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  1. #621

    Deng

    Luol Deng loves Duke University. He is back all of the time and desperately wanted to stay, but under the circumstances, he felt obligated for the betterment of his family, and for the thousands who he was supported by in the Sudan, to go pro. I understand the Maggette reasoning, hell, I'll give you Kyrie and will definitely give you Austin to be a little disappointed with and not that into supporting in the pros. But to say that you aren't proud enough of Luol Deng as a past Duke player to turn on a Bulls game, then that is atrocious. He is one of the finest human beings to ever put on a Duke uniform, and if it weren't for grant hill, I would put him easily at the top of the list. Plus he is a phenomenal player, he guards LeBron well and is the second best player on the best team in the NBA

  2. #622
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Dukehky View Post
    Luol Deng loves Duke University. He is back all of the time and desperately wanted to stay, but under the circumstances, he felt obligated for the betterment of his family, and for the thousands who he was supported by in the Sudan, to go pro. I understand the Maggette reasoning, hell, I'll give you Kyrie and will definitely give you Austin to be a little disappointed with and not that into supporting in the pros. But to say that you aren't proud enough of Luol Deng as a past Duke player to turn on a Bulls game, then that is atrocious. He is one of the finest human beings to ever put on a Duke uniform, and if it weren't for grant hill, I would put him easily at the top of the list. Plus he is a phenomenal player, he guards LeBron well and is the second best player on the best team in the NBA
    I agree. In my opinion Deng was and is still a fantastic representation of what is right about Duke. He left because of financial/family pressure. The anticipation was that he'd be a 3-year guy (getting his degree in 3 years like Jay Williams). Family circumstances and a soaring draft stock changed all of that. I would never begrudge him the choice he made. He'll always be a favorite of mine (it certainly doesn't hurt that he went to my Bulls!). I just regret for him and for Duke that we didn't get to see him longer in a Duke uniform.

    I don't know all of the specifics behind Maggette's decision, but he was a lottery pick and clearly was NBA ready (not star ready, but definitely NBA ready). It's hard to turn down that kind of money. Irving was clearly NBA ready and had the frightening injury to push his decision.

    Rivers is the only one for whom I think it's a questionable decision. He doesn't need the money, he isn't a lock for the lottery, and could clearly stand to gain by coming back and improving. But it is his decision to make. He clearly played hard at Duke and wanted to win very badly. I'm not upset at all with his decision.

  3. #623
    Quote Originally Posted by NYC Duke Fan View Post
    Maybe I am cynical or not that understanding, but I have very limited feelings about players like Deng, Magette, Rivers, and Irving. I might give Irving a pass because of his injury but the others very little feeling .

    When you watch Deng or Magette do you get that same warm feeling you do when you see or saw Grant Hill, Shane Battier, Nolan Smith, Christian Laetnner, Gerald Henderson play ?

    Maybe I am in the minority but I have no proud feeling of being a Duke fan when I see Deng or Magette play and I will have the same non feeling when I see Rivers play in the NBA.

    OK he made that great clutch shot at UNC but bailed out after one year when in my opinion he will be a bench player or get very few minutes of play next year, unlike Irving who is a star immediately. His family certainly doesn't need the money.

    Sorry, I will not be rooting for Austin Rivers and in a few years or maybe even sooner , like Deng and Magette, I will probably forget that he even played for Duke.
    You can get rid of the maybe...

  4. #624
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    Rivers is the only one for whom I think it's a questionable decision. He doesn't need the money, he isn't a lock for the lottery, and could clearly stand to gain by coming back and improving. But it is his decision to make. He clearly played hard at Duke and wanted to win very badly. I'm not upset at all with his decision.
    The only other early entry I felt less sure of was Shavlik Randolph's, and he at least stayed two years.
    "There can BE only one."

  5. #625
    Thanks for the article. I love Elton Brand. I recall being at the marketplace, turning around, and bumping into this huge guy with a tray of food, spilling that food onto him, and thinking "yep, this is where my life ends". But he was all smiles and concern, asking if I was ok, ignoring his ruined clothes, and was very friendly. I remember following him that year and the year after, as he started strong, got injured, came back, starred, and led us to the national championship game. I remember him battling that game, doing all he could to win despite UConn doubling him every time he touched the ball, shouting at Maggette to shoot those wide open jumpers resulting from his kick-outs of double-teams, trying to rally the team, and how sad he looked when we fell short. I remember cheering him when he became the #1 overall pick. (When you're the #1 pick and you come from a poor background, you owe it to your family to go pro. And he went with Coach K's blessing.) I remember how every year, he'd pick Duke to go far in his bracket. I remember reading how he once got in a fist-fight with a MD alum on his pro team over the Duke-MD game. To me, he never bled any less blue than any of my other favorite Duke players from my time there: Wojo, Langdon, Shane, Carrawell, James, and Jay Williams. I'm quite proud of the man he's become.

