Tony Parker to UCLA

[crimsonandblue]

Literally hundreds of them!!! He's one of the best centers in the country. At some schools they would let him bring it down and dunk it every possession if that's what he wanted to do...

Well, maybe. But Parker officially visited Duke, Memphis, Ohio State, UCLA and Kansas. I guess maybe Memphis could arguably give him free reign. Otherwise, those are some fairly program-centric places. Doesn't scream out "I want my shots" (Kris Humphries-style).

[Greg_Newton]

What's disrespectful about the truth? A liar is a bit of a stretch. He's watching games just like us and he's seeing bombs away - just like us. Sure the post is getting the ball but they kick it out but certain Duke centers haven't had to - and I'm sure the staff can show this. He's used to getting the ball and then everyone watching to see what he's gonna do - shot selection and double team be damned. That's what he's calling putting in work. That doesn't happen at Duke - at least not to the naked eye b/c our offense relies heavily on motion.

1. If you think the way he sarcastically called out Coach K for producing "4 bigs in 36 years" is a) the truth, and b) not disrespectful - ESPECIALLY considering the circumstances and nature of their relationship - I'm afraid we have very different views on Duke basketball and life in general.

2. A liar is not a stretch at all. Parker not-so-subtly implies that the Duke staff is talking him up about how much they'd use him in the post, but that he doesn't believe them. Not sure how you miss that if you watch the video.

[Greg_Newton]

As great as Brand was coming in, he was THIRD on the team in scoring as a freshman. As a sophomore he did lead the team but just barely, scoring 17.7 to Trajan's 17.3 (I do recognize that he dealt with a major injury that season). Boozer never led his team in scoring, nor did Shelden.

An argument could be made that those players all had great players around them, but Parker would have experienced, potential future NBA-level guards around him too. He'd have Curry and Dawkins sniping from the outside, Cook and Thornton controlling the ball, and Suliamon working his way into the rotation. On top of that, Austin and Mason might return. So it is highly unlikely IMO that he would be the focal point of the offense.

I don't disagree with this at all - I actually think his approach of evaluating which teams work their offenses through the post and produce significant development in their post players over time is pragmatic; I think most recruits do similar things, they're just not as open.

My problem is the way he a) grossly misrepresents K's track record with bigs, b) does so in a dismissive, sarcastic way in which NO high school kid be should talking about a potential college coach. Then throw in the fact that he implies that K is feeding him talking points that Tony "knows" he won't deliver on, plus the fact that he's talking about the most respected coach of the modern era, and yeah, that's enough to tick me off.

I mean, show a little respect to one of the all-time legends of the game, who has spent an inordinate amount of time watching you, talking to you, helping you and courting you over the past two years. If you're THAT disgusted by K's track record and style, simply discuss your concerns with your decision-makers and inform Duke that you are not interested. Easy as that.

[SupaDave]

I don't disagree with this at all - I actually think his approach of evaluating which teams work their offenses through the post and produce significant development in their post players over time is pragmatic; I think most recruits do similar things, they're just not as open.

My problem is the way he a) grossly misrepresents K's track record with bigs, b) does so in a dismissive, sarcastic way in which NO high school kid be should talking about a potential college coach. Then throw in the fact that he implies that K is feeding him talking points that Tony "knows" he won't deliver on, plus the fact that he's talking about the most respected coach of the modern era, and yeah, that's enough to tick me off.

I mean, show a little respect to one of the all-time legends of the game, who has spent an inordinate amount of time watching you, talking to you, helping you and courting you over the past two years. If you're THAT disgusted by K's track record and style, simply discuss your concerns with your decision-makers and inform Duke that you are not interested. Easy as that.

You're being a bit sensitive. Coach K has only been around 32 years. He shakes his head the whole dang time. And those questions are being answered in Kansas in front of Kansas folk who are leading a young person who's still high off of a win.

Besides, I never heard him mention Coach K's name.

However, I will add that he sounds like a MAJOR Kansas lean at this point.

[UrinalCake]

I still have a hard time fathoming how coastal kids or other city kids would choose the environment there [in Lawrence], lovely though it may be, over towns or cities that may provide significantly more in terms of entertainment options, community diversity, proximity to bigger cities, high growth/business opportunities, or other attributes that some of the schools that Kansas competes with for national recruits offer, so that's maybe why I think Self (and Williams and Brown before them) have been excellent salesmen for the Kansas program.

