Jereme Richmond's Uncle Says He Is as Good as Harrison Barnes

Jereme Richmond's uncle had a lot to say about the NBA after his nephew's name went uncalled in the recent NBA draft.

"NBA executives have to be a fool not to consider him," said Crawford Richmond. "They have to be fools and they are fools, but what they're going to do is they're going to get him for cheap.

"He's going to play in the NBA."

It is understandably upsetting when someone who had lots of potential like Jereme did, gets a reality check after going undrafted, but to call potential employers names in the media is not a good move. Not that NBA general managers are extremely sensitive, far from it, as it seems one required quality for this job is to be thick-skinned.

But who wants to take a chance on a marginally good player with a loose cannon for a family member?

"He's way better than (No. 1 overall selection) Kyrie Irving," Crawford Richmond continued. "He's right there with (North Carolina's) Harrison Barnes. I can't tell the difference. Jereme is soft spoken and he's different, but that doesn't make him a bad person."

At 6'7", Jereme is about the same height as Barnes, give or take an inch, but that's where the similarities end. Richmond averaged 7.5 points and five rebounds for a team that barely got into the NCAA Tournament and got blown out by Kansas in the third round.

Barnes, on the other hand, averaged 16 points and six rebounds for a team that reached the Elite Eight and will be the No. 1 ranked team in the coming season.

If his uncle is such an expert at assessing NBA talent, why did he not advise Jereme to either transfer or deal with certain obstacles at Illinois?

According to the Chicago Tribune, Illinois assistant coach Jerrance Howard, had informed Jereme that he was good enough to only spend one year in college before jumping to the NBA. Crawford says he never wants to speak to Howard again.

If you had watched Illinois play at any time in the last season, that statement would probably ring true.

On the floor, the freshman did look promising, but it was clear that he did not put much effort into his play. Shooting was abysmal. He shot 16 percent on threes. That does not scream NBA small forward.

Jereme's father Bill had previously declined to comment on the original story, but after hearing his brother's comments he tried to do some damage control.

"Jereme doesn't feel that way about the process, Illinois or Jerrance Howard," Bill Richmond said. "We love Jerrance. He's like a friend to me, he really is. He's a good guy and he's never done anything but try and help our kid get to where he wanted to go."

Jereme's father also said he thought his brother's comments were "shocking" and that Kyrie Irving's family did not take offense at his brother's comments.

Apparently, Jereme had also missed some workouts which is at the heart of the reason he went undrafted. A player would have to be as good as LeBron to not turn up for an interview without a reason and expect to be drafted. Especially someone that averaged only seven points and did not even start for his college team!

Hopefully this will go a long way to ease the damage done by Crawford Richmond's original comments, however, it is sad that Jereme has yet to come forward with his thoughts. His uncle did him a terrible service, but as they say in public relations, "no publicity is bad publicity."

Jereme who has had a history of character issues, including allegations of a fight with a teammate, could just simply come out act humble and ride this PR nightmare into a summer camp selection, do his best there and maybe someone might sign him for the next season.

Should he prove himself in a season his next contract will not be hindered by the rookie salary scale.

Somehow though it appears that this kid's name will now be embedded in a list that includes all those promising high school players who failed to reach their potential, not because of their talent, but some incredible bad decisions.