North Carolina fans probably want to stop thinking about basketball after the more than disappointing end to the season against Kansas, but it's not over yet.
The "Harrison Barnes to the NBA" debate is about to become very heated. So let's just get it out of the way now.
Barnes needs to stay in school.
The sophomore's future as an NBA player is undeniable. His 6'8", 215-pound frame combined with scary athleticism and a pretty jump shot makes him an NBA coach's dream at small forward.
He can shoot the lights out and he has a mid-range game that few others at the college level possess. But Barnes' performance in the NCAA tourney just further proved he isn't yet ready for the NBA.
In four tournament games, Barnes shot 20-for-61 (33 percent) from the field and 6-for-23 (26 percent) from deep on his way to 14 points and three turnovers per game.
He looked a lot more like a disinterested role player rather than a clutch killer ready to make the leap to the professional level.
Coming into this season, we knew Barnes wasn't a great ballhandler or shot-creator. Against Ohio and Kansas especially (no elite point guard by his side), those weaknesses become painfully evident. He had all kinds of trouble dribbling past anyone and couldn't make anything happen for himself.
It's not a good sign when a scorer needs a point guard to open things up for him. ESPN's Chad Ford agrees:
Not sure anyone has hurt their draft stock more than H. Barnes has in this tournament.Without K. Marshall he looks incredibly ordinary
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) March 25, 2012
He can still serve as a pure shooter in the NBA, but it's debatable whether or not that's worth a top-15 pick.
What's most scary, however, is the failure of his strengths to override his weaknesses.
Barnes is usually a great shooter and a clutch performer, but neither of those things showed up this weekend. He struggled to make shots and failed to come up big at the end of regulation against Ohio.
The sophomore's draft stock took more of a hit than anyone else's in this tournament. If you were to have stepped in just to watch Barnes this month, you would have come to the conclusion that he is a second-round talent.
And usually you aren't going to advise a player to leave school two years early if he is a projected second-round pick.
Of course, Barnes' potential means he'll still make the first round. But why not strive to achieve that potential in school when you have unlimited playing time and a better opportunity to get better?
Barnes turns just 20 years old this May. If he stays another year, there's nowhere his draft stock can go but up, especially after his debacle of a tournament this year.
So, Harrison Barnes, unless you want to be embarrassed in the NBA for a year or two, it's important that you don't rush things and stay in school for another season.
It's the right thing to do after the dreadful end to this one.
Pau Gasol Lamar Odom Baron Davis Blake Griffin Chris Bosh Mario Chalmers
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