Look, Duke would be better with Barnes than without him. Duke wanted Barnes, expected to sign him and didn't. Sucky that Duke missed on Barnes. Double sucky that they lost him to UNC.
Barnes is the third key recruit in the last ten years who Duke expected to sign and didn't. The other two were Jared Jeffries and Brandan Wright.
Duke got in late with Patrick Patterson and John Wall and never caught up to the leaders, in Wall's case a coach not a school. Duke had good vibes from Monroe but he ended his recruitment before even making an official to Duke. Florida and Duke were perceived as 50-50 for Boynton.
But let's look at who's in, not who's out. Just a few weeks ago Duke got a committment from a consensus top-five recruit at a position of need. Yet, to read this and other Duke boards you would think it never happened.
Irving is the second top-five recruit to pick Duke in the last four years; how many schools can make that claim? And he will join guys like Nolan Smith, Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, Andre Dawkins, and Josh Hairston. And maybe Singler.
These guys didn't just show up on the discard heap. Duke got them by winning recruiting battles against Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, Louisville, Villanova, Indiana, Georgetown, and yes, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
And don't forget Mr. Curry. Think he couldn't have gone just about anywhere? Yet, Duke locked him up within days of his departure from Liberty. This would be the same Seth Curry who beat out Kenny Boynton for a spot on the U.S. U-19 team last summer, the same Seth Curry that Andrew Goodman said was the best player on the court during a recent Duke practice.
And Curry may well not start next year.
So let's not make that all-too-easy-jump from the specific to the general. You win some, you lose some on the recruiting trail. That was the case with John Wooden, Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp, and Bob Knight. It's the case with Mike Krzyzewski and it's the case with Roy Williams.
I'm reasonably certain that Duke isn't going anywhere. But no, I don't have a link for that.
Just asking for some perspective here, folks.