Well Durham ain't exactly New York City, if you catch my drift

[Greg_Newton]

Coach K has only been around 32 years... ... Besides, I never heard him mention Coach K's name.

Incorrect. Mike Krzyzewski has been a D-1 head coach for exactly 36 years. If you don't think that was an undeniable reference to K, you're being more than a bit naive.

He shakes his head the whole dang time. And those questions are being answered in Kansas in front of Kansas folk who are leading a young person who's still high off of a win.

Changes absolutely nothing about what I said. I'll just refer you to my previous two posts.

You're being a bit sensitive.

Well, you're the first person on the three boards I've seen that interview posted on who didn't think that that was an extremely disrespectful thing to say. So I'm not sure I am, actually.

[Swardy]

As far as the Georgetown vs Kansas development it's hands down Georgetown. Just look at the improvement Sims has made know that he focused on basketball. How bad must he feel for partying his first 3 years away. As far as Parker goes he is going to UCLA with Kyle and Shabazz. This was all but decided when Howland hired Korey McCray.

[wilko]

How bad must he feel for partying his first 3 years away. As far as Parker goes he is going to UCLA with Kyle and Shabazz. This was all but decided when Howland hired Korey McCray.

Nothing says "A recruit changing his mind" like a good old fashioned drug scandal...
Parents dont want their kids caught up in that kinda mess

[jipops]

Looks like things might start getting a little shaky over in Westwood though.

http://losangeles.sbnation.com/ucla-...howland-drugs-

[TexHawk]

As far as the Georgetown vs Kansas development it's hands down Georgetown. Just look at the improvement Sims has made know that he focused on basketball. How bad must he feel for partying his first 3 years away.

Can you explain? I'm open to the possibility, but "hands down"? Monroe and Hibbert look strong and better than any KU grad currently, and Jeff Green had some good moments before his health issues. But Henry Sims was ranked about 20 spots higher than both Morris brothers and he'll be lucky to be a 2nd round pick. Marcus/Markieff went lottery.

Outside of Jeff Graves & Christian Moody (walk-on) in his 1st year, and this year's less-than-fantastic Young/Wesley transfer combo, every one of Bill Self's frontcourt players that saw the court have been/will be drafted. Simien-Wright-Arthur-Kaun-Jackson-Aldrich-Morris-Morris-Robinson-Withey. 5 of those were in the lottery (6 if you count Robinson). That's 10 guys drafted in 10 years in Lawrence. Sure, some of them have been highly ranked (Arthur, Wright), others have been Top 50 (Simien, Robinson, Aldrich, Kaun, Withey), others in the bottom of the Top 100 (Morris X2, Jackson). Oddly, Wright was the highest ranked coming out of high school (rsci #6), and he's arguably been the worst pro.

[crimsonandblue]

You're being a bit sensitive. Coach K has only been around 32 years. He shakes his head the whole dang time. And those questions are being answered in Kansas in front of Kansas folk who are leading a young person who's still high off of a win.

Besides, I never heard him mention Coach K's name.

However, I will add that he sounds like a MAJOR Kansas lean at this point.

Just for the record, I don't think Kansas insider types necessarily feel this way. I think they're indicating the visit and KU's pitch have them under consideration. The whole UCLA story brewing may also have an effect. Anyway, much ado about one kid. Albeit one BIG kid.

[Kedsy]

As great as Brand was coming in, he was THIRD on the team in scoring as a freshman. As a sophomore he did lead the team but just barely, scoring 17.7 to Trajan's 17.3 (I do recognize that he dealt with a major injury that season). Boozer never led his team in scoring, nor did Shelden.

Well, right now, Thomas Robinson only barely leads his team in scoring too (17.8 to Tyshon Taylor's 17.1). What does that show? Cole Aldrich never led his team in scoring (was actually 4th on the team the year he went pro). Nor did Jackson, Arthur, Kaun, or Markieff Morris. Even guys like DeMarcus Cousins, Hasheem Thabeet and Emeka Okafor never led their team in scoring. So what?

So it is highly unlikely IMO that he would be the focal point of the offense.

Focal point of the offense? As a freshman at Duke, it is highly unlikely IMO that he would start.

