Special Edition - DBR Podcast - Rasheed!!

[JasonEvans]

Hastily put together, but for your listening pleasure, we talk about what Rasheed's dismissal means to the team.

-Jason "stick around to the end to hear the player from Duke history that I think is a close comparison to Rasheed" Evans

[daveduke76]

Hastily put together, but for your listening pleasure, we talk about what Rasheed's dismissal means to the team.

-Jason "stick around to the end to hear the player from Duke history that I think is a close comparison to Rasheed" Evans

The timing of this seems really bad - why not make the announcement over the break or wait till after the Virginia game. As you guys say, the team is shocked with this, why do it this week?

[daveduke76]

Hastily put together, but for your listening pleasure, we talk about what Rasheed's dismissal means to the team.

-Jason "stick around to the end to hear the player from Duke history that I think is a close comparison to Rasheed" Evans

Thanks for the quick blog - definitely still in shock, hard to look forward, I'll bet it is really tough on the players

[DevilWearsPrada]

Good Podcast.

WE are all still stunned and sad.

The Team needs to pick themselves up and play good Ball, defense and offense! Let's Go Duke!

[JasonEvans]

The timing of this seems really bad - why not make the announcement over the break or wait till after the Virginia game. As you guys say, the team is shocked with this, why do it this week?

Well, I suspect that it was something that K felt had to be handled right away. I have no idea what ultimately caused K to remove Rasheed from the team, but letting it linger for a week would not be good for Rasheed or the team, I think. When making a life-changing decision like this, K does not think about wins and losses or upcoming opponents. He is doing what needs to be done and delaying it until after a particularly difficult game would not be even under consideration, I suspect.

As an aside, what do folks think about my Ricky Price comparison? If you ever watched Ricky, he was like Rasheed in that he could get his shot whenever he wanted and he was tantalizingly great at times. He and Rasheed both seemed like mortal locks to be playing at the next level when I first saw them play.

-Jason "I wonder if Rasheed takes the PJ Hairston route at this point and just goes directly to the D-League" Evans

[Billy Dat]

As an aside, what do folks think about my Ricky Price comparison? If you ever watched Ricky, he was like Rasheed in that he could get his shot whenever he wanted and he was tantalizingly great at times. He and Rasheed both seemed like mortal locks to be playing at the next level when I first saw them play.
-Jason "I wonder if Rasheed takes the PJ Hairston route at this point and just goes directly to the D-League" Evans

Good pod, I like that you guys knocked it out in such a timely manner - journalists you are, paid and not!

Ricky was an interesting comparison. I agree with you about the talent. I think the primary difference is in the circumstances. Ricky had finally kind of figured everything out on the court and was ready, I think, to become a serious pro prospect when he blew it in the classroom and was forced to leave (he had injury problems, too). I recall that update article a few years back that he and K patched up their differences and are now close as Ricky lives and works in Durham.

But, their arcs are kind of similar with Price's being one year later. He started the year of K's back problem and that was a lost year for almost everyone involved. The next year, he averaged 14, similar to the solid production of Rasheed's freshman year (not at the same level). In hindsight, both probably should have left after those good years.

It's certainly an evolving phenomenon, the projected NBA first rounder who fails to go one or two and done. It would be interesting to track the fate of such players over the past 10 years to see, in general, what happened to them in regards to transfers, pro careers, etc.

[porkpa]

I always felt that Ricky Price was an ultra talented kid, who likely because of his own mistakes, never became the basketball player that a guy with his great talent should have become.

[yancem]

Well, I suspect that it was something that K felt had to be handled right away. I have no idea what ultimately caused K to remove Rasheed from the team, but letting it linger for a week would not be good for Rasheed or the team, I think. When making a life-changing decision like this, K does not think about wins and losses or upcoming opponents. He is doing what needs to be done and delaying it until after a particularly difficult game would not be even under consideration, I suspect.

