Gibbons thinks Patterson will follow Donovan
Bob Gibbons recently indicated that Patrick Paterson will follow Billy Donovan wherever he goes....either Kentucky or Florida.
If Donovan goes to Kentucky then Jai Lucas would also folow.
Either way, not looking good for us and PP.
On a postive note it means more minutes for Zoubek and with the impact of the 7 footers in the NCAA this year (Oden, Hibbert, Gray etc...) that's a good thing.
Zoubek should be a monster by his junior year.
It also means Singler will play a lot of 4.
Personally I think Singler is the perfect Duke 4 but I'll post more about that later in the offseason.
Singler is a college 4 without a doubt.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DukeBlood
I happen to disagree about Singler at the 4. Singler is most compared to Dunleavy who was more of a 3.
I have seen Singler live once, and watched him a couple of times on tv. He looks more comfortable on the wing, and shooting. He did a fine job posting up, but just looked better as a 3.
Now if you are saying Duke will run a 3-guard Lineup(which is most likely going to happen) Paulus, Scheyer/Henderson and Nelson.. Then Singler will be a 4 mainly because of height.
Dukes last NC came with a big lineup of Boozer, Battier and Dunleavy.. I would like to see Duke go big again. I think Singler would be a great 3.
I think Singler is way more similar to Battier than Dunleavy.
Dunleavy came to Duke as a 6' 6" skinny SF/SG. In highschool he always played on the perimeter and was never in the post. He eventually grew into his frame and filled out but he was always way more comfortable playing/defending the 2/3 postion.
Singler has always been 6' 8" to 6' 9" his entire highschool career and has ALWAYS defended the 4 and 5 positions on his highschool and AAU teams. That's the reason he averaged 10+ boards a game for his varsity career. Dunleavy never came close to that.
He's also a guy that scores a ton of points around the basket from putbacks, rebounds and post moves. Singler can shoot the three very well but he rarely relies on it to put up numbers (like Dunleavy did).
Singler relies on his mid range game and around the basket game and uses the three point shot to compliment his game (much like Battier did).
Grant it Singler defintely needs to add weight but the guy is a great positional defender (like Battier) and at 6' 9 with long arms he can more than hold his own against most ACC 4's.
He won't block a lot of shots but he won't give up many easy baskets.
Singler is a special player
I thought Singler looked fantastic in the Big Mac game, but for those who did not, don't worry, he is a special player.
I have seen 2 full games of him playing (one against Nolan Smith's team) and he really stands out. Can score from anywhere at any time, is actually very quick for 6-8/9 and is quite polished. Their is a reason the recruiting sites rate him so high.
He can definitely play the 4 - he has the size, and in Duke's system, he would just be like Shane all over again. This of course assumes we have a Boozer or Brand or Shelden Williams like presence at the 5. Unfortunately, the only one who I can see doing this next year is Patterson. Thomas is a year away, and Zoubek may never get there.
Fortunately, as many have said, help is on the way (e.g., Monroe, etc.).
So if we don't get Patterson, I think next year we have a very exciting team, but one that gets really hurt inside and may lose a lot of games. But the following year (2008-09), I think the team can be great and similar to the 1997-98 team that lost to Kentucky - a great core of perimeter, WF, and SF players that added the bulk inside in the form of the freshman (i.e., Brand, Burgess, Battier).
King as a frontcourt player
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bob Green
I agree with you 100 percent and I've posted the same opinion in a couple of other threads. With Duke's approach, King can defend inside but play on the perimeter offensively. The key will be how quickly he learns the defense.
Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan
Not to be harsh on a Duke player but I think he has a very steep curve ahead of him to see more than 10 MPG next year, especially in the frontcourt. I've only seen him play in the MCD All star game but his lack of foot speed and reaction times were painfully noticeable. In the Duke system that is at a premium and is a reason why Zoobs and Pocius saw such limited action. Opposing players will feast on King unless he is sitting back in the key.
Would Patterson be "settling" for Duke
I think its pretty obvious Duke is not Patterson's top choice. Had Kentucky committed to Tubby, Patterson would have signed with UK a long time ago. At Duke, he knows there's plenty of opportunity for playing time, a great coach who isn't going anywhere, talented players around him, etc.
I understand he wants to wait until the dust settles with the coaching carousal, but I'm just saying, if Duke was truly his top choice, does it matter what happens at Kentucky and Florida? I would love for Duke to add Patterson, but do we really want a guy who would have prefered to be at a different school?