[Faison1]

Looks like things might start getting a little shaky over in Westwood though.

http://losangeles.sbnation.com/ucla-...howland-drugs-

2 things:

1. The UCLA Drug Scandal: I have no idea what the story is, but I'm guessing it has to do with Reeves Nelson; which leads me to say, "thank goodness that kid didn't want to go to Duke."

2. In regards to Tony Parker, hasn't every school been glowing about their prospects with him (including Duke) right after one of his official visits? I wonder what he says to make everyone feel so confident.

[SupaDave]

2 things:2. In regards to Tony Parker, hasn't every school been glowing about their prospects with him (including Duke) right after one of his official visits? I wonder what he says to make everyone feel so confident.

In the video that everyone feels is so disrespectful he actually says that everyone is telling him the same things and it all sounds good. He's talking about all the schools generally before he makes the 36 years comment. He seems to get caught up in the moment quite easily b/c he's surely egged on in the video.

Kinda reminds me of the Willie Williams recruiting saga. Hope his head is on much straighter than that.

[Swardy]

Can you explain? I'm open to the possibility, but "hands down"? Monroe and Hibbert look strong and better than any KU grad currently, and Jeff Green had some good moments before his health issues. But Henry Sims was ranked about 20 spots higher than both Morris brothers and he'll be lucky to be a 2nd round pick. Marcus/Markieff went lottery.

Outside of Jeff Graves & Christian Moody (walk-on) in his 1st year, and this year's less-than-fantastic Young/Wesley transfer combo, every one of Bill Self's frontcourt players that saw the court have been/will be drafted. Simien-Wright-Arthur-Kaun-Jackson-Aldrich-Morris-Morris-Robinson-Withey. 5 of those were in the lottery (6 if you count Robinson). That's 10 guys drafted in 10 years in Lawrence. Sure, some of them have been highly ranked (Arthur, Wright), others have been Top 50 (Simien, Robinson, Aldrich, Kaun, Withey), others in the bottom of the Top 100 (Morris X2, Jackson). Oddly, Wright was the highest ranked coming out of high school (rsci #6), and he's arguably been the worst pro.

I was talking more about developed into good pro's more so than just drafted. All but one of John Thompson III front court starters have been drafted and that was Julian Vaughn (who was a transfer) last year and even he showed remarkable improvement over his time at FSU. Everyone of them probably would've been drafted in Macklin had been patient and stayed. Thompson's biggest problem was that he had to start Dejuan Summers at the 4 for 2 years but that was more of a recruiting issue than a development issue. Also like you said the 3 Gtown guys are all 3 better than any of the Kansas guys and basically they are the only 3 true big men that fully developed at GTown,outside of Sims who for some reason finally stared to stop partying his senior year and focus on basketball. The Sims case just shows that if players actually put for the the effort they will develop into a great player as based on the leaps and bounds he made when finally trying. Based on that I would say the argument is pretty clear cut. I also understand we cant go back forever but it is well known that John Thompson Jr. is also still a big part of the program and his big man development speaks for itself.

[flyingdutchdevil]

The notion that these players are "ancient news" doesn't agree with me. When I was in 2nd grade, I used to dream of being a professional basketball player (I'm now 25, an accountant, and 5'6" ... close, but no cigar). I collected basketball cards of people named Julius Erving, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, and Moses Malone, to name a few. They were not "ancient history" in my book. I was very familiar with them, fascinated by them even.

My point is, I have to imagine these kids eat, sleep, and breath basketball to be this good and this demanded by top-tier programs. I don't think they are nearly as blind to the histories of these storied programs as posters here insinuate. I could, of course, be wrong, but I would be shocked. Elton Brand is playing in the NBA finishing a long and successful (and lucrative) career. I doubt that a high school basketball player of Tony Parker's caliber doesn't know Elton Brand, doesn't know he went to Duke, and hasn't been thoroughly steeped in the link between the two [Coach K].

This goes for any former college star, be it 10 years out, 15 years out, 20+ years out of college. If you said Dick Groat, Alaa Abdelnaby, or even Danny Ferry then I'd agree to some extent. But I'd be absolutely shocked if these kids are unfamiliar (or can't draw comparisons) with someone like Elton Brand, Josh McRoberts, Shelden Williams, or Carlos Boozer.

