I don’t have much to say about this. All I can express is that if K had not gotten the gold, it would have been a debacle. But guess what?
It’s lovely and I love it. Now it’s time for those recruits to come on in so the rest of the basketball world can come and get some. Oh and by the way, what do yall think Gary Williams and those Murrland terps were doing while Kobe, LeBron and Coach K were getting that gold?
Zactly…
– Lake
Everybody knows that Duke has the horses on the perimeter to challenge any team in the nation.
But to be honest, Duke fans were more than a little concerned when two years in a row our prime Big Man targets, Patrick Patterson and Greg Monroe, decided to play ball elsewhere.
It didn’t help either that our rival, Chapel Hill State School of North Cakalina, made a big splash when they landed 5 big man prospects in the span of like 2 weeks.
Anyway, with the cupboard bare for the class of 2008, Duke is looking to the class of 2009 to right the ship in the post. And I guess that project starts with Mason Plumlee.
Huh?
Better….
Ah Ha! There’s our guy (far right). There’s the Duke swagger and feel you need. At least, it’s much closer than that first picture. Maybe Ma$e just needs to be around the fellas to look right…
Hey, I’m not hating on Mason. After all, the very second anyone becomes a Duke player, they immediately go into the “Us” category while everybody else is relegated to “Them” status. So really, I’m not anti Ma$e. But when you look at the scouting report on the dude he’s more of a Mike Dunleavy, Christian Laetner or Danny Ferry type of cat who prefers to float around the perimeter more than bang in the post. So really, he’s not a big man at all, just a tall guard. Now when you’re 6-11 and don’t really like to take it into the paint, people are bound to make comparison’s to Josh McBoberts errrr call you soft.
I’m not saying he’s soft, I’m just saying homey needs to weigh more than 210 once he actually gets on campus. I don’t know. I just spoke to some stone cold Dukie bamas about Plumlee’s commitment and this was their reaction.
Just kidding, no this was really their reaction:
They didn’t quite get it. In response to criticism from the Duke faithful and haterz alike, Ma$on released this official statement early today:
Damn, let’s hope so..
– Lake
By the time you read this post all the early model compact and sub-compact American cars that Maryland “students” lit on fire “in protest” for Duke’s win should burning out and many of the now detoxed drunken thugs with books should be posting bail.
So that means that Duke must have won, right? Well, yes, Duke did win, but win or lose the Maryland thugs will riot, so that’s not necessarily indicative of an outcome either way. With that said, I was really impressed with Maryland’s squad and that’s something I haven’t said since Juan Dixon was doing his thing back in the day. Though I hate to admit it, they are a lot better than their record indicates and will be a tough out for several ACC teams going forward as long as they can avoid the classic Gary Williams let downs to weaker teams.
Still, after being down 9 at the half in an emotional game, the Good Guys manned up, lead by the Captain DeMarcus Nelson, and got a tough win on the road with a 93-84 victory at the cable box in Maryland.
(I know, I know Maryland fans, Duke gets all the calls and that’s why they won, not because Duke is just better and this was a foul on Henderson that they missed too, I know.)
Again, the hallmark of this group is team. It’s completely cliche but dammit it’s true. Guys get cold, other guys get hot, some guys just don’t have their best stuff, but with this group, unlike any other Duke team I’ve ever seen, there’s always someone there to pick up the slack. There’s always a man ready to step in and do his duty. Tonight that man was DeMarcus Nelson with 27 points, 19 of them in the second half.
I mean, homey was ballin out there! He was hitting mid range shots, getting and ones, hitting free throws, making defensive plays, distributing the rock, battling on the boards and just being an all around leader out there. You could just feel the guys gravitating toward his example. It’s like he was balling with the fight music from Gladiator playing in the background. In fact, if you want to run that back and understand what DeMarcus was hearing during the MD game, go ahead and hit play.
Great stuff.
Talk about coming of age, a career high on the road at hostile MD with the ignorant thugz/studentz looking on in utter disbelief? And what about young Nolan?!
