Games in China & Dubai

[OldSchool]

I like our chances to be a top 5 team by the end of the season. Much depends on the pace of the development of AR. I don't want to put pressure on the young man, he puts enough on himself. Let him develop at his own pace, I think by the end of the season he will be quite effective at the college level.

The lack of a natural point guard among the starting five does not bother me much. What people may be concerned about when they bemoan the lack of a natural point guard is the ability to create dribble penetration. But that doesn't necessarily have to come from the point guard position in order to be a top team.

If you have Kobe Bryant, you can be a top team with Derek Fisher as your point guard, because you have someone who can break down the defense. You don't need Derek Rose (althouth it would be great to have him).

If you have Dwyane Wade, you can be a top team with someone like Mario Chalmers as your point guard. You don't need Chris Paul as your point (again, it would be great to have him).

AR can, or once he gets fully acclimated to the college game, will be able to provide that play-making ability.

What we must have from Seth offensively is taking care of the ball and efficient scoring from places on the floor he is comfortable scoring from. Getting the ball to the bigs in their comfort spots is something he will eventually need to be able to do consistently.

But we don't necessarily need him to put the ball on the floor and break down the defense off the dribble. I expect AR to provide that play-making element of the offense.

[gumbomoop]

I'm certainly not ready to say Duke will be top five.

Nor am I, quite, but I'm probably closer than most on EK. But I don't think there's a major difference of opinion. I'd think most posters would agree that - with the Drummond surprise - there's a clear consensus preseason top 4. Although the exact order may vary a bit, it's UNC, UK, tOSU, UConn.

Then, most posters probably would say the second tier has some solid/strong teams, too, including Duke, Syracuse, Vandy, UL, Pitt, maybe Fla. That means most posters think Duke is preseason consensus top 10. I say they'll be preseason consensus top 7, but I'm not trying to incite a pissing contest over a few spots in some polls. I do straightforwardly disagree with any poster who says Duke will be, say, preseason consensus 13 or 14. Just too low.

I just don't see the potential to be dominant like I saw last year prior to Kyrie's injury.

I might be all wet and we might dominate like we did last year.

Although I claim to be both optimistic and realistic, I could understand why Gary might think I'm being too optimistic, period. [Not Ozzie-level loony, understand, but loony enough to need counseling.] But actually I think Gary - along with other somewhat more skeptical posters - has made a perfectly reasonable argument... except for the incautious use in the above tag-quotes of the word(s) "dominant/dominate." My problem with this is that I doubt that many posters who think Duke will do well in 2011-'12 expect Duke to "dominate" the really good teams. If Duke were to finish, say, 33-7, that wouldn't quite be "dominant," but it would get us where we want to go. So would 31-9.

In short, I'm guessing there's an overwhelming consensus that Duke is very good, but must "answer some questions" if they are to end, as opposed to begin, the season in the top 5, beat UNC 1 or more times, win the ACCT, get a 1-2 NCAAT seed, make a deep run, etc.

[loldevilz]

Duke was really really good last year. Although most people look at that Arizona loss, according to kenpom Duke was easily the second best team in the nation last year. And that was without Irving except for 8 games and with an absolutely terrible shooting year for Kyle Singler. Guys like Seth, Miles, Mason, Kelly by the end of the year were really good college players and an integral part of that success. This year those guys will be even better. With the addition of speedy Rivers and a few more role players like Hairston and one of those freshman SFs, Duke I think should not have a huge drop off this year. And that means that they will be really really good.

Plus, I believe, and I know others do as well, that if Curry didn't get hurt and Miles was able to play the second half Duke would've won that Arizona game and who knows when they would've lost. My point is that Duke isn't as far away as some believe. Heck, we beat the tar out of those heels last year and they are the consensus number one.

[UrinalCake]

The lack of a natural point guard among the starting five does not bother me much. What people may be concerned about when they bemoan the lack of a natural point guard is the ability to create dribble penetration. But that doesn't necessarily have to come from the point guard position in order to be a top team.

