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I’ve been routinely pointing out Manny Harris’ struggles over the last several weeks. Michigan put the ball in his hands down the stretch in Madison and he let them down. He’s shooting just 23 of 68 (33.8%) over his last five games. He was suspended for an incident in practice. In short, it hasn’t been the best stretch for Manny Fresh and many, myself included, have been wondering “What’s wrong with Manny Harris?”

There are plenty of potential explanations for Harris’ struggles. First, he has been nursing a hamstring injury all season. It’s clear that he lacks that extra explosive burst that separates truly elite players from the rest of the pack. It’s also apparent that Manny is starting to let some of the frustration from the disappointing season catch up to him. Over the last month, it’s been easy to spot the angst on Harris’ face as things just don’t go his way.

Despite the mental and physical ailments affecting Harris, there is also something else to consider. Manny Harris has never been particularly efficient in Big Ten play. Most players see a drop in production from non-conference play (cupcake city) to conference play. In the case of Manny Harris, this drop is amplified by the drastic differences in style of play.
Continue reading ‘A Closer Look at Manny Harris’

After tonight’s game, reports began surfacing that Manny Harris planned on returning for his senior year. Here are the quotes from after the game:

“You know, you want to get better as a person, as a player,” Harris said after the game. “A lot of these guys have to come back, like myself, got to come back and play next year. “Just got to keep fighting and work hard. The season (isn’t) over. Anything still can happen so we’ve still got to believe and fight hard.”

Harris was asked if he was confident returning to Michigan would be his final decision.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Harris, who entered the Northwestern game averaging a Big Ten-best 19.1 points.

Harris was hesitant to go into much detail about his thought process.

“I’m not going to get too much into that,” Harris said. “I’m definitely not thinking about (the future). I’m just thinking about getting better as a team.”

Harris’ Facebook status from after the game tells you just about everything you need to know about the situation.

This really doesn’t strike me as the right time to press Manny about his decision to stay or go. He will make that decision when the time comes and it’s clear that he hasn’t made the decision one way or another at this point.

The quote started off with Harris stressing the need to continue to work, fight, and get better every day. Those are all the things that he’s supposed to say. There’s no need to jump a kid after one of Michigan’s worst losses of the season about his draft status. That can wait until the season is over.

Neither Harris or Sims looked like NBA players today. But I suppose my interview with Aran Smith, of NBADraft.net, becomes a little more relevant with all the draft talk.

Aran Smith, president of NBADraft.net, agreed to answer a couple quick questions about Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims’s draft stock. NBADraft.net is one of the top draft websites on the internet and definitely worth a read if you need to get your NBA Draft fix. There are obviously a thousand opinions on how different players should be evaluated for the NBA and this certainly shouldn’t be taken as gospel, however I thought it would be good to bring in an opinion from someone who follows the draft religiously.

You recently dropped Manny Harris down your draft board from late first round 2010 to mid-second round in 2011. What were your reasons for this and how would you evaluate Manny’s draft stock at this point?

Harris is one of the best college shooting guard in the country, but scouts question his ability to hit outside shots. He’s not an overwhelming athlete and doesn’t do anything well enough to offset his subpar outside shooting. He’ll have a chance to get drafted, but scouts are no longer mentioning him as a potential first rounder.

If you were advising him, would you recommend that he leaves early? What can players gain from coming back for their senior year? How often does a player reach their potential and at a certain point “he is what he is”?

I am on the fence on him leaving this year. Harris could be reaching that point where leaving could be in his best interest. He has to weigh the benefits of earning a degree or whether he feels ready to take his game to the next level. We always get bombarded by the pro-college, don’t leave early sentiment, but there are plenty of players that actually wait too long and get exposed for not having the perceived upside they once possessed. I don’t think his game or stock would be damaged too severely by returning, but you never know. He is playing at a very high level and any dropoff from that could hurt.

DeShawn Sims has been putting up phenomenal statistics in conference play but he is a bit of a tweener going forward. How would you evaluate his draft stock?

Yeah I think he’s a European level power forward, and a tweener for the NBA. He has a good shot from outside for a big forward but I don’t see him having a role in the NBA.

What does each player need to improve on to raise their value?

Sims must gain more perimeter skills, although I think he’s best to focus on being a big man playing overseas. Harris needs to become a better outside shooter.

Top 5 NBA prospects in the Big Ten?

1. Evan Turner
2. Kalin Lucas
3. William Buford
4. JaJuan Johnson
5. Manny Harris

Favorite NBA prospect that no one is talking about?

Love the question. The “other” forward at Iowa State Marquis Gilstrap doesn’t get much ink, but he’s a nice prospect. I think he has a chance to make it in the NBA.

According to a statement from the Michigan basketball program, Manny Harris has been reinstated. Here are the quotes from the athletic department release:

“It is our hope that Manny will show tremendous growth from his suspension,” said Beilein. “We look forward to moving on and to having a great practice today.”

“I wanted to take this opportunity to apologize to the university, the coaching staff, my teammates and every U-M fan for not being able to help the team against Purdue,” said Harris. “I made a poor decision during last Friday’s practice which I regret very much.

“I fully accept the suspension from the coaching staff. It was the correct decision. I cannot tell you my disappointment for letting my teammates down and showing the lack of leadership that I normally try to provide.

“I love my teammates, the coaches, this program and especially all the fans who have continued to support me. I have learned a great deal from this situation and I don’t ever want to have it happen again.”

Exhale and buckle up for tomorrow night.

Update: Per Andy Katz: Manny Harris will give an apology statement for his actions at practice that forced a suspension for PU game. Michigan’s players and coaches will meet with the media at 2pm today.

On Manny Harris

I’ve been away from the internet since the Harris suspension news broke but here’s my take on the situation. I have very little doubt that the suspension was warranted. John Beilein has plenty of quirks and idiosyncrasies that baffle the mind but he is definitely not an idiot. He would not suspend his best player for a game without a valid reason. Anyone who suggests otherwise is crazy.

Putting aside whether the suspension was warranted or not, there is a bigger issue here. The fact that Harris did something in practice that warranted suspension.

Continue reading ‘Monday Musings’