The stat line: 30 mins, 32 points, 6 assists, 5 rebs, 0 TOs, 13-18 FG, 5-6 from three.

In case you forgot(and I’m sure Duke and LSU would like to) when Ty Lawson gets it rolling, he pretty much takes the game over.

So if you want to hear me ramble incessantly for like thirty minutes head on over there and give them a listen.

Many thanks to those guys for having me on.

A couple of recent mock drafts to see where Tyler Zeller, Kendall Marshall, John Henson and Harrison Barnes might be heading in late June

ESPN’s Chad Ford has four Heels in the top eleven picks. Here is his rundown via Robbi Pickeral.

6. Harrison Barnes (to Portland)

Ford’s Analysis: The Blazers grabbed this pick from the Nets as part of the Gerald Wallace trade. It’s top 3 protected so if the Nets win one of the top three spots in the lottery, the pick will revert back to Brooklyn.

The Blazers need help at both backcourt positions and at center. Not sure that Barnes really qualifies as a 2-guard and, in some ways, he duplicates what the team has in Nic Batum. But Portland needs shooters and playerswho can score the basketball and Barnes is terrific at that.

9. John Henson (to Detroit)

Ford’s Analysis: The Pistons really need both length and athleticism in their frontcourt. We’ve had Jared Sullinger in Detroit the past few mock drafts, but I’m getting a sense that a player like Henson, or even Arnett Moultrie or Meyers Leonard, may have a better shot. All three seem like a bit of a reach at No. 9, but long athletes don’t grow on trees and the Pistons might have to just take a risk here.

10. Kendall Marshall (to New Orleans)

Ford’s Analysis: We have the Hornets taking a power forward with their first pick (No. 4). The question here is whether they go for a point guard like Kendall Marshall or whether they add some help in the middle. Marshall is a pass-first point guard who makes everyone around him better.

11. Tyler Zeller (to Portland)

Ford’s Analysis: The Blazers don’t have much of anything in the middle. Although Zeller doesn’t project to be a star, he is big, runs the floor well and has a soft touch around the basket.

Zeller and Barnes to Portland? That seem like a stretch plus I am not sure why Ford is spending this much effort tying these picks to team needs when the order is not fully set.

At Draft Express, Jonathan Ginvoy has four Heels in the top fourteen.

7. Harrison Barnes to Golden State

8. John Henson to Toronto

10. Tyler Zeller to New Orleans

14. Kendall Marshall to Houston

Again these are speculative since the order is not known and unlike Ford, Ginvoy is not taking team needs into consideration at this point.

If these projections hold moderately close to where they are and UNC has four players go in the lottery or close to it, you can bet Roy Williams will be there with all four players. One reason is that’s the Carolina Way but the other reason being the free recruiting pitch he gets when he is seen hugging each player after their name is called.

If you recall, during the early summer months of 2008, the 2009 UNC basketball season sat teetering on a precipice. The decisions of three players would either put one of the best college basketball teams of the current century on the court for a run at the national title or turn the Heels into a good but not great team. It was a two month saga that ended in June when Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green all decided to return to UNC along with Tyler Hansbrough who had already decided to return at the initial deadline. The two month soap opera was obviously too much for Roy Williams so he, along with other coaches, began pressing the NCAA for a deadline to reduce the limbo time coaches faced following each season. The first incarnation of this was a deadline that occurred roughly two weeks after the NBA cutoff for entering the draft. This season the deadline comes a full 19 days prior to the NBA entry date.

And it makes zero sense whatsoever.

Under this year’s deadline a player who enters his name in the NBA draft but must withdraw it before April 10th to maintain his college eligibility. Needless to say that isn’t very much time and since the NBA does not begin working players out in earnest until the May/June time frame, there is really no benefit in entering your name into the draft unless you were planning on doing so anyway. In that respect the deadline does ensure that players who were likely going to go make their intentions known upfront instead of waiting. Outside of that segment of players the deadline is mostly worthless. A player need not enter his name in the draft to get information about his draft stock from the NBA. In UNC’s case, the information Roy Williams collects from his NBA contacts is as good as it gets as far as understanding a player’s draft position. Given the deadline only applies to withdrawing from the draft, a player who has not entered his name in can basically ignore it and wait until the NBA deadline of April 29th to decide.

