Why Harrison Barnes should go No. 1 
Today Insider continues a three-part debate over who will be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft. All three of our draft insiders -- Fran Fraschilla, David Thorpe and Chad Ford -- debate the merits of the top player currently at No. 2 on Ford's Top 100: University of North Carolina sophomore Harrison Barnes. Up next week: University of Connecticut freshman Andre Drummond.
Scouting breakdown
David Thorpe: Despite what was said or written last spring by college analysts who thought Harrison Barnes was better served by returning to UNC, without a doubt he would have been a top-5 pick. He might have gone No. 1. No offense meant to other draft picks or eventual No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving, but Barnes represented the surest thing combined with the biggest upside. Indeed, the Cleveland Cavaliers could have netted a possible replacement for LeBron James.
Become an ESPN Insider and read our experts argue how University of North Carolina guard Harrison Barnes deserves to be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft and get access to our NBA draft coverage all season long.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
NBA Draft Blog
• Chad Ford's Top 100 Prospects
Chad Ford
Chad Ford covers the NBA and NBA draft for ESPN Insider. He also is a frequent contributor to ESPN The Magazine and makes weekly appearances on ESPN Radio and ESPNEWS.
Follow ESPN Insider Chad Ford on:
Twitter | ESPN.com |
TrueHoop | E-mail
Fran Fraschilla
Fran Fraschilla is a college basketball analyst for ESPN and ESPN Insider. He formerly was the head coach at Manhattan, St. John's and New Mexico. He has been part of ESPN's NBA draft broadcast coverage each of the past five seasons.
Follow ESPN Insider Fran Fraschilla on:
ESPN.com | CBB Experts Blog | Twitter
David Thorpe
David Thorpe is an NBA analyst for ESPN.com's Scouts Inc. and the executive director of the Pro Training Center in Clearwater, Fla., where he oversees the player development program for NBA and college players. David has trained Kevin Martin, Corey Brewer, Omri Casspi, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Yi Jianlian, Courtney Lee, Kyrylo Fesenko, Earl Clark, Jrue Holiday, DeJuan Blair and others.
Follow ESPN Insider David Thorpe on:
ESPN.com | NBA Rookie Rankings