"Psycho-T" - Why All The Hate?

People love to take shots at Tyler Hansbrough.

They call him over-rated, and criticize every little thing he does.

I think I know why.

As an NC State fan, I hate to admit it, but it is probably a combination of two things:
1) He plays for UNC.
2) He is really good.

People love to say that Tyler gets away with an extra step quite often. I've said it myself, more than once. It is the truth, actually. However, we leave out the fact that traveling is very rarely called, and lots of players get away with an extra step these days.

That doesn't fit the argument, so we leave it out.

Then, there's the criticism of how he plays the game. He plays a little out of control, causes contact, and is bailed out too much by the referees. Another of my personal favorites. Again, there's a lot of truth in the statement. However, using it to criticize Hansbrough is probably not fair. J.J. Redick was another recent example of a guy who did the same thing. Now, I am NOT a fan of this type of play, and I wish in some situations the referees wouldn't call the foul. But, since they do, I can't really fault Tyler for taking advantage of the situation. Any player in the NCAA that can draw contact like that does the same thing. Hansbrough is just better at it than most.

Last, but certainly not least, the mother of all TH criticisms: He'll never be a star in the NBA. That seems to be the clean-up batter of Tyler criticisms. Is it fair? No. Not even if it's true. Is it true? Only time will tell.

Hansbrough's NBA prospects are, in my opinion, pretty good. At worst, I think he'll be a solid, rebounding, "energy" guy coming off of the bench. At best? This is where the debate comes in. If his game is, right now, all that it's ever going to be, he'll be a solid NBA player. Teams need guys to rebound, and get "garbage" points, without having to run plays for them. A team that already has two or three proven scorers would relish having someone like Hansbrough to work hard and get 10-12 rebounds a night.

The big knock on his NBA chances is his jump shot. No one has ever seen it, so we assume it's not there. Hansbrough only takes one or two (maximum) shots a game that aren't close to the basket. Does he not have the ability to make that shot? Or does Roy Williams have no desire to see him shoot it? The answer to that question will ultimately determine how high up the NBA "star scale" Hansbrough climbs.

If he can knock down a 15-18 ft. jumper with any regularity, he will be compared to Karl Malone. He already has Malone's size, he plays tough defense, he rebounds, and he's probably better facing up and driving to the basket than Malone. He just needs the jumper. If he shows that, he will be very difficult to guard. And, he could end up being a big-time NBA player.

There it is. Honesty about Tyler Hansbrough from an NC State fan. Now, I must go visit another blog so I can get back to my criticisms!