Post#32 » by starboy1 » Tue Jun 30, 2009 11:25 pm
Sorry for that midnight post....now the rational why Paul Harris gets that 11th or 12th roster spot.
The consensus on him is that he does not have an NBA position. He can't handle the ball well enough to play PG, can't shoot the 3 well enough to be a SG, is too short to play forward....which explains both why he was not drafted and will not fill the depth chart 1st or 2nd for any NBA team.
He's a 22 year old junior from Syracuse Univ, only 6'3" but with a 6'11" wingspan and a standing 36" vertical, has a freaky defensive reach...and defensively is an "in your face" defender.
At the 5/26 pre-combine ATTACK Athletics workout according to Draft Express: "Out of all the players here, Paul Harris may have left the best impression on us relative to our expectations going in. Harris is incredibly impressive from a physical standpoint first and foremost, boasting a chiseled frame, strong athleticism and extremely long arms, but he also looked pretty good from a skills standpoint as well.
...but it’s pretty safe to say that no one is going to sign him for what he does on the offensive end of the floor.
Defensively is where Harris really shined, showing absolute lock-down ability on anyone he was asked to guard, and really making his presence felt with his combination of toughness and tenacity. The theme of this year’s NBA playoffs for us probably is just how incredibly physical the games are, and if there was any player that embodied that spirit in this gym, it was Harris. Mike Procopio compares him to the likes of Tony Allen and DeShawn Stevenson, and after seeing him in action in this setting, it wasn’t hard to see why.
It will be interesting to see what the reaction is to Harris once he starts making the rounds for private workouts. It’s not tough to see some NBA coach falling in love with what he could bring to practice day in and day out, and the success of players like Dahntay Jones this season could help Harris out.
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At Syracuse in the 16 team Big East, although only 6'3" he was 12th overall in rebounding over taller players, and most of his boards weren't even close.
Not invited to the combine, but at the NJ Group workout on 6/15...in a group containing Eric Maynor, Jimmy Baron, Chase Budinger, Joe Ingles, A.J. Priceand Paul Harris.......Comments from observers in the gym:
“Paul Harris may have helped himself the most I thought here. He plays so hard. He got in everyone’s face. No one wanted to go against him. On offense and defense. “Chase Budinger...you should have seen his face when he was switched onto Paul Harris. He definitely didn’t want anything to do with him." btw...after that Budinger did zip zero
Some of us thought Budinger would have been a good choice for SG to spread the floor for the Cavs, but after NJ, Budinger disappeared. Harris wasn't drafted, but Cleveland offered him another private workout and he appeared asap playing for the Cavs in summer league.
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So I conjecture Harris gets spot 11 or 12 spot as a crunch time defender, something a playoff team absolutely wants one of on its bench.
btw outside of LeBron the Cavs guards tend I think to be fast and athletic, adding a tough, thick, in your face defender at guard (who can also gaurd forwards) might get "do-it-all" Paul a spot on the roster come opening tip off
