation.

[blacknapalm]

Not even close. ROY is a regular season honor and he wasn't close. That's not a knock... Just the truth.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/0...e-year-voting/

If you're talking postseason? Yeah, he has been the best rookie playing in the playoffs so far by a fair margin. But, then again, no other top rookie is taking part, unless you want to consider Chris Copeland in that conversation.

not to derail this thread, but am i the only who thought it was odd unibrow got NO 1st place votes? lillard played more minutes than anybody in the nba. don't get me wrong...i think lillard had a very impressive rookie season and the only real knock was his FG%. i think he's a future all-star and here to stay. still thought AD would pull in at least a couple 1st place votes though...

as far as harrison barnes...i always thought he had sneaky athleticism. seems like he's getting more aggressive lately too which is great. definitely a possible future all-star. i agree that spacing was an issue for him in college. i really hope he develops more of a post game because his game will take even more of a major leap. the best part of his game today was that he wasn't overly iso centric. he didn't waste much time pounding the rock. he'd either quickly cut off the ball, make a quick pass or attack. very much under control and not much wasted movement.

and if SA is going to continue to have diaw, parker and neal guard him? barnes will eat them alive.



i thought from the start that GS would have the best shooting backcourt and these playoffs are just solidifying that. bogut is the defensive anchor obviously and how great was his block of duncan down late? then he even recovered and contested another shot before grabbing the board! that was seriously one of the best defensive sequences by a player i've seen all year. aside from his dumb moving screen, bogut was terrific down the stretch. i really think bogut is the unsung hero of that game. his presence was immense.

[SacJB Shady]

Just seems like the Warriors have more good players than San Antonio. In a way I can't believe the Warriors haven't swept. They technically should be up 3 to 1 and if this team was more mature, it would have been an easy sweep. The Spurs have 3 aging stars, but the Warriors just seem to be so much deeper, with perhaps even more talented stars

Steph Curry
Jarret Jack
Klay Thompson
Andrew Bogut
Carl Landry
Draymond Green
Harrison Barnes
... Oh yea and David Lee lol

Then there is San Antonio..

Kawi Leonard
Tim Duncan
Tony parker
Manu Ginobili

And it pretty much ends there. The rest are just players that can only do one thing and Popp doesn't even have confidence in them. If The Warriors can stay off of ticky fouls and not turn the ball over so much, they will win this series, even in 6. They are the better, younger, deeper, better rebounding, more athletic, more inspired, more hungry, and more talented team.

[BoutPractice]

I'd add Danny Green and Tiago Splitter to the list of good players in San Antonio.

Anyway, Barnes had himself a great game. His impact on a must-win playoff game as a rookie has been extremely impressive.

[RedBlackAttack]

not to derail this thread, but am i the only who thought it was odd unibrow got NO 1st place votes? lillard played more minutes than anybody in the nba. don't get me wrong...i think lillard had a very impressive rookie season and the only real knock was his FG%. i think he's a future all-star and here to stay. still thought AD would pull in at least a couple 1st place votes though...

Completely agree.

I think people made their minds up on ROY at the halfway point and really didn't pay much attention going forward. It was obvious Lillard was going to win, so why even bother? That's the sense I got from it.

Lillard had a terrific season, but it felt like he began to come back to the rest of the field later in the season... Or the field began to catch up. In the first couple months of the season, you had Davis hurt, Drummond barely playing, Beal/Waiters working out their efficiency, etc. Meanwhile, Lillard looked like a seasoned pro.

By the end of the year, those other guys had either gotten healthy, began playing more minutes or started working out the kinks (or a combination of the three) and I didn't think it was quite the runaway that many envisioned.

Lillard deserved it, but yes... I was surprised it was unanimous.


I thought Kyrie Irving had a clear ROY season in 2011-12, but he actually got 2 second place votes and even a third place vote. I mean, if Iman Shumpert could get a first place vote in 2012, neither AD nor anyone else could get one in 2013?

[I<3NBA]

and it was enough for gsw to win

if it wasn't for all his chucking, it wouldn't have went to OT and GSW would have likely won comfortably in regulation.

[BlazerRed]

if it wasn't for all his chucking, it wouldn't have went to OT and GSW would have likely won comfortably in regulation.

Typical head bang wagoner. Doesn't know anything about basketball