Wow, these are all great stories. I'll bet we will see most of them by the first of the year.
Demarcus Nelson - how much does his lost hurt?
Johnny Dawkins - how much does his lost hurt?
Elliot Williams, Miles Plumnee and Olek Cryz - how much will the freshmen contribute?
Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas - improved enough to solve last years front-court woes?
Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith - how much better with a year under their belt?
Jon Scheyer - is he our MVP?
Gerald Henderson - Duke's next superstar?
Greg Paulus - how will his much-scrutinized career at Duke end?
What storyline are you most looking forward to this upcoming basketball season?
Last edited by Cavlaw; 06-08-2008 at 02:14 PM. Reason: Poll added
Wow, these are all great stories. I'll bet we will see most of them by the first of the year.
I'm looking forward to watching Paulus progress more. He arguably made his biggest leap forward in terms of output last year, from Sophomore to Junior year. I would like to see him maybe play the 2 guard a bit and be partnered with Nolan more to take advantage of his 3 point shooting ability. I'm also looking forward to seeing the progressions that Nolan and Kyle take in their second years.
i cannot wait to see how gerald handles the expectations of being the next stud player
many analysts are predicting him to have a breakout year and i want to see how he handles the pressure of living up to what the analysts are saying
How about Carolina without Ty Lawson?
I refuse to acknowledge this list since it doesn't include "How much will a healthy Marty actually play?" haha... all good story-lines though!
The biggest question has to be related to improvements in Smith and Singler's games. This will be key in the team's, and fan's collective minds.
I am looking forward to: 1. Seeing Gerald become the superstar that I know he can be; 2. Having a veteran team for the first time in awhile; 3. Seeing if our new found depth inside can produce enough to make us a dominant team (Between Lance, Zoubs, Olek, and Plumlee, can at least two of them be solid?) 4. Finding out if Eliot can be an immediate impact player; and 5. Seeing if the great chemistry of last year will carry over with the new mix of guys.. I believe this will be a great year...
I did not post in the threads about lineups and PT, but based on past history of K's teams, one thing, and one thing only will determe how much PT the new guys will get and that is "How well they play DEFENSE"
It could be a great year ... Scheyer / Paulus / Henderson / Singler could possibly be the best returning 4-man nucleus in the country (point production, experience and chemistry). If we can get from the "frontcourt committee" ( Zoubek, Thomas, Czyz and Plumlee ) 15/10 per game, that would complete the mix. Smith & Williams will make good contibutions; McClure and Pocius could also add quality minutes.
I think the loss of DeMarcus the leader will be felt; I think the loss of DeMarcus the player will not. His final 10-12 games, his play was (sorry fellow Duke fans...) more a liability than a plus. Good luck to him in his quest to find a spot in the NBA -- it will not be easy, with his (only above average, not standout) skill set.
If they can hold their own inside, and the minutes are distributed so that we have a team that doesn't wear down in mid-February, it could be a year that we again go deep into March Madness. Some are saying that '09-'10 will be the next big year, but I think they are including Henderson & Singler in the mix -- I don't imagine the two will be playing college ball in two years.
Either way, can't wait for DUKE and the great ( HA ! ) Dickie V to rev in up again ... !
The improvement of the inside game and I don't mean Singler. If they (our bigs) have the potential then it's only logical that good coaching would make them very good.
I'd like to see a story titled, "Duke Healthy a Fit for March Tourneys."
In no particular order -
Will Henderson explode and become the dynamic, athletic superstar Duke has lacked since JWill?
Will Scheyer continue to get more aggressive on offense?
Can Zoubek contribute 20 mpg? Can Zoubek, Thomas, Czyz, and Plumlee contribute enough to keep Singler from having to play the post?
Can I leave the ACC Tournament feeling really happy again?
Is Detroit a nice place to visit in April? (Is Detroit ever a nice place to visit?) Can I leave Detroit feeling as happy as the last time I left Minneapolis?
How about Duke's new plan for saving some gas in the tank for March.
The poll has been added, for those who want to vote.