Dukies in the NBA 2013-14 Edition

[kAzE]

JJ is gonna have his best year as pro. He's probably never been this open in his entire career. I'm really excited for him.

[kAzE]

Quick anecdote about J.J. (sorry if this is a bit sophomoric): So I'm dating a Chinese girl, and I told her about how J.J. was my favorite player when he played at Duke. She thought his name was kind of funny, and now she calls him "鸡鸡红鸡鸡," which in pinyin is "ji ji hong ji ji." If you don't understand Chinese, you can use google translate to figure out what's going on there. Cracks me up everytime.

[JasonEvans]

Regular season debut for several Dukies last night.

Carlos Boozer was the best with 31 points and 7 rebounds on 13-18 shooting from the field in a losing effort for the Bulls against the Heat. Deng had a very poor game getting just 4 points in 29 minutes though he did have 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Luol was 0-5 on three pointers. Dunleavy did a decent job off the bench scoring 10 points in 23 minutes.

For the Heat, Shane had a strong start to the season, connecting on all 4 of his 3 pointers and scoring 14 points in 22 minutes of action.

JJ's first game in the Clipper uniform was just ok -- 13 points on 5-12 shooting including 2-5 from three. He was on the floor in the 4th quarter when the Lakers reserves just torched the Clippers though and his +- was minus 19. Ouch!

Ryan Kelly recorded a DNP-CD for the Lakers.

-Jason "pro basketball is back... now I want my college hoops too!!" Evans

[JBDuke]

NBA Opening Day:

Despite only having three games today, it is a great chance to get a first look at our Duke NBAers. The teams are practically a showcase of the Duke NBA talent.

ORL-IND 700pm -- not much here, with the departure of JJ from the Magic. Orlando looks to be an improved team, but Indiana should be a top-4 Eastern Conference team again this year.

MIA-CHI 800pm TNT -- this is big time. Watch a reunion of the 2001 squad as Battier faces off against Boozer and Dunleavy. Throw in Duke super-frosh-cum-laude Luol Deng guarding LeBron James, and this is much must-see Duke TV as it gets in the NBA.

LAC-LAL 1030pm TNT -- a nice night-cap featuring JJ Redick and a revamped Clipper squad. Doc Rivers stuck his neck out for Redick, so expect him to be an import cog for the Clippers. On the Laker's side, it will be Ryan Kelly with his first NBA game. He's been recovering from foot surgery, and only had 30 minutes in three preseason games to get up the speed. Chances of seeing him in this game are slim, but I feel like he could crack the rotation as a stretch-4 as the season progresses.

Also of note, for those who want to see Mason Plumlee's first NBA game, or Kyrie's opening day -- BRK-CLE is Wednesday at 700pm on NBA TV.

A big night for Carlos, as he led all scorers with 31 points to go with 7 rebounds and a great blocked shot. He was one of the few Bulls playing well, though, as Rose, Noah, and Luol Deng all struggled, especially on offense. Mike Dunleavy started slow in his Bulls debut, but heated up later, scoring 10 points and going 2-4 from 3-point land. Luol struggled, getting in early foul trouble (Guarding Lebron will do that to you.) and tallying only 4 points to go with 5 boards and 4 assists.

On the other side of the court, Shane started off pretty much where he ended last season - shooting well. Battier was 4-4 from "3" land to tally 14 points. He drew at least one charge and played his typical solid, no stats game. (He tips a lot of rebounds and loose balls, and I never see that stat tracked.) He was the Bulls leading scorer for the first half, as the starters struggled out of the gate and fell behind. When Shane entered the game, the Heat offense started to warm up, with Shane playing a key role in a 17-0 run to take the lead they would never relinquish. Nice game from the old man. :-)

I only saw the opening quarter or so of the Lakers-Clippers game, (I'm getting old.) but JJ Redick got off to a hot start, draining the Clippers' first shot - a 3 pointer. He was the leading scorer at the end of the first period when I went to bed, but apparently hardly saw the ball after that. Here is Dan Arritt's note from the nba.com write-up:

BAD MOVE: Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick got off to a great start with his new team, shooting 5-for-7 from the field in the opening quarter and scoring 12 points. But the Clippers didn't make much of an effort to find him after that, as he took just one shot in each of the second and third quarters, missing both. He played 11 minutes of the fourth quarter and still came up empty, missing all three of his shots.

