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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Mount Kisco, NY

    Grantland.com College Hoops Preview

    I know Bill Simmons is a polarizing figure here on the DBR, but his ESPN baby, Grantland.com, has been pumping out some really great content since its debut this summer.

    They are doing a college hoops preview of sorts this week and Jay Kaspian Kang kicks it off with an ode to the Tar Heels and Kendall Marshall.
    http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...l-championship

    He makes some interesting points, but, perhaps, goes a little far when he says, "When this system is firing on all cylinders, the Heels are unbeatable. Duke, Michigan State, Kentucky, and the rest of the NCAA can recruit whomever they want, but a well-run Carolina team dictates the game's pace to such a degree that the other team might as well not be playing."

    Despite being a Heel homer, he is pretty reasonable when it comes to Duke. They are only previewing 5 teams and Duke is one, along with Ohio State (which I assume will be written by Club Trillion himself, Mark Titus), Syracuse and Kentucky. It will be interesting to see who writes each one.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington DC
    Quote Originally Posted by Billy Dat View Post
    I know Bill Simmons is a polarizing figure here on the DBR, but his ESPN baby, Grantland.com, has been pumping out some really great content since its debut this summer.

    They are doing a college hoops preview of sorts this week and Jay Kaspian Kang kicks it off with an ode to the Tar Heels and Kendall Marshall.
    http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...l-championship

    He makes some interesting points, but, perhaps, goes a little far when he says, "When this system is firing on all cylinders, the Heels are unbeatable. Duke, Michigan State, Kentucky, and the rest of the NCAA can recruit whomever they want, but a well-run Carolina team dictates the game's pace to such a degree that the other team might as well not be playing."

    Despite being a Heel homer, he is pretty reasonable when it comes to Duke. They are only previewing 5 teams and Duke is one, along with Ohio State (which I assume will be written by Club Trillion himself, Mark Titus), Syracuse and Kentucky. It will be interesting to see who writes each one.
    I look forward to Dexter Strickland playing point guard occasionally and averaging about two full-steam ahead, head down charges per game. UNC will miss Leslie McDonald this year. I'm not sure how many teams have the depth and on-the-ball defensive prowess to harass Marshall, but Duke's got two guys in Curry and Thornton to make a good run at it.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Billy Dat View Post
    They are only previewing 5 teams and Duke is one, along with Ohio State (which I assume will be written by Club Trillion himself, Mark Titus), Syracuse and Kentucky. It will be interesting to see who writes each one.
    Interesting that UConn is not among the five teams.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Columbus, Ohio
    He ruins his best point by going over the top.

    That point is as follows: "The point guard for North Carolina is the single most important position in college basketball. When Roy has a good one, the team wins national championships. When Roy has a bad one, the Heels are barely a tournament team."

    The point guard is the most important position in college basketball. When any good coach has a good one, they become a threat in the postseason. Roy Williams, because his coaching is not malleable, requires more than a "good" point guard; he requires a fast-paced point guard that can break down defenses off the dribble or off a pass. That was indicated as much a year ago by dUNCe's BK/AK ("Before Kendall/After Kendall") season.

    The superlatives are just irrelevant musings of fandom, which I suppose I can't begrudge the author since I'm a homer myself.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Durham
    Quote Originally Posted by Kedsy View Post
    Interesting that UConn is not among the five teams.
    so much gets written about Uconn on ESPN, and with their relatively small fan base I can understand eschewing them for someone else.
    1200. DDMF.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Corey View Post
    He ruins his best point by going over the top.

    That point is as follows: "The point guard for North Carolina is the single most important position in college basketball. When Roy has a good one, the team wins national championships. When Roy has a bad one, the Heels are barely a tournament team."
    That's something that would come as an awful surprise to Kansas, among others.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    here is the latest article from grantland

    http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...dnight-madness

    this is summary of the curry vs rivers matchup in the scrimmage game

  8. #8
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    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by UNCleRod View Post
    here is the latest article from grantland

    http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...dnight-madness
    So much for the promise of great content.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Quote Originally Posted by Duvall View Post
    So much for the promise of great content.
    I was wondering how you duke fans would take this article. I took it as a shot at Rivers and his attitude. Do any duke fans think Austin and Seth will have issues between each other if one or the other is getting more shots than the other? Seth has shown that he wants to take a bunch of shots and I think austin will demand the ball also, enough shots to go around to keep seth, austin, & andre happy? I feel for the plumlees cause if they want to take a shot they better be ready to rebound a long shot from one of the 3 gunners and hope for easy put backs

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Duvall View Post
    So much for the promise of great content.
    Actually, I thought it was a very entertaining article.

