Most folks have seen this by now. DraftExpress had Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall sit down with Duke recruit Kyrie Irving to discuss the rivalry. Most of it is good natured ribbing with Bullock going as far as to say “Andre Dawkins can’t guard me.” Barnes is quick to reign in the smack talk too much for the sake of being more diplomatic, much like his future coach. Plus there Barnes understands how this sort of thing works and it is best not to stoke the flames too high. This is also another example of how the rivalry is more of a focus for the fans than the players. Barnes and Irving are friends. Irving and Dexter Strickland were teammates a year ago. There is plenty of personal connection between the two teams. That being said, you still have players who will bring the hate such as Bullock who is following more in the footsteps of Marcus Ginyard than the diplomatic tact of Barnes.