Chris Paul seemed to be looking for JJ quite a bit at the start, so I don't know what happened after that. He was matched against Steve Blake, so I'm pretty sure JJ wasn't the victim of shut-down defense.

Looking forward to MP2 and Kyrie in tonight's game!

[pfrduke]

JJ's first game in the Clipper uniform was just ok -- 13 points on 5-12 shooting including 2-5 from three. He was on the floor in the 4th quarter when the Lakers reserves just torched the Clippers though and his +- was minus 19. Ouch!

Only one game, small sample size, etc., but it's probably not a good sign for the Clippers that their starters got trounced by a Jordan Farmar-Xavier Henry-Jodie Meeks-Wesley Johnson-Jordan Hill lineup.

-Jason "pro basketball is back... now I want my college hoops too!!" Evans

136 games tip off a week from Friday.

[Billy Dat]

Now that the opening night rosters are set and the season has begun, I thought it would be cool to assess the status of each Dukie in the NBA.

More Bling?
Props to Shane Battier for collecting his second NBA title ring last night, which moves him, if I am not mistaken, into the lead for Duke alums (ahead of Ferry and Mullins one title each). Shane answered the bell with a great opening night nailing his first 3 three pointers – a continuation from his torrid Game 7 vs the Spurs in June. Everyone in the NBA knows exactly what Shane is at this point – a key Championship cog. All that is left is trying to get #3.

Gunning for that #1 Spot
It was really exciting last night to see Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng starting for the Bulls with Mike Dunleavy the first man off the bench. Like Shane, Boozer and Dunleavy are known veteran quantities who have made their money and now want the ultimate prize. Luol, at 28, is firmly in his prime, but also a pretty much known quantity at this point. The Bulls are built to win it all now and its great that, with Shane, 4 of our guys are playing important role on major title contenders.

The Supernova
Kyrie Irving is at an extremely important point in his career. In his first two years, his remarkable offensive chops, clutch shot making and Uncle Drew alter-ego , all ready-made for YouTube, have almost pushed him to the “over-rated” point simply because the hype is so enormous. Can he stay healthy? Can he become a defensive force? Can he go from All Star to All NBA? Can he lead the Cavs into the playoffs? Many have him on a march to the Hall of Fame. If that’s the case, an All Star, All NBA caliber year with a postseason appearance seems warranted.

Finally, the Right Situation
How many years have DBR denizens been saying, “If only JJ Redick could get a chance to start on a decent team with a coach who appreciates what he can do…” I’d argue that Orlando under Stan Van satisfied 2 of the 3, but now he’s 3 for 3 – the playoff-ready Clips, starting at the 2, next to CP3 with Doc on the sidelines. The Clippers lost a bad opener to the Lakers last night, but JJ came out scorching. In my opinion, no NBA player has maximized his ability like JJ. Like Luol, he is squarely in his prime and getting the respect he has worked hard for all these years. It should be a great year for him.

The Wiley Vet
By all accounts, Elton Brand has had a great NBA career. He’s been an All Star, played on a Coach K-led Team USA squad, made gobs of money, and been considered one of the Top 15 players in the league at his peak. While his career has been diminished by injuries, he’ll be long remembered as a pro's pro who flew high once but always played the right way. For the Atlanta Hawks, he should be a solid contributor off the bench, an invaluable resource for young bigs like Al Horford and Paul Milsap, and, in general, just a fun guy to have around.

Does He Have Another Gear?
Gerald Henderson has had a really solid start to his NBA career. He has built himself into a 15 ppg scorer who has become a more efficient player and nail down a starting spot on a bad young team. Is this where he will settle, or can he continue to get better? Can he increase his 3 point shooting percentage from 33%? Can he emerge as an elite lock-down defender? Can he emerge as a real leader on his very young team? He currently makes about $6MM per year. As he starts his prime, will he improve to the point where he is in the All Star conversation and someone ready to make him a $10MM per year offer?