    Quote Originally Posted by UNCleRod View Post
    I was wondering how you duke fans would take this article. I took it as a shot at Rivers and his attitude.
    It was definitely highlighting his attitude, but I wouldn't call it a shot. More like a question asking which side of the line he'll eventually end up. I expect our excellent coaching will prevail and he'll end up on the good side.

    Quote Originally Posted by UNCleRod View Post
    Do any duke fans think Austin and Seth will have issues between each other if one or the other is getting more shots than the other?
    No.

    Quote Originally Posted by UNCleRod View Post
    Seth has shown that he wants to take a bunch of shots and I think austin will demand the ball also, enough shots to go around to keep seth, austin, & andre happy? I feel for the plumlees cause if they want to take a shot they better be ready to rebound a long shot from one of the 3 gunners and hope for easy put backs
    I disagree with you and think there's a good chance that the bigs get their shots this year. Austin may be a bit of a gunner (based on what little we've seen), but it's hard to call Seth or Andre gunners (a word that carries a negative connotation) when they both hit 43% of their three-point shots last year and are both probably better this year. You want those guys taking those shots (well, maybe you don't since you're a UNC fan), and they can do it while still leaving plenty of shots for the other guys.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Arlington, VA
    Quote Originally Posted by Duvall View Post
    So much for the promise of great content.
    I thought it was entertaining and interesting. One observer's view of the scrimmage. What's your problem with it?

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by J_C_Steel View Post
    I thought it was entertaining and interesting. One observer's view of the scrimmage. What's your problem with it?
    Aside from the self-indulgent psychobabble and obsession with image over substance, nothing really.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Mount Kisco, NY
    2,000 words on our Blue/White game...I'll take that kind of coverage every day.

    Rivers is as interesting a freshman as we have had in some time because he is clearly a very cocky and confident kid who carries himself as if he is "The Man". However, he is also a very savvy and understands that he isn't going to have anything handed to him and has to earn that title. I would love to see how the coaches handle him in practices and such.

    I think we can expect this kind of story and coverage of him this year. I missed the start of the ESPNU Midnight Madness coverage, but saw Gottlieb and Davis right after they left the Duke portion (which obviously kicked the night off) and Davis was saying, "Austin Rivers...slow down!" I think he's going to be a lightening rod for the media because he likes to shoot a lot and because he is so confident in himself...people are going to want to see that professional veneer crack.

  14. #14
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    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Billy Dat View Post
    Despite being a Heel homer, he is pretty reasonable when it comes to Duke. They are only previewing 5 teams and Duke is one, along with Ohio State (which I assume will be written by Club Trillion himself, Mark Titus), Syracuse and Kentucky. It will be interesting to see who writes each one.
    I don't know if "homer" is the right term. As far as college sports goes, he's a UConn fan (though like most New Englanders he's not as much a college sports fan as he is a pro sports fan). Maybe overly zealous in praise of UNC's team, but I'd not call him a Heel homer.

  15. #15
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    Mar 2007
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    Mount Kisco, NY
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    I don't know if "homer" is the right term. As far as college sports goes, he's a UConn fan (though like most New Englanders he's not as much a college sports fan as he is a pro sports fan). Maybe overly zealous in praise of UNC's team, but I'd not call him a Heel homer.
    Here are the closing sentences...everyone can make up their own minds:

    "So, my Carolina brethren, please join me in the following prayer for Kendall Marshall. Please, please, please let him be healthy. If he plays 35 games, the Heels will be cutting down the nets in March. If he plays 15, expect two losses to Duke, a quick out in the ACC tournament, and nothing past the second round of the NCAA.

    There is very little middle ground here. But isn't that why we love Ol' Roy?"

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by UNCleRod View Post
    I was wondering how you duke fans would take this article. I took it as a shot at Rivers and his attitude. Do any duke fans think Austin and Seth will have issues between each other if one or the other is getting more shots than the other? Seth has shown that he wants to take a bunch of shots and I think austin will demand the ball also, enough shots to go around to keep seth, austin, & andre happy? I feel for the plumlees cause if they want to take a shot they better be ready to rebound a long shot from one of the 3 gunners and hope for easy put backs
    Usually, when teams have a number of guys worthy of taking shots- it's seen as a good thing; not a potential problem. Take UNC for example. How in the world are Zeller, Henson, McAdoo, Strickland, Barney, Bullock and Hairston all going to get enough touches? And yet, we see this not as a problem but as an embarrassment of riches- for good reason. Likewise, I choose not to worry about Seth, Austin and Dre getting enough shots to "stay happy" because from all accounts they are good kids (the Media's demonization of Rivers aside.) I think people should pay more attention to the fact that Duke has 3 of the most dangerous shooters in CBB, rather than the possibility of some kind of chemistry problem (before the season has even begun.)

