Originally Posted by
UrinalCake
Great post Mr. Sumner, as usual you have debunked popular notions against Duke by providing hard facts. Duke has a long history of developing versatile forwards, several of whom are playing at a high level in the NBA right now.
I've read a lot of non-Duke articles too and the names I see being tossed around as "proof" that Duke doesn't develop big men are McRoberts, Randolph, Burgess, and the Plumlees. Even Brand and Boozer are described as being overrated in the NBA and disappointing as of late. The comments by Mason's high school coach were pretty damning, as were the quotes from Tony Parker and Mitch McGary which seem to validate the "word on the street" about Duke.
I think a lot of fans are infatuated with traditional, low-post big men. It doesn't seem as "cool" to have a Shane Battier who does a little bit of everything. And I do think it's fair to say that Duke has not had an elite player who fits this description since Boozer. My personal opinion is that these types of players just don't come around very often, and when they do they rarely stay in college more than a year, so Coach K has decided not to build his style of play around this type of player. That's just my opinion though.
I don't expect Jefferson to change this perception, seeing as he's not a traditional low-post player either. I'm hoping Mason can quiet the critics by having a breakout year, but even if he plays great and becomes a lottery pick, some will call him a disappointment because it took him four years to get there. So regardless, the haters are gonna hate.