On Solid Ground
Hats off to Josh McRoberts who, starting his 7th season with his 6th team has gutted it out and seems to have gotten over the “is he or isn’t he an NBA player” question. There are a lot of Duke guys (see below) who still need to answer that questions, but it seems like Josh has solidified his spot and should get a bunch of starts in Charlotte battling with Cody Zeller. Kyle Singler, starting his 3rd pro season and 2nd with the Pistons, also seems to have nailed down a place in the league, especially as people talk about him fighting for a starting 2 guard spot with the suddenly “hot” Pistons team. While Josh is likely more or less a finished product, Kyle still has room to evolve, especially if he can up that 3 point shooting % closer to 40%.

WTF – I’m a Starter?
Miles Plumlee may be the starting center for the Phoenix Suns, and if he doesn’t start, he’s going to get major minutes. Before we pop the champagne, let’s remember that Demarcus Nelson was an improbably opening night starter for the Warriors a few years back, and then was waived a few weeks later. Miles seems to be in a more solid position, and although the Suns seem to be in the 2014 Draft Tanking Parade, they also seem excited by his potential and improved skills, honed in the D-League last year and showcased in this year’s Summer League. Please save any, “If he could start in the NBA why wasn’t he GREAT at Duke” for a separate thre

Temporary Immunity with a real Chance at Success
Those who watch reality television competition shows (e.g. ‘Survivor’, ‘Top Chef’) know the concept of ‘immunity’ where a participant can avoid being kicked off the show by winning some lesser challenge. For young NBA players, immunity comes in the form of a guaranteed contract. Mason Plumlee, as a result of being a first round pick, is guaranteed to be in the NBA this year and next. Austin Rivers, thanks to the Beaks picking up his 3rd year option, is in the same situation. However, reality show contestants know that immunity can be a false idol as it can lead to temporary complacency. I don’t think that will be a problem for either player. Austin is coming off of one of the most widely panned, by the media, rookie years ever. His PER was historically low and, unfortunately, people like to pick on the kid, likely for perceived arrogance. He played great in the summer league and I think he’s too talented and surrounded by too many smart people for him to fail. Mason is likely to spend huge chunks of time in the D-League thanks to being the only rookie on a Nets team with KG, Brook Lopez, Andre Kirilenko, Reggie Evans, etc. But, 6’11” players with his athleticism and smarts are rare so I expect this to be the start of a long career.

Living on a Thin Line
Huge props to Ryan Kelly and Lance Thomas for being on opening night NBA rosters. Unlike Mason and Austin, these guys are on thin contract ice. Lance, to his credit, has spent his entire pro career in this kind of limbo and continues to grind anything in his path to stick in the league. I’d hate to be going against him in practice every day as he is literally killing to eat every minute (plus, he has to pay for that bling!). Ryan is in a similar position, and I am sure he knows it. Here’s hoping both players continue to prove their value so that they are still on the team after the “guaranteed contracts” deadline on January 10th.

[Billy Dat]

Additionally, as the season opens, our alumni base in the league took a big hit. 6 Dukies who played some or all of last season are no longer in the league. While I think we all hope Nolan will get another shot, and I can't rule out Dahntay and Duhon (or even Shav) being out, I thought it would be fun to look at some topline stats from their careers to recognize how hard it is to get to that level and to celebrate what they were able to achieve:

(note - I tried to get this to format like a table but I failed)

Player Games Played Minutes Played Points Scored Career Earnings
Grant Hill 1,026 34,776 17,137 $143MM
Corey Maggette 827 23,358 13,198 $89MM
Chris Duhon 606 15,526 3,946 $31.5MM
Dahntay Jones 589 9,622 3,310 $17.5MM
Shavlik Randolph 111 981 296 $3.6MM
Nolan Smith 84 829 277 $2.7MM

Grant's is the best NBA resume ever compiled by a Duke graduate, which is amazing considering how much of his prime he lost to injuries. While Maggette will be surpassed as others retire (Boozer, Brand, etc.) he really accomplished a lot in his NBA career. It's also amazing to compare the relatively similar careers of Chris and Dahntay - nearly identical in games played and points scored but a huge advantage for Chris in minutes and career earnings. I always like to give props to Shav for his determination and work ethic in carving out an NBA footprint - he's forever a part of the exclusive fraternity who can say they played in the NBA.

