Harrison Barnes - Misplaced Priorities??

Winston Churchill once said "Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Basketball fans, particularly those of a Tar Heel persuasion, can say the same about Harrison Barnes; that he is a riddle, wrapped in mystery, inside an enigma. I've watched Barnes from afar and have tried to put my finger on why I'm befuddled about his game. The talent is obvious, but something is missing. 

Recently, I was called out on twitter by Richard K. Holt aka @DADDYRIZZICH for some of my thoughts on Barnes. Holt thought I was waffling on Barnes and that I seemed unwilling to go out on a limb about his talents. He then asked me, "Do u THINK Barnes reaches his huge potential or not?" 

My answer to Holt's question is "I don't know," but one needs to understand that there are very few sure things in life and talent evaluation.  I wrote a blog about my impressions of Kevin Garnett when he was in high school. Garnett was as sure a thing as any player that I've ever scouted. As I said in my blog, "the first time {Scouting report from the 1st time I actually saw KG play 1/15/95} I laid eyes on Garnett, I knew he was special."

I've also written a blog about a Saturday Night (12/30/95) in San Jose - Steve Nash vs. Stephon Marbury. Definitely had a lot of certainty about Stephon Marbury after that night, but Steve Nash had the greater career. So, no, Richard Holt, I'm not going out on the limb on Harrison Barnes, because aspects of his game, priorities, and personality concern me, but that's not my main reason for taking that approach. I watch a game with a trained eye, but I'm still watching it casually. There is no substitute for seeing an athlete live and up close; but more importantly, there is no substitute for sitting down, interviewing and getting to know a talented athlete like Harrison Barnes. I can look at him on TV, but there is no substitute for the process of scouting/talent evaluation. 

Ideally, a scout and general manager should view the totality of an athlete's career and not neglect any dimension of the scouting process.  A scout builds a book on an athlete and it can start as early as the high school years. Here are all the things that should go into evaluating an athlete for the draft.

(1) Live game scouting - prefer this over watching an athlete on tape.

(2) After I get a feel for the athlete live, like to augment it with game tape.

(3) Post Season All-Star games & Draft Camps

(4) Conversation with prospects coaches, opposing coaches - deep background check

(5) Run a background check - pay for detective report - higher the draft position, more information need to have

(6) Psychological Testing - Use it as a tool, not the be all to end all. Great to have when talking with coaches to confirm if it's accurate. A prospect's coaches might not level with you about everything. I've found that assistant coaches within a players conference are good sources of information and opinions.

(7) Interviews - Nobody does an interview better than me, they might do it as well, but not better. Trained from business career how to ask questions and probe. Prefer open ended questions. Come in well prepared. Read all of my reports beforehand, highlight areas I want to bring up, and will even read excerpts from articles & reports, and have athlete comment on it. I put a lot of weight on the interview, as well as the time I spend with an athlete during their visit to team site.

(8) Visit to team site - On court workouts with coaches, evaluation by strength & conditioning staff on trainability and other physical issues. Spend as much time with the athlete as you can in a relaxed setting. Pick them up at the airport and get drive time with them. Take them out to eat. Spend enough time with a young man and you'll get an inkling of who they are. You maybe able "to fake the funk" in an interview setting, but it's hard to do it over a two day period. 

So, Richard Holt, since I don't get paid to scout anymore, I will waffle on a guy like Harrison Barnes, because I'm no longer privy to the entire process of scouting and talent evaluation.

That said, an article written by Jay Caspian Kang, "Brand Gone Bust," helped me put a finger on missing elements in Harrison Barnes' game, an unbridled joy and love for playing the game of basketball. Kang referenced an article by Jason Zengerle, "Moneyballer:" that highlighted this Harrison Barnes quote, “Now, in college, I’m more the business guy who plays basketball.”

After reading Kang's and Zengerle's articles, I decided to write a basketball 101 lesson for Harrison Barnes and any other aspiring hooper who wants to build his 'Brand.' Don't put the cart before the horse. You got it ass backwards - “Now, in college, I’m more the business guy who plays basketball.” Should be more along the lines, "I'm the basketball guy who understands business."

First thing you need to understand is that you have to connect with fans through your play. You have to play for the right reasons. Michael Jordan is your guiding light, but Michael prioritized the game over everything else and handled the business aspects with aplomb. Never forget that MJ had "a love of the game" clause in his contract. Wasn't just something for show, came from a very deep place.

Another mentor for you is EJ, Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Earvin is an accomplished business man, but he also put basketball first, and connected with the fans like few other athletes ever have. When I think of Magic, I think of his initials from his given name, "EJ" - 'E' for Enthusiasm & 'J' for Joy.

Here's an image of Magic's statue in front of the Staples Center:

To quote a New York Daily News story:
"Johnson's statue has him with a ball in one hand, pointing with another as if directing a play and, of course, wearing that trademark smile. The base of the statue lists Johnson's accomplishments as a player and carries the inscription: 'EARVIN MAGIC JOHNSON'S EXTRAORDINARY ENTHUSIASM BORN FROM A PURE LOVE OF SPORT AND COMPETITION BROUGHT FIVE NBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TO THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES WHILE BRINGING JOY AND EXCITEMENT TO BASKETBALL FANS AROUND THE WORLD.'"

Dadgummit, that's how you build a brand. Focus on the game, play with all your heart, connect with the fans and things will come your way.

I leave you with this quote from Magic on "Playing to Win:"

"The ingredients to the NBA championship are right there for every player, coach, and team to grab if they can. But it takes time - time, experience, and the will to win.

When I'm playing basketball, I'm playing to win, nothing else. Not to score, to rebound, or to excel in one particular area of the game, but to win. That means I'm a rebounder, a scorer, a passer, even a cheerleader.

It means I'm going to be an example to my teammates of what having a winning attitude is all about.

It means I'll have a burning desire to be the very best player on the best team.

It means I'll have an attitude of unselfishness that keeps me craving for more of the rewards of success, more championships for my team, not glory for myself.

It means I won't ever get jealous of the attention one of my teammates is getting because nobody gets any attention when you lose."