The Kyrie Irving Toe Vigil

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Originally Posted by Devil07

Not to pinpoint you in particular, but I don't think there's anything wrong with being concerned about this situation. We built our entire offensive and defensive strategies around having Kyrie out there. While I'm sure that we can and will adjust, we are going to have to play a significantly different style of ball if he's out for an extended period of time. Even Coach K said last night that this "changes everything." With the kind of expectations that we have for this team, that's a really big deal. I'm not proclaiming that "it's over" or any such nonsense, but I don't know how Duke fans can't be somewhat concerned.

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Very well said. Anyone here that thinks this injury is only a "bump in the road" or some such thing simply does not understand how valuable this kid is/was to us. Kyrie not only had the ability to be a one man fast break; he not only had the ability to create for himself or a teammate if an offensive set was stagnant; he not only was shooting lights out from long range; he not only was creating havoc for every defense that faced him; he not only was our best/quickest perimeter defender... And the list goes on and on and on. This injury absolutely does change everything! Anyone that thinks all this does is bring Duke down to everyone else's level is fooling themselves.

Now, having said all that, am I saying the season is over? Of course not. But don't fool yourself into thinking that everything is still fine and dandy. This injury affects everything this team was planning on doing both offensively and defensively. For one thing we now no longer have the ability to really press like we wanted to on defense. For another thing we are not going to be able to really lock down on the quicker point guards we face.

We'll adjust, but don't kid yourself folks. This is a big, big, deal.

And I just feel sick to my stomach for Kyrie. He was playing absolutely spectacular bball in these early weeks, and he was clearly on track to not only be ACC Freshman of the year, but potentially the NCAA Player of the Year. He was playing well enough for that to be a real possibility!

Get well soon, young man. You have our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.

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Originally Posted by PADukeMom

Oh my Lord people...calm down or you are liable to be mistaken for Kentucky or Carolina fans.
Last night we started 5 players who are NCAA Champions. 'Dre went off for 28 points. Okay I realize that 28 points against Bradley isn't the same as 31 points against K State but 28 points is 28 points.
At first this team looked so confused but they settled down nicely. Did any of you notice how hard Kyrie was studying the game & it seemed like he was coaching Nolan. He is learning people & that is a good thing. There is also no more Kyrie watching by the team either.
If Kyrie is able to come back this season, he is going to come back with fresh legs that John Wall didn't last year.
Heal Kyrie.

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Exactly. Let's stay optimistic and see what the doctors, staff, and Kyrie say after 7-10 days.

Man... I'm bummed.

twitter.com/kyrieirving#

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Originally Posted by KandG

Alright, before I'm tried for starting a food fight on this thread :-), I meant the statement as a "glass half-full" thing which didn't come out well. Of course, you never want to lose your best player. It's an interesting discussion as far as which poison is more palatable (worse to lose your best player at a position where you have some cover, or to lose a very good player in an area of relative weakness?), but such an academic discussion clearly isn't appropriate with such an emotionally charged topic.

I do have concerns about the inside play and how it evolves regardless of the state of the roster, but that's a discussion for another thread. Let's all carry on wishing the best for Kyrie and the team.

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I wasn't necessarily disagreeing with your post. You may be correct, and your point is something to consider in light of Kyrie's injury. Good post - thanks for making me think.

Kyrie just tweeted out, "Situation not looking good, and I'm not feeling good."

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Originally Posted by Gary

Very well said. Anyone here that thinks this injury is only a "bump in the road" or some such thing simply does not understand how valuable this kid is/was to us. Kyrie not only had the ability to be a one man fast break; he not only had the ability to create for himself or a teammate if an offensive set was stagnant; he not only was shooting lights out from long range; he not only was creating havoc for every defense that faced him; he not only was our best/quickest perimeter defender... And the list goes on and on and on. This injury absolutely does change everything! Anyone that thinks all this does is bring Duke down to everyone else's level is fooling themselves.

