Duke's next go to guy

[Baracus]

If Josh decides he is not going to step up and fill the role of go to guy or he decides to leave I believe that will open up the door for Gerald Henderson. I believe this kid is very talented and capable of big things for the season to come. He has a good shot that will only get better with work in the off season. He also has the athleticism to drive to the basket and score. I know he got off to a slow start but as the season progressed Gerald continued to impress me.

[kramerbr]

I agree with Henderson being the most likely go to guy. In addition, Paulus showed great strides in the last half of the season. Its nice to have numerous options, but how about the player who can step up and hit the free throws at the end of the game? I think that was one of our greatest weaknesses this year. We are missing the guy who can seal the deal at the end of the game from the line.

[MikeBinDC]

I agree that the whole free throw shooting situation is a mess. It seems like we get worse as each year goes by, too. I was very dismayed when I read a year or so ago after someone asked Coach K about this, and he said something like, "Free throws can't lose games for you." To me, that's saying that free throws aren't an important aspect of the game, so we're not going to spend an inordinant amount of time dealing with them. As badly as we've played at times this season, how many close games could we have won if we'd just hit our free throws? Certainly, missing 12 free throws in a 2-point loss to VCU has to say something. If it's tue that our free throw shooting was much better when Chip Engelland was a shooting coach for Duke a few years ago, why haven't we replaced him? It's inexcusable that a team at Duke's level within the college basketball world would have such a horrible free throw shooting percentage.

[johnb]

the goal of the first 39 minutes of the game is to create separation. If the game is being decided by a free throw, then the team hasn't performed is primary task: to ensure the win. When it gets down to a free throw and fouling contest, then no team wins every time.

[DU Band Prez 88]

How does this make sense??

Take a look at things from a purely statistical standpoint. Duke gets to the foul line significantly more than the opposition, game in and game out, year in and year out (some years more than otehrs). Check out this year's box scores. Thus, unless somehow Duke's future teams start going to the line significantly less often (that's not going to happen), the team only helps itself by hitting more free throws.

Free throws are shot during the entire 40 minutes of a game. A miss is a miss, whether it's in the 1st minute or the 39th minute. A miss on a potential 3-point play in the beginning of the game is the same as if it happens in the crucial last minute of a game. A missed point is a missed point. They add up!

Recent excellent/great Duke teams - 1999, 2001 and 2, 2006 - typically had a much larger margin of victory in the majority of their games. Now, we get to 2007 and - gasp! - practically every other Duke ACC game, plus the State first round loss, plus the VCU loss, is a nail-biter. Another strong ACC next year, and a Duke team that is probably not going to be a top 5 team from start to finish like some of these great Duke teams, and I think that free throws DO become very important.

[Classof06]

I agree that Henderson has to be the go-to guy over the next couple years. As much as I love Demarcus and Scheyer, neither seemed capable of taking the game over offensively, the way Gerald tried to against UNC. He has the jumper (though he needs to imporve from beyond the arc) and has more than enough athleticism to get to the rack; this is a combo nobody else on Duke currently has. What's interesting about Henderson is that he's the exact kind of player Duke hasn't been recruiting over the past 5 years, and he's the kind of player that they need to start recruiting if they want to get back to the top. Besides Luol Deng, Duke hasn't had a 6-5 to 6-7,athletic, slashing scorer since....Dahntay Jones??? And he was a transfer. With the defense Duke plays and the supporting casts we usually have, you need someone like that to put ultimate pressure on the defense and put you over the top offensively. It's no surprise we had a player like Luol the last time we made the Final Four. And please believe a player like that would've ensured an LSU beatdown last year. Not having a go-to scorer was the glaring omission from this year's team, but I'm 100% confident it's a role Gerald can fill, preferably next year.

As far as free throws, I agree that a program at Duke's level should not be having these problems. Though this past season was the first in 5 years that I wasn't on campus, I was amazed over my four years at the amount of free throws we missed on a consistent basis (save JJ). I personally don't believe that Coach K said "Free throws don't lose you games". Actually, it's more that I hope he didn't say that; he knows way too much about the game to make a statement like that. FTs, in a tournament setting where most games are decided by very few points, are crucial to a team's success. You can say that you shouldn't let the game get to that point, but the reality is that close games are inevitable, and in close games, the little things distinguish the winner from the loser. I think Duke missed many of their FTs because they were flat out exhausted, but that doesn't excuse them and it's a testament to VCU's game plan and their execution of it. They saw Duke as a thin team with a turnover-prone PG. Naturally, they knew if they could pressure him, they could force TOs and if nothing else, just wear him out (knowing he had no backup). Duke, who even got the lead up to 10 or so in the 2nd half, was physically spent the last 3 minutes of that game and VCU waited, then pounced when they saw their chance.