That begs the question of why the NCAA decided establish a date with so little teeth to it? Outside of the standard answer of “it’s the NCAA” my guess would be the already noted impact of forcing decisions from players who were already 80-90% out the door. It possibly gives coaches leverage to push for a decision though how much is really in question. If the NCAA adheres to the same deadline next season I imagine the players will begin to eschew the deadline in favor of the NBA’s later date. A year from now players will be acclimated to how the process works, hold their name out and use the NBA deadline instead. This could lead to some ruffled feathers between player and coach not unlike what went on between Roy and Danny Green in 2008. However, some players may feel that is worth taking the extra time which would mean the rule will end up not doing was it as intended to do.

The solution, in my opinion, is simple. If the coaches are dead set on knowing as soon as they can possibly know then the NCAA should simply adopt whatever deadline the NBA sets and tell players they are either in or out. No fuss. No mess. Just a straightforward deadline for a player to make a decision whether to enter the draft or not. If they are not sure then they can wait until the last minute to decide. If they enter their name and something changes then they can withdraw their name before the deadline. In an ideal world the NCAA and NBA would get together on this and work out a system where some shortened “testing the water” process could be implemented in the month after the college basketball season ends to give players some real feedback based on actual workout and evaluations. The NBA is likely not going to go for that and college coaches would like to avoid the kind of limbo that system created.

As has always been the case each entity will keep doing whatever is in its own best interest instead of coming to some agreement on that is acceptable to all parties involved, foremost being the players themselves.

North Carolina forward James Michael McAdoo is still thinking about whether to return for his sophomore season or jump to the NBA early — but he will make his decision this week, his father said in a text message Monday morning.

“James Michael came home for the weekend, we are still processing information before James Michael makes a decision,” Ronnie McAdoo said in the text message. “[James Michael's] decision to stay at UNC or enter the 2012 draft will be made this week.”

Inside Carolina is reporting similar information but places the timeline to decide as “this weekend”

A quick glance of the message boards over there on the premium side has rumors all over the map. He’s staying. He’s going. He met with Roy. He didn’t meet with Roy. He had Chipolte for lunch. No, it was Moe’s.

To their credit they have finally reached a consensus which is no one knows what McAdoo will decide.

As noted by Pickeral, McAdoo really came on when John Henson’s wrist injury gave him more playing time. He led UNC with 15 points versus Kansas and showed a wide range of skills from steals for breakaway dunks to hitting turnaround jumpers around the basket. ESPN’s Chad Ford has McAdoo 7th in his mock draft, the highest of any Tar Heel who has declared.

The fight started with President Mark Emmert’s comments about the NBA’s 19 year-old age limit that requires basketball players to spend a year doing something:

“I happen to dislike the one-and-done rule enormously and wish it didn’t exist. I think it forces young men to go to college that have little or no interest in going to college.”

NBA Commissioner David Stern had a rather pointed response:

“A college could always not have players who are one and done. They could do that. They could actually require the players to go to classes. Or they could get the players to agree that they stay in school, and ask for the scholarship money back if they didn’t fulfill their promise. There’s all kinds of things that, if a bunch of people got together and really wanted to do it, instead of talk about it.”

Let’s quickly get one thing out of the way: both men are correct. There are a group of athletes who, but for the age limit, would be in the NBA. They are in college because they decided that college basketball was the best alternative. And the NCAA, conferences, or schools could adopt any number of policies designed to fight the effects of the one-and-done rule. But neither really addresses the other. You still have athletes who would rather not be in college and it is still not the NBA’s problem.

This fight is unlikely to go away because conventional wisdom says each group needs the other. Operating a U23 developmental league on the scale of Division I would be impossible for the NBA on its own. And if the NBA removed the best players from college basketball, interest would drop some amount. Both of these facts are true, but both are also irrelevant.

The NBA does not need to operate a developmental league at the same level of the NCAA, with full rosters of NBA-age players, additional facilities, and another administrative staff. The NBA simply needs to operate cheaper youth teams (at least two, one for high school freshmen and sophomores and one for juniors and seniors) and expand rosters using development slots at below the current minimum salary to make teams large enough to support a reserve league. Youth and reserve teams would leverage existing infrastructure, drastically cutting development expenses. Broadcast partners and sponsors, especially shoe companies, might pay for the entire project.