Now, having said all that, am I saying the season is over? Of course not. But don't fool yourself into thinking that everything is still fine and dandy. This injury affects everything this team was planning on doing both offensively and defensively. For one thing we now no longer have the ability to really press like we wanted to on defense. For another thing we are not going to be able to really lock down on the quicker point guards we face.

We'll adjust, but don't kid yourself folks. This is a big, big, deal.

And I just feel sick to my stomach for Kyrie. He was playing absolutely spectacular bball in these early weeks, and he was clearly on track to not only be ACC Freshman of the year, but potentially the NCAA Player of the Year. He was playing well enough for that to be a real possibility!

Get well soon, young man. You have our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.

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I agree with many of your points....I think possibly losing Kyrie for an extended period of time is huge. But I will say this, I think Tyler has the potential to help the team on defense in guarding the quicker guards. His forte is being a lockdown defender.

I still like our team a lot and I'm hoping that this injury will be similar to Hurley's and Boozer's in that we get Kyrie back within a few weeks; and in the meantime, the team rallies around one another, players step up in their development and they become a stronger and better team as a result (just like the '92 and '01 teams did).

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Originally Posted by geraldsneighbor

Kyrie just tweeted out, "Situation not looking good, and I'm not feeling good."

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Oh man, feel sick for Kyrie. Wish there was a way to send him our best wishes. As much as it sucks for us as fans, it is a lot more disheartening for him.

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Originally Posted by geraldsneighbor

Kyrie just tweeted out, "Situation not looking good, and I'm not feeling good."

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Sounds bad now- but it is a long season. Duke is not as separated from the pack as it once was and folks will need to step up. It shows you how fragile things can be for a team- but sometimes it helps to rally everyone. Tyler Thornton is about to become a very important player for this club. Duke still has an excellent team- but they will be figuring a lot out in the next few weeks.

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Originally Posted by MisterRoddy

Agreed. I will go ahead and say that Kyrie is the one I LEAST wanted to see injured. Of course, I don't want anyone to be injured but Kyrie was the identity of our team.

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I am going to have to politely disagree with the last part of this statement. Kyrie is great, and we all love him, but he is still just one individual on a TEAM loaded with greatness. One individual doesn't make up a team and therefore can't be considered its identity.

I think there is a lot of over reaction to this. Yes the injury sucks, but lets face it...if we were solely depending on him to win a national championship, then we were already doomed. I think this injury can only help the TEAM get better and stronger. I feel as if at times this season the guys go through spells of "kyrie watching". They lose focus and get caught up in watching him do his thing. Kyrie being out will put an end to all of that obviously, and we will start getting more production from everyone else, for example Dre erupting for 28 points.

With that being said I hope he returns in a couple of weeks to a team that has matured and ready to dominate for the rest of the season.

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Originally Posted by MulletMan

Yeah... I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this is pure and total speculation. You know why? Because no doctor or medical professional would use 55% chance to describe a situation like this. I think Seth is just making up tweets to seem like he's got the inside scoop.

Irving plays against Maryland. Mark it down.

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I have a hard time quantifying anything to 5% this way or that. That said, although I am in the medical field, I'm not an orthopod or in sports medicine.

I guess he could say "it's 50/50 or maybe a little worse." But no idea where he's getting his info right now--I can say it's not likely Seth is talking to a medical professional -- at least I hope that's not the case.

Best wishes for a recovery KI - the whole Duke family is with you - if nothing else then this thread should be a testament that we are all living through your injury on a minute-by-minute basis, just as if it was our toe that was the problem.

It ain't over 'til it's over.

Still information to gather.

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Originally Posted by drdoctormd

I have a hard time quantifying anything to 5% this way or that. That said, although I am in the medical field, I'm not an orthopod or in sports medicine.

I guess he could say "it's 50/50 or maybe a little better." But no idea where he's getting his info right now--I can say it's not likely Seth is talking to a medical professional -- at least I hope that's not the case.

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I didn't put much stock into the actual percentage he gave. I just took it as he thinks there is a better chance that Kyrie misses the season, then there is that he plays again this year. I'm sure Seth didn't get that percentage from a person in the medical field though.