[CMS2478]

I agree that Henderson should be the go to guy, but Singler should be a big-time scorer too. Hopefully, we will see more offense next year, but we still have to get back to playing Duke Defense if we are going to win.

[DukeBlood]

I dont think this team will have a "Go to guy".

They will have 4 or 5 guys scoring in double figures.. Paulus, Scheyer, Nelson, Henderson and Most likely Singler. Pretty balanced scoring. While these guys will combine to score around 50+ a game. Its the bench that will have to contribute.

Thomas, McClure and Zoubek need to throw in 10-15 a game(between the 3 of them). King, Pocius and Smith need to add another 10 a game or so.

Thats 70 a game from these guys(on the low end). As much as Duke loves Defense, I dont see this team being a Defensive team where as this team will be better on the offensive end. I know alot of you will say im crazy, and rightfully so. Paulus IS a shooter.. A great shooter. Scheyer will be a better shooter after this summer(40% 3-point?) and he is a scorer. Henderson has a great mid-range but needs to improve his 3-point. Nelson is a Slasher who needs to work on his shooting, but causes many matchup problems.. Singler(being a incoming FR) Sounds like a very well rounded player..

The bench SHOULD be a strong point for Duke next year... Thats why I think this team will be better offensively.

I know, Many of you ask what im on. So i will anwser.. Nothing

Defense will still be very good for Duke, Just think the offense will be better.

[Jaymf7]

I agree that the whole free throw shooting situation is a mess. It seems like we get worse as each year goes by, too. I was very dismayed when I read a year or so ago after someone asked Coach K about this, and he said something like, "Free throws can't lose games for you." To me, that's saying that free throws aren't an important aspect of the game, so we're not going to spend an inordinant amount of time dealing with them.

I cannot recall the exact circumstances of that quote, but if Coach K said it, it was likely to protect a player who had missed key free throws that could have sealed a game (i.e. JWill's missed free throws at FSU in 2002 did not lose the game for us).

K has a passage in his 2001 book about a similar situation early in 2001 when Dunleavy missed 2 free throws early in the year and K made a point of defending him. Later that season, at the end of a key game, Dunleavy asked to inbound the ball and K put the ball in someone else's hands so Dunleavy could receive the ball and take the key free throws (which he made). Such an effort to protect a player's psyche is the most likely explanation for your quote.

Indeed, Coach K said the following after the VCU loss: "I thought our guys played really hard, we were ready to play, I think our foul trouble in the first half hurt us, especially with Paulus’ two. We missed a lot of free throws." Acknowledging the misses in the middle of explaining the loss is in direct conflict with the position you suggest he took. FTs alone cannot lose the game, but they can certainly be a factor.

That said, I hope everyone, and particularly Nelson, works hard on their free throws in the offseason.

[jjasper0729]

I like Henderson as the go to guy next year and a couple of years to come at least. Whenever I watch him play, he has an effortless glide to the basket that eerily reminds me a little of Grant Hill when he was at Duke.

G needs to establish himself as an outside scoring threat and the drives would really open up and then I think we'd have a very potent go to guy

[Zeke]

If Josh goes and we get hit with a bunch of transfers (Pocius and Zoubek come to mind) then we might be in even deeper doo-doo next year. Riding the pine gets pretty old pretty quick.

[duke86]

This article shows the commitment and spirit of Brian:

http://www.courierpostonline.com/app...=2007703150401

This should be read before making gross accusations of him leaving.

[Cameron]

If Gerald can really improve his outside shot, he will be our number one man next season. Adding a three-point shot to his already potent driving ability would make him an amazing scorer, perhaps a 17 or 18 per game kind of guy. Not saying this will happen, but Gerald isn't far away from being that type of guy, especially if Josh is out of the lineup.

With that said, I think next season will belong to three guys on the offensive end: Gerald, Jon, and Kyle. These will be our go-to guys, and they are all more than capable of producing. Obviously we have not seen Kyle perform on the college level yet, but I have no doubt that he will able to hold his own next year. He is an amazing talent. We will be in great hands next season offensively, which is something we certainly couldn't say this year.

