Tyler Hansbrough, site you are no Kevin Love.
Tyler Hansbrough you may be selected player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, click but that does not mean you are the player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Tyler Hansbrough, doctor meet Dave Neal who is an unathletic, undersized four man listed at 6-7, 263. If Dave Neal can push you out from underneath the basket, then just wait until guys like Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, Amare Stoudamire, and Chris Bosh man you up.
Tyler Hansbrough meet real officials—NBA officials—who simply will not give you the call any time you perform that patented “I’m just going to throw my body into somebody because I know I’ll get the call move.â€
Tyler Hansbrough, you will cost an NBA General Manager his job if he takes you in the lottery.
I know that I am expressing the popular sentiment amongst the majority of those in the know, but after watching Carolina play Maryland tonight I came away thoroughly convinced that Tyler Hansbrough will never be a player in the NBA. In fact, I came away thinking that he will probably be working for ESPN as a college basketball analyst in three years. I came to that conclusion not because I think that Hansbrough has the potential to be a talented analyst, but because that is the ESPN mantra—take a player off of a popular team and put him on TV no matter how deficient he is at his job. If Emmitt Smith can keep his job, then Tyler has a future, with ESPN.
As noted above Dave Neal—yes that Dave Neal who looks like he is 6-3, 250 and is better known around College Park for his beer pong game than his game on the hardwood—was able to man up Tyler Hansbrough. If you look at the stat line, it will not tell you the whole story. You will see 24 points on 7 for 16 from the floor, but it will not tell you that Hansbrough did it against a guy who really does not belong on the court for an NCAA team, unless that NCAA team plays in the Colonial or the Big South. It will not tell you that a good percentage came on second shots against an undersized Maryland front line and on run outs that Carolina would not get against better competition. It will not tell you that Dave Neal pushed Hansbrough out of the paint and made him face up.
Tyler Hansbrough is twenty-three years old and will turn twenty-four before the next NBA season is even two months old. Tyler Hansbrough has been scoring on superior younger players for the past four years because his body is more mature. The media still has not gotten the message—it is not impressive. By age twenty-four Chris Bosh had won a gold medal, averaged a double-double in the 2006-07 season, led the hapless Toronto Raptors to a division title, and made four all-star teams.
It is a farce that Tyler Hansbrough is going to be known as the all-time leading scorer at a school that has produced, among others, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Jerry Stackhouse, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Rasheed Wallace, and, of course, old 45 himself, Michael Jordan.

Can't stop the Love machine
So let Dick Vitale and the other college basketball talking heads talk about how great Hansbrough is, but remember one thing—he is twenty-three years old, unathletic, and got pushed around by Dave Neal. Remember that just because he is white does not mean that he is the next Kevin Love. He does not have Kevin Love’s passing ability, shooting ability, lateral quickness, or athleticism. It is insulting to Kevin Love to compare him to Tyler Hansbrough.
When Vitale starts talking so loud during the Draft that you need to mute the volume because his head is about to explode after a team takes international prospect Omri Casspi over Hansbrough, remember one thing—unlike Hansbrough, Casspi has upside. So NBA General Managers do not risk your job on Tyler Hansbrough unless you want to become an ex-General Manager.
Please, let us all stop referring to Tyler Hansbrough as one of the greatest players to ever don the Carolina blue and start referring to him as what he truly is—at best the fourth best player on his own team behind Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson, and Danny Green. Together, let us all see Tyler Hansbrough’s real future, that of a sub-par analyst on the Worldwide Leader. Finally, let us all remember, Tyler Hansbrough is no Kevin Love.
While i agree with you that he will not be a good NBA player, i think you have to say he is a very good NCAA player, much like Juan Dixon was a very good NCAA player and not a good pro. While the ACC has had some great scorers turn pro, it doesn’t diminish anything Tyler has done. Look at the all time list and you won’t find the all time great pros who played in the ACC: Reddick, Dick Hemric, Johnny Dawkins, Rodney Monroe, Bryant Stith, Cristian Laettner, Mike Gminski,Jeff Lamp, David Thompson, Phil Ford.
The history of the ACC is filled with great college players (like Psycho-T and Loni Baxter) that never made the transition. It just so happens that the majority of them played for Duke.
That’s probably why Ty stayed in college as long as possible. Cause he knows, once he leaves, the fun is over. He’ll never be as big of a star as he is right now.
And have you seen him in post-game interviews? Who is going to give him a job as an analyst. Certainly not ESPN.
Sheldon Williams is his ceiling in the NBA and Bill Walton is his ceiling as an analyst. Well, maybe just Kara Lawson.