There’s also not great evidence that college athletics needs a steady supply of would be pros to be popular. College baseball has reached record levels of revenue and popularity at the same time MLB clubs were throwing so much money at kids to not go to school that it became the central issue in the new collective bargaining agreement. The same goes for college soccer, which continues to grow despite MLS shifting money to its own developmental system.

Infante goes onto point out that the NCAA is not really the best place for players to prepare for the NBA. Why? Because the NCAA restricts that development through various rules.

Athletes are limited to a maximum of 20 hours per week of training. But during the season, that 20 hours has to include games, each of which cuts into training by 3 hours.

During the offseason, athletes are limited to just eight hours of training. Skill instruction is further limited to just two hours of those eight. For long portions of the year, no training can be required at all.

Athletes are generally prohibited from even requesting additional skill instruction because of the way the NCAA has defined voluntary activities.

Athletes are required to pursue an academic career parallel to their athletic one, which takes away from the time and energy they can devote to improving.

Staffing and recruiting limits make evaluation and selection of athletes with the most potential to be pros more difficult.

The NCAA operates (or allows to operate) national championships that become the primary focus of a coach’s job, rather than developing future professional athletes.

The coaches’ primary role is to win games with player development serving that goal first. That doesn’t mean college coaches ignore developing their players for a future in the NBA but players get utilized first and foremost in whatever way helps the team win an NCAA title. Sometimes that means a player will not get to showcase the type of skills that make them enticing to the NBA. In the end, it probably all comes out in the wash but the overarching point remains, NCAA rules curtail the amount of time and focus a player might put into his personal development. Oddly enough, even with that factored in, the players themselves still consider it the best option until they can reach the NBA. Much of that has to do with familiarity and playing against players of similar skill level, age, etc. If a player were to go to Europe the level of competition is different and the results for players taking that route have been mixed. Not so with players in college who continue to do well on the next level even if they end up being there for one year.

The problem with the age limit on the college side is (1) the NCAA puts a priority on education and the age limit sends players to school who have no intention of finishing and (2) it creates a number of practicality issues for coaches in running their programs. The “not knowing” makes life difficult for coaches in terms of planning and recruiting. Roy Williams’ answer to this has been to operate on a two year recruiting plan which acknowledges the cupboard is going to empty every so often which enables him to land an elite class on the heels of one that is just solid. His goal has been to create teams with 1-2 year players complimented by 3-4 year types. It also means having down season like 2006(on paper anyway), 2010 and now potentially 2013. At Kentucky, John Calipari’s answer has been the recruit ‘em all and let NBA attrition sort it out. In both cases there are elements of instability introduced by not knowing how long a player will be on campus.The need for certainty is what drove coaches to demand a short timetable on early entries in the NBA Draft and it now drives the need for the age limit to be changed.

Unfortunately, as much as these two entities might need each other, a solution that everyone will be happy with is not easily recognized. A straight two year age limit would offer the most stability since players would commit and coaches could make plans based on two year windows. Something akin to the baseball rule sounds good but reintroduces uncertainty into recruiting since players could commit then go to the NBA leaving coaches holding the bag and missing a player they thought was coming. Reverting to the old system of no age limit would be a nightmare in recruiting and players leaving early. The NBA has no interest in that since it means losing that guaranteed one year of evaluation that is currently available.

In the end I think the ultimate solution may be to do what is best for the players themselves. As a matter of personal viewpoint I always think it is better to create more freedom and choice for individuals concerning the key decisions of their life than fewer. An 18-year old basketball player should be able to choose the NBA if he wants or college for two years or going to Europe. Unlike the NFL, basketball players can come out of high school and compete in the NBA whereas in football there is a concern about players having the necessary physical development. For those of us who love college basketball and generally disdain the NBA, it means watching someone we enjoy shafted as the “odd man out.” It is frustrating to be sure but Infante points out college basketball can still grow even without the elite players. It does means more parity, more instances where VCU and Butler show up in the Final Four and more times like now where we have no idea what the next season might hold.

 Looking forward, Marshall’s superb passing ability, feel for the game, excellent intangibles, and penchant for playing winning basketball are certain to be attractive to NBA teams, as there simply aren’t many players who can run a team like him available, certainly not in this point guard-starved draft class. The recent seamless transition of Ricky Rubio, a player with a similar strength/weakness profile in many ways, will also help the case for those wondering how Marshall’s game could translate to the pros, as will the continued success of Andre Miller, another guard he somewhat resembles.

