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  1. #61
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Inman, SC & Fort Myers, FL
    I am aware that Paulus is a lightning rod for some, so I will leave him out of the following.
    A simple question, really. How many coaches would jump at the chance to build a team around Singler, Henderson, and Scheyer? Now, I know we don't have a clean sheet of paper for the rest of the team, but we will have a bunch of pretty good other players.
    Given the way people were playing the second half of the game, a good strategy might have been to restrict all shooting to the above three. (And maybe just Henderson and Scheyer).
    Any way, if Zoubek, Thomas, and Czyz can be developed some over the summer, we should be pretty good next year.

  2. #62
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Central Arkansas

    Talking

    Okay, fair point. Carolina doesn't envy us. But then again, they're Carolina. We don't care what they think. They aren't bright enough to realize that they should envy us. We wish they would go to hell. Furthermore, the Duke envy (and hatred) out there isn't about what has happened in the last year, three years or ever - it is about BEING Duke. But you're right. Carolina doesn't envy us.

    But don't you know that for some of them, in their heart of hearts, and in the dark corners of their living rooms, they do envy us...and wish that they could admit it?

  3. #63
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Bethesda, MD

    yeah we do

    Quote Originally Posted by Duke76 View Post
    remind me not too get excited when we win a bunch in the regular season...
    we need 2-3 blue collar players. we have 0 now
    mcclure. he just doesn't play enough. really. look at what he does in the limited minutes he gets.

  4. #64
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, DC
    Quote Originally Posted by chrisheery View Post
    mcclure. he just doesn't play enough. really. look at what he does in the limited minutes he gets.
    Dave was our only decent rebounder today.

  5. #65
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Bluedawg View Post
    Disagree.

    With so many 3's going off the front of the rim it is a true sign that the legs are gone. they have been gone for the past 3 games. living by the 3 means a uptick on conditioning.
    but my point is that we have had great conditioning regimens - maybe not enough (JJ fell short in his senior year, too), but excellent. I think that the issue of fatigue is more likely a question of minutes than conditioning.

    Of course, given the flu thread, I think that this week it was extenuating circumstances. Conditioning doesn't hodl up well with reduced lung capacity.

    Exiled

  6. #66
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington DC

    Amazing

    It's amazing how so many people are ready to throw our coaches and players under the bus after a 28-6 season.

    Sure it was a disappointing end, but this was about on par with what most of us forecast back in October.

  7. #67
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by Duke76 View Post
    maybe Singler, but he's only 6'8"...in between height and needs to bulk up and also improve his outside shot
    Singler, Henderson and Scheyer are all NBA locks. If you're going to rant, at least rant based on some solid information. Thank you.

  8. #68
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Bethesda, MD

    Why Duke will be really good next year:

    Of our top 10 players, 3 are freshman, 4 are sophmores. 3 (or 4?) had to have surgery over the summer last summer. Look at how much better this team is than last year. Yeah, they faded down the stretch and they also seemed to get tight when it meant the most, but they are YOUNG. There was a time in college hoops when people really didn't play until they were either 1. amazing or 2. juniors.

    This team is suffering from 2 years where the recruiting classes were just a little off and that was in turn made worse by the fact that we had multiple transfers. I think Eric Boateng would have helped today. had Josh McRoberts fulfilled the promise we all thought he had as a player or if he had become a team player and not made a terrible decision to leave a year early, would this team not be more "complete?"

    So, 2 "bad years" in which we all got to watch and enjoyed good times for much of the time. What was that 50 wins? Yeah that sucks.

    I admit I was angry and complaining as soon as that game ended. Then, my wife asked me a question: "Should we pick another team to root for?" That question made me realize that I couldn't love another team like I love Duke if you paid me. I love what Duke stands for. I love that we do things the right way. I love that these players that everyone is complaining about never embarrass our school. They are examples of student-athletes. Yeah, we could lower our recruiting standards. We could win national titles with kids who could embarrass us. But would you trade a national title for Duke's good name to be ruined?