Geez, could that cat play any better? Homey was DEALING out there with runners, threes, dimes and defensive plays. Bottom line, he was integral in Duke’s win tonight. Forget the future, the future is now. I honestly don’t see how Coach K can’t seriously consider Nolan for the starting job after what we saw tonight. Not only that, but he plays well with his teammates. He finds guys in the right spots for them to make their shots and if they can’t make them, he’s in the right position to take his own. If Elliot Williams is as advertised, Duke’s future backcourt will be very scary.
I would be remiss if I didn’t make note of the hot game turned in by the (near) future NBAer Gerald Henderson.
Homey’s mid range game is taking off like Soul Glo’s home weave products. I mean, this cat is a BEAST on that curl (no pun intended). That elevation, the silky smooth release, the dunks on fast breaks, the polos, the nikes, the grind, empty bottles of No-Doz, I spent that gas money on clothes with logos…my bad, had a Kanye “The Glory” attack. But that’s how Hendo’s game is right now though. This cat is literally taking cats to the Glory and they really “can’t stand it lord” with that choir in the background and Coach K spinning Hendo’s greatest hits on the sideline.
This is a team of men… and I fucking love it.
Go Duke.
Oh, much respek to my main mahn Lance Thomas, him be on the rise right about now, really competing and doing his thing for Duke Blue. Lance, keep sticking with it homey. You’ve been ballin the last couple of games and the squad needs what you bring. Incidentally, I know this cat tries to channel Ben Wallace, but can someone please tell me why this is necessary?
Look, I’m not trying to start no trouble, but I’m just saying. This cat looks like Lord Helmet from Spaceballs out there. It just aint right. I mean, this cat is out here acting like he needs some sort of gimmick. Osby, you’re actually a decent ACC big man with talent. You don’t need that dome to draw attention to yourself….seriously, use some of that illegal Murrland booster money and go git yourself a damn haircut, bottle of Nair, something. At this point, even male pattern baldness would be an improvement. Geez.
Run the stats:
| Duke Blue Devils | |||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | FTM-A | OFF | REB | AST | PF | PTS | |||||
| K. Singler, F | 31 | 2-10 | 2-2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 7 | |||||
| L. Thomas, F | 18 | 2-3 | 2-4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | |||||
| G. Paulus, G | 19 | 3-7 | 4-4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 12 | |||||
| G. Henderson, G-F | 33 | 9-12 | 4-6 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 23 | |||||
| D. Nelson, G | 38 | 10-19 | 6-8 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 27 | |||||
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | FTM-A | OFF | REB | AST | PF | PTS | |||||
| N. Smith, G | 20 | 4-6 | 5-5 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| D. McClure, F | 8 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| T. King, F | 5 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| J. Scheyer, G | 28 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | |||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | FTM-A | OFF | REB | AST | PF | PTS | ||||||
| 32-68 | 23-29 | 10 | 28 | 9 | 23 | 93 | |||||||
| 47.1% | 79.3% | ||||||||||||
| TEAM REBS: 8 TURNOVERS: 10 (G Henderson 2, G Paulus 1, K Singler 3, L Thomas 1, D Nelson 1, N Smith 2) BLOCKED SHOTS: 3 (G Henderson 2, D Nelson 1) STEALS: 13 (G Henderson 1, G Paulus 4, K Singler 2, T King 1, D Nelson 4, N Smith 1) 3-PT FGS: 6-18, .333 (J Scheyer 0-2, G Henderson 1-2, G Paulus 2-3, K Singler 1-5, T King 0-2, D Nelson 1-2, N Smith 1-2) |
|||||||||||||
– Lake
Any Good Guys fan who has watched Duke this year has to feel pretty good about where we are as a program right now.
The squad is teaming with ballers and interchangeable parts. Coach K is choosing both defensive and offensive flexibility over Duke hoops dogma of the past. Not only that, but you get a sense that the program can’t be held hostage to any one player due to injury or a defection to the NBA given the balance of talent across 7 or 8 players. Still, there is a sense that Duke is still one post player away. Sadly, it seems that player really was Patrick Patterson who is proving to be a full-on stud, double-double guy for the hapless University of Kentucky Basketball program.
Don’t worry, the optimist told us, Duke will get Greg Monroe in 2008 so it’s all good and we’ll be poised to make a run at title in 2009.