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Originally Posted by detule

Best wishes for a recovery KI - the whole Duke family is with you - if nothing else then this thread should be a testament that we are all living through your injury on a minute-by-minute basis, just as if it was our toe that was the problem.

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I wish it was my toe that was the problem. I would have a much easier time dealing with that.

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Originally Posted by ajgoodfella7

I wish it was my toe that was the problem. I would have a much easier time dealing with that.

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Well said. I'd gladly be a toe donor. haha. Get well soon KYRIE!

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Originally Posted by JMarley50

I am going to have to politely disagree with the last part of this statement. Kyrie is great, and we all love him, but he is still just one individual on a TEAM loaded with greatness. One individual doesn't make up a team and therefore can't be considered its identity.

I think there is a lot of over reaction to this. Yes the injury sucks, but lets face it...if we were solely depending on him to win a national championship, then we were already doomed. I think this injury can only help the TEAM get better and stronger. I feel as if at times this season the guys go through spells of "kyrie watching". They lose focus and get caught up in watching him do his thing. Kyrie being out will put an end to all of that obviously, and we will start getting more production from everyone else, for example Dre erupting for 28 points.

With that being said I hope he returns in a couple of weeks to a team that has matured and ready to dominate for the rest of the season.

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Kyrie Irving was the dynamic point guard that completely changed Duke's style of play, therefore, changing the identity. Obviously, he isn't the identity. But when people thought of Duke, they thought fast-style of play. Because of who? Kyrie Irving. Without him we will likely have to play at a pace similar to last year's team.

Until there is an exact determination as to Kyrie's status for the year, let's not all turn into Chicken Little's. Hopefully he can recover soon and return to help this team. If not, the guys will have to rally and go forth and do as best as they can. We'll do a lot better with Kyrie's direct help on the court than without but regardless, try to stay positive and hope for the best. Get well soon, Kyrie!

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Originally Posted by JMarley50

Kyrie is great, and we all love him, but he is still just one individual on a TEAM loaded with I think there is a lot of over reaction to this. Yes the injury sucks, but lets face it...if we were solely depending on him to win a national championship, then we were already doomed. I think this injury can only help the TEAM get better and stronger. I feel as if at times this season the guys go through spells of "kyrie watching". They lose focus and get caught up in watching him do his thing. Kyrie being out will put an end to all of that obviously, and we will start getting more production from everyone else, for example Dre erupting for 28 points.

With that being said I hope he returns in a couple of weeks to a team that has matured and ready to dominate for the rest of the season.

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Also, in response to this post I refer you back to my previous post.

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I don't think anyone is really that much worried about our team, but the whole Duke fanbase was excited to watch Kyrie Irving, maybe the best point guard in the Nation, and give us a weapon that we haven't had since Jason Williams. Kyrie is dynamic, exciting, and overall a good kid and we hate to see a great kid like that have to, quite possibly, sit out an entire year that got off to such a great start.

I, for one, was very excited every time Kyrie stepped on the court and I pray he comes back next season.

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I don't think much of anyone is over-reacting to the impact it will have on our team. What we are depressed and sad about is the fact that we will be without one of the most exciting players in the game for an extended period of time, along with the fact that something so devastating happened to such a good kid.

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Originally Posted by Son of Mojo

Until there is an exact determination as to Kyrie's status for the year, let's not all turn into Chicken Little's. Hopefully he can recover soon and return to help this team. If not, the guys will have to rally and go forth and do as best as they can. We'll do a lot better with Kyrie's direct help on the court than without but regardless, try to stay positive and hope for the best. Get well soon, Kyrie!

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To be fair, Kyrie was holding up the sky. I just looked outside and it does appear to be fading. One could even say it's turning a deathly shade of gray.

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Originally Posted by JMarley50

I think this injury can only help the TEAM get better and stronger.

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This line of thinking is absolutely insane. If there was any truth to it, then you'd see coaches voluntarily benching the JJ Redick's and Stephen Curry's of the world for entire games to help their team get better.