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  1. #61
    Quote Originally Posted by mo.st.dukie View Post
    Actually Duke can afford to have a finesse post player, at least for his freshman season. Look at the other post players on the team his first year, Kyle Singler is listed at 6'8 235 (same as Patrick Patterson btw) and will be a solid "4" man and could possibly gain another 5 lbs. Zoubek is huge but of course needs to improve his game which I think he will. I expect Olek to be quite good in 09-10 (sophomore season) and could add more muscle to his 240 lb. body. Right there you have three big players. Miles could also add alot of strength by his sophomore year and be up to 235/240+. LT will probably stay right around 220. So I honestly don't think we need a banger that year and Mason will be very good for the team as a finesse player. The next year, however, Duke will need a banger and that's where Josh Smith and Nate Lubick come in along with a finesse post player in Hairston.
    Sure Duke could afford to have another finesse post player, but we need a true 5/banger much more (Zoubek is the only one). Even if Singler has the same weight/height at Patterson, I think we all know they have considerably different games. Czyz is 6'7" and supposedly doesn't have great post moves other than dunking at this time. Mason Plumlee is somewhat of a finesse post player, is better than Miles, and will be coming next year. Lance is also what I would call a finesse post player, though mostly due to his lack of strength since he does attempt to play big.

  2. #62
    Quote Originally Posted by Ignatius07 View Post
    Sure Duke could afford to have another finesse post player, but we need a true 5/banger much more (Zoubek is the only one).
    I disagree with everyone who's pining away for a "true 5." With the offensive style Duke played last year and will presumably play again this year, a low post "banger" will only hinder the offense, unless he's also an athlete who can run with the break. Look at Phoenix, the offense Duke's is supposedly modeled after: they had no "true" center and had the best or second best record in the NBA and were very exciting to watch. Then they imported Shaq, ostensibly to help them get further along in the playoffs, and they became an average team, because the big guy couldn't keep up. Seriously, does anybody really think Duke's offense won't score enough points this year?

    Now, I will grant that Duke needs someone who can guard the other team's center. Obviously that wore down Singler last year and another player or players who could share that load would help the team. But I'm not sure Zoubek's feet are quick enough to do that effectively, so I'm not sure he'll ever be that guy. And I'm not sure Lance will ever be strong enough to guard the biggest players. And freshmen tend to have a long learning curve on defense at Duke. Still, I think we have to hope that Plumlee or OC are able to take some of that load and/or that Thomas got stronger or Zoubek got quicker.

    Sorry, I'm meandering a little. I guess my point is that it doesn't matter if Plumlee is a "finesse" player on offense. If he (or any other big man on the roster) can bring it on D then the team will be fine.

  3. #63
    Quote Originally Posted by Kedsy View Post
    I guess my point is that it doesn't matter if Plumlee is a "finesse" player on offense. If he (or any other big man on the roster) can bring it on D then the team will be fine.
    agreed. i think most people just associate finesse players with being "soft" inside, hence not good at post defense and rebounding. I doubt any of the players we are bringing in are soft, and just in case we have Nate

  4. #64
    Quote Originally Posted by SilkyJ View Post
    agreed. i think most people just associate finesse players with being "soft" inside, hence not good at post defense and rebounding. I doubt any of the players we are bringing in are soft, and just in case we have Nate
    Post defense and rebounding are Mason's too biggest strengths, in fact. His offense is what he needs to work on most.

  5. #65

  6. #66
    "Barnes is quite a hot topic right now in the recruiting world. Barnes, from Ames, Iowa, traveled to Durham for his second unofficial visit and sat behind the bench in a Duke T-shirt. It was thought that Barnes would have a drawn-out recruitment. But things appear to be loosening up and momentum seems to be building toward what could be an earlier-than-expected commitment to Duke. "


    Link

  7. #67
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Chicago, IL
    Jerry Meyer of Rivals believes Barnes in the near future will commit to Duke!

  8. #68
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Bethesda, MD

    Oh man

    I hope this is true. He looks totally awesome. He also has incredible size for his position and is already built like a full-grown man. It would be nice to get a guy like that. The 2010 team really does seem to be coming together very well, especially if Plumlee(s) and Kelly fill out a bit and offer some scoring down low.

  9. #69
    Quote Originally Posted by chrisheery View Post
    I hope this is true. He looks totally awesome. He also has incredible size for his position and is already built like a full-grown man. It would be nice to get a guy like that. The 2010 team really does seem to be coming together very well, especially if Plumlee(s) and Kelly fill out a bit and offer some scoring down low.
    We need some good new pronto! I hope this comes to fruition.

  10. #70
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Arlington, VA
    One of the most important recruits since Johnny D (maybe THE most since Dawkins)? Lets face it, Duke needs NBA, one and done type talent to compete with the big boys. Otherwise, they're going to continue to struggle in February and March.

