Dukies in the NBA 2013-14 Edition

[Billy Dat]

Training camp has started and we need a new thread. I begin this year with a new nickname that may not break big, but is clever nonetheless. I am just happy he's started training camp well enough to potentially earn a nickname...

"Frequent Flier Miles"

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/20...-miles-plumlee

[sagegrouse]

Good thread, Billy Dat.

I found these money quotes interesting and entertaining:

Plumlee was one of the few players who didn't look tired after a week of two-a-days in the high altitude, and his game takes place about a foot higher than Gortat. "Frequent Flyer" Miles regularly plays above the rim - dunks, high rebounds, blocks - while we all know that Gortat prefers to stay closer to the ground.

This doesn't mean that Plumlee is a better player than Gortat. He's not. But at the very worst he appears to be a 7-foot version of Suns fan fave Louis Amundson - always active, beating other players on hustle and pogo sticks for legs, but probably best in a limited role off the bench because his offensive arsenal is limited.

BTW, this was an intrasquad scrimmage up in Flagstaff AZ (7,000 feet, same elevation as here in Grouseland).

sagegrouse

[UrinalCake]

Towards the bottom of the espn mobile page, in the Videos section, is a link to a clip of Seth hitting a meaningless shot at the buzzer.

http://w88.m.espn.go.com/b/ss/wdgwes...205F30%5BCE%5D

I wonder how long it will be until they no longer refer to him as "Steph's brother" 8-)

[Tappan Zee Devil]

The NY Times has an article up on Mason and acclimating to a new world

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/sp...ref=basketball

[flyingdutchdevil]

Training camp has started and we need a new thread. I begin this year with a new nickname that may not break big, but is clever nonetheless. I am just happy he's started training camp well enough to potentially earn a nickname...

"Frequent Flier Miles"

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/20...-miles-plumlee

Wait - 4 years at Duke and no one came up with Frequent Flier Miles?

That makes me sad

[Dev11]

Wait - 4 years at Duke and no one came up with Frequent Flier Miles?

That makes me sad

In the nearly 4 years that I've been lurking around here, I've decided that this board is collectively good at many things. None of those things is coming up with good nicknames for Duke basketball players.

[dukelifer]

It wasn't a thing of beauty but Mason came through in overtime to give his coach his first win. Mason made a dumb foul near the end of regulation and missed a free throw that led to a last second Glen Rice Jr. dunk to send the game into overtime. But in overtime, Mason made his throws and two "dunks/tips" that sealed the deal. He was definitely nervous but once he hit one- he was excited. Got a high five from Garnett.

[JasonEvans]

In the nearly 4 years that I've been lurking around here, I've decided that this board is collectively good at many things. None of those things is coming up with good nicknames for Duke basketball players.

I need to spread the love around more so someone give this man some pitchforks for this outstanding observation!!

-Jason

[Billy Dat]

It wasn't a thing of beauty but Mason came through in overtime to give his coach his first win. Mason made a dumb foul near the end of regulation and missed a free throw that led to a last second Glen Rice Jr. dunk to send the game into overtime. But in overtime, Mason made his throws and two "dunks/tips" that sealed the deal. He was definitely nervous but once he hit one- he was excited. Got a high five from Garnett.

The NY Times has an article up on Mason and acclimating to a new world

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/sp...ref=basketball

The article on Mason is very good. It didn't occur to me that NYC would be such a great NBA destination for recent grads because so many classmates wind up on Wall Street. As a result, sounds like Mason has a good non-basketball social outlet. The thought of he and his parents assembling Ikea furniture into the night cracked me up. You're a pro, son, go buy some stuff that doesn't require glued dowels and scotch tape!!! Maybe he's saving his $ for all the expensive dinners the veterans are going to make him buy.

Dukelifer - I was watching the 3rd quarter of the game and saw him get his first pre-season minutes. He looked like a rookie in a spaz kind of way. At one point, he closed out way too quick when Al Harrington caught the ball at the foul line and Harrington torched him to the hoop for a lay-up. But, he looks like he belongs and I think he'll turn out great. He's going to learn a lot from Garnett and Lopez and Kirilenko, but, as the only rookie on that team, he's gonna have to have a real thick skin. I am glad to hear he ended the game strong.

[Ben1029]

Wait - 4 years at Duke and no one came up with Frequent Flier Miles?

That makes me sad

I always thought tyler hansbrough had a lot of frequent flier miles because he traveled so much.

