Josh McRoberts -- NBA

[bludvlman]

McRoberts got a bad rap, he wasn't used correctly which is rare for K and also he was the best player on a bad Duke team and was blamed for the team's failure. His freshmen year he was the only one that did anything outside of JJ and Shelden. I thought he was very underrated at Duke.

[geraldsneighbor]

Granger, Murphy, and another player were out with the flu tonight. I was a fan of Josh's intensity while he was here. I think when he announced his intentions to go pro, no one was real upset. I really do wonder how him and Greg and the rest of the team got along with him because I have read JJ and him remain good friends. I wish Josh the best of luck but really don't know how I should remember him. I will say, him taking NBA 3's is a little absurd.

[DukieInBrasil]

McRoberts blew it up!!!! He got a sliver of a chance the previous game and did a respectable job and then got a return call and made it huge. He can´t buy a 3-ball but he has bee hitting the boards hard and with this last game, he may hae earned himself a bunch more PT. Good for him!!!

[Ders24]

Granger, Murphy, and another player were out with the flu tonight. I was a fan of Josh's intensity while he was here. I think when he announced his intentions to go pro, no one was real upset. I really do wonder how him and Greg and the rest of the team got along with him because I have read JJ and him remain good friends. I wish Josh the best of luck but really don't know how I should remember him. I will say, him taking NBA 3's is a little absurd.

I never liked Josh when he was at Duke, it was pretty clear that he wasn't really interested in being there (this is from his attitude on campus and dealing with students). From what I saw, no one was very upset to see him go.

[DukieInBrasil]

Josh has gotten respectable minutes in 3 strait games now and has done a decent job, possibly earning a longer look or even a semi-permanent spot in the rotation. In Game 3 he scored 8pts, 4 rebs, 5 asts and 2 blocks. That is a very impressive stat line. His only drawback has been FG%, 40% in the 3 games, partly due to an 0-4 3pt in game #2. Keep it up Josh.

[Devilsfan]

Never thought of it before but Bludvlman might have a point, believe it or not.

[DevilDan]

So let's see ... two years ago, Josh McRoberts couldn't even shoot 5-9 footers with ANY consistency at Duke ... so now he's taking 3-pointers ?? UHHHHHH ????

While at Duke he was adept at posting impressive game totals in boards, blocks, assists, and (every so often) points. He was clearly more comfortable being the third best player on the floor, than in that final year when Duke needed him to be the "go-to guy". Still a hard guy to figure out ...

[jimsumner]

"McRoberts got a bad rap, he wasn't used correctly which is rare for K and also he was the best player on a bad Duke team and was blamed for the team's failure. His freshmen year he was the only one that did anything outside of JJ and Shelden. I thought he was very underrated at Duke."

In what way did Mike Krzyzewski misuse Josh McRoberts?

Do you really think Josh McRoberts played on a "bad" Duke team? Hint. I've seen bad Duke basketball and it didn't remotely resemble 2007.

In what way was Duke's only All-ACC player in 2007 blamed for that team's "failure."

Do you really think that Greg Paulus, DeMarcus Nelson, and Sean Dockery did not do "anything" for Duke basketball in 2006?

[ncexnyc]

In what way did Mike Krzyzewski misuse Josh McRoberts?

Perhaps, "misused" isn't the correct word. Maybe it was more of the proverbial, "Trying to put a square peg, into a round hole" situation.

The team needed Josh to fill a certain role, one which his skill set and personal make-up wasn't suited for.

Josh chose to leave, end of story. I really don't understand why we have to do this everytime a kid decides to leave early. I'm surprised we don't have a Taylor King thread up and running discussing what his current class schedule looks like.

[jv001]

All Josh did was lead the team in rebounding, play very good defense, bring the ball up the court against pressure and make some outstanding passes. People expected him to score 20 pts, get 10+ rebounds and 10 assists per game. He did a good job in all 3 areas of play, just not the total numbers fans wanted. Josh was not the problem with the team, we were just not as good as people thought we would be. I don't know about Josh's attitude because I wasn't at the practice sessions or in the locker room. However I know he gave it his all in the games. So I wish him luck in his attempt to become a good pro player. Go Duke!

[jimsumner]

McRoberts was a consumate complementary player, skilled, athletic, and multi-dimensional. But he didn't have a go-to-move and had limited range on his shot.

So, how to use him? McRoberts was second in the ACC in rebounding and blocked shots, second on Duke in assists and steals. Centers aren't often second on teams in assists and steals. 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game. He brought the ball up against pressure, frequently initiated the offense, and guarded the other team's best post player.

Seems to me that Krzyzewski used him about as well as he could have been used.

McRoberts was voted second-team All-ACC and first-team All-ACC defense. So knowledgeable observers didn't blame him for Duke's season.

Did "some" Duke fans expect better? I'm sure they did. But some Duke fans have a sense of entitlement and expectation that defies rational comprehension.

Because of attrition, injuries, and the Humphries fiasco, the 2007 Duke team was the youngest and least experienced in living memory. McRoberts was forced into a leadership role that rarely falls to sophomores and he didn't always handle it as well as he could have.

McRoberts always saw himself in the NBA and, to borrow a phrase from Krzyzewski, I'm not sure he totally unpacked his bags.

Had he returned last season, fully invested in being at Duke, then I think the result would have been a powerhouse Duke team and a Josh McRoberts better suited to become an impact player in the NBA. McRoberts was at least as good as a sophomore as Shane Battier, Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy, or Shelden Williams were as sophs and not far below Danny Ferry or J.J. Redick as sophomores.

I would have loved to have seen him develop more at Duke. But he made the decision that he felt was best for him at that time and I wish him nothing but the best in the NBA.

[ice-9]

The irony is had McRoberts left Duke after his freshman year, we wouldn't be giving him half the grief that we are giving now. We would have simply thought... "McRoberts is a one and done like Deng who helped the 2005-2006 team to a #1 ranking and #1 seed. Too bad he left for the NBA early, but he did good at Duke while he was here and so we hope him the best."

But now, because he stayed around his sophomore year to play on a limited team, we assign most of the blame to McRoberts for the team's lack of success. Does that seem fair to you? Leave early -> avoid blame. Stay around -> take blame?

[SMO]

I agree that McBobs gets a bad rap sometimes for his on-the-court performance. Consider that he was just a soph and averaged:

PPG: 13.0, RPG: 7.9, APG: 3.5, BPG: 2.5, FG%: 50.2%

Compare this vs. Singler so far in his Soph year:

PPG: 15.9, RPG: 7.8, APG: 3.5, BPG: 0.9, FG%: 46.4%

McBobs' numbers suggest he was very good. I think many posters here have knowledge about his attitude that may be influencing their opinion of his performance, which is reasonable. I found this comparison very interesting though and wonder why some are so quick to label him a bust.