The NBA Draft is just four days away. The San Antonio Spurs hold only the last pick in the draft and continue to work out second round prospects. Guys like Tu Holloway could end up being the Isaiah Thomas of this draft (Thomas was the last pick in the 2011 Draft, ended up starting for the Kings and winning Western Conference Rookie of the Month twice). Still, that’s less fun to talk.
For the record, this is not an article about trading Tony Parker for a lottery pick. It was not going to happen anyways but Chris Brown and Drake REALLY ended any chance of a trade before the draft (those guys ruin everything). It’s about the perfect Spur who isn’t going to be a Spur. His name is Harrison Barnes. He’s a great shooter. He’s super athletic. He has a great work ethic. He’s also kind of a jerk.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDmR2suP76c&w=488&h=275]
Thanks to Draft Express for this video and all the awesome work they’ve done this draft and every other year. Back to Barnes, doesn’t he sound like his locker has been wedged in between Tim Duncan’s and Gregg Popovich’s office (and on the other side of the locker room from Stephen Jackson)?
He answered each question that was asked of him, but he didn’t give anymore than what was asked of him (and even did the Pop one or two word answer when he got a question he didn’t think highly of). Pretty impressive that he’s already annoyed with media questions (and is able to look annoyed and somehow be respectful at the same time). His ability to answer a question without giving the media anything of real substance is as polished as his post up game (which is excellent). So yeah, he can come across as a bit of a jerk and I for one love it.
In case you’re wondering about Barnes’ game, he’s somewhere in between Glen Rice and former Spur Sean Elliott. He’s 6’8″, 228 pounds and we learned at the NBA Draft Combine that he can jump out of the gym. So yeah, I can already picture him wrapping a snake around his body and trying to enter the Slam Dunk Contest. So yes, in the best of situations, Barnes and Kawhi Leonard would be the perfect foundation for the Spurs on the wing. Their interviewing skills are even similar, except Barnes is less quiet. This won’t happen in the next week, but I just wanted you guys to know the perfect Spur exists in this draft. He’s just going to be a top five pick and won’t be a member of the Spurs anytime soon (cue the sad trumpet).