Maximizing his spot-up shooting and defensive abilities are definitely the simplest short-term and long-term improvements Marshall can make, and both would go a long way to easing his transition and rounding out his game. Playing in an unselfish offensive system under a coach that recognizes how to utilize his skills will be critical for Marshall’s long-term success, but it’s difficult to see a player with such a pronounced and coveted strength not finding a niche in the NBA.

Essentially those areas those of us who watched Marshall at UNC observed as concerns are shared by NBA scouts. However, Marshall’s passing and his management of the offense are seen has such huge gifts, teams will be more than willing to bring him on despite some of deficiencies with his speed and defense. In other words he does something really well which should prove useful to the right team with the right coach.

Of the three that declared for the NBA Draft on Thursday, Marshall might be the one I spend the most time watching just to see how he translates to the professional level.

Here is the official release from UNC via ACC Sports:

University of North Carolina junior forward John Henson, sophomore forward Harrison Barnes and sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall will enter the 2012 NBA Draft.

“It’s a great day for three youngsters who are taking another step toward their ultimate goal of playing professional basketball,” says head coach Roy Williams. “On a very small stage, it’s a sad day for me because I won’t get to coach them again. All Tar Heel fans will miss them greatly, as well.

“When I recruit a young man I talk to them about their ultimate goals and each of them are taking that next step toward reaching the goals they spoke to me about. I am extremely pleased for them. They have meant so much to our basketball program and theUniversity of North Carolina. I thank them for everything they have contributed to Carolina Basketball.

“I really look forward to watching Harrison, John and Kendall play in the NBA. I know theywill be very successful. They have been and will always be great Tar Heels.”

Henson was the ACC’s defensive player of the year in 2011 and 2012 and earned first-team all-conference honors as a junior. He played in 109 games and finished with1,124 points, 885 rebounds (11th all-time at UNC) and 279 blocks, the second-most in school history. He is first all-time at Carolina with 2.56 blocked shots per game.

“I’ve loved my three years at Carolina, and now I’m ready to pursue my dream of playing in the NBA,” says Henson. “It’s tough to leave because I love my teammates, coaches and UNC. I wish we’d been able to bring our fans a national championship, but it wasn’t meant to be. I am proud of what we accomplished, especially the last two years.

“I plan to finish working toward my degree. That’s important to my parents, CoachWilliams and me. I can’t say enough about how much I’ve enjoyed my experience in Chapel Hill. This was a big decision and it will be a big change, but I’m ready.

“I’d like to thank my parents, Coach Williams and his staff and all of my teammates for everything they’ve done to get me ready for this moment. I’d also like to thank all the Carolina fans who have given us so much support over the lastthree years.”

Barnes earned first-team All-ACC honors and second-team All-America honors (NABC) as a sophomore after leading Carolina in scoring for the second straight year. The Ames, Iowa, native scored 1,228 points in 75 games, an average of 16.4 per contest.

“I’m honored and blessed to have the opportunity to compete in the NBA,” says Barnes. “The love and respect I have for basketball fuel the drive toward my ultimate goal – to experience an illustrious career in the NBA. I have consulted with Coach Williams and my family, and although it was a difficult decision, I have decided to enter this year’s NBA draft.

“Chapel Hill is a special place. Over the past two years I’ve enjoyed every single moment of my Tar Heel experience. The road we took to reach the Elite 8 in 2011 and again in 2012 were great team accomplishments. I am thankful to UNC fans, my teammates, and to have played for Hall of Fame Coach Roy Williams and the entire coaching staff. Now it’s time for the next course of my journey. Although I may be giving up my eligibility, I will continue to pursue my degree. I love this university and will always be a Tar Heel.”

Marshall won the 2012 Bob Cousy Award as the top point guard in the nation and was a first-team All-America by CBSSports.com. The Dumfries, Va., native set the ACC’ssingle-season assist record this year with 351, the fourth-most in NCAA history. He also set ACC single-season records with 9.75 assists per game and 17 double-figure assist games. He is Carolina’s all-time leader in assist per game (7.96) and the ACC’s career leader in assist-turnover ratio (3.01). He is second in ACC history in assists per game.

