Is it time for Duke to change some things?

[rockymtn devil]

Out of curiosity (and this might belong in another thread), how much did WVU zone Duke on Saturday? I wasn't really paying attention to this during the game and don't have TiVo to go back and look again.

Thanks.

[Bluedawg]

That's a really hard question (see my thread about randomness). Obviously, we'd all have loved to have landed Blake Griffin, Gary Johnson or Patrick Patterson Or Greg Monroe. But what can we do? As the song goes, "You can't always get what you want."

We don't need a major overhaul of any kind. Sure, I'd love to see us press a little more, perhaps. I wish Paulus were a better defender. Other than that, I don't think much needs to change. We just need to land a decent portion of the recruits we target. And I think we're going to be REALLY good next year, because we'll have three elite players -- Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson with a boatload of depth behind them.

Drastic changes aren't necessary. Minor tweaks can go a long way.

I agree, we will have a very solid team next year. However, we still need to control the paint.

[Defenserules]

After reading your response to my post, I think you are right on most points. Sometimes we lose sight that this is a journey instead of a destination. Is it more fun to watch Duke in the Final game of the NCAAs than it is to watch us in the finals of the Great Alaska Shootout? Not really. Not for us real fans. These are 20 year olds playing a game with a ball and a metal hoop and wood floors. In the grand scheme there has been no season in my lifetime that Duke's combined total for the season didn't surpass the combined totals of the teams we played, even in the losing season I bet that is true. So what are we worried about.

I think we should just sit back and relax. The guys will work harder in the off season I am sure, we will score more and shoot better next year. How could we not. We are D-U-K-E. There is a chance we will be a #1 seed next year. There is a chance we will be a #8 seed next year. Only time will tell, but it will be one heck of a journey to see how it turns out. And on selection Sunday if we are a number 1 we should party like its 1999 and if we are #8 we should do the same. Win or lose we are D-U-K-E. We are the kings of college basketball, we are the privlleged few. Lucky that we should be counted as fans of these young men. Who cares if we are an elite team when it comes tourney time or that teams don't fear us. Fear is overrated and if you are a true fan being elite shouldn't matter. Are the cubs elite? No. Is it fun to go to a cubs game? Yes. Cameron is special, Duke's past is special. Duke's future is special. Every snowflake is unique in its own way - we should celebrate this all.

I don't think we need to push Wojo and Collins out. I just think we might want to give them an opportunity to do something else. But if they stay that will be great too. Change in the end is something you do when something is wrong or something can be improved upon. College basketball is a sport where all the games are fun and should be a respite from real world problems, so why worry? It's sort of like a movie or a novel. Just fun - a distraction At least that is what it should be.

Let's all calm down - K is still a great coach, why mess with greatness? All of our players are still great, all of them are living up to their potential, all of them are playing with max effort. Our assistant coaches are the best in the land, and really no one in basketball and teaching basketball could do better so why try?

So in the words of an annoying 80s tune - "Don't worry be happy."

On another note, I once said that as much as I love Duke basketball I would trade all of our success for a few Rose Bowls in my lifetime. I hope that didn't jinx us but if it did let's hope the crazies can find their way to Pasadena. It might actually be fun for Duke to be a football school for a couple of years.

[Bluedawg]

West Virginia went small. Smalligan only played five minutes. Kyle wasn't playing against anyone big against West Virginia. I'm not saying that guarding big men over the course of the year didn't wear him down. But he didn't have that issue against West Virginia. He largely guarded guys who weren't particularly big and didn't do much offensively.

He was burnt. My point is still solid. Even small they controlled the paint.

[Bluedawg]

What point was that?

Playing with your back to the basket is attitude [someone said this early in this thread, don't recall who]. Those you mentioned had the attitude to control the paint. I'm not a Tyler fan, in fact i think he is allowed to get away with too much, but he has the attitude to control the paint.

We need a center with the attitude.

[CenOhioDukeFan]

If you guys aren't worried that schools like VCU and Belmont are taking Duke to the wire and beating them, then I guess I won't either....although I was told one year is an abberation, two is a trend.

Keep doing the same things with the same players and the same gameplan and expect different results is usually relying on hope!!

I've seen Czyz play in Cincy last year. Ohio State was recruiting his teamate Luke Babbitt. Babbitt is listed at 6'7' and if anything, is a little just a little taller than Czyz. Czyz is a wonderful leaper but is extremely raw offensively. He's not the answer in the paint next year, more of a 'project'.

[Jumbo]

Yes, but this misses the larger point. It is harder for THIS TEAM to win when it's missing (three point) shots because it had no other alternative. Henderson was the only person who could be relied on to drive to the basket and score,

Scheyer did it repeatedly against WVA (or got to the line). Nelson did it all year. Singler did it earlier in the year. It's unfortunate that the last two guys couldn't do it against WVA.

and we had no dependable inside presence.

So what would you like K to have done about that on Saturday?

In other words, when the long range shots weren't falling, THERE WAS NO PLAN B.

Sure there was. Duke tried getting to the hoop. But WVA cut off the drives and Duke missed some easy finishes. (A healthy DeMarcus finishes a bunch of his misses in the paint yesterday. You'll never convince me otherwise.)