Dribble penetration is definitely something Duke has lacked in recent years, but there are other roles that a traditional point guard fills that I think remain question marks heading into the year:

1.) "Easy points" off transition baskets - having a lightning-quick PG who can beat the other team down the floor before their defense gets set up is a huge plus. Duke just doesn't have this. UNC accomplishes it by having big men who run well and a point guard who gets it to them in transition.

2.) Feeding the big men - we often talk about the lack of low-post scoring, but a big part of this is having guards who can get them the ball. Rivers, Curry and Dawkins are excellent scorers but I think it remains to be seen how well they can get the big men involved. I think our best passers as far as feeding the post are actually the big men themselves - Kelly is really good at the entry pass, and the Plumlees have a great connection in feeding each other.

3.) Breaking the press - we were really vulnerable to the full-court press last year without Kyrie and I'm surprised more teams didn't do it. Is Curry equipped to be our primary ball-handler? Thornton doesn't seem very strong with the ball to me. Having bigs who can serve as outlets will help.

4.) Defending/harrassing the other team's PG - Nolan was an elite defender last year. He may not have gotten a ton of steals but he was always right on his man, disrupting his rhythm. Curry has quick hands and does get a lot of steals, but he'll need to stay in front of his man too. And the jury is still out on Rivers's defense.

Coach K is the master and maximizing the potential of the pieces he has to work with, so I have no doubt we'll have a great season. But I think concern over the lack of a point guard is valid.

[OldSchool]

Dribble penetration is definitely something Duke has lacked in recent years, but there are other roles that a traditional point guard fills that I think remain question marks heading into the year:

1.) "Easy points" off transition baskets - having a lightning-quick PG who can beat the other team down the floor before their defense gets set up is a huge plus. Duke just doesn't have this. UNC accomplishes it by having big men who run well and a point guard who gets it to them in transition.

2.) Feeding the big men - we often talk about the lack of low-post scoring, but a big part of this is having guards who can get them the ball. Rivers, Curry and Dawkins are excellent scorers but I think it remains to be seen how well they can get the big men involved. I think our best passers as far as feeding the post are actually the big men themselves - Kelly is really good at the entry pass, and the Plumlees have a great connection in feeding each other.

3.) Breaking the press - we were really vulnerable to the full-court press last year without Kyrie and I'm surprised more teams didn't do it. Is Curry equipped to be our primary ball-handler? Thornton doesn't seem very strong with the ball to me. Having bigs who can serve as outlets will help.

4.) Defending/harrassing the other team's PG - Nolan was an elite defender last year. He may not have gotten a ton of steals but he was always right on his man, disrupting his rhythm. Curry has quick hands and does get a lot of steals, but he'll need to stay in front of his man too. And the jury is still out on Rivers's defense.

Coach K is the master and maximizing the potential of the pieces he has to work with, so I have no doubt we'll have a great season. But I think concern over the lack of a point guard is valid.

Good points, here are my responses:

1) Easy points off transition baskets - for Duke, typically these come off of steals from overplaying the passing lanes or stripping a ball-handler. It is true that Carolina looks to run the floor and create transition baskets just off of a rebound. But the Heels are an unusual team in the extent to which they do this. The question for us is not so much having a natural point guard but whether we are able to generate steals and consequent run-outs. What we saw in the pre-preseason was encouraging in this regard, albeit against inferior competition, in that we can expect both Seth and AR to be aggressive in trying to turn over the other team.

2) Feeding the big men - yes, this is something Duke is going to have to figure out, and it would be ideal if our starting point guard did this well. But there are other ways to get the bigs in position, such as ball reversals. If AR becomes adept at drawing a double-team in the lane and passing to the open big that would be huge for us.

3) Breaking the press - this has been a problem for Duke for years. It has been extremely frustrating in past years to watch a team like Clemson destroy Duke with a full-court press and then watch the next week when a Maryland or a UNC gets easy basket after easy basket against Clemson by simply passing the ball quickly past the press and creating 2-on-1 opportunities at the rim. The solution is not simply having a better point guard who can dribble through the press. It involves getting the big guys involved in passing the ball quickly up court. Why Duke has not been better at this is a mystery to me.