“I would like to thank my family, coaches, teammates and the Tar Heel Nation for all their support,” says Marshall. “It’s been the greatest two years of my life. I have always put the team before myself and I am extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished. My life long dream has been to play basketball at the highestlevel possible and I feel now is my greatest opportunity to fulfill this goal. I will always be a Tar Heel at heart and I will carry the experiences that I’ve had here both on and off the court with me for the rest of my life.

All three of these will likely go in the top 15 and who know’s with a weak PG draft Marshall could get into the top ten if he impresses through the workouts.

None of this is a surprise and there is a tinge of sadness involved that these guys could not go out on their terms instead of having the season and NCAA Tournament conclusion dictated by injuries. I also hate that we will not get at least one more season of Marshall running the point. He was so much fun to watch and is quickly becoming one of the favorite Tar Heels of all time.

So congratulations to these guys for the opportunity to pursue their dreams and thank you for 2-3 years of wearing North Carolina across your chest.

With all-world wing player Manu Ginobli injured, Green has had the opportunity to see significant minutes off the bench. According to Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News:

During Ginobili’s absence, Green has emerged as the Spurs’ top wing off the bench. He’s given them outside shooting, a fierce defensive effort and moxie when they’ve needed  it. His emergence has been the biggest surprise of the season.

Outside shooting, defense, and moxie. Sounds like just the kinds of things he brought to the Tar Heels, especially during the 2009 national championship run.

With UNC playing three games in six days, Roy Williams gave the team the day off on Wednesday and flew to San Antonio to watch Green and the Spurs take on Houston.  Again, Tim Griffin reports:

“All of our guys in the NBA, whether it’s from Kansas or North Carolina, I try to see during the course of the year,” Williams said. “Danny I haven’t seen. He was with Cleveland two years ago and I went up to see him and he played like one minute.

“He’s a little more important here in San Antonio and he’s doing some nice things and Pop is one of my favorite guys in the whole wide world. We played three games in six days and I gave them a day off today so we could come and see Danny.”

Williams said he’s not surprised with the development of Green, who has blossomed as a consistent producer for the Spurs after Manu Ginobili’s injury.

“Danny is one of those of kids who has the ability to play, “Williams said. “But in the NBA you have to find the right spot and be there at the right time and take advantage of it. I think that’s what Danny’s done.

“He’s always had an ability to score. He’s a little sneaky and has the ability to block a shot and get some steals and an offensive rebound for you. He’s a good  basketball  player who was crucial for us in ’09 when we won the national championship.

“I always thought he had the ability, but I’ve had other guys with the ability who never found the right spot at the right time, nor if they did, they didn’t take advantage of it. Danny has taken advantage of it pretty well.”

It’s great to hear that Green, a fan favorite, is making the most of his opportunity. And, like at UNC when he was known to make a highlight reel or two, Green is continuing the tradition for the Spurs, as evidenced here.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a post about Danny Green without this:

First up, via Bobby Frasor who retweeted it and WRAL Sports Fan who posted the audio. The Pacers, as part of a promotion for the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library, had Hansbrough read the children’s classic Chicken Little for people to call in and listen to. Why? I really don’t know. Maybe there is a rash of parents in Indiana who would rather have their kids listen to a story read by a professional athlete over the phone than do it themselves. At any rate, Hansbrough dropping “turkey lurkey” is priceless not to mention his “oh my goodness” is getting close to Woody Durham territory.

Hansbrough was a good enough sport to talk with Adam Gold and Joe Ovies on 99.9 The Fan yesterday afternoon. They discussed Chicken Little and Hansbrough’s second season in the NBA. However the money part of the interview was this:

Joe Ovies: “Has Colin Cowherd invited you on his show yet?”

Hansbrough: “Who’s that?”

Smack.

For those of you who don’t know. ESPN Radio blowhard Colin Cowherd once said Tyler Hansbrough would never score more than 20 points in an NBA game and if he did, Cowherd would do his show in his underwear. Cowherd’s mistake(other than being a complete jerkwad) is underestimating a guy with Hansbrough’s work ethic. I stated when he went to the NBA that I did not know how good Hansbrough would be but I did know he would work harder than anyone else so don’t count him out.

Having sort of broken through in his second season and free of the stupidity of Jim O’Brien being his coach, Hansbrough should be setup for a solid third season in the NBA…providing there is one.