[sagegrouse]

Additionally, as the season opens, our alumni base in the league took a big hit. 6 Dukies who played some or all of last season are no longer in the league. While I think we all hope Nolan will get another shot, and I can't rule out Dahntay and Duhon (or even Shav) being out, I thought it would be fun to look at some topline stats from their careers to recognize how hard it is to get to that level and to celebrate what they were able to achieve:

(note - I tried to get this to format like a table but I failed)

Player                             Games Played       Minutes Played        Points Scored        Career Earnings
Grant Hill                              1,026                   34,776                 17,137                 $143MM
Corey Maggette                       827                   23,358                 13,198                  $89MM
Chris Duhon                             606                   15,526                  3,946                 $31.5MM
Dahntay Jones                         589                     9,622                  3,310                 $17.5MM
Shavlik Randolph                      111                       981                    296                    $3.6MM
Nolan Smith                              84                       829                    277                    $2.7MM

Grant's is the best NBA resume ever compiled by a Duke graduate, which is amazing considering how much of his prime he lost to injuries. While Maggette will be surpassed as others retire (Boozer, Brand, etc.) he really accomplished a lot in his NBA career. It's also amazing to compare the relatively similar careers of Chris and Dahntay - nearly identical in games played and points scored but a huge advantage for Chris in minutes and career earnings. I always like to give props to Shav for his determination and work ethic in carving out an NBA footprint - he's forever a part of the exclusive fraternity who can say they played in the NBA.

Somewhat better, maybe.

sage

[AnotherNYCDukeFan]

WTF – I’m a Starter?
Miles Plumlee may be the starting center for the Phoenix Suns, and if he doesn’t start, he’s going to get major minutes. Before we pop the champagne, let’s remember that Demarcus Nelson was an improbably opening night starter for the Warriors a few years back, and then was waived a few weeks later. Miles seems to be in a more solid position, and although the Suns seem to be in the 2014 Draft Tanking Parade, they also seem excited by his potential and improved skills, honed in the D-League last year and showcased in this year’s Summer League. Please save any, “If he could start in the NBA why wasn’t he GREAT at Duke” for a separate thread.

Obviously Biff Tannen's Sports Almanac from Back to the Future 2 didn't include tonight's start. Otherwise we might have noticed the person making outsized bets on "Who from the 2010 championship team will be an opening night starter for the 2013-14 NBA season?"

[nmduke2001]

If you have Directv, change it to channel 767. Miles is dominating this game.

[luburch]

Mason with a DNP tonight. Hope that's not a trend. In the same game Kyrie put up 15pts, 7 rebs, and 9 assists.

[Phoenix22]

As a Dukie from AZ, Miles is the only thing in this Suns season to get excited about. Miles is a star! 10 pts, 6 rbs, 2 blks in the 1st!

[tommy]

As a Dukie from AZ, Miles is the only thing in this Suns season to get excited about. Miles is a star! 10 pts, 6 rbs, 2 blks in the 1st!

He's now got 16 and 8 w 3 mins to go in the first half. Unbelievable!

[FerryFor50]

Austin Rivers - DNP, Coach's Decision. I think we'll see a lot of those this season... unless Brian Roberts gets hurt/traded/starts stinking.

[kAzE]

MP1 doin some serious work: 18 pts 12 rbs 2 blks with 6:30 left in the 3rd

WOW. Glad I picked him up on my fantasy team right before this game tipped

[MChambers]

MP1 doin some serious work: 18 pts 12 rbs 2 blks with 6:30 left in the 3rd

WOW. Glad I picked him up on my fantasy team right before this game tipped

Finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Think how good he'd be if Duke had a tall big man coach.

[Jeff Frosh]

Has now scored more points this season (18) than ALL of last season (13).

[zoroaster]

He didn't do too badly in the preseason games, either, though in more limited minutes, if you look at per minute.

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/gamelo.../miles-plumlee

[flyingdutchdevil]

Finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Think how good he'd be if Duke had a tall big man coach.

Miles also goes to show that athleticism gets you super far in the NBA. You'd be hard pressed to find many centers who can run, jump, and push as effectively as Miles.

Way to go, buddy. Way to go.

[weezie]

Lovely, heart-warming scene last night during espn Coast to Coast check in during wizards @ Pistons: john wall getting DEEEE-NIED by Kyle Singler (sporting a swell new haircut) who was not having any of IT from wall.
Singler! Can't wait to get up to the Palace and see what's up with my 'Stons this year.

It was better than scouring the bucket of Halloween candy for the Almond Joy minis.