    Also, the person that wrote that article was reading a LOT into the Curry-Rivers and Upperclassmen-Freshmen dynamic. Not that I have any insight into the situation, but neither does the writer, which is kind of my point. But OF COURSE Dre and Seth are going to get their team fired up in the midst of a comeback. That's the competitive fire that you come to expect from Duke (and I have to give the writer credit for correctly highlighting that aspect of CTC.) Sure, Austin has shown some attitude at different times, but he will eventually outgrow his "attitude" and it's extremely overblown in the first place imo. And I'm referring to Austin Rivers- not "Austin Murphy," not sure who that is.

    Finally, I shudder to think what this guy (Shane Ryan) would write if he went to a session of pick-up at Duke over the summer. I'm sure many of you have been to open pick-up sessions, but the guys go AFTER each other during these times- much more so than in the public forum of CTC. Players can go after each other's throats and play with a fire without there being any underwritten dynamic or drama.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by UNCleRod View Post
    I was wondering how you duke fans would take this article. I took it as a shot at Rivers and his attitude. Do any duke fans think Austin and Seth will have issues between each other if one or the other is getting more shots than the other? Seth has shown that he wants to take a bunch of shots and I think austin will demand the ball also, enough shots to go around to keep seth, austin, & andre happy? I feel for the plumlees cause if they want to take a shot they better be ready to rebound a long shot from one of the 3 gunners and hope for easy put backs
    Knowing that Simmons doesn't care for Duke (he's made that clear in past articles), I think there was somewhat of a shot at Rivers in the article. Rivers's on-court attitude makes it easy to take that angle, because he does have a surly on-court demeanor at all times. However, I think it was a case of seeking out more of a controversy/issue than was really there. Coach K coaches every game as though it matters, and he recruits competitive players who understand that philosophy. So of course Rivers and Curry and all took the exhibition seriously. That's the Duke way - if you're playing and they're keeping score, play hard and play to win.

    The guys seemed to get along fine during the road trip to China/UAE, and they didn't seem to have any disdain for each other during the slam dunk contest following the exhibition. Simmons' question about Rivers's attitude and adjustment to college are legitimate. His concerns about its impact on team chemistry aren't.

    To answer your question, I'm not worried about chemistry issues between Curry, Rivers, Dawkins, or anyone else. There'll be enough shots to go around. Curry and Dawkins are used to sharing the ball with two other prolific scorers (Singler, Smith, and briefly Irving). The Plumlees are used to not being the primary scoring options, as they don't have very developed offensive games to begin with. Having said that, I suspect they'll get their opportunities as well. They won't be the focal point of the offense (why would they be when we have such good perimeter players?).

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Billy Dat View Post
    Despite being a Heel homer, he is pretty reasonable when it comes to Duke. They are only previewing 5 teams and Duke is one, along with Ohio State (which I assume will be written by Club Trillion himself, Mark Titus), Syracuse and Kentucky. It will be interesting to see who writes each one.
    I'm guessing that Shane Ryan, owner of TobaccoRoadBlues.com, who also writes for Grantland will cover the Blue Devils. He is an objective Duke writer who had the site SethCurrySavesDuke.com before.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    NYC
    I thought it was a good article and actually asked some valid questions. I do not think I am alone in thinking that so far, Austin has seemed to be trying too hard and forcing it at times. He is also very emotional.

    Duke does not usually have big-ego players like Rivers. Last big-ego player they had was Redick and he was easily "controlled" and matured into an unbelievable player and what seems to be an all-around good guy.

    I think Rivers is putting way too much pressure on himself right now.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Billy Dat View Post
    Here are the closing sentences...everyone can make up their own minds:

    "So, my Carolina brethren, please join me in the following prayer for Kendall Marshall. Please, please, please let him be healthy. If he plays 35 games, the Heels will be cutting down the nets in March. If he plays 15, expect two losses to Duke, a quick out in the ACC tournament, and nothing past the second round of the NCAA.

    There is very little middle ground here. But isn't that why we love Ol' Roy?"
    A couple of points. (no pun intended). The 2012 NCAA title game is on April 2. So, the only nets Carolina could cut down in March are in Atlanta.

    I assume you meant something different.

    Secondly. Even if Marshall is healthy and Carolina is the best team in the country by far, it is unwise to expect a title. No one is even money against the field. A one-and-done tournament is a crap shoot and upsets happen so often it's almost difficult to call them upsets. That's one of the major attractions of the tournament. And one of the major frustrations, if you're one of the favorites getting bumped off.

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