A few youtube searches and they are thoroughly familiar with these and almost any other player. It's not that hard. And I'd be amazed if it's uncommon. If TP, for example, is taking this long to decide on a school, do you think he's not researching these sorts of things?

- Chillin

I am 2 years older than you. Like you, I love basketball. Like you, I used to collect basketball cards as a kid. Unlike you, I am not an accountant (although in finance). I never collected Julius Erving or Elgin Baylor cards. As a matter of fact, until I was in high school, I have no idea what position they played. I will say that I looked up to Karl Malone, Stockton, David Robinson, and the rest of the best players during the 1990s not named Jordan (the Bulls were my brother's team).

As a high schooler (1999-2003), I enjoyed Grant Hill, Kobe, and the rest of the early 2000s stars. My idolization of Malone et Stockton were long gone. I moved on. What can you expect? I was in high school. The vast majority of high schoolers aren't going to say 'I want to be Charles Barkley' or 'I really enjoyed watching that ESPN Classic game with Kiki Vandeweghe.' They're going to say 'Wow! Did you see that LeBron dunk? I need to lift more weights to become that strong going up' and 'Derrick Rose's first step is incredible. I need to watch that in slow motion so I can mimic it'.

Lastly, I was watching ESPN Game Day event where two teammates had to guess each other's favorite food, pet peeve, etc. One question that came up was 'Who is your celebrity crush?' One of the players, a freshman, said Miley Cyrus. My first response was 'OMG - that is disgusting. She's 12!!!' This was before I realized that Miley is the same age as a college sophomore.

Anywho, my point with all of this with Duke is that high schoolers have experienced less than us (because they are young) and cannot remember players 10-15 years ago (hell, sometimes even 5!). Because of this, their sample size is small and encompasses only the last few years of a college program.

[airowe]

Lol, SupaDave I appreciate your coyness.

I'd listen to this man if you want some information on what Tony Parker is thinking. I'm guessing it's a lot more well-informed than whatever a message board's insiders are telling you.

[dukedoc]

Tony is putting out a blog/journal entry on Friday which apparently will be quite disappointing for Duke fans. The TDD board is, shall we say, freaking out about it. Is it just going to be "I don't like Duke, they're not a good school for a big man, can't believe they lost in the first round" kind of stuff, or is there more to it?

[Gthoma2a]

I had stopped reading this a while ago, but I have to say that I am truly disgusted with the comments that he made.

Do I think that he is totally wrong? No. He is right about us not utilizing our bigs, even when it would win us an otherwise uphill climb of a game (Lehigh with Mason killing it that night). My problem comes in when a kid who hasn't even committed to a school is hurling veiled insults at a coach who has won more than anybody, has more active NBA players than anybody, has coached the national team to gold and continues to represent the sport and country in the best way. He is young, so I get that it could be passed over by some, but if you don't want to go to a school under a coach (any coach), say it. Don't sit back and spend your time insulting all they have done over their illustrious career. That is not how you conduct yourself when you are IN the NBA, much less when you aren't even there yet.

[loldevilz]

I had stopped reading this a while ago, but I have to say that I am truly disgusted with the comments that he made.

Do I think that he is totally wrong? No. He is right about us not utilizing our bigs, even when it would win us an otherwise uphill climb of a game (Lehigh with Mason killing it that night). My problem comes in when a kid who hasn't even committed to a school is hurling veiled insults at a coach who has won more than anybody, has more active NBA players than anybody, has coached the national team to gold and continues to represent the sport and country in the best way. He is young, so I get that it could be passed over by some, but if you don't want to go to a school under a coach (any coach), say it. Don't sit back and spend your time insulting all they have done over their illustrious career. That is not how you conduct yourself when you are IN the NBA, much less when you aren't even there yet.

I really think that you are too old to really understand a kid like Tony Parker. I also would like to remind you that Mitch McGary did the same exact thing: saying Duke didn't utilize its big men before choosing Michigan. The older folk here need to understand that these kids only know what they see. Since they've been following college basketball which can't be much more than 10 years, Duke has had good, but flawed teams that have generally weak post players and a lot of shooters. I really feel that fans (and coaches) need to come to terms with that. No matter how much you think that Coach K could use a player like Elton Brand, it probably doesn't mean anything to a player who has never watched Brand in college. The fact that we are competing with schools that have put good big men in the league or have great college big men doesn't help things at all.