Thoughts on Gerald

[VaDukie]

I've found it suprising that for the most part, very little attention has been paid to Henderson's impact on next year's team. I remember watching the him in the McDonalds AA game in 2006 and thinking, this guy is the next Grant Hill. Needless to say he did not realize his potential freshmen year, but in my mind this was almost entirely a result of injuries. My friends and I took to calling him 'breakout' because we were waiting for the breakout game where he would assert himself. He certainly did that at the end of the year against UMD and UNC.

In my mind, he should be our best player next season. The promise he showed in the two final regular season games against Maryland and UNC was spectacular - and I beleive hearing that those were the first games he was fully conditioned to play in.

Thoughts?

[jimsumner]

If you change "should be our best player" to "could be" I'm in total agreement. He's got a pretty high ceiling. The exercise-induced asthma is a big variable.

[hurleyfor3]

Gerald's a badass.

[Richard Berg]

I've seen tons of attention heaped on G, actually. There's no doubt that if he reaches his potential, all the talk will have been just an understatement. (except for maybe the GHill comment ) I'd love to see him erase the remaining question marks and become the player we've all seen flashes of!

[Bob Green]

When I first read that Gerald had committed to Duke, I said to myself, "Gerald Henderson, Jr. will be the next Duke superstar." I still believe he can be. He just needs to ... insert favorite cliche...(stay healthy, reach his potential, learn his niche in the system, etc...). Gerald could have a monster Sophomore season.

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

[Cavlaw]

I agree. In the words of Dick Vitale, I think he's going to be a really special player.

It really is unfortunate that the incident with Hansbrough is going to hang over his collegiate career due to the Duke hate in the media and on the net, and I suspect the attention will get worse as he gets better. My understanding is that he's a great kid who deserves far better than that.

[ACCBBallFan]

If you change "should be our best player" to "could be" I'm in total agreement. He's got a pretty high ceiling. The exercise-induced asthma is a big variable.

I was thinking about exercised induced asthma today but did not want to start a thread on it.

Still puzzles me. Did Gerald have this problem in HS? If so, did the scouts blow it or know it? Perhaps they did, and still felt he could be the top player, or one of the top 2 the next couple of years.

Is exercised induced asthma something that has adult onset? and how long does it last? Is it like allergies that wives tales say has a 7 year life? Can it be treated?

Surely some Duke Med school student or grad can provide some insight.

[TillyGalore]

I agree. In the words of Dick Vitale, I think he's going to be a really special player.

It really is unfortunate that the incident with Hansbrough is going to hang over his collegiate career due to the Duke hate in the media and on the net, and I suspect the attention will get worse as he gets better. My understanding is that he's a great kid who deserves far better than that.

Cavlaw, I completely agree with you. As I was reading the board I too was thinking about the Hansbrough incident and how it will haunt Gerald. Poor guy. He didn't do anything wrong and yet this will follow him.

As many have posted, last year's team didn't have a lot of leadership as it was very young team. With a year, or for some an additional year, under their belts I think we are going to see some amazing things from Gerald and everyone else. Am really looking forward to the season!!

[Carlos]

I doubt very much that the Hansbrough incident will haunt Henderson. You'll see the highlights of it at the start of the Duke/Carolina games next season because both guys will likely be the leading scorers on their teams. Other than that, you'll hear some guys dredge it up on a BBS - but that's about it.

As for next year, we should be a team that really attacks the rim with Henderson and Nelson from the wings. I think both guys should have strong seasons.

[Methodistman]

I was thinking about exercised induced asthma today but did not want to start a thread on it.

Still puzzles me. Did Gerald have this problem in HS? If so, did the scouts blow it or know it? Perhaps they did, and still felt he could be the top player, or one of the top 2 the next couple of years.

Is exercised induced asthma something that has adult onset? and how long does it last? Is it like allergies that wives tales say has a 7 year life? Can it be treated?

Surely some Duke Med school student or grad can provide some insight.

Not a Med school grad, but when I was a runner in high school and college, I developed exercise-induced asthma. The asthma did not ever really affect me in a race, but it would hit once I had completed the race and was trying to cool down. Thus the issue for G - if he could stay out of the court and keep running, he would probably be fine. It's the timeouts, the bench time, the free throws - all of those type of things for me would be setting it off. One of the triggers for it does happen to be allergies, and I've been told that due to all the allergens, some docs refer to the area as "Asthma Alley."