    And for the record, I'm proud of Deng and Irving too. Classy guys. I can't say I follow Avery, Maggette, or McRoberts much, but when I see Maggette play, I'm excited because he was a Dukie (who, like Avery and Brand, came from a poor background). Though I do wish he stayed a Duke and learned to play in a way that takes less of a toll on his body.
    Last edited by Li_Duke; 03-27-2012 at 02:03 PM.

  6. #626
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Highlander View Post
    The only other early entry I felt less sure of was Shavlik Randolph's, and he at least stayed two years.
    He actually stayed 3 years.

  7. #627
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    He actually stayed 3 years.
    And I can even understand his leaving. It was the first time he was healthy and his future health was no guarantee. He was playing as Sheldon's back-up with the highly rated McBob coming in; staying wasn't likely to make him a first round pick. So he left for a shot at fulfilling his dreams.

  8. #628
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    MKE
    Quote Originally Posted by NYC Duke Fan View Post
    Sorry, I will not be rooting for Austin Rivers and in a few years or maybe even sooner , like Deng and Magette, I will probably forget that he even played for Duke.
    When you see the replay of Rivers over Zeller for the thousandth time, who are you going to pretend took the shot?

  9. #629
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    He actually stayed 3 years.
    Thanks for the correction!

    Quote Originally Posted by Li_Duke View Post
    And I can even understand his leaving. It was the first time he was healthy and his future health was no guarantee. He was playing as Sheldon's back-up with the highly rated McBob coming in; staying wasn't likely to make him a first round pick. So he left for a shot at fulfilling his dreams.
    Meh. I agree that Shav wasn't likely to be a 1st round pick regardless of whether he stayed for his Senior year, but his draft stock certainly could not have gotten any worse. Remember he went undrafted. Typically you hear the line for coming out early is the lottery or mid/late first round. Shav was nowhere close to that, so his decision felt like more of a transfer than a true early entry to me. IMO, he got a tryout primarily because Duke alum Billy King was GM of the Sixers and did him a solid. To his credit, he did make the active roster for a season, but he was never a core rotation player in the NBA. Had he stayed at Duke, he could have had a similar senior season to Brian Zoubek, and probably the exact same NBA career.

    At any rate, my original point was that his decision to go pro early was more curious and less justifiable than Austin's. There are very few early entants from Duke who's early entries were questionable. The book is out on Austin, but IMO, Shav takes the cake in that department.
    "There can BE only one."

  10. #630
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Highlander View Post
    Meh. I agree that Shav wasn't likely to be a 1st round pick regardless of whether he stayed for his Senior year, but his draft stock certainly could not have gotten any worse. Remember he went undrafted. Typically you hear the line for coming out early is the lottery or mid/late first round. Shav was nowhere close to that, so his decision felt like more of a transfer than a true early entry to me. IMO, he got a tryout primarily because Duke alum Billy King was GM of the Sixers and did him a solid. To his credit, he did make the active roster for a season, but he was never a core rotation player in the NBA. Had he stayed at Duke, he could have had a similar senior season to Brian Zoubek, and probably the exact same NBA career.

    At any rate, my original point was that his decision to go pro early was more curious and less justifiable than Austin's. There are very few early entants from Duke who's early entries were questionable. The book is out on Austin, but IMO, Shav takes the cake in that department.
    I agree. I feel like (and this is entirely unfounded speculation) Shav just never felt comfortable with his role and how things worked out for himself at Duke. As such, he decided to move on rather than go through another year as a reserve. I agree that he didn't gain anything by leaving early other than not being at Duke again. If he was unhappy here, then I don't begrudge him leaving. Life's too short to waste a year being unhappy. And he was obviously able to get an opportunity in the league. Granted, that same opportunity (perhaps more) would have been available a year later. And we might have been in even better position to win a championship. Though we didn't lose to LSU because of lack of post play. We lost that game due to lack of athleticism and toughness on the perimeter. So maybe he wouldn't have changed our fortunes. In any case, I agree that his departure was much more curious.

  11. #631
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    I am in no way criticizing Deng leaving early. If I were in his shoes I would have done the same. I just do not have the same feeling for players who stay for 1 year and then leave. I understand the money factor as well as the next and it is very difficult to turn it down.

    THat does not mean that I have to have the same feeling for the one and done players as I do for the Singlers, the Smiths , the Scheyers etc., etc., etc.

    Obviously a lot of you do feel the same about Deng, Magatte, Irving and Rivers as being great Dukies. I just do not. I do not have warm feelings about them no matter how many times I see Rivers shot over Zeller.