Wrong, wrong (Charlie Murphy perpetual line steppers story), Monroe picked Georgetown BEFORE he even took his official Duke visit (embarrassing). So with no big man prospect in sight, save for John Riek (we’ll discuss him later) and with yet another helping of a hot combo guard on the way in the form of Elliot Williams (Ballin’!!!), where does that leave us? Well, it leaves Duke with at least a two year window of small ball heaven or hell depending on how you see it. But it does present a pretty clear mandate for the Duke coaching staff to get some big man help in during this next recruiting cycle.
Here’s what we’ve got so far. To date, Duke has offered scholarships to 5 different players in the class of 2009.
1. Deshawn Painter – HT: 6-9, WT: 195 lbs., Hometown: Norfolk, VA
Position: Power Forward, Rating: 5/5 stars (scout.com)
Other Schools of interest: Clemson, Florida, Louisville, Ohio State, Virginia, Virginia Tech
2. Greg Echenique – HT: 6-8 WT: 240 lbs., Hometown: Newark, NJ
Position: Center, Power Forward Rating: 4/5 stars (scout.com)
Other Schools of interest: Maryland, Miami (FL.), Notre Dame, Penn, Rutgers
3. Reeves Nelson – HT: 6-7 WT: 215 lbs., Hometown: Modesto, CA
Position: Power Forward, Small Forward Rating: 4/5 stars (scout.com)
Other schools of interests: Arizona, California, Georgetown, Florida, LSU, UNC, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, USC, Washington
4. Eric Murphy – HT: 6-9, WT: 210 lbs., Hometown: Southborough, MA
Position: Power Forward, Small Forward Rating: 4/5 stars (scout.com)
Other schools of interest: Boston College, UConn, Florida, Marquette, Ohio State, Virginia
5. John Riek – HT: 7-2, WT: 240 lbs., Hometown: Winchendon MA, via the Sudan, Africa
Position: Center, Rating: 5/5 stars (scout.com)
Other schools of interest: UConn, Georgetown, Florida
Note: This cat might be going straight to the NBA due to the fact that he’s somewhere between 17-21 years old. Standard shady international birth certificate. Who knows. Duke offered him a scholarship nonetheless.
Players Duke supposedly has on their radar but have yet to offer
1. Kenny Boynton – HT: 6-2 WT: 185 lbs., Hometown: Plantation, FL
Position: Combo Guard – Rating: 5/5 stars (scout.com)
2. Leslie McDonald – HT: 6-4, WT: 185 lbs., Hometown: Memphis, TN
Position: Shooting Guard – Rating 5/5 stars (scout.com)
When you consider the position and size players Coach K and staff have decided to offer scholarships to thus far in the class of 2009 versus the guys they’re decided to take a “wait and see” approach with, it sort of makes you scratch your head. First, only one of these guys is a certified 5 star prospect (excepting Riek who is a bit of an unknown). Second, there isn’t one impact guard in the bunch (though Boynton and McDonald would be), something that’s rather atypical of our recruiting approach historically. Is K overcompensating for the current and glaring lack of front-line depth with an eye to the 2009-2010 season when Scheyer, Henderson, King, Smith, Thomas, and Singler will all be veteran players looking to the National Championship? Is he trying to stockpile solid 4 year post guys that he can later add some solid perimeter pieces to? Who knows, I guess we’ll have to wait and see, but it just seems a bit odd when you consider who we offer to and who we have gotten in recent years, meaning guards galore.
One thing that is obvious is that Georgetown is a growing recruiting rival with Duke. I’m not sure how they can afford to offer 10 or so players in every class each year, but it seems to be working AGAINST Duke. Don’t sleep on JT III. He snatched Greg Monroe from us, he took Hollis Thompson off our big board before we could ever really make a run at him and meanwhile, he’s been stockpiling talented player after talented player from all over the country. More later.
– Lake
I know, I know, nobody cares…
It’s true, hell, I don’t even care. Still, I just have to say that after last year, it’s refreshing for a Duke squad to be able to drop a nuclear bomb on a team like that. I mean, these cats posted a clean 111 points on those fools and probably half of those came from three. Marky was out there like a sharp shooter.