[dukerev]

There is no doubt that we'll see tons of replays of the Gerald-Hansblah incident this year. And if Gerald becomes the "special" player we're hoping he becomes we'll see so many replays of it that there will be multiple threads on this board about how Duke is getting hosed by the media (again). However, what we see and what Gerald sees, or to be more specific, how the team and coaching staff deal with it are two different things. I suspect that K and Gerald talked about it extensively in their end-of-the-year meeting and will continue to talk about how Gerald will move forward (next play). I also suspect if the coverage of the incident gets out of hand you'll see K and the rest of the staff including the sports info department deal with it quickly and decisively; especially in light of the new campaign to have better media relations. We (as in us fans) will probably have a completely different way of dealing with the Gerald-Hansblah incident than Gerald and the rest of the team will.

[Jumbo]

I've found it suprising that for the most part, very little attention has been paid to Henderson's impact on next year's team. I remember watching the him in the McDonalds AA game in 2006 and thinking, this guy is the next Grant Hill. Needless to say he did not realize his potential freshmen year, but in my mind this was almost entirely a result of injuries. My friends and I took to calling him 'breakout' because we were waiting for the breakout game where he would assert himself. He certainly did that at the end of the year against UMD and UNC.

In my mind, he should be our best player next season. The promise he showed in the two final regular season games against Maryland and UNC was spectacular - and I beleive hearing that those were the first games he was fully conditioned to play in.

Thoughts?

I apologize if this is a bit harsh, but you've touched on a pet peeve of mine. Anyone who thought Gerald Henderson was remotely similar to Grant Hill (and anyone who would make any kind of a sweeping judgment about any player based on one All-Star game) is nuts.

Grant Hill was a player the likes of which we may never see again at Duke. He could do everything you wanted from a basketball player, with the slight exception of knocking down three pointers. But the guy could guard every position, play point guard with ease, slash, pull up, see the floor beautifully, and he was 6'8." He was a top-five player in the NBA before he got hurt.

Gerald Henderson is 6'5" and while he is extremely strong, fast and leaps well, he entered college with none of Grant's polish. Even by the end of his freshman year, Gerald was a limited player. He showed some ability to create his own shot and get to the rim late in the year and guarded people decently. But he has a ton of things upon wich to improve, including his ball-handling, range on his jumper and help defense. Most importantly, though, he remains limited on offense because he doesn't see the floor very well and is a bit of a ball-stopper. He needs to improve his vision/passing in order to really develop as a player. Right now, he's more along the lines of a Dahntay Jones or a Corey Maggette than an all-around stud like Grant Hill. And if Henderson has a season equivalent to Jones or Maggette this year, I'll be thrilled. Because, most likely, Henderson won't, and shouldn't, start. Nelson is a senior. Scheyer is a superior all-around player. Paulus is the point guard, although if Gerald makes major strides, I wouldn't be opposed to a Scheyer-Nelson-Henderson perimeter trio, given Singler's playmaking skills.

But, like last year, the Gerald hype is completely out of control. People need to stop gawking at a player's vertical and realize efficient movement is more important than explosive movement, and that there are many subtle aspects of basketball that determine a player's value. I want Gerald to succeed, and fully expect him to improve. But I think those who suddenly expect him to become Duke's best player are deluding themselves.

[KrimsonKing]

to echo Jumbo, the thought that Gerald is anywhere close to Grant Hill is preposterous.

Grant Hill was a 6'8" G/F with great hops,great handle, great passer and the
best talent ever in the K era winning 2 rings back to back.

Gerald is a 6'4"(being generous on his height) F with great hops, below average handle, average passer.

Some of you really have no clue

[Indoor66]

to echo Jumbo, the thought that Gerald is anywhere close to Grant Hill is preposterous.

Grant Hill was a 6'8" G/F with great hops,great handle, great passer and the
best talent ever in the K era winning 2 rings back to back.

Gerald is a 6'4"(being generous on his height) F with great hops, below average handle, average passer.

Some of you really have no clue

The similarity I see is in his body position going for a flying layup or dunk. Both seem to hold their bodies, the ball and off arm in similar position. Other than that, Grant is (not to be cute) head and shoulders above Gerald.

