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Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

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  • Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

    October 7, 2007

    Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court
    By Mike Wells
    mike.wells@indystar.com
    October 7, 2007

    The word "potential" and David Harrison have been paired since the Indiana Pacers drafted him in the first round more than three years ago.

    Ask anybody in the organization, Harrison included, and they'll tell you the 7-foot center has a long way to go to reach his potential.
    Constant foul trouble, injuries and a short-fuse temper have hindered progress for the fourth-year player.

    Harrison's inability to show Pacers officials what he can do on the court on a regular basis could cost him a contract extension.

    Pacers president Larry Bird said there has been no talk of giving Harrison an extension before the Oct. 31 deadline.

    "We're going to let this play out for a little bit and see what happens," Bird said. "He's had a pretty good first week."

    Harrison will become a restricted free agent next summer if he's not given an extension before the end of the month. The Pacers have the right to match any offer given to Harrison next summer.

    "If I get extended, it would be more for potential, just like when I was drafted," Harrison said. "I haven't really showed them a lot.
    It's a business and it's nothing personal. If they want to make a move, I'm willing to make it in their time frame."

    Harrison didn't have a chance to show the Pacers much last season because a shoulder injury, which he sustained while stretching, limited him to 24 games. The most glaring statistic about Harrison's third season was that he averaged 11.8 fouls per 48 minutes. As much as the fouls, his reactions afterward have often gotten him into trouble.

    Harrison's teammates or coaches sometimes must restrain him from blowing up at the officials.

    "Fouls, that's been my biggest problem," Harrison said. "I'm right back on the bench as soon as I pick up that second foul."

    The coaching staff is emphasizing fouls in practice, routinely blowing the whistle and telling the players when they foul.

    Harrison had a dominant offensive series in practice last week when coach Jim O'Brien stopped the drill and told his center in front of the team that the series was negated because he fouled on the defensive end.

    "You can be good on the court or you can be good on the bench," O'Brien said. "If you foul, you're going to be on the bench because you only get six fouls. . . . I read these guys a quote the other day from (coach Vince) Lombardi and it said it's not talent and opportunity that necessarily help you succeed. It's concentration and perseverance. David needs to persevere and concentrate on what he needs to do to stay on the court for a long period of time. It's not because he's not talented enough, because he is talented."

    The opportunity is there for Harrison, the Pacers' only true center, to get playing time, but it's up to him to earn it because O'Brien doesn't hand out unwarranted time.

    "If and when I get my chance, I want to perform, and that's all I'm asking for," Harrison said. "If I'm not good enough, I want to prove I'm not good enough."

    ---------------------------

    My thoughts:

    1) Larry damn well better NOT extend his contract

    2) David Harrison doesn't get it

    3) I hope Jim backs up not giving him time he doesn't deserve

  • #2
    Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

    Would some of the brilliant basketball minds out here please try to explain
    what is up with Harrison? Why is he so foul prone?

    It seems like he has good athletic ability, and is not at all clumsy for a guy
    his size.

    Has he just received poor instruction or bad coaching leading him to
    develop bad habits he cannot break?

    How hard of a decision can it be to either hack a guy across his arms, or
    not hack him?

    Of coarse there is alot more to the David Harrison equation than just the
    constant fouling aspect, but he seems to have everyone perplexed.

    What is holding him up from reaching his projected potential, and how
    can he get past these obstacles?

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

      I will be equally ecstatic if he becomes an Eastern Conference All-Star or gets Joey Crawford in a camel clutch after a rotten call.......
      PSN: MRat731 XBL: MRat0731

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

        Originally posted by Mal View Post
        October 7, 2007

        Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court
        By Mike Wells
        mike.wells@indystar.com
        October 7, 2007

        The word "potential" and David Harrison have been paired since the Indiana Pacers drafted him in the first round more than three years ago.

        Ask anybody in the organization, Harrison included, and they'll tell you the 7-foot center has a long way to go to reach his potential.
        Constant foul trouble, injuries and a short-fuse temper have hindered progress for the fourth-year player.

        Harrison's inability to show Pacers officials what he can do on the court on a regular basis could cost him a contract extension.

        Pacers president Larry Bird said there has been no talk of giving Harrison an extension before the Oct. 31 deadline.

        "We're going to let this play out for a little bit and see what happens," Bird said. "He's had a pretty good first week."

        Harrison will become a restricted free agent next summer if he's not given an extension before the end of the month. The Pacers have the right to match any offer given to Harrison next summer.

        "If I get extended, it would be more for potential, just like when I was drafted," Harrison said. "I haven't really showed them a lot.
        It's a business and it's nothing personal. If they want to make a move, I'm willing to make it in their time frame."

        Harrison didn't have a chance to show the Pacers much last season because a shoulder injury, which he sustained while stretching, limited him to 24 games. The most glaring statistic about Harrison's third season was that he averaged 11.8 fouls per 48 minutes. As much as the fouls, his reactions afterward have often gotten him into trouble.

        Harrison's teammates or coaches sometimes must restrain him from blowing up at the officials.

        "Fouls, that's been my biggest problem," Harrison said. "I'm right back on the bench as soon as I pick up that second foul."

        The coaching staff is emphasizing fouls in practice, routinely blowing the whistle and telling the players when they foul.

        Harrison had a dominant offensive series in practice last week when coach Jim O'Brien stopped the drill and told his center in front of the team that the series was negated because he fouled on the defensive end.

        "You can be good on the court or you can be good on the bench," O'Brien said. "If you foul, you're going to be on the bench because you only get six fouls. . . . I read these guys a quote the other day from (coach Vince) Lombardi and it said it's not talent and opportunity that necessarily help you succeed. It's concentration and perseverance. David needs to persevere and concentrate on what he needs to do to stay on the court for a long period of time. It's not because he's not talented enough, because he is talented."