Kara could beat anyone on staff here in basketball. I watched her play in HS and she would play pickup games and just work guys.
I don’t care about her crossover when I turn on the tube. I’d rather listen to a toddler (or Emmitt Smith) commentate games than Walton, Lawson, Hansbrough or Doris Burke. They’re both more insightful and easier to follow than the latter four.
Great article Rodney. Tyler has never really impressed me. He is the Tim Tebow of college basketball. The only difference is there is no position for Tyler to switch to that would allow him to succeed in the NBA. For a while I thought he could be another David Lee, but I don’t think he is that athletic.
I think the inferior opponent thing is right on. It reminds me of rec league basketball. There is always one guard who looks awesome and everyone thinks he can score on anyone. Then there is one team with a guy that is quick and can play defense and all of a sudden the great guard gets frustrated and does nothing. When Tyler gets to the NBA, its all over.
tyler hansbrough is the man. he IS the best player on his team. since when is a 24 point game considered being held? the reason you dont like tyler hansbrough is because you cant explain why hes good. and because of that you come to the conclusion that he is bad. but what tyler has is the intangibles. the work ethinc, the drive, the want to. he will be a great nba basketball player, because he is actually willing to work (unlike many NBA players you see nowdays) quit hating on the best player in the nation.
Everyone knows why Tyler is good. He’s strong, plays physical, consistent shooter from the field and the stripe, plays hard and finishes well around the rim. That’s not in question.
But intangibles, work ethic, drive, and “want to” will only get a player so far. And the NBA D-League is full of them.
Hansbrough is great against lesser competition. Guys that are smaller than him, younger than him, less experienced. He played great against powerhouses like Oral Roberts, Valpo, Rutgers, College of Charlston, Virginia, and NC State.
He’s not even the best Ty on UNC, not to mention, best player. So hold up before you start with that best player in the nation talk. He’s still sitting behind Blake Griffin, Steph Curry, DeJuan Blair, Jodie Meeks and James Harden for that honor.
And on top of that, he whines like a little girl or the San Antonio Spurs. That’s not an admirable quality.
I think another part of the problem is he doesn’t fit the traditional model of getting his own shot. That short-medium range jumper will be very difficult to pull off in the NBA, and he will find it very hard to get the deep position he gets now in the NBA. If he gets playing time, he could be a useful rebounder because he does like to work hard, but I am not sure he will ever get serious minutes.
… why do you think they haven’t won a championship (and won’t) with him on the court? Because it’s not ACC refs in the tournament. He won’t get all of those BS turn to the basket with his shoulder lowered initiate contact and then throw your arms up like you were fouled and release the ball towards the rim. HES A JOKE kids. ALL YOU TARHEEL FANBOYS YOU BETTER GIVE HIM AS MANY REACHAROUNDS AS YOU CAN YOU WILL FORGET ALL ABOUT HIM IN ONE YEAR.
i agree with hansbrough fan because tyler is amazing and you people that are hating on him probably just watch the games and don’t even know anything about the real game and you are just sick of him being amazing but i think he is great and he should get the credit.
you suck justin and i will forget you in a second!
@Hansbrough Rox
Did you happen to read any of the comments that explain exactly how ridiculous what Hansbrough Fan said was? Or are you just as devoid of objectivity and the ability to evaluate a player based on his abilities like all of the other Tarheel and Blue Devil fans (yeah, you guys have more in common than you’d like to believe)?
I think Hansbrough is alright. He is kind of crazy and kind of tough. One game I thought he was juiced up on eucalyptus leaves and he looked like a beast! I then gave him the nickname Hansbrough-Saurus Rex *TM. Keep an eye out for childrens t-shirts and sweatshirts featureing the animal himself- Hansbrough-Saurus Rex *TM. Good luck in the NBA Ty. Unleash your inner prehistoric beast man.
Looks like he is doing ok in the NBA. What exactly do you have to say now.
@Joe
If sub-par is your aspiration, then yes, he’s doing okay in the NBA. Everything that was said about Hansbrough either was, or has been proven true. He wasn’t taken in the lottery, thankfully. And his numbers this year are quite comparable to Omri Casspi, last year they were much worse.
There are only 6 teams in the NBA that Hansbrough could start on. Lucky for him, he found one. Most notably, there is a massive list of players drafted after Hansbrough that are having far better careers:
Jrue Holiday
Ty Lawson
Darren Collison
Taj Gibson
Toney Douglas
DeJuan Blair
Jodi Meeks
Marcus Thornton
Chase Budinger
And many more that are doing just as well as T.