As an aside, what do folks think about my Ricky Price comparison? If you ever watched Ricky, he was like Rasheed in that he could get his shot whenever he wanted and he was tantalizingly great at times. He and Rasheed both seemed like mortal locks to be playing at the next level when I first saw them play.

-Jason "I wonder if Rasheed takes the PJ Hairston route at this point and just goes directly to the D-League" Evans

I also thought of Price and drew the comparison on the dismissal thread. When Price rejoined the team after his academic issues, he was never able to reestablish himself in the line up. I remember being perplexed as to why he didn't get more minutes and why he wasn't more productive when he did get into games. He was extremely talented and capable of scoring in bunches but it was obvious that there was a rift between him and K. Sulaimon seemed to be in a similar position last year but I had thought he had bought into his role better this year. Apparently, while he was saying the right things publicly, there were still issues between him and K. I read a quote from his high school coach who said that he knew there had been some issues but Sulaimon had told him that he and K had worked through them. I guess Sulaimon was either had self delusions or simply in denial. An unfortunate situation all around but I hope that in time he and K are able to mend fences.

[Karl Beem]

I also thought of Price and drew the comparison on the dismissal thread. When Price rejoined the team after his academic issues, he was never able to reestablish himself in the line up. I remember being perplexed as to why he didn't get more minutes and why he wasn't more productive when he did get into games. He was extremely talented and capable of scoring in bunches but it was obvious that there was a rift between him and K. Sulaimon seemed to be in a similar position last year but I had thought he had bought into his role better this year. Apparently, while he was saying the right things publicly, there were still issues between him and K. I read a quote from his high school coach who said that he knew there had been some issues but Sulaimon had told him that he and K had worked through them. I guess Sulaimon was either had self delusions or simply in denial. An unfortunate situation all around but I hope that in time he and K are able to mend fences.

When Ricky came back, it was to the ludicrously deep '98 team. Either Ricky or Taymon was the 11th man.

[Edouble]

When Ricky came back, it was to the ludicrously deep '98 team. Either Ricky or Taymon was the 11th man.

OK, but Price was a more talented basketball player than several of the rotation players on that team. You could argue that he was the most talented back court player on the '98 team, possibly excepting Trajan. It is difficult to compare the skill of Trajan's shot with the innate athletic smoothness of Price. Regardless, Price had All-ACC-level talent.

Yancem hit the nail on the head: Coach K had issues with Price and so Price did not play.

[Coballs]

Although Ricky Price's Duke career didn't end in the same dramatic fashion as Sulaimon's, in my opinion his run at Duke was even more disappointing because he was a much better player than Sulaimon and his potential seemed limitless. For those who never got to see him play, he was more talented than Sulaimon at every aspect of the game and an even better athlete. He had superstardom written all over him and he seemed to be heading in that direction, but ultimately things got derailed and never worked out for him. The one dissimilarity between Price and Sulaimon is that I don't ever recall Price carrying the reputation of having a bad attitude, or being immature, or getting thrown out practice repeatedly. And I don't remember him as an on-the-court whiner and malcontent (this could be my own selective or declining memory).

I think, for now, the comparison between the two is accurate but my gut feeling tells me that when this is all said and done, Sulaimon is going to come out of this looking extremely bad. I don't look back at Ricky Price with a feeling of animosity. I'm not confident that I'll be able to say the same about Rasheed Sulaimon. Coach K has dealt with A LOT of pain in the arse players in his 35 years at Duke...but only one has been dishonorably discharged.

[Coballs]

And, while we're on the topic of Ricky Price, here's a clip of his career moment at Duke...burying a buzzer beater 3 at Cole Fieldhouse to essentially secure an NCAA tournament bid for an extremely marginal 95-96 squad that was on the verge of missing the big dance for two consecutive seasons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kkfDPvqlVM

Brunson, Price, Collins, Domzalski and Wojciechowski...oooofff!!! And we think our current rotation has problems hahaha