Quote Originally Posted by Kedsy View Post
I don't know how much he'll be ready to contribute his freshman year, but he'd certainly be a great addition to the Duke team.
I saw Amile play only one time, so my mild disagreement with you here is based on such limited "evidence" as to constitute just a guess. To claim it's an educated guess might go too far.

Just in case Andre redshirts and Parker chooses, say, Georgia [another no-evidence guess], Amile becomes Duke's 10th player. But I'm guessing he might not be 10th in terms of mpg, simply because he can play some 3, behind Alex.

Now, there have been innumerable posts re whether he "is" a 3 or 4. I think he "is" a 4, ultimately, and even this year, had Mason departed. But Mason stayed. Then there's the argument re whether he's a 3 [body] playing 4 [position], or a 4 [length, instincts] playing 4.

In the no-Andre-no-Tony scenario, perhaps we could think of Amile as a 4 playing some 3. Then we could argue about whether Amile is capable of helping some as a slightly-out-of-position-3. My yes answer - 7-10 mpg in 2012-'13 - derives from his play in that single game I saw. What I saw was a guy who defended the 4/5, and who played as an "interior" player, but with a "wing" aspect on O. That is, while Amile seemed always to want to get toward the rim, he started his O-moves pretty frequently out on the wing, using his dribble and good footwork to get to the lane or baseline.

So in my scenario - 7-10 mpg as Alex's backup - he'd hardly be the O-focus, but is capable of scoring a basket every now and then, and passing into the post [with those long arms of his]. Perfectly acceptable, I'll guess. Further, he's hardly a klutz on D. His footwork's good, so I'm yet unwilling to concede that he "cannot" guard a 6'5-8" player out on the wing.

I am not saying Amile is an "ideal" 3. He isn't an ideal anything, just yet. I am, however, biased in his favor, as I was somewhat taken with the smarts, and sneakiness, of his game. Does my bias undercut the actual substance of the argument I have made? Maybe we should take a secret ballot. So as not to hurt my feelings.