When most teams are in a stretch of 15 straight misses from three, they'd shift gears.

Duke tried to get to the basket.

But this team really only had one gear. Every team, no matter its strengths, will struggle at times. It's how (or rather, "if") a team adjusts to those struggles that enables it to go far in the NCAA tournament. I submit that this Duke team was simply unable to make any such adjustments.

Given Duke's current personnel, what other adjustments could have been made?

[Jumbo]

Out of curiosity (and this might belong in another thread), how much did WVU zone Duke on Saturday? I wasn't really paying attention to this during the game and don't have TiVo to go back and look again.

Thanks.

Not at all.

[Jumbo]

He was burnt. My point is still solid. Even small they controlled the paint.

Okay, and... ?

[BlueintheFace]

I BELIEVE Brian Z will be a monster by the end of next season. I can't wait for him to see a full season on the floor with a little bit more strength and a whole lot more time to build cohesion, develop timing, and improve precision with the rest of the team...I believe at the end of the season he will be the MAN in the middle...I hope he proves me right.

I don't know why... and it makes no sense... but for some reason I am with you. Maybe not a monster, but Zou got significant minutes after recovering from his injury and was surprisingly effective. A few minor adjustments (footwork exercises and learning to keep the ball high under his chin) and he might really emerge. He has certainly shown flashes and it appears that K really WANTS to play him. Toss in the fact that Coach called this team "simply undersized" after the WVU loss... I dunno- I have a gut feeling!!

[Bluedawg]

Scheyer did it repeatedly against WVA (or got to the line). Nelson did it all year. Singler did it earlier in the year. It's unfortunate that the last two guys couldn't do it against WVA.


So what would you like K to have done about that on Saturday?



Sure there was. Duke tried getting to the hoop. But WVA cut off the drives and Duke missed some easy finishes. (A healthy DeMarcus finishes a bunch of his misses in the paint yesterday. You'll never convince me otherwise.)



Duke tried to get to the basket.



Given Duke's current personnel, what other adjustments could have been made?

I agree, i was impressed with the adjsutments made. I saw an effort to get inside to control the paint. It was a good move and the correct move to make.

[wumhenry]

[Singler] largely guarded guys who weren't particularly big and didn't do much offensively.

I.e., K generally assigned Singler to guard guys who didn't have much offense?

[Bluedawg]

Okay, and... ?

games are won from the free thrown line and in the paint. Control the paint, win the game. basic basketball.

[Jumbo]

I.e., K generally assigned Singler to guard guys who didn't have much offense?

I was referring to the West Virginia game specifically. Thomas and McClure primarily guarded Alexander. That enabled Singler to pick up lesser scorers (and smaller players).

[Jumbo]

games are won from the free thrown line and in the paint. Control the paint, win the game. basic basketball.

But what can we do about that other than hope to land the recruits we're chasing?
(I also disagree that you need to control the paint to win in basketball, or need a low-post scorer to win. You can get to the FT line with a great PG, for instance. Several of Duke's great teams haven't been inside-oriented.)

[dkbaseball]

I've seen Czyz play in Cincy last year. Ohio State was recruiting his teamate Luke Babbitt. Babbitt is listed at 6'7' and if anything, is a little just a little taller than Czyz. Czyz is a wonderful leaper but is extremely raw offensively. He's not the answer in the paint next year, more of a 'project'.

I've never seen Babbitt listed at less than 6-8, and a couple of places at 6-9. Having seen him in person a couple of months ago, I'd say at least 6-8. Agree that Olek might be an inch shorter, but he has a much stronger, liver, more athletic body than Babbitt.

I can see how watching Olek in any given game would lead someone to think he's very raw offensively. He's prone to attacking the basket cluelessly. But after watching him play 12 games, I really think all the necessary skills are there, and he's well past the project stage. These were high school games, and you probably saw him playing better competition in AAU ball. But that was just one game. Supposedly there's a video somewhere on the net with his highlights from last summer's AAU circuit, and it's really spectacular. A whole bunch of big-time coaches immediately fell in love with him last summer, so he must have been doing something right.

[chrisheery]

If somehow we came into this tournament shooting the lights out like we were at the beginning of the season and we just lit those two teams up like we could have, you would all be saying how much fun this team is to watch and how great it is that duke plays this renegade style of beautiful basketball (like we were saying at the beginning of the year).

clearly, the response to what i am saying will be, "yeah, but we didn't. and we haven't for a couple years now." yeah, that is true, but their are risks and rewards to every style of play. there is no reason to think that these very intelligent players with another year of experience under their belts won't improve

[The1Bluedevil]

This morning on Colin Cowherd's show he interviewed Gottlieb and he believes many of the recruiting problems Duke is having should be attributed to K's assistants decisions on evaluating players. He went on to say that as busy as K is with team USA he can't possibly have enough time to evaluate all possible prospects and his assistants are doing more evaluating then ever.

[Duvall]

This morning on Colin Cowherd's show he interviewed Gottlieb...

What's the point of even *having* an FCC if they can't protect us from stuff like this?

[doctorhook]

Gut was certainly no big guy and he was the hole big man coach for twenty years with good success. Doc