  11. #71
    Quote Originally Posted by Cormac View Post
    One of the most important recruits since Johnny D (maybe THE most since Dawkins)? Lets face it, Duke needs NBA, one and done type talent to compete with the big boys. Otherwise, they're going to continue to struggle in February and March.
    I would agree that it's critical to have at least one (preferably more) guy on a team who is a one-and-done threat when he steps on campus. I don't know if Barnes is the most important recruit since Dawkins. That's probably going a bit overboard.

  12. #72
    Quote Originally Posted by Cormac View Post
    Lets face it, Duke needs NBA, one and done type talent to compete with the big boys. Otherwise, they're going to continue to struggle in February and March.
    I was making that point to some buddies early this season. I hate criticizing K, but I think we need to grab that one player every year that we know will leave. John Wall in 2009, for example. With Kelly and MP2 coming in, and hopefully Singler and Hendo staying, adding Wall would instantly make us a NC contender imo. We would have a scary-athletic PG, possibly the two best wings in the country, Nolan playing at the 2 where he will be a better fit, and enough bodies down low to stay fresh all season and hopefully wreak some havoc.

    But I need to keep reminding myself that this season isn't over! Go Duke!

  13. #73
    According to today's 850 the buzz, Dave Telep says Barnes is a lock to go to Duke. I won't allow myself to totally believe it until he's officially committed but it sure would be good news during this slump.

  14. #74
    How good is this kid? He's the #1 ranked SG in the class - but is he obviously dominant?

    By this I guess I'm asking if he is among the crop of players you look at and say he's going to be a top player in the conference from the start (i.e. Derick Rose, Michael Beasley, Eric Gordan, Demar Derozen, BJ Mullins, Greg Oden)?

  15. #75
    You're asking a question nobody can answer - nobody can tell you with an absolute certainty if a guy is going to be "dominant." The other thing is how you define "dominant."

    Last year Jrue Holiday was the top WG in the HS class and he's getting 9 ppg for UCLA. The guy right behind him, Tyreke Evans is averaging 17 ppg. In 2006 the top rated WG was Wayne Ellington and while he's always been good, I wouldn't say that until this year he's been one of the top players in the ACC. Same thing with Henderson who was the next rated WG - not until this year can you call him one of the top players in the conference.

    IMO, I think it's easier for the top rated point guards and big men to step into a role where they can be one of the top rated players in a conference. Both positions are more likely to impact those around them then the other three spots on the floor.

  16. #76
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Lewisville, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverBlowingBubbles View Post
    How good is this kid? He's the #1 ranked SG in the class - but is he obviously dominant?
    FWIW, Barnes is ranked as the #1 Small Forward in his class by Scout and Rivals. Scout lists him at 6'6" 190#, and Rivals lists him at 6'6" 206#. Most reports describe him as a very versatile player.

    Your faithful correspondent roywhite saw him on campus last Thursday walking around with Chris Collins. He looked to be every bit of 6'6", maybe a little taller, and fairly slender. disclaimer---that's way above my altitude, so I may not be the best judge.

  17. #77
    Quote Originally Posted by roywhite View Post
    FWIW, Barnes is ranked as the #1 Small Forward in his class by Scout and Rivals. Scout lists him at 6'6" 190#, and Rivals lists him at 6'6" 206#. Most reports describe him as a very versatile player.

    Your faithful correspondent roywhite saw him on campus last Thursday walking around with Chris Collins. He looked to be every bit of 6'6", maybe a little taller, and fairly slender. disclaimer---that's way above my altitude, so I may not be the best judge.
    "Versatile" is the word I would have used as well. I haven't seen him play live (I don't get out to Iowa very often...), but he looks good on video and the scouting reports are all positive. He sounds like a great fit for Duke and we would be fortunate to have him.

    Edit: I don't think he will be a 1 and done.

  18. #78
    Quote Originally Posted by Carlos View Post
    You're asking a question nobody can answer - nobody can tell you with an absolute certainty if a guy is going to be "dominant." The other thing is how you define "dominant."

    Last year Jrue Holiday was the top WG in the HS class and he's getting 9 ppg for UCLA. The guy right behind him, Tyreke Evans is averaging 17 ppg. In 2006 the top rated WG was Wayne Ellington and while he's always been good, I wouldn't say that until this year he's been one of the top players in the ACC. Same thing with Henderson who was the next rated WG - not until this year can you call him one of the top players in the conference.

    IMO, I think it's easier for the top rated point guards and big men to step into a role where they can be one of the top rated players in a conference. Both positions are more likely to impact those around them then the other three spots on the floor.
    In fairness to Holiday, 9 points is a about a quarter of UCLA's average output per game under Howland.

  19. #79
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    San Francisco
    Quote Originally Posted by Carlos View Post
    You're asking a question nobody can answer - nobody can tell you with an absolute certainty if a guy is going to be "dominant." The other thing is how you define "dominant."
    Yeah, and that Singler guy was pretty "dominant" for a freshman last year, too. If Carlos is referring to Barnes being a top 5 draft pick after freshman year like Rose, Beasley, Oden, Durant, etc . . . there's no way to know. However, it seems clear that he has the potential to be a truly elite player. I certainly hope the buzz is true and he is coming to Duke.

  20. Our...

    ...2010 class is shaping up to be really strong.

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