ajcardfan

I think he is. Look, he's a damn good college player and he is intense. But the accolades he's getting are borderline ridiculous. I mean, I heard Dick Vitale call him the most competitive and hardest-working player he's EVER seen. Come on. I've seen ton of players hustle that hard over the years. He's getting his freaking jersey retired before he's even graduated!!!

I just don't get the hype over him. Can anyone explain it? Is he basketball's form of Gerry Cooney? I can't see him doing that much in the NBA.

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MaoTosiFanClub

Dickie V loves his great white hypes and sadly novice fans think he's some sort of authority on college basketball when in reality he's simply a sideshow act. Remember him calling JJ Redick (the same Redick that's riding the bench for the Orlando Magic) the greatest shooter ever despite every statistical analysis pegging him as merely above average?

As far as Hansbrough goes, he's a better version of Mark Madsen at the NBA level.

Gaddabout

Hansbrough will be able to score at the next level if teams run him from the high post. He'll shoot straight when he's open and he'll get to the line when other 4s man up on him. Career backup, though. I wouldn't mind if the Suns could get him in the 2nd round. I think he'd make the team and be a better big off the bench than Sean Marks because he's more physical with somewhat similar skills.

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Before I saw him, I could figure things out. He was the first guy I saw close-up and just didn't get what he was doing. Josh Freese on Vinnie Colaiuta

Southpaw

Hopefully this thread doesn't go deeply into a "great white hope" theme and takes on the comparisons along color lines. A player doesn't have to be white to be overhyped.

If someone wanted my opinion Hansborough is a very good player at the collegiate level. As for his future in the NBA, who really knows? He probably isn't even a lottery pick value, but some team might do just that. He won't be the second coming of Elton Brand, but he might be more servicable than Eddie Curry, Kwame Brown and a few other lottery busts. He is probably a power forward in a league that does has a premium on that position. If he plays to the level of Mike Miller he has NBA value.

The ESPN love affair is typically over the top. Dick Vitale is the King of hype, which is arguably the most aggravating thing he brings to his "commentary". The "hardest working player " mantra is ridiculous and just Dick Vitale. I am glad his medical condition improved, but I, for one, did not ever want to hear him again, just because of scenes like this one.

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Russ Smith

He's the perfect college player in that he's good enough to be a first team AA but not good enough to project so high in the draft that he's going to leave after 1 year. So you get 3-4 years out of him.

He's also another kid who was old for his class he'll be 23 in november so he was physically mature when he arrived at UNC.

He does have an uncanny ability to get his shot off against bigger guys from an awkward angle and make the shot. I think he gets a lot of calls where he causes the contact by jumping in(like Love does by using his butt to create contact) but he's good.

I just can't forget how badly Taj Gibson destroyed him last year before getting in foul trouble when they played USC. It was a complete mismatch I think that one game forced Tyler to stay in college.

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“Your expectations always exceed outside expectations. I feel like you just can’t stop working, can’t stop getting better, because I’ll be a failure in my eyes before I’m a failure in someone else’s eyes.” -- Arron Afflalo

Skkorpion

Hansbrough is a good college player. Lots of hustle, smarts and plays on a good team. He plays well against many taller players. The over-hype is not his fault.

This statement by Russ is as silly as anything Vitale says. Russ, the whole basketball world does not revolve around your few favored teams.

Hyperbole is not limited to commentators.

Russ Smith

I guess we need a I'm clearly exaggerating for effect smiley? I don't seriously think one game kept him in school. I do think that game exposed him to a lot of people. The entire pre game on that game was about how UNC would dominate inside because USC was so small.

The game showed the country and the numerous NBA scouts who were there that Hansbrough wasn't ready for the NBA. He got killed by a guy(Gibson) who nobody had rated that highly. By the end of that game Billy Packer had Gibson a lottery pick, he actually had to be talked out of going pro by USC because he needed to get stronger(he did btw). I had to look it up at the point where Taj got his 4th foul he had 16 and 11, USC was up 11 , with 12 minutes left in the game. Brandan Wright was the only reason UNC wasn't completely out of the game. He sat with 4 fouls and UNC went on a 20-2 run all over the offensive glass and won the game. UNC wore them out without any real production from TH. He had 5 points 4 boards was 1-6 from the floor in only 29 minutes. the points was and still is his career low, the rebounds is the second lowest of his career(had 3 a few times actually). It was his worst game of his career in a "big" game. In the other 3 tourney games he played last year he scored a combined 80 points.


As I said he's the perfect college player, great college player, but an NBA tweener so he's stayed 3 years where when he arrived at UNC most thought he'd be one and done. That's the ideal recruit these days a kid who is a great player, but won't bolt too early for the NBA.

I think he leaves this year simply because of his age, same with Gibson btw he could use another year but he'll be 23 and these days that's just considered too old to still be in college as a prospect.

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“Your expectations always exceed outside expectations. I feel like you just can’t stop working, can’t stop getting better, because I’ll be a failure in my eyes before I’m a failure in someone else’s eyes.” -- Arron Afflalo

bko32

Ditto, Hansbrough = Madsen, ver. 2.0

Now, if he could work on that jumper of his, I'd be little more impressed, but he's pretty much ineffective from 15ft and beyond. That won't cut it in today's NBA.

Skkorpion

By the way, other than needling Russ, I agree with aj's premise that the media group-love for Hansbrough is annoying.