Just hitting those fools with a plethora of three balls. Nolan really showed us a thing or two as well. He’s still out there playing a bit of street ball, but this cat has a ridiculously bright future at Duke and should get plenty of time all year long.
And Scheyer, he was just all around gangster on them.
He was really out there looking like JJ Redick Jr. Jr., but with better handles, a better overall game (at the same stage) and more quickness. That behind the back, half wrap around flip pass was sick. See, last night just lets you know how far we’ve come in a year. I’m confident that we’d murder VCU (sorry Maryland) right about now. In fact, I’m quite certain that this year we’ll really run those inferior teams out the gym this year. Something we failed to do at times last season.
What we’ll do with real squads with real size remains to be seen. Like I have no clue what Duke will do against Balco T and the rest of the heels. Sheeyut, Pittsburg will be a hell of a test at the end of this week. I’ll be sacrificing a large endangered feline at high noon on Thursday in preparation for what hopefully will be a big win.
Good work fellas… Go Duke.
– Lake
The word out of Durham is that Martynas Pocius will undergo season-ending surgery on his left ankle and right buttock as early as Wednesday.
He originally injured the left ankle in international play back in Lithuania over the summer. His right buttock he injured catching splinter after splinter to his tail piece as a result of hitting that bench so much this year.
I mean how many minutes did that cat average, 5 per? Damn. We have a guard happy team and Marty wasn’t getting nary a sniff of time. It’s kind of hard with Hendo, Paulus, Markie, Scheyer, Singler, Smith and King in front of him. Minutes are going to be a beast as the competition picks up.
Anyway, I like Marty’s game a lot and wish him well. He’s a good cat, very athletic and solid skills. His time will come at Duke but that medical redshirt will do him and the program right. Good call errr get well.
– Lake
I read that every single Duke game would be televised this year but I guess not since that Eastern Kentucky v. Duke game was nowhere to be found last night. At any rate, I was happy to peep the box score and see that Taylor King went out there and got his a little bit as Duke smashed Eastern Kentucky 78-43.
HOME TEAM: Duke 6-0
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
12 Kyle Singler f 2-4 0-1 3-4 1 4 5 1 7 1 1 2 0 20
42 Lance Thomas f 2-2 0-0 3-6 2 3 5 2 7 1 3 0 0 19
03 Greg Paulus g 1-2 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 3 3 2 3 0 2 19
15 Gerald Henderson g 4-8 1-3 1-2 1 2 3 1 10 4 5 0 0 17
21 DeMarcus Nelson g 5-9 1-4 1-2 1 3 4 1 12 0 1 1 2 30
02 Nolan Smith 0-2 0-2 1-2 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 2 20
05 Martynas Pocius 0-2 0-1 0-0 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3
14 David McClure 0-0 0-0 0-2 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 7
20 Taylor King 9-14 6-11 3-4 0 3 3 1 27 2 0 0 3 21
30 Jon Scheyer 2-3 2-3 3-3 0 1 1 0 9 3 2 0 1 29
41 Jordan Davidson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
55 Brian Zoubek 1-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 4 2 0 4 0 1 12
TEAM 2 1 3
Totals 26-47 11-26 15-26 10 19 29 15 78 17 20 3 11 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-23 52.2% 2nd Half: 14-24 58.3% Game: 55.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 6-15 40.0% 2nd Half: 5-11 45.5% Game: 42.3% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 4-8 50.0% 2nd Half: 11-18 61.1% Game: 57.7% 4,1
He lead all scorers with 27 points coming off the bench in 21 minutes of play going 9-14 from the field and 6-11 from 3. Again, the one thing I love about this dude is that if he’s on the floor, he’s shooting.
There’s no uncertainty or worrying about taking too many shots. This cat knows he’s out there to shoot the rock and shoot it he does. JJ Redick had the same mentality and you just got to love it on this kid, especially since he’s a solid 6 foot 7 inches tall. Clearly we’re loaded at the wing, so this isn’t the best squad for TK to show what he can do and there are definitely some questions about his defense and athleticism, but I like it when, at a minimum, a player scores the ball when he’s supposed to.
