I don’t see Hansbourgh taking away minutes from either Murphy or Granger, I could see someone like Clarke taking to the SG for a few minutes here and there, with NBA coaching helping his development.

I am actually am a Hansbrough fan, but I think he has peaked, and as he might be faster in the workouts, etc, players like Clark really have not been conditioned and developed as Hansbrough has. He is maxed out physically. Clark has a frame to build on.

Hence, players with more ability to grow in a NBA system (lets face it, UNC is as close to an NBA team in college there is) usually end up having more illustrious careers.

The other players peaked usually have moderate or deecnt careers. At best.

If the writer of the article is only being critical of the Pacers for not taking Clark, then why does he slam Hansbrough?

Hansbrough’s offensive game is more than just a scoop shot. He has a variety of post moves. As well, he has shown he can knock down jumpers and pass big to big. AND he has a power game. Griffin has the power game and what else?

Hansbrough has not had any trouble getting to the line. And Hansbrough is an 84% FT shooter, unlike Griffin, who was below 60% this past year.

I find it interesting that you mention strength, work ethic, dominance, and mentality and you suggest Hansbrough is lacking compared to Griffin in these areas.

Many people would fall short when compared to Dirk. But once again, I believe you are underestimating Hansbrough. Time will tell.

As for Clark, he has the game of a 3. You liken him to Nowitzki but he doesn’t have the strength or the post moves of Dirk. And “shooting off the dribble” is considered one of Clark’s weaknesses.

Why might the Pacers have selected Hansbrough over Clark? Clark lacks some physical toughness, doesn’t always play hard, doesn’t shoot a high percentage from the field or from the FT line, doesn’t really have a back to the basket game, and struggles to finish through contact. All of these things Hansbrough can do. And with Hansbrough continuing to develop his jumper, he will not just be a back to the basket player. Maybe that’s why the Pacers took him.

You say Clark has way more upside than Hansbrough. I would counter that to suggest that Clark also has the potential to be a much bigger bust than Hansbrough. Clark has the physical tools to be a star in the NBA. He will have to show the mental toughness and focus to realize the upside that you talk about. When asked about Clark, many scouts talked about “upside” and “potential” but those same guys also used the words “riddle” and “enigma”, because it seemed like Clark was always getting in his own way.

Could the Pacers have missed out on a good one? Sure but I don’t know why Clark is any more of a sure thing than Hansbrough, who proved more in college.

What I inferred is that the Hansbrough plays to small for the 4 by NBA standards, which makes sense. He has a lot of weak scoup moves that will not convert to the NBA. His scoop shots and array of post moves are predictable, and will be demolished against NBA talent. Griffins moves are strictly power moves, which tend to lead to free throws and easy buckets after your starter is on the bench.

He can easily develop a perimeter shot over time. I liken him to Karl Malone in this capacity. I am not saying he will be as good as the mailman, but he has the potential strength and work ethic to get that close. However, you have to have that absolute dominance and mentality during a game that Hansbrough is far less than equal to Griffin in comparison.

Being 6’10 and having an outside shot is good, if you are Dirk. Hansbrough’s game as a face up shooter will be limited unless he undergoes a dramatic overhaul of his post moves.

Hansbrough is also doubtful to develop the ball handling skill set Dirk has, an ability which mandates a defender play him straight up, allowing him to move with the ball to get his shot off. Spot up shooting, sure. but he will not be able to drive pull up and get his shot off against an NBA defender.

If he can, I can understand where you are coming from.

Highly doubtful. Clark has way more upside than Hansbrough in that he can absolutely perform in this capacity.
It seems like Indiana blew it not drafting him, as they would be more athletic if they did.
Hansbrough will be forced to be a back to the basket type player, as he does not have range like Troy Murphy.

I have done my homework. And I am not looking to try to find ways to justify Hansbrough.

You say Hansbrough hit his ceiling in college. And you are basing this on what? I can admit he will not do in the pros what he did at Carolina. But he has added a jumper to his game so he can play facing the basket. Since you brought up Clark, do you remember the game against Louisville in the NCAA tournament in 2008 when Hansbrough was hitting one big shot after the other from the perimeter?

You say he is a tweener, too slow for the 3 and too short for the 4. He’s almost 6’10″ in shoes. How tall does he need to be to play the 4? Since Griffin is the same height as Hansbrough, I guess he is a tweener too, especially since he doesn’t have the perimeter game to be able to play the 3. Hansbrough has often been compared to David Lee from the Knicks and Lee was the starting center for NY this year. Hansbrough is actually taller than Lee. Tell me again why Hansbrough can’t play the 4.

I never said Hansbrough was as good as Griffin. He may or may not be but that wasn’t my point. The perception is that Griffin is destined to succeed while Hansbrough is destined to fail. I am challenging that perception to point out that Hansbrough has more going for him than he is getting credit for. Sure, he’ll need to adjust his game and not force as many shots. And based on the adjustments that he has made to his game at this point, I think he can do it.

I won’t talk bad about Clark. He is very athletic and was an excellent college player. Plus he was an excellent teammate. Comparing him to Hansbrough, Hansbrough is much stronger while Clark is more athletic. As a result Hansbrough projects as a 4 while Clark projects as a 3. You may be surprised that Hansbrough was faster in the sprint at the predraft camp.

And I knew that the Clippers were looking to move one of their bigs to make room for Griffin, likely Camby. Assuming Camby gets traded, will Griffin supplant Kaman as the starter at C (because you know Randolph will be in the starting line-up)? And until Camby does get traded, it is a crowded frontcourt, moreso than in Indiana. While Hansbrough may not start for Indiana, he should be the first big man off the bench, backing up either Hibbert or Murphy.

To give the Pacers an F shows your bias against Hansbrough, especially when your reasoning for giving them an F is something that some in the sports media have proliferated that is just not true.

What is the difference between Hansbrough and Griffin? They are essentially the same height, Hansbrough has the longer reach, Griffin has the better no-step vertical (by 4 inches), but that closes to just an inch for their max vertical, Hanbrough actually tested out with a better agility score, and was slightly faster in the sprint. Another difference is that Hansbrough actually has a jump shot while Griffin gets almost all of his baskets on dunks and layups. And Griffin, like Hansbrough, is on a team with a glut of post players (Kaman, Randolph, Camby). And yet somehow you give the Clippers an A for drafting Griffin and the Pacers an F for drafting Hansbrough.

You should develop a better and more accurate critique of Hansbrough’s game, rather than just this lazy regurgitation of lies.