Originally Posted by
gumbomoop
I was happy to see in the several links to the home page's "More on Gbinije's Departure" the straightforward explanation provided by Michael's high school coach. Namely, nothing against the school, his teammates, or K. "He just wants to play." And Michael's "just looking for a little bit of a fresh start."
Although I'm a little disappointed in the [not unexpected] brevity of K's farewell comment, it's pretty standard fare, so no reason to read anything into that, either.
However, the main page version of why Michael didn't play much does remind me of one final - and for me the essential - puzzle in his season. We are reminded of "the way things are done at Duke," meaning "defense, communication, and trust. A player earns trust in practice by playing hard, communicating and most of all defending."
Fair enough, and I mean that. For me the really puzzling thing is that I'd have bet anything, based on seeing Michael several times on TV during his senior year and in all-star games, that he'd make his mark on D and trust. I posted a year ago that Michael was one of the only players in one of those all-star games to play any D; and as "proof" I gave 2 specific examples of his hustle and smart D. Further, I thought I saw in Michael just a hint of attitude, that he came into that all-star game with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, ready to prove he belonged. I thought, "This kid is going to be a really valuable player."
So, I was either way off, or things just never clicked for Michael, once faced with the intensity [Is that it???] of K's system and tutelage. Maybe Michael's hustling D didn't mesh with the actual intricacies with K's defensive principles. Or maybe Michael's apparently very quiet demeanor became a real problem for him in Duke's system, for K has stated repeatedly that active communication is an absolute.
I want to say, too, that I have been impressed with both the civility and insights provided in this thread by Greg_Newton, jimsumner, Zeb, MCFinARL, dukedoc, and Newton 14. [The rest of you are all great, too...]. Like Greg_Newton, I have found Michael's decision to transfer somewhat unsettling. But the many thoughtful posts have been informative and steadying. Seriously.
I'm off for a bit of a cry now. Less seriously.