I've imported the above tag-quote by COYS from the Jordan Brand thread, as I think it belongs here, too. More important, COYS's analysis is very perceptive. Obviously I've highlighted what I see as some key points.
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Gbinije honestly hasn't looked very good in any all-star games, but that's kind of a curse of being a player with a good understanding of spacing and flow. You only get the ball so many times in these games, and if you want to do anything, you pretty much have to attack whenever you get the ball, regardless of whether it's there... it seems like he's tried to make himself do that, and has looked a little lost when doing so.
The plays that come instinctively to him seem to be the little things... perfect timing with a pass on a pick and pop, etc. I think he'll look better in a team oriented-game where those little plays actually matter... Scheyer and Kelly always looked lost in those games too.
I don't agree that he did not look good. He hit a deep, quick three- made some nice drives to the hoop- showed a good instinct for passing and seems to have a very good handle. I thought he was fouled on several shots that we not called. He played better than Beal. I am not sure in what way he looked lost. No way he did not look like he belonged out there.
any predictions on what her jersey number will be? i'm hoping for a 13 from him.
I may be mistaken, but this is the way I see the jersey number situation:
Retired
4 J.J. Redick
10 Dick Groat
11 Bobby Hurley
22 Jason Williams
23 Sheldon Williams
24 Johnny Dawkins
25 Art Heyman
31 Shane Battier
32 Christian Laettner
33 Grant Hill
35 Danny Ferry
43 Mike Gminski
44 Jeff Mullins
Current
3 Tyler Thornton
5 Mason Plumlee
15 Josh Hairston
20 Andre Dawkins
21 Miles Plumlee
30 Seth Curry
34 Ryan Kelly
51 David Mayer
52 Todd Zafirovski
3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 43, 44, 51, and 52 are not available.
1, 2, 12, 13, 14, 40, 41, 42, 45, 50, 53, 54, and 55 are available.
1 (unlikely), 2 (Nolan), and 12 (Kyle) I’m assuming are doubtful to be chosen.
This leaves only 10 numbers for incoming recruits. It has been discussed in other threads, but maybe it is time, or close to time to “honor” numbers as opposed to retiring them. It would also be nice to change the rules to allow numbers 6-9.
FWIW I believe Gbinije wore 15 in HS.
More difficult for the refs to signal foul calls. Now, they can signal the numbers with a single motion using both hands and outstretched fingers. For "66", they would presumably have to do a double signal of "6".
Don't know if there is a rule change contemplated; most schools don't have the quantity of retired jersey numbers that Duke does. And, overall, it's a nice problem to have to think that so many guys have been great college players.
Here's a brief feature on Gbinije and fellow Benedictine alum Ed Davis from a Richmond station. Benedictine alums discuss Duke--UNC
I'm a little surprised about how close in height Michael seems to Ed Davis.
Wow. Silent G got BIG.
Silent G reminds me a bit of Mike Dunleavy---long, versatile wing, late growth spurt, all-around game, sweet looking shooting stroke, good court sense.
Just my hunch at this point, but I see him as a very productive player who can exceed expectations. Glad to have him.
i think i found my new favorite duke player :)
If he truly is 6'8", that helps take the sting out of not getting Daniels. Going into next season, one of my bigger concerns is, how do we handle other team's taller and athletic 3's (most specifically Barnes). I think that Dawkins did a nice job defensively on Barnes during the acc tournament game but he only had to guard him for short stretches. While Murphy is bigger and pretty athletic (at least as athletic as Singler), I think that expecting him to guard Barnes as an early arriving freshman might be too much to ask. But a 6'8" Gbinige could be just what the doctor ordered. I think he is athletic enough and has just the right size chip on his shoulder that he might be able to become a pest to the black falcon.
I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do. I think that he will be a pleasant surprise!
I am also very excited to have Gbinijie on board and am excited to see what he and Murphy can do off the bench as versatile weapons that could potentially play multiple positions. But I expect that a Junior Dawkins will likely get first crack at guarding taller wing forwards to start the year, as he has done so for Duke in the past. I am not too worried about how Duke will defend a likely top end of the lottery pick as there are not a whole lot of them out there and coach K will figure something out when the time comes. I will be very interested to see how many minutes Gbinijie (and Murphy) will get early on and as the season progresses.
I would doubt he is 6'8" - not from the games I saw him play at the end of the season- he looks to be a legit 6'6" but not a great leaper. Still the kid has skills and I am hoping will develop into a very good defender in K's system. Duke's D will be the biggest question mark this season-losing the two best defenders in Nolan and Kyle. The system is complicated and with lots of new faces and no defensive star left- K has a lot of work and teaching to do. Having the summer trips this year will help a lot.
It's been said before, but with the loss of Nolan, Kyle, and Kyrie, and a major influx of new players, this year's team, while talented and promising, will be a work in progress for a while. So happy that we've got the Dubai/China trip and the related summer practices before and during the trip to give the staff time to mold the team.
It's pretty hard to tell from this video, though. When they are sitting down Davis is slouching, and you can't tell how much height either has in the legs versus the body. When they are standing up, the camera angles are odd--in one shot there is someone talking to them (the interviewer?) who looks almost as tall as Gbinije.