ESPN Top 500

[JNort]

The yearly top 500 NBA players is up and several Dukies have moved up big (McRoberts especially). On my mobile so I will just post the link and let others fill in all the Duke guys: http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId=11530291

[subzero02]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11...nkings-101-120

[Duvall]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11...nkings-101-120

Mason at 112, Kevin Garnett at 113. Aging is cruel.

[Duke3517]

I don't mean any disrespect but McRoberts was the biggest disappointment of all the big time recruits. He probably had the worst attitude of all Duke players I watched. I could be wrong but I didn't see a willing to improve at all or to fit in with Coach K's system. I saw someone who just focused on going pro.

[Duvall]

I don't mean any disrespect but McRoberts was the biggest disappointment of all the big time recruits. He probably had the worst attitude of all Duke players I watched. I could be wrong but I didn't see a willing to improve at all or to fit in with Coach K's system. I saw someone who just focused on going pro.

I'd hate to see what you would have said if you meant disrespect.

Without Josh McRoberts Duke probably doesn't make the NIT in 2007, for what it's worth.

[Duke3517]

I'd hate to see what you would have said if you meant disrespect.

Without Josh McRoberts Duke probably doesn't make the NIT in 2007, for what it's worth.

Though Singler came in as a freshman the next year and I'm sure this was the biggest reason but Duke was much more conventional the following season.

[-jk]

I'm confused. There are, what, 30 NBA teams? With 12 players each? Where do the other, I guess, 140ish players come from? What's this list for? (Yeah, each and every player on my kid's baseball team got a trophy. And they understood how meaningless it was!)

-jk

[duketaylor]

Saying goes "Josh never unpacked his bags," which would've been similar if Kris Humphries ever matriculated. One and done and wanted everything to showcase them. Sorry, Duke plays team basketball.

[JNort]

I'm confused. There are, what, 30 NBA teams? With 12 players each? Where do the other, I guess, 140ish players come from? What's this list for? (Yeah, each and every player on my kid's baseball team got a trophy. And they understood how meaningless it was!)

-jk

Also counts free agents and guys who played even a little bit last year

[tbyers11]

I'm confused. There are, what, 30 NBA teams? With 12 players each? Where do the other, I guess, 140ish players come from? What's this list for? (Yeah, each and every player on my kid's baseball team got a trophy. And they understood how meaningless it was!)

-jk

15 players each actually. Only 12 are active for a given game. So there's only about 50 extra. I figure it's about the correct number of players that could actually make a roster if you figure there are about 100 players trying to make the 50 spots.

Edit: as JNort said I think it ranks anyone who played in an NBA game last year plus all draft picks.

[subzero02]

Any guesses as to where Kyrie will be ranked? His play this summer almost certainly gave him a little boost...

[subzero02]

Shavlik Randolph is the lowest ranking Blue Devil... He checks in at #412... 10 spots behind Antawn Jamison

[tbyers11]

Shavlik Randolph is the lowest ranking Blue Devil... He checks in at #412... 10 spots behind Antawn Jamison

Lance Thomas is at #456

[tbyers11]

The list isn't fully revealed yet and I haven't checked every player but I think that Miles Plumlee will win the Most Improved Player award. He moved up 270 spots from #414 to #144. Congrats Miles.

[subzero02]

Lance Thomas is at #456

Thanks, I don't know how I missed him.

[sagegrouse]

Lance Thomas is at #456

Thanks, I don't know how I missed him.

Well, he wasn't wearing his jewelry. Ba-da-BOOM!

[jimsumner]

I don't mean any disrespect but McRoberts was the biggest disappointment of all the big time recruits. He probably had the worst attitude of all Duke players I watched. I could be wrong but I didn't see a willing to improve at all or to fit in with Coach K's system. I saw someone who just focused on going pro.

McRoberts didn't even have the worst attitude of left-handed forwards who played at Duke between 2006 and 2008.

I realize McRoberts is an issue for some Duke fans. And yes, he gets a C minus for body language. But he's not even in the Humphries universe for me-first basketball.

McRoberts came in as a freshman and subsumed his ego to blend in with a senior-dominated team and was third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder for a
32-4 team.

As a sophomore, he averaged 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and just over a steal per game, while shooting 50.2 percent from the field. He was named to the first-team All-ACC Defensive team. That doesn't exactly scream someone focused on just going pro.

Compare McRoberts to the Duke career of top-10 recruit Joey Beard and I think we have our biggest disappointment in the big-time recruit category.

[Duke3517]

McRoberts didn't even have the worst attitude of left-handed forwards who played at Duke between 2006 and 2008.

I realize McRoberts is an issue for some Duke fans. And yes, he gets a C minus for body language. But he's not even in the Humphries universe for me-first basketball.

McRoberts came in as a freshman and subsumed his ego to blend in with a senior-dominated team and was third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder for a
32-4 team.

As a sophomore, he averaged 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and just over a steal per game, while shooting 50.2 percent from the field. He was named to the first-team All-ACC Defensive team. That doesn't exactly scream someone focused on just going pro.

Compare McRoberts to the Duke career of top-10 recruit Joey Beard and I think we have our biggest disappointment in the big-time recruit category.

I love the facts to support your opinion. I just felt like watching him he had so much more than what he gave. To me Paulus was never the most talented but he gave it 100 percent every game. I just didn't see that from Josh.

[dukelifer]

I don't mean any disrespect but McRoberts was the biggest disappointment of all the big time recruits. He probably had the worst attitude of all Duke players I watched. I could be wrong but I didn't see a willing to improve at all or to fit in with Coach K's system. I saw someone who just focused on going pro.

Not sure what you saw. McRoberts played very hard and was extremely talented. He could do everything but shoot under pressure. Taylor King was a disappointment.

[Atldukie79]

While I recall being disappointed that McRoberts wasn't a dominating player, he absolutely was a team player. If anything, he overpassed and deferred. I can't speak to attitude or team chemistry. I do think he suffered in comparison to "Hansbo" who came in a the same time and proved to be more effective over time. in hindsight, I suggest he wasn't what we wanted him to be, but as Jim points out, his stats and team achievements were not bad.