I grow tired of these cats who need to get hot to make things happen out there. Taylor stays hot and gives Duke something a bit different than the rest of our wing players. So I ask you, should Taylor get more burn this year once the competition picks up? I think he should at least be given a chance. This dude has big impact ability with that three ball. I also like that ‘special skill’ flow since at times our offense looks a bit lacking in the know your roles department. I’ll tell you this, if he does get some more tick, he’s going to have to upgrade his pimp gear…
That black on black crime isn’t working and those fisher price, my first dress shoes kicks he’s rocking, terrible. Somebody get this dude some hush money and a magic shoe kit or something! Ha Just playing (sort of)… at least I didn’t talk about that kinte cloth, Maryland Terp alternate jersey looking tie piece. It may not be a raspbery beret, but it’s definitely the kind you find at a second hand store. Out.
Go Duke.
– Lake
I was happy to see the boys in Blue handle their business last night against those Fightin’ Illini en route to a sound 79-66 decision.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Duke 4-0
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
12 Kyle Singler f 3-6 0-1 2-3 0 1 1 5 8 1 3 0 1 25
42 Lance Thomas f 2-2 0-0 1-2 0 1 1 4 5 0 1 1 1 25
03 Greg Paulus g 2-6 2-4 4-4 0 3 3 2 10 4 1 0 1 31
15 Gerald Henderson g 8-15 2-4 5-8 1 4 5 1 23 1 0 2 0 26
21 DeMarcus Nelson g 6-8 0-0 4-6 1 5 6 4 16 2 0 1 0 31
02 Nolan Smith 1-1 1-1 3-4 0 0 0 1 6 0 3 1 1 10
20 Taylor King 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
30 Jon Scheyer 2-6 1-3 2-2 1 6 7 1 7 2 2 0 0 32
55 Brian Zoubek 2-2 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 4 4 1 0 1 1 18
TEAM 1 3 4 2
Totals 26-46 6-13 21-29 5 26 31 22 79 11 12 7 5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-26 57.7% 2nd Half: 11-20 55.0% Game: 56.5% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 3-6 50.0% 2nd Half: 3-7 42.9% Game: 46.2% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 11-13 84.6% 2nd Half: 10-16 62.5% Game: 72.4% 3
Duke started relatively slowly. It seemed like it took them a while to get into the flow of the game. I think that was due in part to Illinois’ decision to neutralize Kyle Singler by putting the more athletic, but still 6 foot 8 inch Randle on him. That worked and Singler shot a modest 3 for 6 from the field.
But let me tell you, Duke realized that our athletic guys, DeMarcus and G. Hendo, could get into the lane basically whenever they wanted, the flood gates opened up. It all started with DeMarcus really manning up as he added a little finesse to his power game. It paid dividends. Markie was 6 for 8 from the field for 16 points. G, well G just went off.
Dude poured in 23, but more importantly, he showed diversity in his game. He showed a solid mid range game, he sent the pill home with a few dunks, he even knocked down a couple threes.
Add to it a few solid rebounds and some defensive plays and you just gotta love what you’re seeing from G Henderson. Dude is finally putting it all together and it’s just a beautiful sight to see. I love seeing DeMarcus, Singler and Hendo in the game together. It just gives us so many ways to score. Add in an aggressive Greg Paulus who looks for his shot and timely plays from Jon Scheyer coming off the bench and you really have something with this team.
You also have to notice and appreciate how Coach K is using Zoubek so much early. No question, use the dude and develop him while you can. But dammit, has that cat ever used the weight room?
“Always bend at the knees”
I don’t need him to be as light on his feet as sugar ray (and I’m talking about the lead singer of that horrible band) but I do need him to be able to grab a rebound that hits him di-rec-it-tally in his hands. I do need him to jump off the ground more than 2 inches and I do need him to show some heart. It’s still early, but homey needs to put that Patty LaBelle, I’ve got a new attitude, followed by some 50, Onyx, hell, Metallica so we can jump start that man’s ticker.
