As expected, Kirk Haston announced he will forego his senior season at Indiana University and make himself eligible for the NBA Draft next month. I'm sorry Kirk, but I really feel let down by this decision not only because I am selfish and want the Hoosiers to have a great season, but because I just don't feel you are ready for the NBA.
From what I have read, Haston made a good showing of himself at a pre-draft camp last week in Chicago. But this was a camp designed for players looking to become eligible for the draft to decide whether or not they are ready for the NBA or to find out where they stand in the overall picture of the draft. I am not surprised that Kirk did well. He is an excellent college basketball player and should play well against other collegiate players. What I don't see is him being able to play consistently well against NBA talent over the course of 82 games. Will he ever? Absolutely, but the benefit he would have garnered by starting and playing many minutes in 30+ games for IU would have outweighed his sitting on an NBA bench night after night except for cleanup minutes late in games. Unfortunately, that is where I see Kirk spending most of his time during his first NBA season. I really hope I am wrong about that.
Haston says he always wanted to play in the NBA and would only consider it if he had graduated from Indiana, or was close to graduation, was healthy, was coming off a good season and if he felt that “skill wise” he was ready. He is close to graduation, and he is healthy. By many accounts he got screwed by not being named Big 10 Player of the Year. But I don't see that he is polished enough to play in the pros. Not yet.
But Haston has made his decision. I don't have to like it and I don't. I don't think that many Hoosier fans will applaud his choice. I wish him the best in the future. I hope he can land with a team that can utilize his strengths while letting him work on his weaknesses and can allow him minutes. I'm just sorry to see him go as I can now only imagine the season the Hoosiers would have had with everyone, including Kirk, back.
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IRL Vice President of Operations Brian Barnhart is not happy with the racing that took place at Texas Motor Speedway last Saturday night during the Casino Magic 500. Barnhart and veteran driver Eddie Cheever Jr. were critical of the risky, wheel-to-wheel, high speed dicing that took place between Greg Ray and eventual winner Scott Sharp over the last 40 laps of the race. Mr. Barnhart and Mr. Cheever, kindly open your asses and remove your heads. The racing was as exciting as any racing ever. A 215 mph cat and mouse game that unfolded on a track that CART was chicken to run on.
I know why Cheever was upset. He had a very fast race car. Maybe the fastest car on the track. But the track can only support that kind of racing between 2. Three wide into the 3rd turn would have resulted in a crash. Therefore, Cheever was forced to back off a couple of times which cost him the race. But Brian Barnhart, who has never raced, has absolutely no idea of the exhilaration that Ray and Sharp were feeling as they went lap after lap side by side. All I can say is that if Brian Barnhart doesn't want to see the IRL drivers race like that, then he needs to look for another job. For the fans, which I thought this was at least partially about, the last 40 laps at Fort Worth last Saturday night was the best I have seen
From what I have read, Haston made a good showing of himself at a pre-draft camp last week in Chicago. But this was a camp designed for players looking to become eligible for the draft to decide whether or not they are ready for the NBA or to find out where they stand in the overall picture of the draft. I am not surprised that Kirk did well. He is an excellent college basketball player and should play well against other collegiate players. What I don't see is him being able to play consistently well against NBA talent over the course of 82 games. Will he ever? Absolutely, but the benefit he would have garnered by starting and playing many minutes in 30+ games for IU would have outweighed his sitting on an NBA bench night after night except for cleanup minutes late in games. Unfortunately, that is where I see Kirk spending most of his time during his first NBA season. I really hope I am wrong about that.
Haston says he always wanted to play in the NBA and would only consider it if he had graduated from Indiana, or was close to graduation, was healthy, was coming off a good season and if he felt that “skill wise” he was ready. He is close to graduation, and he is healthy. By many accounts he got screwed by not being named Big 10 Player of the Year. But I don't see that he is polished enough to play in the pros. Not yet.
But Haston has made his decision. I don't have to like it and I don't. I don't think that many Hoosier fans will applaud his choice. I wish him the best in the future. I hope he can land with a team that can utilize his strengths while letting him work on his weaknesses and can allow him minutes. I'm just sorry to see him go as I can now only imagine the season the Hoosiers would have had with everyone, including Kirk, back.
_______________________________________
IRL Vice President of Operations Brian Barnhart is not happy with the racing that took place at Texas Motor Speedway last Saturday night during the Casino Magic 500. Barnhart and veteran driver Eddie Cheever Jr. were critical of the risky, wheel-to-wheel, high speed dicing that took place between Greg Ray and eventual winner Scott Sharp over the last 40 laps of the race. Mr. Barnhart and Mr. Cheever, kindly open your asses and remove your heads. The racing was as exciting as any racing ever. A 215 mph cat and mouse game that unfolded on a track that CART was chicken to run on.
I know why Cheever was upset. He had a very fast race car. Maybe the fastest car on the track. But the track can only support that kind of racing between 2. Three wide into the 3rd turn would have resulted in a crash. Therefore, Cheever was forced to back off a couple of times which cost him the race. But Brian Barnhart, who has never raced, has absolutely no idea of the exhilaration that Ray and Sharp were feeling as they went lap after lap side by side. All I can say is that if Brian Barnhart doesn't want to see the IRL drivers race like that, then he needs to look for another job. For the fans, which I thought this was at least partially about, the last 40 laps at Fort Worth last Saturday night was the best I have seen
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