        The opportunity is there for Harrison, the Pacers' only true center, to get playing time, but it's up to him to earn it because O'Brien doesn't hand out unwarranted time.

        "If and when I get my chance, I want to perform, and that's all I'm asking for," Harrison said. "If I'm not good enough, I want to prove I'm not good enough."

        ---------------------------

        My thoughts:

        1) Larry damn well better NOT extend his contract

        2) David Harrison doesn't get it

        3) I hope Jim backs up not giving him time he doesn't deserve
        Sounds like he "gets it" perfectly fine to me. He knows he hasn't done anything and more or less seems to admit that he doesn't deserve a sizable extension.

        If we don't give him an extension, it'll be interesting to see if he pushes himself a little bit more in a contract year.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

          This is exactly how the Harrison situation should be handled. Let him earn that extension, as any player should have to earn one. He's yet to earn it so he's going to have to make a big leap this season or we'll be glad we didn't offer one to him.

          I've long said players are too comfortable playing for the Pacers. 'Potential' might get you drafted but it shouldn't net anyone an extension. Potential just means "you haven't done it yet". At some point "you have to do it".

          -Bball
          Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

          ------

          "A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

          -John Wooden

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

            His problem isn't fouls. They don't worry me.

            What worries me is his temper. And I see nothing in the article that makes me think he knows it's a problem.
            This space for rent.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

              Originally posted by Bball View Post
              This is exactly how the Harrison situation should be handled. Let him earn that extension, as any player should have to earn one. He's yet to earn it so he's going to have to make a big leap this season or we'll be glad we didn't offer one to him.

              I've long said players are too comfortable playing for the Pacers. 'Potential' might get you drafted but it shouldn't net anyone an extension. Potential just means "you haven't done it yet". At some point "you have to do it".

              -Bball
              "Potential means you ain't done it yet."

              -- Vince Lombardi.


              You may have realized you were quoting him. If not, you are one with him in spirit.

              I get the feeling Harrison is kind of a moron all the way around. One quote last year from some insider said he is such a loser, or something to that effect. The context was that he is never wrong, it's never his fault, and he's completely unteachable.

              I'm starting to wonder if the two-foul-pull Harrison rule is just a nice excuse to get a guy off the court that makes you very uncomfortable.
              "Look, it's up to me to put a team around ... Lance right now." —Kevin Pritchard press conference

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

                Originally posted by Anthem View Post
                His problem isn't fouls. They don't worry me.

                What worries me is his temper. And I see nothing in the article that makes me think he knows it's a problem.
                Which is what I meant by saying he doesn't get it. He knows about having to perform, and he knows about the fouls, but he seems (or acts) oblivious about his temper.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

                  Originally posted by RamBo_Lamar View Post
                  Would some of the brilliant basketball minds out here please try to explain
                  what is up with Harrison? Why is he so foul prone?

                  What is holding him up from reaching his projected potential, and how
                  can he get past these obstacles?

                  I stated about 2 or 3 years ago now that there is just something wrong mentally with Harrison. How do I put this as nicely as I can. He's dumb, he has no concept of how to play basketball and seems incapable of learning how to play. I don't think I've ever seen anymore so out of position on defense and just has no clue how to play team defense or any type of defense for that matter. (Although he does have some natural ability to block shots.

                  Add to that his temper and how when he loses his temper he completely loses control, and the only option is to take him out of the game - because he is unable to regain control of his emotions. There have been times when I was really nervous for the refs whenver DH does that staring thing.

                  For lack of a better term he is just a wacko - he has a screw loose, the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor.

                  He does seem like a nice enough guy and he has seemingly worked pretty hard over the past couple of years to put himself in pretty good physical condition.


                  Not only would I not extend his contract, I would just cut him loose (right now). He seems to me to be a timebomb waiting to go off and a guy who could at any moment severally embarrass the franchise
                  Last edited by Unclebuck; 10-07-2007, 01:04 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

                    Sounds like he'll be perfect expiring contract fodder to make salaries work in our next trade. And that will probably be his NBA legacy. The guy just doesn't belong in this league. He's like a poor man's Olowonkandi.
                    Read my Pacers blog:
                    8points9seconds.com

                    Follow my twitter:

                    @8pts9secs

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

                      "If and when I get my chance, I want to perform, and that's all I'm asking for," Harrison said. "If I'm not good enough, I want to prove I'm not good enough."


                      David, the idea is prove you are GOOD enough - not NOT GOOD enough. You've already done that to this point.
                      Last edited by ABADays; 10-07-2007, 03:04 PM.
                      The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

                        UB allthought I do agree with all your points, I do not think the pacers just cut ties just yet. If chuck person tried to teach me defense I would probally be in bad shape as well. Give him a few months with job and harter. If they are as good as they think they are they should be able to teach harrison on how to better position himself and how to properly use his arms.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

                          I'm just happy that David seems to realize that he doesn't deserve a contract extension at this point and that he knows what he needs to work on.

                          Hopefully this changes. I think that David can really score the ball and would be a great scoring threat off the bench if he can just learn to stay out of foul trouble on the court.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

                            DH seems to be a pretty thick-headed guy. I hope JOB can get through to him, because God knows that Rick couldn't.

                            My biggest fear is DH's temper, though. I could easily envision him starting The Brawl II.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Harrison extension up in the air until he shows he can stay on court [Indystar]

                              Originally posted by Shade View Post
                              My biggest fear is DH's temper, though. I could easily envision him starting The Brawl II.
                              Ironically, he was one of the voices of reason with the original brawl... pleading with people to stay on the bench and calm down.
                              This space for rent.

                              Comment

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