1. scheyer
2. smith
3. dawkins
4. singler
5. mp2
i was thinking about the starting lineups for duke, but what really matters is who is going to be on the court when the game is on the line?
thats my 5 players, of course coach k is going to be rotating players offense for defense, but those are our top 5 players and they will be on the court during crunch time and during the ncaa tournament.
Maybe on offense, where smaller line-ups are more lethal. On defense, K will likely have LT in place of Andre plus our best big man defender (Z, MP1 or even MP2). And of course, this depends on match-ups.
If MP2 is a legitimate inside threat, then we may go wtih a bigger line-up on offense.
sagegrouse
Yea i have no doubt that LT would be playing in cruch time as David did last year.
Lots of variables.
Is Duke on offense or defense?
Does Duke have the ball?
Margin? Time remaining?
Singler, Scheyer, and Smith are the givens. The rest depend on those variables. Clearly, you want Lance in on D. Offense? Not so much.
But. If Duke has the ball and the lead and is in a situation where ball-handling and foul-shooting are at a premium, I suspect Kelly will be in before either Plumlee. If Duke is behind, with the ball, then Kelly is a better three-point shooter than the other big options, Singler perhaps excluded.
Of course, you try to get Thomas in for Kelly when Duke is on D. But I expect Kelly's skill-set will come in nicely in specific end-of-game-situations.
"Andre Dawkins might also be put in the game. "
I suspect he will be on O. His ball-handling and foul-shooting should keep him on the floor if Duke is ahead, while his 3-point shooting should do the same when Duke is trailing.
Defense? Depends on how quickly he becomes a Duke-caliber defender. Another variable is whether the opposing team is likely to go for a three or pound it inside. Dawkins gives you perimeter quickness, other options give you interior size.
I agree with Jim that Ryan Kelly has that mini Singler skill set that seems to be being overlooked by many.
I also think that Kelly and Lance may be on the floor together a bit to swtich offensive and defensive roles at WF and PF, but not so much at end of game where it may be either/or, more "and" when Kyle is getting a breather.
So Nolan, Jon, (Andre or Ryan), Kyle and (a Plumlee/Lance/Z) depending on matchups when scoring is needed, Lance when protecting a lead on defense.
Point is coach K has a lot of options from one extreme like
Jon-Nolan-Andre-Ryan-Kyle to spread the floor
Jon-Nolan-Kyle-Mason-Z to counter big teams
as well as the more likely middle ground Jon - Nolan - Kyle-(Lance/Ryan/Mason) -(a Plumlee/Z) with a balance of Defense and Offense and seniority.
At PF it seems Lance is the defensive specialist, machine gun Kelly the hired gunner, and Mason a blend of both, who can also be the center when need be.
In certain situations Kyle can revert to PF or even Center when paired with Lance to allow Andre to play in 3 guard set.
So that is more like last year and some other options not there last year are this year thansk to Kelly and Mason. a bulked up Miles and a healthy Zoubek.
That was my thinking as well. Of course, I think Kelly's presence at the end of games is largely dependent on whether or not he is really "in the rotation." I know some suspect that he will be the 9th man and not log very significant minutes this year. If that were to be the case, I would put my money on: Scheyer, Singler, Nolan, and our two best rebounders on offense. I suspect rebounding could be a significant offensive weapon this year and so this would make sense.
Then again, If Dawkins proves to have that sweet stroke in the clutch...
Frankly, I think we'll know so much more about this a month in to the season, even if we don't have any close games through that point. Miles, Mason, Kelly, and Dawkins are all virtual unknowns at this point and so it is hard to predict outside of our top three.
for all you thinkers out there...this thread isnt about variables, maybes, might, just in case, in this senrio, if this person is hurt, if this person is in foul trouble, can he shoot, can he play D, is he hot/cold...no no no...this thread is about the 5 players that will be on the court when the game is on the line...i got it right the first time...the rest of you just agree
Yea, wouldn't want to think too much or anything.
There are variables involved with an end of game situation. To me the game is on the line at the 4 minute mark. Then Coach K has to begin the chess match trying to protect a slim lead, or he may be playing catch up and he could even be giving the bench players playing time in a blow out. If he's ahead you know he's going to have good ball handlers that can shoot free throw in the game( Jon, Kyle, Nolan). If he's behind he's going to have good defenders in the game( Jon, Kyle, Nolan and LT). If he needs 3 point shooters will be Jon, Kyle, Nolan, Kelly? Andre?. You cannot take away variables when considering this question. Go Duke!
Smith
Singler
Barnes
MP1 or Kelly
MP2
or maybe K. Irving depending on Nolan's foul count. Oh, were you talking about this season?
Yea i think everyone else got the joke lol he seemed mighty upset and confused
But to stay on topic my end of game list would consit of
Nolan
Jon
Andre
Kyle
LT/Or Mp2