    We had a tough ending to a good year. We will be better next year. Zoub will be better. Lance will be stronger. Look at how much Paulus improved this year, it was significant. Our sophomores will be juniors. Our freshman will be sophomores. Singler is primed to be a star. Don't forget how good he was before he started wearing down. Taylor King is going to be amazing, offering interior defense and spreading the court with range (also a midrange game seems possible). Nolan also has the look of a superstar, in a year or so. Give it time. Don't let the fact that someone at work is going to mock your team on Monday get you so angry that you forget how great it is to be a Duke fan.

  9. #69
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Tampa
    Quote Originally Posted by dukerev View Post
    So let's see if I can summarize what we "need" in order to be "successful" next year and into the future. This is from this thread and others only since the WVU game ended...

    - a big man's assistant coach
    - a recruiting coach
    - a conditioning coach
    - more blue collar players
    - more superstar players because we have too many blue collar players
    - stop shooting the 3 in our offense
    - make the 3
    - no more wing players
    - more athletes
    - an emotional on-court leader
    - less emotion from our players during the season
    - more NBA talent
    - no 1-and-done players
    - lots of tough road games early in the season
    - don't get tired at the end of the season

    I'm sure I missed something else we needed. Surely what we really need is for the conglomeration of great basketball minds inhabiting the DBR bulletin board to be made the new program directors of Duke basketball.

    We'll be fine. This time last year (and especially after Josh went pro last year) we were worried that the roof had collapsed. If you told us we'd win 28 games and advance farther in the tournament relying on a freshman to be our 2nd best player, you'd have taken it. I would have. We expected this year to be one that would set up next year. Next year is on the horizon. Duke basketball will still be the envy of every other program in the country (and it is today). Remember: every day is a great day to be a Duke basketball fan. EVERY SINGLE DAY, including today. Wear your Duke togs tomorrow (or a Duke lapel pin to church). Go Duke!
    I see your point and the sky is definitely not falling. As the old adage says, however, you often learn more from a loss than a victory. Insinuating that nothing need be improved to succeed more than this year ignores the opportunity to learn from our losses over the past few years. A few tweaks might not hurt. After a cooling off period, I'm confident that Coach K will review the program as he does every year with an eye toward making whatever improvements are needed (some of which might just echo points made here, or not).

  10. #70
    Depth doesn't matter unless the coach uses it. Duke had depth this year, plenty of it. They played the same 6 or 7 players all year, like they have the last 6 or 7 years. Until Coach K is willing to play his bench from November to March, even if that mean letting a player like Taylor King play through his deficincies and learn how to be better, then depth will mean nothing at Duke. Based on your listing, I really dont see Czyz getting much time if any, nor Pocius, and Zoubek/McClure won't play more than they already have, unless Zoubek makes a huge leap in skill from the past two years. Williams and King will come off the bench and play some, and Zoubek will spell Thomas a bit, but youre looking at having Paulus, Scheyer, Henderson, and Singler playing 30 plus minutes each, and then the other position being split between Thomas, Williams, and King mostly, with Zoubek getting a little time here and there.

  11. #71
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by DevilCastDownfromDurham View Post
    There's a program 8 miles down the road that won a title 3 years ago, won both ACC championships (again), suits up the NPOY, won their first round game by 38 more points than we did, is still playing, and has a pair of amazing recruiting classes coming in over the next 2 seasons. I'm not sure they envy us very much . . .
    Right. They hate us. But they have for years.

  12. #72
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    little river sc
    Quote Originally Posted by mapei View Post
    Dave was our only decent rebounder today.
    i agree. mcclure played great defense on alexander, but when he is in, we play 4 or 5 on offense

  13. #73

    Thomas

    Quote Originally Posted by houstondukie View Post
    I like what I see...

    1st team:
    PG G. Paulus
    SG J. Scheyer
    SF G. Henderson
    PF K. Singler
    C L. Thomas

    2nd team:
    PG N. Smith
    SG E. Williams/ M. Pocious
    SF T. King / O. Cryz
    PF D. McClure
    C B. Zoubek

    Things I like...
    Depth at every position.
    Experience w/ 2 seniors and 5 juniors
    Potential All-Americans in Henderson and Singler
    I think Thomas needs to improve not only physically but also in how he thinks about what is happening. Critical offensive fouls at a time when we are trying to make a come back are not the smartest way to handle the situation.