4) Defending/harassing the other team's point guard - There are plenty of celebrated point guards, even in the NBA, who are notoriously weak on the defensive end, so it is not necessarily having a natural point guard as it having a good defender against the other team's point. It is not possible to just replace Nolan's on-ball defense. And it will take a bit of time before the freshmen to catch on with the defensive concepts and effort. We'll just have to see how the team develops on the defensive end.

[superdave]

3) Breaking the press - this has been a problem for Duke for years. It has been extremely frustrating in past years to watch a team like Clemson destroy Duke with a full-court press and then watch the next week when a Maryland or a UNC gets easy basket after easy basket against Clemson by simply passing the ball quickly past the press and creating 2-on-1 opportunities at the rim. The solution is not simply having a better point guard who can dribble through the press. It involves getting the big guys involved in passing the ball quickly up court. Why Duke has not been better at this is a mystery to me.

Clemson worked us over with their press three years ago. 74-47 in February 2009. We had 16 turns and they had 12 steals. Worse than anything they were a step faster to every loose ball.

The next time we played them we won 74-53 in January 2010. I remember Klemnop remarking that Duke's execution was flawless.

The difference in the two games - Jon Scheyer moved to the point. In 2009 he had 3 points, 2 turnovers. The next year he had 22 points, 6 assists. The guy was a master of execution. We'll see if this team can approach that level of discipline and execution. If not, can this squad make up for it with playmaking and athleticism?

[superdave]

Anyone know why the team stopped in Germany, Ireland and Maine? Did they go site-seeing? I could see maybe a layover in London or Paris or Frankfurt, but three stops is a lot.

Super "Just curious..." Dave

[Bluedog]

Anyone know why the team stopped in Germany, Ireland and Maine? Did they go site-seeing? I could see maybe a layover in London or Paris or Frankfurt, but three stops is a lot.

Super "Just curious..." Dave

They had a smaller plane than planned, so they had to stop to re-fuel. I'm pretty sure they didn't leave the airport at any of those locations.

[licc85]

Anyone know why the team stopped in Germany, Ireland and Maine? Did they go site-seeing? I could see maybe a layover in London or Paris or Frankfurt, but three stops is a lot.

Super "Just curious..." Dave

They also had to fly around Hurricane Irene

[mo.st.dukie]

Coach K is the master and maximizing the potential of the pieces he has to work with, so I have no doubt we'll have a great season. But I think concern over the lack of a point guard is valid.

Coach K doesn't seem to share that concern. He said in his press conference that he thinks Seth will be one of the better point guards in the country this year once he gets more comfortable and understands that his scoring will come but he also needs to focus on running the team (similar things were said about Nolan last year after Kyrie went down). He sounded very pleased with what he saw of Seth in the exhibition games.

[Tappan Zee Devil]

Anyone know why the team stopped in Germany, Ireland and Maine? Did they go site-seeing? I could see maybe a layover in London or Paris or Frankfurt, but three stops is a lot.

Super "Just curious..." Dave

Maine was simply to clear customs.
I doubt that Raleigh-Durham has customs agents. Bangor is an international airport.
I have stopped in Bangor to clear customs coming back from Greenland on a NASA program. we then flew on to Wallops Island, which again has no customs facilities

Jim

[Indoor66]

Maine was simply to clear customs.
I doubt that Raleigh-Durham has customs agents. Bangor is an international airport.
I have stopped in Bangor to clear customs coming back from Greenland on a NASA program. we then flew on to Wallops Island, which again has no customs facilities

Jim

I don't know about today, but back when tobacco was a big Durham product, there was a large U. S. Customs presence in Durham and RDU. It had to do with the shipping of cigarettes and the importation of ingredients. I often lunched with the Customs agents at The Palms on Chapel Hill Street - downtown.

[oldnavy]

Maine was simply to clear customs.
I doubt that Raleigh-Durham has customs agents. Bangor is an international airport.
I have stopped in Bangor to clear customs coming back from Greenland on a NASA program. we then flew on to Wallops Island, which again has no customs facilities

Jim

RDU is an international airport as well with customs.