And for those of you who don't think Jon is capable of taking a game over, I think you'll change your minds next season. Jon played very, very tentatively at times this season, seemingly not comfortable with being "the man." This will change IMO. Jon is an incredible talent. His shooting capabilities are much more dangerous than what he showed this season, as he can fill it up in a hurry when he's hunting his shot and can do so from 25, 26 feet when he feels need to, something he perfected in high school when he was forced to create distance against good defenders. Next season, when Jon is much more willing to take the offense upon himself, I think you'll see him creating more shot opportunities for himself. If you noticed this year, a lot of times Jon seemed to pass up good looks. As a sophomore, he won't be as passive. I think he will be "wanting" to score, wanting to take it upon himself when he needs to.

Jon needs to put some weight and muscle upon himself as well, two other facets that will help give him a better edge on his defenders. But, I think it was his tentativeness that kept him from fully showing his potential as a freshman, which is a pretty good omen considering he still ended the year averaging 12 per game and scored 26 in first meeting with Carolina. The bottom line is, if Jon bulks up his frame and considerably enhances his stamina for the long and brutal ACC season, the rest of the nation better watch out. He may still be a season away from being able to completely take over games, but Jon will be a major force next season, both offensively and defensively.

[freedevil]

Honestly, I don't want a definitive "go-to guy." I want a TEAM that is capable of getting points from a number of players.

On the day Duke lost at Maryland this year, I watched the 2001 game on ESPN classic. Granted, Jason Williams was the MAN on that team, but I would say he was A "go-to guy" among MANY "go-to guys." Think of Boozer, Dunleavy, Battier, and Williams (and I haven't even mentioned Nate James or Duhon yet)

I would like to see Duke get back to having multiple scorers, where almost everyone (3 to 4 guys) on the floor is a threat. As awesome as Redick and Shelden were, there needs to be that 3rd or 4th scoring option, IMO, to insure that the team constantly scores enough points to put it in a position to win.

[Cameron]

And just to clarify, I am not predicting Gerald will average 17 or 18 PPG next season. Just stating that he could become that type of scorer when we need it. I see him somewhere in the 13 to 16 point range, though.

[kramerbr]

There hasn't been much talk of Greg Paulus in this thread. I think he his offensive ability is greatly underestimated. Once he finally got healthy he was often looked at as the "go to guy". He made several clutch shots when we really needed a score. His leadership and willingness to take the big shot will show even more next year when he is healthy all season (knock on wood).

People (mostly outside of the Duke fanbase) tend to forget he started off the season injured and was only a SOPHOMORE!

[Classof06]

I agree. I was one of the people on Greg's case earlier, and while his defense still needs a little work, I'm very impressed with the way he finished the season; IMO, he was the only one that really did. Whatever happens over the next few months with Josh and Patrick Patterson, and the development of the freshmen, I know we have one kid that can consistently drop buckets coming into next year. I never thought he'd be the one (the only one) I'd say that about, but he is. His last 10 games, he averaged 17.4 ppg. If that's a sign of things to come, then it's a nice start to curing our offensive ills...

[Cameron]

^^I didn't forget about Greg--I just know he is primarily our point guard and will not be fully looked upon to score the majority of the points--but he should certainly be mentioned. Good call, kramer. I, too, became very impressed with Greg's vast improvement offensively this season. He was incredible for us at times. Near the end of the year, he was the only guy had faith in when we needed points on the board. So, yeah, I guess he was our go-to guy the last month of the year. Or the best one we had.

He could have a great junior season next year, and open the eyes of A LOT of people. I hope he does.

[jimsumner]

"I dont think this team will have a "Go to guy".

They will have 4 or 5 guys scoring in double figures."

Having a gtg and having balance aren't mutually exclusive.

All three of Duke's NCAA title teams had five guys scoring in double figures yet no one would deny that Laettner was the gtg in '91 or '92. Or look at 2001. JWill averaged 21 ppg, Battier 20 ppg, yet Boozer, Dunleavy, and James scored in double figures.

I don't think anyone on next season's team can top the 20 ppg average but I do think we can have something like the productive balance of 2004, when Redick averaged 16, Deng 15, Shel and Ewing 12+ and Duhon 10. That team had balance but no shortage of guys who could take and make the big shot.

[kydevil]

I wouldnt qualify Paulus as a "go to guy" Ya he scored a lot late, but most were on 3's that he got open looks on or midrange jumpers. I would consider a go to guy someone who can create for himself consistently and i just dont see that in greg, not taking anything away from him, he's a great player. I see our "go to guy as Hendo early and Singler if he comes on strong towards the end of the season.
Just watching that video of Singler on youtube makes me giddy!