  14. #74
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Bethesda, MD

    how is that

    Quote Originally Posted by kinghoops View Post
    i agree. mcclure played great defense on alexander, but when he is in, we play 4 or 5 on offense
    any different than when lance or zoub is in? unless you think their addition of offensive fouls and travels provides a dynamic change to our otherwise smooth offensive machine.

  15. #75
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    little river sc
    Quote Originally Posted by chrisheery View Post
    any different than when lance or zoub is in? unless you think their addition of offensive fouls and travels provides a dynamic change to our otherwise smooth offensive machine.
    look i agreed about dave and his rebounding and defense, but at a school like duke, i dont see the need of anyone playing that cant help on the offensive end

  16. #76
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO

    Wink It Ain't the D-U-K-E on the Uni; It's the #2 Seed

    Quote Originally Posted by feldspar View Post
    Agreed. There's no such thing as a neutral court for us in the NCAA Tourney anymore.
    IMHO, in the NCAAs and the ACCs, everyone roots for the underdog. So, if we started going to the tournament as a #10 seed, the problem could be solved.

    Any takers?

    sagegrouse

  17. #77
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Bethesda, MD

    again i ask you

    Quote Originally Posted by kinghoops View Post
    look i agreed about dave and his rebounding and defense, but at a school like duke, i dont see the need of anyone playing that cant help on the offensive end
    who do we have that could guard their best threat that can score effectively? if the answer is no one, i feel this discussion is over. if your answer is lance of zoub, we should probably talk about the definition of effective. we should remember that you can't beat the other team if they score every time they get it (because you can't get the ball back when they get every rebound). some days, you just have to go with the guy making the plays. today, mcclure was the guy. he was the only person who even made alexander uncomfortable. he can just as easily catch the ball when he is open and travel as either of the other two. (however, i think he is more likely to score in those situations than either of the other two).

  18. #78
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Next season we FINALLY don't have to heavily rely on a freshman or set of freshmen for success. For the '04,'06,'07, and '08 seasons we've had to put all our faith and hopes into the play of freshmen. That simply will not be the case next year. Elliot Williams could very well be an integral player for us next season, or maybe not. Point is, he won't have to be.

  19. #79

    Lets use them in the right way

    Quote Originally Posted by Jumbo View Post
    Singler, Henderson and Scheyer are all NBA locks. If you're going to rant, at least rant based on some solid information. Thank you.
    At the beginning of the year I felt Henderson and Singler were NBA players. After watching Scheyer this season, I believe he is also set for the NBA based on his skills and his ability to all things well.

    I saw flashes from Smith as well this year. He had a few games in which he looked like a solid NBA prospect. As he develops consistency, I expect he will join the three above as solid NBA players.

    What we need to do is fins a way to get the other players to add to the mix with contributions. Paulus seems to do that best when he brings the ball up and lets Scheyer be the play maker. He can then become a shooting threat on the floor. He is gritty and a decent shooter.

    We will have Marty and Elliot as subs and possibly could become really important players in a really deep fback court group.

    We need more help for Singler though. We will have Thomas, Zoubek, Czyz, King and McClure. A lot of guys, but all with issues. Maybe the offseason coaching with make Thomas more aware in game situations and Zoubek more solid on his feet. King certainly should improve, McClure will be a big help and would be better still if he could get some kind of offensive game. Czyz is the unknown. May be a project or may contribute the first year.

  20. #80

    Agreed

    Quote Originally Posted by ArtVandelay View Post
    I happen to think we will be very good next year. Everyone back and better, except D-Marc. G and Kyle have the potential to be all-ACC performers next year. Zoubek needs to stay healthy and develop this summer. Hopefully we can figure out how to not limp into the tournament.
    Something to look forward to over the next 2 years is experience. I think Duke will have the experience factor often seen in mid-majors that come into the tournament knowing each other very well. Add to that the talent level that Duke has and I think we'll see some very good ball. Depth should be great as well, but it would still be nice to nail down a really athletic big.

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