[mapei]

I had exercise-induced asthma that could be brought on by cycling or even indoor training, especially in cool/dry weather. Exercise wasn't the only trigger in my case, since exposure to certain allergens could bring it on as well, but I could pretty much count on having an attack in cold-weather exercise and would have to stop immediately. It's definitely not fun to lose your ability to breathe as much as your body needs.

I was treated with albuterol and inhaled steroids, and my situation improved dramatically over time. I now keep an albuterol inhaler handy and always use it right before exercise, but I seldom need it otherwise. When it was bad (15 years ago), it was very bad. But for a dozen years or so it's only been a very minor nuisance, and hasn't restricted my activities - which are extensive, in the case of cycling - at all.

[Classof06]

I apologize if this is a bit harsh, but you've touched on a pet peeve of mine. Anyone who thought Gerald Henderson was remotely similar to Grant Hill (and anyone who would make any kind of a sweeping judgment about any player based on one All-Star game) is nuts.

Grant Hill was a player the likes of which we may never see again at Duke. He could do everything you wanted from a basketball player, with the slight exception of knocking down three pointers. But the guy could guard every position, play point guard with ease, slash, pull up, see the floor beautifully, and he was 6'8." He was a top-five player in the NBA before he got hurt.

Gerald Henderson is 6'5" and while he is extremely strong, fast and leaps well, he entered college with none of Grant's polish. Even by the end of his freshman year, Gerald was a limited player. He showed some ability to create his own shot and get to the rim late in the year and guarded people decently. But he has a ton of things upon wich to improve, including his ball-handling, range on his jumper and help defense. Most importantly, though, he remains limited on offense because he doesn't see the floor very well and is a bit of a ball-stopper. He needs to improve his vision/passing in order to really develop as a player. Right now, he's more along the lines of a Dahntay Jones or a Corey Maggette than an all-around stud like Grant Hill. And if Henderson has a season equivalent to Jones or Maggette this year, I'll be thrilled. Because, most likely, Henderson won't, and shouldn't, start. Nelson is a senior. Scheyer is a superior all-around player. Paulus is the point guard, although if Gerald makes major strides, I wouldn't be opposed to a Scheyer-Nelson-Henderson perimeter trio, given Singler's playmaking skills.

But, like last year, the Gerald hype is completely out of control. People need to stop gawking at a player's vertical and realize efficient movement is more important than explosive movement, and that there are many subtle aspects of basketball that determine a player's value. I want Gerald to succeed, and fully expect him to improve. But I think those who suddenly expect him to become Duke's best player are deluding themselves.

With all due respect Jumbo, I think your comments are way off-base. I agree with you that it is very stupid to compare Gerald to Grant Hill, because you're comparing one of Duke's best players ever to a kid who just finished his freshman year. That's just not a reasonable comparison and it should probably cease right now. Just a suggestion.

After that, you completely lost me. You talked about one of your pet peeves, so I'll address one of mine; to say Henderson won't start is 1 thing (your opinion/prediction/whatever), but to say he shouldn't start is quite another. If Henderson comes into camp and plays up to his special potential, then who are you to say that he shouldn't start? That's complete idiocy. I'll tell you this much, if Henderson plays up to his potential, he is without question one of the 5 best players on our team. Everyone knows about Paulus' preseason injuries last year and how those affected him, but what people forget is that Gerald had quite a few of his own. Coach K said it after the very first game: "Gerald Henderson is a unique athlete and he missed most of the preseason with numerous injuries. When he gets into really good shape, he’ll just keep getting better." Ummm, that's exactly what happened with Gerald, Jumbo; he just kept getting better. So my question is, why would a whole year of valuable experience and a whole offseason stop that progression? Did you not see the flashes of brilliance from this kid as the year went on? Did you not see him drop 15 points in 21 minutes in the 2nd Maryland game? Or go for 16 and 6 on 8-14 shooting in the 2nd UNC game? Those were our last two regular season games; by the end of the year, this kid was straight up killin teams, man. Where were you???

