I hope K took notes.

[roywhite]

He was the closest they had on that team. But I don't see the same athleticism in him as I see in Derrick Rose.

Rose is a little bigger.

Don't forget what Jason Williams was like before the motorcycle accident.

This is my last comment on this thread. Basketball is still a team game; it's not a track meet or weightlifting competition. San Antonio Spurs, Argentina Olympic champs---freak athletes? Not really.

[jma4life]

Definitely do not forget the specimen that Williams was folks. The only thing I think Rose has on him is an inch or two. Williams was a truly elite athlete. His explosiveness, power and strength were truly impressive. Running back like.

[shadowfax336]

More athletic then Memphis and Kansas last year?
How about more athletic than UNC?
I'm not sure thats an easy case to make at all.

Florida
Green-decently quick PG, not blowaway speed or anything
Humpty-...
Brewer-Freakish Athlete
Horford-traditional strong low post player, certainly a great athlete, but not in the sense this thread seems to be about
Noah- very good athlete in any sense

I would say that Josh McRoberts is comparable to either of florida's big men in pure athleticism, and he doesn't seem to be missed much on this board. I can't see how Florida is more athletic than UNC for example, as Lawson blows TG out of the water, Terry was much more athletic than Humpty, Green/Ellington loses big to brewer, Hansborough matches up fine with Horford, and Wright was probably a slightly but not much lesser athlete than Noah

OSU
Oden-great athlete in a traditional big man sense
Harris- I gotta be honest, I don't really remember much about him
Lewis- decently athletic guard
Butler- decently athletic guard
Conley- really quick skilled guard

So OSU had 2 top notch athletes that I doubt would make the OPs qualifications for "superior athlete" if Boozer and Battier didn't make them

whereas Memphis and Kansas had their whole teams from now with the only exceptions being Rose...

[shadowfax336]

and that was in reply to the post claiming that OSU and florida were the most athletic teams last year...

Florida maybe, OSU probably not

[nyr484]

you can't say that Boozer, Battier, Dun, and Duhon were great athletes

Come on... did you see Battier playing defense on Kobe 2 weeks ago? I'm not sure why you've chosen such a narrow definition of athlete, but Battier certainly meets my definition. Same goes for Boozer who was a beast on the boards for Duke in his career and is all-star caliber in the NBA. Dunleavy I agree with you, but Duhon was a solid athlete too.

Yes, Memphis has some freakish athletes and totally dismantled UCLA, but that doesn't mean the college game has fundamentally changed or that Coach K should be taking recruiting notes from John Calipari. Get real man.

[ArtVandelay]

I think you guys have totally lost me on what constitutes "athletic." Ellington and Green are the only "athletes" on UNC? OSU was the most or second-most athletic team last year? Again, I think what we're maybe putting too much stock in a very specific definition of athleticism and conflating it with talent. As I said before, I don't quite understand what the line of argument is here. Putting aside the discussion of Duke's 2001 team, as best I can understand it, your argument is as follows: (1) we've entered a phase of college basketball where "athleticism" is what wins titles, (2) this is recent phenomenon, such that the game was very different back in 2001, when a team that didn't contain multiple "superior" athletes could win but couldn't in "today's game", and (3) this is related to the new early entry rule because the best "athletes" now all enter college.

The problem is, I don't see how this argument follows at all or what the evidence is for it, apart from the assertion that this year's national title game teams happen to fit your definition of most athletic. I don't disagree that KU and Mephis are both highly athletic, and perhaps the most two athletic teams in the tourney. But that doesn't make your argument for you. I'll start with the fact that Kansas is fielding a team of veteran players and aren't featuring a "one and done" type, so the early entry rule has no relevance. Plus, a number of these guys could have entered the draft under the rules in place when they were in high school. They didn't, yet they're still potentially the most athletic team. Similarly, last year's Florida team won with veterans over an OSU team featuring two stud freshmen players, one of whom may not have been there if not for the 19 y/o rule.

I see the point you're trying to drive at, but the problem is that you seem to state with such certainty that you've "figured it all out" when, as I pointed out, the evidence is much more mixed that you suggest. I don't think the universe has changed nearly as much as you've let on since 2001.

[SupaDave]

The one thing I loved about Davidson this year (and San Diego and Belmont) is that they make this conversation ridiculous. TEAMS win basketball games.

Would anyone disagree with me in saying that UNLV was more athletic than Duke?

Is Sean May athletic? And for that matter - based on the desire for "Tyrus Thomas" type athletes - was Danny Manning athletic?

Don't believe the hype! How easily it seems some of us buy into the flavor of the month.

As soon as we get another Robert Brickey - I hope you guys don't complain about his scoring.

[dukemsu]

Not to argue for the sake of arguing, but if Shane Battier is not a fantastic athlete, I do not know who is.

The backhanded tip-in that sealed the 01 final and the running down of Joe Forte (maybe my second favorite play in Duke history) are plays that 99.9% of players cannot make.

[Jumbo]

Yes, and kids could go straight to the league from high school then. That is the whole point of my post. The best athletes now have to go to school for at least one year, and it's soon to be 2.

It's not "soon to be 2." The earliest that could happen would be 2011, and it's not likely.

[JBDuke]

I think it's time to shut this thread down. The original post was a poorly crafted argument, and the discussion since has provided little enlightenment. If you want to make an argument that Duke needs more superior athletes, then you'll need to make a better case.

This thread is CLOSED.