Originally Posted by
Classof06
While Luol is a good guy and really left Duke out of necessity, I would argue that his departure certainly set Duke back, no doubt about it. Combine that with Livingston going straight to pros and, IMO, you're talking about a situation that Duke only recently recovered from, if at all. Some might argue we still haven't recovered based on the way the last two seasons have gone.
I clearly have no proof of it but I believe Luol's departure cost Duke a national title. When I say "cost," that implies that Luol did something wrong. He didn't. I knew him personally and he was a phenomenal kid, pure class act. But you mean to tell me we wouldn't have gotten by Michigan State in the '05 Elite Eight with Luol? We would've been every bit as good as UNC that year. In fact, Luol's only year at Duke was the last time we swept UNC. Think about it...