Jon Scheyer is definitely NOT a superior all-around player to Gerald Henderson. Besides the fact that Scheyer averaged 14 more minutes per game than Gerald, it was Henderson who was playing better basketball by the end of the year; that's why Gerald averaged 18 mpg the whole season, but around 25mpg over the last several games. I don't think it's a secret to anyone that as the ACC got more familiar with Scheyer, his production decreased. Scheyer still had a great year, but that statement makes you look like you didn't even watch the last quarter of the season.

I'll end by saying that we've only seen flashes of how good Gerald can be, and to say the his hype is "out of control" means the only one deluding themselves is you. I think most people have focused on the arrival of Singler and the recovery of Paulus more than talk about Henderson, so I don't know how this "hype" you speak of is out of control. Regardless, most everyone familiar with Duke, whether it be media, fans, etc. expects and/or believes Gerald can have a breakout year. Nobody is saying he's gonna be the second coming of Christ, but I fail to understand what you can't see in this kid...he's gonna be a good one. Take it to the bank.

[Kilby]

There was no one on Duke's team last year that I would rather have the ball at clutch time than Henderson. As far as I'm concerned he was the most talented, best clutch as far as being able to create his own shot, and most athletic. Hands down. The only way that Henderson does't start that won't make me extremely angry and suspect is if his asthma is the cause.

[elvis14]

There are always players with tons of hops and reputation coming out of high school who show up and never live up to the hype. Thanks goodness Gerald is not one of those guys. By the end of last season, he was playing great. I've said this on another thread...we have a good team coming in next year. If you look at our team there's one guy that will scare he hell out of other teams and that's Gerald. Why? Because he can create his own shot. He can hit the 3, he can hit the pull up jumper. It's not that he's going to be scary good. He IS scary good and with more playing time I think he'll continue to get better and better. Is he the next Grant Hill? Heck no, he doesn't play 'D' the way GH could he's smaller, different guy. He doesn't need to be the next GHill, just let him be himself and cut him loose on the other teams. Just think of all the open jumpers we could get for Paulus, Jon, King and layups for Lance, etc when teams have to play help defense after Gerald gets past his man or get into the interior of a zone! I'm really looking forward to next season, I like the team we have coming in and I'm excited to see Gerald play.

A couple other points in this thread I thought I'd mention. First, the exercise induced asthma. I have it and have had it for years (first noticed it high school when I was wrestling...last noticed it last night playing softball at Walnut Creek). It's annoying but it can be worked thru. As someone else mentioned, if it's bad you take something like Albuterol to help. I really hope it doesn't hold him back this season. Secondly is the shot to Hasnblahblah. If Gerald has a less than average career at Duke, it'll be what he is known for. I don't think that'll be the case. He should be good enough to get the media to focus on his game. Either way, the clip of him clipping Hansblahblah's beak will be shown for the next 20 years.

[Clipsfan]

You talked about one of your pet peeves, so I'll address one of mine; to say Henderson won't start is 1 thing (your opinion/prediction/whatever), but to say he shouldn't start is quite another. If Henderson comes into camp and plays up to his special potential, then who are you to say that he shouldn't start? That's complete idiocy.

Class - I'm confused why Jumbo saying that Henderson won't start is alright, as it is opinion, while saying that he shouldn't start isn't alright. Isn't it just Jumbo's opinion that Henderson shouldn't start? He's not trashing Gerald, or saying anything all the negative. Rather, he's saying that in his own opinion, Gerald shouldn't start next year.

I don't know whether Gerald should start next year, as I loved what I saw at the end of the season, but I can't say he should definitely start based on 3-4 games. I do think that we'll only start Gerald if we play 4 guards, as I think that Paulus and Nelson will definitely start, and I think that Jon is ahead of Gerald as of the last time I saw them play. This could easily change by November, and I hope that all 4 players improve. Even so, this is all just opinion, so why are you so upset with Jumbo's opinion on who should/shouldn't start?

[DukeDude]

Most importantly, though, he remains limited on offense because he doesn't see the floor very well and is a bit of a ball-stopper. He needs to improve his vision/passing in order to really develop as a player.

I think these two lines cut to the heart of the matter, and they highlight the difference between Gerald and Grant (or Scheyer to a lesser extent). I think Gerald has the most potential of the returning players, but he certainly has to improve in this area if he is going to be a starter next season. I believe Gerald will improve next season, but I wouldn't be counting on him to make all-ACC next year. Maybe by his junior year.