[davekay1971]

Nice press conference write-ups today. I was very interested, surprised, even stunned to learn that Dean Smith invented the backdoor play! I had NO idea. I talked to a couple of Tarheel fans...er...unbiased local sports journalists to find out what else Dean Smith invented, and here is a partial list of answers:

1) The Four Corners
1a) The Shot Clock
1b) The Airball
3) The Backdoor Play
4) The Bounce Pass
5) The Alley Oop
6) Zone Defense
7) Man to Man Defense
8) The Full Court Press
9) The Half Court Press
10) The Amoeba Defense
11) Dribbling
12) Eric Montross (built in the bowels of Carmichael Auditorium)
13) Cutting Down The Nets After Winning the Dixie Classic (then those Wuffies stole credit for it, the charlatans)
14) The Duke Guys Don't Make it in the NBA Myth
15) The Lefty Head
16) The Wave
17) The Term: "Final Four"
18) Hanging Banners for Winning...Anything
19) The Hey-Ref-He's-Body-Checking My-Guy Hip Thrust
20) The Internet

Wow! I'm convinced. Dean is, indeed, the greatest coach of all time!

[devildeac]

Nice press conference write-ups today. I was very interested, surprised, even stunned to learn that Dean Smith invented the backdoor play! I had NO idea. I talked to a couple of Tarheel fans...er...unbiased local sports journalists to find out what else Dean Smith invented, and here is a partial list of answers:

1) The Four Corners
1a) The Shot Clock
1b) The Airball
3) The Backdoor Play
4) The Bounce Pass
5) The Alley Oop
6) Zone Defense
7) Man to Man Defense
8) The Full Court Press
9) The Half Court Press
10) The Amoeba Defense
11) Dribbling
12) Eric Montross (built in the bowels of Carmichael Auditorium)
13) Cutting Down The Nets After Winning the Dixie Classic (then those Wuffies stole credit for it, the charlatans)
14) The Duke Guys Don't Make it in the NBA Myth
15) The Lefty Head
16) The Wave
17) The Term: "Final Four"
18) Hanging Banners for Winning...Anything
19) The Hey-Ref-He's-Body-Checking My-Guy Hip Thrust
20) The Internet

Wow! I'm convinced. Dean is, indeed, the greatest coach of all time!

Shame on you. You omitted:

21) The Set Shot
22) The Jump Shot
23) The Removal of the Bottom of the Peach Baskets

Tsk, tsk.

[davekay1971]

Shame on you. You omitted:

21) The Set Shot
22) The Jump Shot
23) The Removal of the Bottom of the Peach Baskets

Tsk, tsk.

You're quite right. Also, Caulton Tudor just called after reading my list to inform me I left out

24) The Jump Ball
25) The Integration of College Basketball
and
26) The number 2 (DOH!)

[CDu]

RDU is an international airport as well with customs.

Yup. RDU has overseas international flights to London currently. They used to have flights to Paris. The trip through Maine had nothing to do with needing to go through customs. I'm guessing the reason for the Maine stop had more to do with rerouting to avoid the bad weather, as someone else noted.

[Tappan Zee Devil]

Yup. RDU has overseas international flights to London currently. They used to have flights to Paris. The trip through Maine had nothing to do with needing to go through customs. I'm guessing the reason for the Maine stop had more to do with rerouting to avoid the bad weather, as someone else noted.

OK = I stand corrected

[superdave]

You're quite right. Also, Caulton Tudor just called after reading my list to inform me I left out

24) The Jump Ball
25) The Integration of College Basketball
and
26) The number 2 (DOH!)

Carolina players also invented the old "getting your coach fired" trick back in 2003. It's commonly referred to as a "McCants".

[Faison1]

I just got done watching the taped 3rd game of the China Series. I'm not sure what everyone was talking about, as I think Gottlieb was fantastic. Yes, he may snipe every once in a while, but all in all, I'd like to see him do color on more Duke games.

He's realistic in his assessments, obviously has a deep understanding of the game, and seems respectful of each player.

As for the game, I am very excited about our Junior class. Those guys look good. I hope Dre, Mason, Ryan and Seth are poised for breakout years. Also hope that Miles stays aggressive and confident.

Tyler looked good handling the rock. And it seems obvious that Murphy will be the player garnering 8th man minutes...maybe more.