Tomorrow is a big test in Marquette. Hot guard play and real athletes in the post. They play an up tempo brand of ball and they’re aren’t afraid to mix it up. Oh and yeah, they blew out Oklahoma State.
Speaking of not being afraid, I liked how Singler really gave that fool a stern look when he tried to buck up to him after that hard foul. What’s wrong with these studio gangster clowns who want to fight whenever someone messes with their styled weaves….by the way, when will the Iverson cornrows go out of style? I’ve always thought they looked a little soft, but at this point, they’re looking like the flattop did circa 1995….it just has to go. Anyway, Singler showed some heart, showed he’s not afraid, hell, showed he might whoop some ass.. I like it. As for that “tough kid” from IL, dude, it’s basketball. If you don’t want anyone to touch you, go back to your knitting class. That’s how you’re eligible anyway, right?
Go Duke.
– Lake
Sun-uv-a-bitch!!!! Right now would be a good time to go ahead and hit this:
Oh no, my bad, I meant, it’s time to hit this:
What in the hell is going on in Durham?!!!!! Why can’t we land a quality big man? I mean, seriously. Wasn’t it last spring when everyone said it was no big deal that we lost out on Patrick Patterson because the guy we “really wanted” was Greg Monroe? Well, guess what, Greg Monroe wanted no parts of Duke U and I think it’s about time we really sit back and ask why.
Patrick Patterson told us why he didn’t want to come to Duke when he said he couldn’t see himself getting along with the players and staff. Memo to Duke Basketball, stop recruiting the same cat every year. For every JJ Redick, who is a KING by the way, you’ve got 100’s of Marty Pociuses, Chris Collins and Steve Wojos. Don’t get me wrong, those guys are good complimentary players, but it seems like that’s all we get at Duke these days, ie., guys who would be hot IF they didn’t have to be the man every night.
(Remember these days? Now this was a recruiting class!!!! Note, we had one guy playing the role of Mike Dunleavy, not 4 like we do now)
Scheyer would be a killer next to Jason Williams or, ahem, a player like Tywon Lawson. Greg Paulus would be hot if he had Elton Brand, Shane Battier and Will Avery and before you react like that’s a crazy group to have around one player, remember this, THEY WERE ALL A PART OF THE SAME RECRUITING CLASS.
Remember these days? How does this fare against this?!
(who said Duke babes aren’t fine. Believe me, they got some hot ones)
errrr I meant, THIS:
(Hey, I like Greg P, just with the right tools around him, plus he should be a 2 guard with hot handles and a killer J, not a PG who has a hard time penetrating without using the hook and defending standard issue ACC ones)
See the difference? There is a MAJOR problem with Duke’s recruiting. 5 set shooters from the burbs don’t win National Championships. Two uninspiring assistant coaches who weren’t that hot as players and NEVER sniffed the NBA and a Coach K look-a-like don’t land top recruits from diverse backgrounds anymore. There’s a reason why we keep getting commitments from the same player, look at our staff! Simply put, our recruits are a reflection of our staff and that’s no longer a good thing. And what’s with only offering 4 schollys per class? Offering a measly 4 scholarships as if players should somehow just melt as soon as Duke comes a knockin’ and automatically tune out UNC, Kentucky and Georgetown, three schools that swiped away HUGE blue chip recruits from us, is arrogant, wrongheaded and worst of all, ineffective. Can’t these guys see that?
Get it together gentlemen. I feel like Don Corleone when he told Sunny to stop “that comedy with that young girl”, I mean I’m beginning to think that this USA Basketball has you guys worrying about the wrong kind of Championship! Sure, Team USA is important but what happened to the credo:
Duke Basketball Team/Unit Duke Basketball Program/Corp Lake Arlington/Omniscient just like a godParity at the guard slot was apparent when ole boy from VCU shredded us for an entire game and then ripped our hearts out in the ahem FIRST ROUND of the NCAA Tournament. Quality bigs, however, will always be in relative short supply.
Please, bring in another assistant. Someone with proven recruiting acumen and something in common with our recruiting targets other than a love for basketball so that maybe we can right this ship. Believe me, the ship needs to be set straight. Shit is NOT ok at Duke right now. Let’s not kid ourselves here. Missing on this many hot blue chip big man prospects in consecutive years IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, I don’t care what anybody says. Coach preaches accountability, let’s channel MJ and start with the man in the mirror…ask him to make a change.
