At least that's what Andy Katz is hearing.. sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4170004&name=katz_andy
I wouldn't mind James staying in the draft if he gets drafted, but I just don't see that happening. Fortunately, he still hasn't signed with an agent.
Interesting that he cites to Avery Bradley as the reason we won't miss James although he plays the 2 and James plays the 3 or 4. I would guess that Hamilton would be considered the beneficiary of more PT if James did decide to stay in the draft. Bradley is starting and playing 30-35 minutes regardless.
It has been broken down by posters way more in the know than I am, but isn't there 5 or 6 other guys that ply the same position that are probably going to be drafted ahead of him? Wouldn't that put him pretty far down in the draft?
Don't think his status effects Hamilton's playing time much either. They would be on the floor at the same time.
If Jame's does stay, wont we be exceeding the limit of people on our roster? That means someone from last year wont be sitting on the bench with the team or getting any PT. And it always seems someone great leaves right when we are about to have all the pieces in place. Im not saying that next year is our year, but it will definitely be better than last. James could only help that process. However what ever he decides, im for it. He put up great numbers in the burnt orange and will be fun to watch in the NBA. Lets just hope he makes the right decision what ever it may be.
Disagree. They play the same position (the 3 and sometimes 4). James being on the team absolutely affects Hamilton's playing time. It will have minimal impact on Bradley.
Shawne Williams is a 4 also isn't he? And Wangmene will be back. The forward positions are filled to the brim.
I guarantee you that there will be a lineup on the floor next year (at some point) that has 3 guards and Hamilton at the 4. Not saying it will be a regular lineup, but Barnes will try it.
Jordon is a 3-2 while Damion is a 4-3. Jordan ,Avery 25-30 min. during conference game. Damion if he is still here, gets 25 minutes or more, unless he is playing with his head in his armpit. Damion sits we will have Chapman and Wang to play the 4 slot. Dex sits Chapman first off the bench at the 5 and then Wang unless Wang has a hell of a spring and non-conference games. PG = Jai or Dog, Ward, Mason(?) Brown SG = Avery, Ward, Mason SF = Jordon, Williams ,Mason PF = Damion, Chapman, Wang C = Dex, Chapman, Wang others Harrison Smith, Hill. Jordan, Avery, Williams will all get minutes due to their offense unless they forget to play defense but I doubt that Jordon and Avery will forget and Williams will get it real soon. Mason looks like he may get less minutes then any other guard unless he gets back to his Soph. season performance. Where Barnes goes with his players is anyones guess so early in a new season .
I see three practice units that are interchangeable to some degree. Unit one: PG Jai Lucas SG Avery Bradley SF Jordon Hamilton PF Damion James C Dex Pittman Second unit: PG Dogus Balbay SG J'Covan Brown SF Shawn Williams PF Gary Johnson C Clint Chapman Third unit PG Justin Mason SG Harrison Smith SF Varez Ward PF Matt Hill C Alex Wangmene Of course the third group is really group 2A at a number of different positions. Practice should be fun with one group resting while they run full court scrimmages. That third team could probably beat a couple of Big 12 starting fives. Its going to be a great year anyway you look at it.
$100 Jordan Hamilton never plays a lick at the 4 position. He's a 2/3 all the way. Much more skilled at the wing position than Damion James.
This will all be "moo" (like a cow's opinion) once James is drafted. There are plenty of NBA teams willing to use a late 1st pick or later to develop a decently-athletic guy to be a backup small forward in the league. He's never going to be much of a ballhandler, but if they can pay him a rookie amount to teach him how to shoot year round, then it's probably worth it. They're not constricted by the practice rules of the NCAA. Oh, and Hamilton as a 4 is a nightmare for us, not for other teams. He hasn't played college basketball yet. Other 4's in the league would be drooling at going at an undersized, skinny guy down low. I've said before, he's going to be our Josh Carter this year. He's going to launch it and rely on the other guys on the team to get him the ball.
Maybe I am over-estimating our strength and conditioning program, but I still see Barnes trying Hamilton at the 4. Of course, with Dex controlling the paint on offense, the 4 next year may be similar to a 3 at some points.
He's not an interior player. Despite being 6'7", he's not a great rebounder. You don't recruit a top 10 wing and try to turn him in to a mediocre 4. He gives us a serious size advantage playing in the backcourt, why take that away and waste his skill set? Damion is undersized at the 4, but gets away with it because he is ridiculously athletic and plays hard. The NBA wants him at the 3 because he's not big enough play the 4 in the league. Hamilton isn't nearly that athletic, but he has a very polished perimeter game. He and Damion are very different players. He's never going to be a 4 and we don't want him to be one.
I think he was speaking from an athleticism standpoint but yeah, that would be a terrible lineup to have on the court...
I think you guys are under-estimating what the college game has become. It is not out of the realm of possibility to have 4 shooters on the floor and Dex in the middle. Hamilton will not serve himself very well for the next level if he simply comes to Texas and plays on the perimeter. He will need to go inside at some point and mix it up.
Of course he'll "go inside" on offense. Probably not as often as Bradley, in terms of speed and driving ability, but to put him in a position to be guarding the other team's big man is just dumb, unless we can switch him out every time we come back up the floor. Even Gary Johnson would be able to back Hamilton down on the defensive end, and that's saying something. It doesn't make sense to play 4 guards if you want to maintain any kind of intimidation on the D end of the court. Hamilton will prepare himself for the NBA nicely by playing a swingman role.
If Hamilton has the speed to keep up with other 2 guards like Kobe, Wade, Roy, etc, then of course the NBA would love a 6-7 2 guard. I seriously doubt that is the case. My only point is that Barnes will experiment.
Kobe, Wade, and Roy are all stars. No one guards them very well. OK imagine Damion James' role on the team last year. He was expected to do the things that a 3 should be able to do. He was supposed to take a bunch of open looks from 18 feet and handle the ball. He didn't do very well at these roles in many games. This is a spot where Hamilton would excel, and probably early on. It's also the niche that he would need to work on in order to show his NBA Draft stock status. Hamilton does not have the PF game. Period. He might have that game against high schoolers, but he isn't going to play that position in college, especially considering that's the last spot he'd be tried at (other than the 5) in the NBA. He's probably not going to be used as a 2 in the college game, but it wouldn't shock me if that was his primary spot in the NBA.
More importantly, if J'Covan qualifies and Damion stays, who are we getting rid of? Matt Hill really saw a signifigant loss of PT last year, however Barnes raved about his hard work ethic in practice and his toughness. Harrison started getting more PT and really stepped up his play. Clint has been elevating his play as well. Id hate to see any of these guys not on the bench or on the court, but if it means an increase in talent... Id probably take it.