  12. #632
    Quote Originally Posted by Highlander View Post
    Shav was nowhere close to that, so his decision felt like more of a transfer than a true early entry to me. IMO, he got a tryout primarily because Duke alum Billy King was GM of the Sixers and did him a solid. To his credit, he did make the active roster for a season, but he was never a core rotation player in the NBA.
    To be fair, his NBA career got derailed by a pretty serious injury. Shav was actually playing pretty well before getting hurt - I agree he hadn't really become a core rotation player but he very well might have become one had he stayed healthy.

  13. #633
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Deeetroit City
    Does the Rivers running augur well for a Plumlee preserve?

    With Coach K involved in the announcement, wouldn't it be reasonable that if Mason was racin' - he would have been included?

    I understand Mason is likely still considering his options, but if it were a done deal, why not get it over with at the same time, and share the angst?

  14. #634
    It's interesting to read the varying opinions on Rivers' decision. I thought it was pretty much assumed that he'd be here for a year and then off. That seemed to be the expectation at the beginning of the season at least. So things went according to plan and he's off, I'm not shocked or disappointed. It'd have been surprising if he had stayed for another year.

    He had a great season, I wish him well and will always remember the shot against UNC. That was legendary.
    "Something in my vicinity is Carolina blue and this offends me." - HPR

  15. #635
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Winston Salem, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Matches View Post
    To be fair, his NBA career got derailed by a pretty serious injury. Shav was actually playing pretty well before getting hurt - I agree he hadn't really become a core rotation player but he very well might have become one had he stayed healthy.
    Question for those of you close to the team. Does Shav return to Duke like many former Duke players? I'm just wondering if he like others(Brand, Battier) bleed Duke Blue. GoDuke!

  16. #636
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by BD80 View Post
    Does the Rivers running augur well for a Plumlee preserve?

    With Coach K involved in the announcement, wouldn't it be reasonable that if Mason was racin' - he would have been included?

    I understand Mason is likely still considering his options, but if it were a done deal, why not get it over with at the same time, and share the angst?
    I assume that the absence of Mason from Rivers' press conference simply implies that Mason hasn't made a decision yet. So in the sense that it means he hasn't officially decided yet, I guess it is not bad news for a Plumlee return. But I don't really see it as any news regarding a Plumlee return.

    In the two previous cases in which we've had multiple players leave early (1999, 2002), I believe the announcements were made at separate times. I assume that's because the players decided at separate times, and announcements were simply made once the player had officially decided. I'd expect the same in this case.

  17. #637
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by jv001 View Post
    Question for those of you close to the team. Does Shav return to Duke like many former Duke players? I'm just wondering if he like others(Brand, Battier) bleed Duke Blue. GoDuke!
    I know he used to hold (and may still hold) a summer basketball/Christian camp in Raleigh. I don't know how often (if at all) he comes over to Duke. I've certainly seen less of him at Duke than I have of other former players. But that's not saying much as I'm not on or around campus all that often.

  18. #638
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Arlington, VA
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    I assume that the absence of Mason from Rivers' press conference simply implies that Mason hasn't made a decision yet. So in the sense that it means he hasn't officially decided yet, I guess it is not bad news for a Plumlee return. But I don't really see it as any news regarding a Plumlee return.

    In the two previous cases in which we've had multiple players leave early (1999, 2002), I believe the announcements were made at separate times. I assume that's because the players decided at separate times, and announcements were simply made once the player had officially decided. I'd expect the same in this case.
    That sounds right to me. I seem to remember an article quoting Mason (or maybe his mom) saying that he wanted to get a better idea of whether he would go in the first round before making his decision. Given that the mock drafts mostly seem to put him right near the end of the first round, this may not be an easy question to answer. So it might take a bit of time to get the information he needs.

    This plan makes sense to me. He is apparently very close to graduating with a single major, so if he could be sure of a guaranteed contract this year, it might make sense to leave school and not risk the chance of dropping lower next year (if he really is at the bottom of the first round now, he wouldn't have to drop much). But if he can't be pretty sure of getting that first round spot this year, why not come back to school, finish the double major, and see if he can move up a few spots to a guaranteed contract by working on specific skills or showing more consistency?

  19. #639

    Shav

    Just one word in defense of Shav ...

    I think his decision -- like Avery's decision in 1999 and to some extend Deng's decision in 2004 -- was based on family circumstances, more than basketball issues. His father was in bankruptcy, facing very serious pressures. Shav's decision to go pro when he did helped his family out of a huge financial hole.

    It might not have been the best thing for his career, long-term, but he did play in the league for all or part of five seasons and did earn more than $3 million from the NBA.

  20. #640
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Atlanta, GA/Durham, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by jv001 View Post
    Question for those of you close to the team. Does Shav return to Duke like many former Duke players? I'm just wondering if he like others(Brand, Battier) bleed Duke Blue. GoDuke!
    Shav is very spiritual. He speaks on Duke after the 6 minute mark. Very honest. Just how Coach K would like it.

    http://www.wralsportsfan.com/nba/vid...9/#/vid8067389

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