Paul Harris To The Maine Red Claws, Take II

by Sean Keeley on Nov 10, 2011 5:28 PM EST

Philippines Basketball icon and former Syracuse basketball player Paul Harris was on hand for the exhibition game between the Syracuse Orange and St. Rose this week. Now it looks like Paul is on his way back to Maine where he'll rejoin the Red Claws of the NBDL this season.

The Red Claws also announced the return of Paul Harris, the former Syracuse forward who was the team's first-draft pick in 2009. Harris bought out his contract midway through last season and played in the Philippines, where he averaged 26.6 points and led the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters to the Commissioner's Cup championship. The Red Claws retained his rights.

"I think Paul made a lot of progress last year," said Jennings. "And we're very happy that he's able to come back and continue to develop as a player with us."

Paul is already listed on the roster and among the Red Claw coaches he'll be working with is former UConn player Donyell Marshall.

Nothing much came of Paul's initial stint with the Claws, thanks to a nagging injury that kept him of the court for the duration of his time there.

As for being able to defend his crown in the Phillipines with the Talk 'N Texters, Harris did tell Donna Ditota that "he is hoping to return to the Philippines," so keep that in mind as well.

H/T: Chris S.

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I miss "Do It All Paul."

He may never have quite put it all together while he was at Syracuse, but I loved the way he played the game and he remains probably my all-time favorite Syracuse player. I wish him the best of luck and still believe that he has the potential to be a lock-down defensive specialist in the NBA.

http://twitter.com/#!/TeabagDunk

by I miss DIAP! on Nov 10, 2011 5:38 PM EST reply actions

I remember his first stinit with them started off pretty well...

he was averaging around a double-double per game, but then his minutes were suddenly cut drastically because the coach said he didn’t play defense (which doesn’t sound like Paul, especially in man-to-man, but I didn’t see the games).

I hope this time goes better. I remember a lot of NBA scouts were really impressed with his defense during pre-draft camps.

by Rocklionheart on Nov 10, 2011 8:16 PM EST reply actions

Id love to see him get his shot

Even if its the NBDL, I like that hes hung in there and it still going after it.

He never matured into the player we thought he would be during his stint here, but he was pretty solid and he made a lot of contributions in that 6 overtime game.

by Pinker on Nov 11, 2011 8:54 AM EST reply actions

I always though that he'd get a chance in the League

I followed him pretty closely in the lead up to the draft and during his stints in various summer leagues. Everything I read that he was an absolute terror on defense, regularly shutting down highly drafted players. Plus, the way he rebounds for a guy his size is a valuable skill. I dunno why he couldn’t make an NBA squad as a deep, deep bench player. Likely his extremely low basketball IQ. But, who know? Maybe he can get called up from this NBDL stint and get some top-notch NBA coaching and mentoring. I think he could be a good piece on the right team.

"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes

by FeloniousPhunk on Nov 11, 2011 10:55 AM EST reply actions

He was vying for a spot on the Utah Jazz as their 12th man

And then SEVERELY sprained his ankle, preventing him from playing any competitive basketball for something like 8 months. When he came back, he was drafted by the Maine Red Claws, played for them for a bit, was playing well, then stopped getting minutes, left and went to the Philippines.

I love the guy, so I’m biased, but still think he could be a defensive stopper ala Bruce Bowen in the NBA. His game lacks the refinement and offensive polish of a guy who will ever play a lot of minutes, I mean he’s basically a power forward in a shooting guard’s body, but he still has elite athleticism for a 2 guard.

http://twitter.com/#!/TeabagDunk

by I miss DIAP! on Nov 11, 2011 11:47 AM EST up reply actions

I rmember him playing with the Jazz

In the late Summer League. Jonny kind of got him in the door with Minny during the first session and then the Jazz picked him up. Now that you mention it, I do remember the injury. I didn’t know it was that bad, though, to keep him out for so long. Shades of G-Mac with his groin injury at draft time, bad luck.

Bruce Bowen comes to mind for me as well, but he’d be the first one to tell you that the only reason he was able to stick in the league was because he developed into a very good 3pt shooter. He could defend and shoot spot up 3’s, but really nothing else. From what I’ve heard/read about Paul’s career with the Texters, he hasn’t had to develop that outside shot much if at all. Until he does, I think he’ll be relegated to dunking on cats in Manila.

"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes

by FeloniousPhunk on Nov 14, 2011 11:58 AM EST up reply actions

Thanks for this!

My parents live outside Portland, ME at the moment, and when I was growing up my family and I would go to Sixers games (coincidentally, one of the NBA teams associated with the Red Claws) all the time. Just got my family tickets for their 12/24 game vs Iowa. We haven’t all gone to a game together since 2006 or 2007, and it’ll be good to see Paul play again.

by DJack02 on Nov 11, 2011 11:40 AM EST reply actions