[Billy Dat]

With the Nets at Duke last week, there were a bunch of media stories about Net Shaun Livingston finally "playing at Duke". They were very bittersweet.

http://nypost.com/2013/10/03/former-...s-in-brooklyn/

"Early on the first day of this Brooklyn Nets training camp, as Shaun Livingston grinded through a battery of drills on the floor of the pristine gymnasium, the man for whom it’s named walked in, grabbed a chair, and studied a small piece of might’ve-been.
“You’re looking just like I remember,” Mike Krzyzewski said later, warmly.
“Coach,” Livingston said, laughing, “maybe if you’d had this beautiful building back in the day it would’ve gone different.”
“Maybe a lot of things would’ve been different,” Krzyzewski said, smiling."

[Dev11]

I need to spread the love around more so someone give this man some pitchforks for this outstanding observation!!

-Jason

Thank you, Jason. My settings page would indicate you have a lot of sway around here, and of course now I am imbued with additional pitchfork power.

[timmy c]

Thank you, Jason. My settings page would indicate you have a lot of sway around here, and of course now I am imbued with additional pitchfork power.

With great power, comes great responsibility.

[subzero02]

With the Nets at Duke last week, there were a bunch of media stories about Net Shaun Livingston finally "playing at Duke". They were very bittersweet.

http://nypost.com/2013/10/03/former-...s-in-brooklyn/

"Early on the first day of this Brooklyn Nets training camp, as Shaun Livingston grinded through a battery of drills on the floor of the pristine gymnasium, the man for whom it’s named walked in, grabbed a chair, and studied a small piece of might’ve-been.
“You’re looking just like I remember,” Mike Krzyzewski said later, warmly.
“Coach,” Livingston said, laughing, “maybe if you’d had this beautiful building back in the day it would’ve gone different.”
“Maybe a lot of things would’ve been different,” Krzyzewski said, smiling."

That exchange is beyond words... The fluke injuries to our pg's and potential pg's in Livingston's case is unbelievable... Irving, Jwill, Hurley, and Livingston.

[UrinalCake]

“Coach,” Livingston said, laughing, “maybe if you’d had this beautiful building back in the day it would’ve gone different."

I hate to nitpick, but Cameron hasn't really changed all that much in the last 10 years. I mean they put in air conditioning, named the floor after K, built the hall of fame room, improved the scoreboard, and built the office building next to it, but the stadium itself feels the same as it did 20 years ago.

I'd love to hear if Livingston would have chosen differently if he could go back in time. Same for Avery, Deng, Dunleavy, and others.

[Billy Dat]

Frequent Flier Miles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iKb5U185_o

"Miles Plumlee has been the best big man in the Phoenix Suns camp this fall, and not just that, he has no idea how good a player he is"

(found via @dukeblueplanet)

[Billy Dat]

I hate to nitpick, but Cameron hasn't really changed all that much in the last 10 years. I mean they put in air conditioning, named the floor after K, built the hall of fame room, improved the scoreboard, and built the office building next to it, but the stadium itself feels the same as it did 20 years ago.

I'd love to hear if Livingston would have chosen differently if he could go back in time. Same for Avery, Deng, Dunleavy, and others.

At the risk of missing, perhaps, your intended sarcasm...I think Livingston was talking about the K Center.

[royalblue]

I hope he can turn Phoenix into The Valley of the Plum.
Where you can see for Miles and Miles

[flyingdutchdevil]

At the risk of missing, perhaps, your intended sarcasm...I think Livingston was talking about the K Center.

I am so curious about Miles Plumlee. He has the ideal body for basketball. He is insanely athletic. He understands the game having played for Master K for 4 years. He has the potential to be a good starting 5 in the NBA. But he just hasn't been able to put everything together. It's the Curious Case of Miles Plumlee.

[MCFinARL]

The article on Mason is very good. It didn't occur to me that NYC would be such a great NBA destination for recent grads because so many classmates wind up on Wall Street. As a result, sounds like Mason has a good non-basketball social outlet. The thought of he and his parents assembling Ikea furniture into the night cracked me up. You're a pro, son, go buy some stuff that doesn't require glued dowels and scotch tape!!! Maybe he's saving his $ for all the expensive dinners the veterans are going to make him buy.

Re the furniture--Mason's recent interview on Duke Blue Planet revealed that he has already had to purchase some expensive things in his role as rookie-of-the-team. Perhaps more important, though, the nice thing about IKEA furniture for someone who could afford better is that if you have to move (not unusual for professional basketball players) you don't feel bad about just selling it or giving it away instead of making arrangements to ship it across the country.