Agreed. Curry is a very good college player who had an uneven season and a terrible game at the worst possible time.
I think most on this board know what I think about Quinn Cook: I'm a fan of his game, I think he has a high ceiling and I expect big things. I realize at times Cook was beaten badly on defense, and those moments are what stick in one's mind. But he is, after all, a freshman. He's also got quick feet, solid athleticism and the apparent ability to extend full-court, so I didn't think he was nearly as bad as other people made it out to be. With more playing time, I feel like it would have evened out and that what he offered as a penetrator and playmaker would also balance the ledger. I continue to think that with more of a commitment to him, Cook could have made a difference when the offense stagnated toward the end of the season, and I do feel that it capped our potential that he wasn't a more integral part of the team.
Plus,
in a recent poll of NBA players in Sports Illustrated about what college players could keep up in the League right now, Cook was one of the 21 players who got votes. (It'd be good to know whether it was solely Nolan Smith who voted for him -- which did cross my mind. But in the event that it wasn't, and Cook has played with and against a lot of the recent players to join the league, it's pretty impressive to see what people think of him.)
That said, Thornton is a tough dude. And Krzyzewski loves him, which absolutely counts. It's tough for me to say who gets the starting nod next season. Krzyzewski has spoken in glowing terms about the positive things Thornton brings in terms of leadership and defense, and if he truly believes he's the second coming of Wojo, it's hard to say he won't start knowing the relationship he and Wojo had, and continue to have. But Krzyzewski has also shown an ability to shake things up as needed; a freshman Chris Duhon starting over a senior Nate James down the stretch in '01 for non-injury reasons comes to mind. It can probably go either way starter-wise -- if Thornton is a captain, it's hard to imagine him not starting -- but I would assume it at this point to be a straight time-split either way, assuming Cook stays healthy and works hard on his game over the offseason.
Still though, there's no question that if he improves his defense enough to earn major court time, Quinn would bring a significant upgrade as an offensive player in the time he spends on the court:
TT: 717 minutes, 138 points, 69 assists/34 TO (2.0 A/TO), 38% FG
QC: 387 minutes, 146 points, 63 assists/18 TO (3.5 A/TO), 40% FG
We'll see how it goes, but I think this is probably a good problem to have, two players who offer a variety of advantages between them. Thornton got a lot of game experience under fire this year, grew more comfortable as the season went and is fearless on defense; I'd imagine he continues to hone his outside shot and playmaking abilities. And in Cook, we have a true point guard with an extremely high ceiling on both ends of the ball if he works at it and stays healthy, and the potential to be a transformative player on next year's team.
In fact, that's the most positive thing about next year's team: the recruiting class won't be limited to Sulaimon regardless of whether Krzyzewski pulls what seems like an upset and gets either Muhammad or Parker. Not only will he add Murphy and Marshall Plumlee, but in effect, I think he adds a potentially dynamite point guard in Cook to the rotation mix if he's ready for more responsibility.