Pissed…
-Lake
The Duke Basketball team named guard DeMarcus Nelson as its team captain for the upcoming season Friday.
(it’s funny, DeMarcus looks exactly like that generic “player” we used to use in all those video games before they had the names and likeness of the players. Just a brown skinned, bald headed brother with that extra skrong frame, sorry, just an observation)
Nelson, who was one of three captains last season, is the only senior on the Blue Devils’ roster and is coming off a season in which he averaged a team-leading 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.
“DeMarcus has grown into quite a leader,” Coach K said. “This has been recognized by his teammates and coaches, so instead of having multiple leaders we are looking for Markie to do that on his own this year. We are all really excited for him.”
Now, upon hearing this news, any astute Duke Basketball fan will quickly realize that if Nelson is the sole captain on the squad, that means that Greg Paulus suddenly is NOT the Blue Devil’s captain for the 2007-2008 campaign. Hmm, sounds like a snub to me. It just makes you wonder, while Nelson is being recognized for his ascension within the program is Gregory P getting that “not DeMarcus” treatment? What’s the “not DeMarcus” treatment you ask? I’m not sure, but this is likely what it feels like:
Well, I’m not sure, but when Greg heard the news he wasn’t going to be captain after being one last year, given his shaky play, it probably felt something like an inverse backhanded ghost slap about the face, neck, nuts and solar plexus from both staff and team, leaving him with an expression that probably looked something like dis:
Whispers around the Duke program would have you believe that the team was getting pretty tired of Josh McRoberts’ act last year, so his departure wasn’t all that big of a disappointment. Don’t forget, these two guys, McBoberts and Paulus, were the final pieces that supposedly were going to give Duke a legitimate shot at a National Title in 2006. Well, that didn’t happen.
(I know JJ, I expected more from those dudes too)
To me, Coach K managed them all wrong both that year and last year. Who knew Paulus was more of a shooting guard with good handle and above average passing skills than he was a great playmaking PG? Who knew Josh McBob was more of a distributor who liked wide open alley ops and dunks than he did being a go to guy in crunch time? Well, in my view, Coach K should have known, but what can you say?
(Look at the silky smooth hairdo of the cat on the left, perfect)
I actually like both Greg P and Josh McRoberts. All I can ask for from our guys is that they play with the heart of a lion, will of a champion. Greg Paulus does that. Not only that, but he’s got a killer J, he can score in traffic and can dish the rock a little. A top flight pure PG he is not. That’s just a fact. Call it what you like, a recruiting mistake or whatever, but I think it’s more about who K played alongside Paulus than Greg himself. Greg Paulus should be our 2 guard or part of a tandem guard system, but he’s NOT an elite playmaker and he cannot guard, one-on-one, most ACC caliber starting PGs.
K needed to either get him some help (read Nolan Smith) or put Greg in a system that catered to what he could do best. Let’s start with some Zone D every now and again, perhaps? Let’s continue by paring him with a hot defensive stopper (read DeMarcus) rather than a taller version of himself (Scheyer). Duke’s guards haven’t been good enough (particularly on the defensive side of the ball) over the past few years to do the typical Coach K 4 guard set he enjoys so much (read DeMarcus at the 4!!!). That’s not Greg’s fault, never was. Let’s just see how Greg responds to the “not captain role”… I know it’s gotta hurt. Word on the street out of Duke is that Nolan Smith is looking even better than people had once thought. I mean, just think about it, you’ve got Paulus, Henderson, DeMarcus, Scheyer, Nolan Smith, Taylor King, AND Pocious as potential/legitimate guard options?
(either homeboy is an evil genius or we’re not recruiting right)
Greg’s minutes just have to be reduced. There is no way they won’t be. Is that why K and staff took the captain designation off him? Not sure. Either way, it’s time for Greg to man up though. Show that heart, accept (and know) his role so Duke can get back to competing and winning. I have no doubt that he will.
– Lake
Us Versus Them 
