First things first, I'm a Tarheel fan. Lets just get that out the way.
As such, I can somewhat acknowledge that I'm biased towards Harrison Barnes.[1] I wanted him on this Wizards team last year, and I want him drafted this summer. I think he's just that good.
I can also acknowledge that I'm a bit biased against Michael Kidd-Gilchrist being the Wizards' pick. Had Kendall Marshall not gotten injured, I think my Tarheels would have won it all. So yeah, there's that.
Still, it continually puzzles me that people are willing to overlook MKG's glaring flaws and overanalyze Barnes'. If we're trying to build a winner here (and I think we are), lets look at the players for what they could bring to DC and take the emotion out of the decision.
MKG was a "glue guy" on a championship team. Swell for him.
But had Marshall not gotten injured, there's a great chance UNC would have won it all. I think many of you are overlooking this guy's obvious flaws (SHOOTING!!!) because you are enamored with the fact that he was on the winning team.
When I hear BS terms like "motor" and "dedication" I think it's clear some fans are waaay too caught up with "intangibles".
How about we look at on court production. Harrison Barnes was hardly a slouch as a defender. His stats aren't as gaudy in some areas because of how UNC had to use him (due to injury to other wings and team style of play). But come on, he scores off the bounce. He scores at the line. He scores from 3pt land. He's CLEARLY just as dedicated (if not more) a player as MKG. He's also a "glue guy". Seriously, some seem to forget that Barnes came to UNC as a highly touted 1-and-done candidate. Yet he had no problem putting his game and ambitions on the backburner for the good of the team.
He didn't complain when Roy essentially asked him to sit in the corner and wait while Marshall tried (with great success might I add) to shovel the ball inside to Henson and Zeller. When that didn't work, UNC's offense often shifted to handing the ball to Barnes on the wing and asking him to make something happen with 10 seconds left on the clock. He still managed to average nearly 18 ppg and shoot a reasonable percentage (45% from the floor, %36 from 3). But he was by no means the team's focal point on offense.
It also puzzles me how so many people are grading Barnes on his NCAA tourney performance after Marshall wnet down, conveniently overlooking his performances for, oh, the rest of his UNC career. How many other team could go from an NCAA assist leader (Marshall) to a 3rd string emergency PG (Stillman White) and not miss a beat offensively? I'll let you Google that one.
This is not to suggest that I dislike MKG. I don't. He seems like a perfectly nice guy. He's got a great back story. He's a high character player who seems to get along well with teammates. And yeah, he won an NCAA title. But does he bring what we need as a team to the table? Can he put the ball on the floor and score? Can he shoot from distance? Has he shown any ability to put a team on his back offensively and his clutch game winners? I don't think so. Yes, he has a great "motor" and he's "dedicated' and a "winner" and "will do whatever it takes".
That's all fine and dandy. But why waste a high draft pick on a guy like that who really doesn't fill any of the teams glaring holes on the wing? Isn't Chris Singleton supposed to provide much of that, or have we already written him off?
Besides, if you want "intangibles", just look at how Barnes conducts himself during interviews. That's the sort of player you want as a spokesman for your franchise, as well as on the floor.[2]
Barnes or Bust.
[1] It would likewise be nice if some of the Terps fans here acknowledged that they have an anti-Barnes bias.
[2] No disrespect intended to MKG. I'm not pointing out his stuttering problem here. So please, save the comments.