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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Texas/NC

    Sports Illustrated says Duke Doesn't Have a Top 15 Backcourt

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/

    Look at some of the backcourts they place ahead of us... I'm a little baffled.

  2. #2
    Lawson [...] would have been a first-round draft pick in June, had he not had a run-in with the law in Chapel Hill.
    Huh? All mock drafts I saw had him going early second (although some late first). But NBA GMs directly stated that his arrest did not affect their opinion of him. But, yeah, agree that it's hard to believe Duke doesn't have a top 15 backcourt. That's ok. Would rather sneak up on people! (Although Duke can't sneak up on anybody since we are still Duke)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Rent free in tarheels’ heads
    The SI Curse is real. This is great news for us!

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by BlueintheFace View Post
    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/

    Look at some of the backcourts they place ahead of us... I'm a little baffled.
    That should change once the season gets started. You can't tell me the Duke guards won't see this and use it as even extra motivation.

  5. #5
    That list is so ridiculous it's hard to even get angry about it. It is an absolute joke to put USC, Florida, or Syracuse above us, at the very least. And I am not sold at all on Purdue or Memphis either. I would put Duke around #6 here. The great thing is we'll match up with Purdue and (probably) UCLA.

    I respect Luke Winn, but this list is difficult to understand. I am pretty sure he doesn't regard us as worse than #15 in the country (though he might). But seeing as how there is no way we have a top-15 frontcourt, how do we not have a top-15 backcourt?

    Maybe he is not counting Gerald Henderson as a guard, despite the fact that we play him (mostly) as one. Even without him I think we'd be somewhere low on that list.

  6. #6

    Fr. backcourts

    I´m a bit baffled that Duke doesn´t get a top 15 backcourt as well. How on earth can you put a backcourt that will have 3 of 4 players as Fr. with a so-so returning PG ahead of The Gerald, Scheyer, Paulus, Smith, EWill and Pocius? No doubt some Fr. are super talented, but they have proven nothing yet. GH, JS, GP have proven that they can do things that others in the article were praised for (score >10ppg, >3.2apg, >40% 3pt etc) while Smith showed some flashes of what other Fr. (who once again haven´t proven anything yet) were praised for; and EWill is a top-flight recruit as are some who were praised; and Pocius is at least a serviceable sub; yet Duke doesn´t get the nod? Mysterious...
    Frasor is the best back-up PG in the nation. Really?
    Press like this will hopefully (as already mentioned) be used as motivational fodder for these guys to destroy everyone (but mostly UNC)...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Rent free in tarheels’ heads
    (a) I would be surprised if our guys cared that much about something like this.
    (b) I hope if they need motivation they find something more meaningful that embraces a true team perspective.
    (c) I don't get the obsession with continuously trying to analyze and debunk meaningless rankings. Who cares?

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Dr. Rosenrosen View Post
    (c) I don't get the obsession with continuously trying to analyze and debunk meaningless rankings. Who cares?
    It generates discussion as to who actually has the best backcourt. Some of us think it is interesting.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Southern California
    Just some comments, but for me it sucks that the top 2 ranked backcourts are my least favorite teams. Second it doesn't matter what anyone says right now. Within the first month of the season they will see how good henderson, scheyer,smith, williams, paulis, etc are.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Rent free in tarheels’ heads
    Quote Originally Posted by Ignatius07 View Post
    It generates discussion as to who actually has the best backcourt. Some of us think it is interesting.
    Well, discussing who has the best backcourt would be a great topic. I just don't get why it has to be in the context of a meaningless ranking like this one. Besides, the "discussion" thus far has focused on why we should have been included in the silly ranking and how the guys could use it as motivation.

  11. #11
    Top arbitrary number lists are traffic bait and thus usually have some manufactured controversy for that reason. Duke fans have proven to be easy targets because they're pretty passionate. Meh, who cares, once you see these lists for the transparent farces they are, you'll hardly care about another one again.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Bluedog View Post
    Huh? All mock drafts I saw had him going early second (although some late first). But NBA GMs directly stated that his arrest did not affect their opinion of him. But, yeah, agree that it's hard to believe Duke doesn't have a top 15 backcourt. That's ok. Would rather sneak up on people! (Although Duke can't sneak up on anybody since we are still Duke)
    DBR posted an article saying Larry Bird was very high up on Lawson before he got the DWI. I recall Roy saying that he wasn't going to punish Lawson b/c he had already been punished enough by falling out of the lottery or whatever...

    Not sure if this is the same article, but it has some of the quotes I am think of:

    http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/c...y/1187012.html

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by SilkyJ View Post
    DBR posted an article saying Larry Bird was very high up on Lawson before he got the DWI. I recall Roy saying that he wasn't going to punish Lawson b/c he had already been punished enough by falling out of the lottery or whatever...

    Not sure if this is the same article, but it has some of the quotes I am think of:

    http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/c...y/1187012.html
    Just before Lawson withdrew from the draft, the word was that Denver was looking very seriously at him. The Nuggets said the DWI wouldn't affect their decision. I doubt they had the same view of him no-showing a workout in Denver, which I expect was the last gasp for his 2008 draft chances.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Ignatius07 View Post
    That list is so ridiculous it's hard to even get angry about it.
    Exactly. Not only does Duke have a top 15 backcourt, we have a top 5 backcourt and maybe - maybe - a top 1 backcourt. This is just something to be ignored.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    New Bern, NC unless it's a home football game then I'm grilling on Devil's Alley

    Scout.com begs to differ

    The first sentence from their preview of Duke

    "Despite the loss of wing DeMarcus Nelson - Duke's leading scorer last season - few teams have a better collection of talent, depth and experience on the perimeter."

    P.S. Rivals.com, not scout.com
    Last edited by CameronBornAndBred; 10-13-2008 at 09:08 PM. Reason: Edited for illiteracy

  16. #16

    Top backcourt

    Quote Originally Posted by Wander View Post
    Exactly. Not only does Duke have a top 15 backcourt, we have a top 5 backcourt and maybe - maybe - a top 1 backcourt. This is just something to be ignored.
    Duke definitely does not have a top 15 frontcourt- and if not a top 15 backcourt- how are they ranked in the preseason top 10 by many experts? K must be the best coach in America.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Dr. Rosenrosen View Post
    Well, discussing who has the best backcourt would be a great topic. I just don't get why it has to be in the context of a meaningless ranking like this one. Besides, the "discussion" thus far has focused on why we should have been included in the silly ranking and how the guys could use it as motivation.
    We could talk about the NL Pennant instead....

    Sorry in advance.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    Quote Originally Posted by Ignatius07 View Post
    It generates discussion as to who actually has the best backcourt. Some of us think it is interesting.
    I agree. A well-written article that analyzed a few candidates for the nation's best backcourt would always be a good read, even in the preseason.

    But a list that gives us, say, the #14 backcourt in the nation is of limited value and somewhat ridiculous.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Lompoc, West Carolina
    So what? SI doesn't have a top 15 writing staff. We're even.

  20. #20
    Two of our backcourt starters (Paulus and Scheyer) aren't flashy and mostly lack star power. I'de be curious to know how many dunks they have between them. While this should not take anything away from them - were talking about SI here.

    Henderson still has yet to be consistently dominant. Smith and Williams are unproven.

    That said, I think we have one of the top 5 backcourts in the nation. Hopefully we can prove it this season.

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