I like the look of that lineup. Mason was the only person I wasn't sure about but thought there was a good chance he would start.
On Nolan's U-Stream he said the starting five will be:
Jon Scheyer
Nolan Smith
Kyle Singler
Mason Plumlee
Lance Thomas/ Brian Zoubek
There you have it
I like the look of that lineup. Mason was the only person I wasn't sure about but thought there was a good chance he would start.
Nice, mason and lance should be be a good combo down low. What do you guys think?
Pretty cool if Mason really has locked up starting spot already. Bodes very well for the team's prospects.
My one question... does the order you typed the names imply that Lance would be the center in that lineup, or was that just coincidental? It boggles my mind that Lance would spend any time at the 5 on this team. And by "5", I mean guarding the opposing team's center and spending the most time in the post, before all the "K doesn't play positions" nonsense starts...
If it comes down to Z or LT, I would prefer LT. His mobility will serve us much better. While we will have a very big team, I really think our mobility will still be there if Lance plays the bulk of the minutes. I look forward to seeing Mason in the starting lineup and playing alongside his brother at times! Hell I look forward to watching a Duke game period!
I dunno if that's why the OP listed them this way, but that was the order that Nolan listed them off. And it was more of Nolan's prediction than anything concrete, but that's just my impression.
I wouldn't worry about Lance guarding the other team's "5" if Mason is playing. Just like I wouldn't worry about Jon guarding quick PGs with Nolan at his side.
Speaking of the "K doesn't play positions" thing... One thing Nolan said a few times when people asked if he was gonna be PG or SG... He said he's just going to be a guard, and do the things that both a PG and an SG would do (create, score, shoot, etc.) So that would give you an indication that we're going to have a lot of flexible, versatile guys out there (not that we didn't already know that.)
A recruit doing U-stream is one thing, but I don't like our players doing it. Too much risk there. Coach K might need to shut it down.
I dunno, these guys are trained to handle the media, press conferences and the like. They are also trained, instructed and expected to be great representatives of the University. It's the only official rule Coach K has for the team, iirc, to act/live in a way that is a good representation of self/team/university- something along those lines. Finally, the guys are seemingly well looked after when it comes to NCAA regulations. I'm sure they are well instructed to the extent where they would know better than to do anything that is blatantly a violation or anything like that.
I just think it's such a grey area, because it's all (twitter, ustream, etc.) so new. It will be fascinating to see how the NCAA and individual teams adapt to all these changes.
All that said, I agree with you and think that they will probably be encouraged to tone it down a bit, at the least.
I couldn't disagree more. Social media is a way for athletes to engage with their fans. And while some college athletes (I'm really thinking of Kansas right now) will say inappropriate things, I have a lot of faith in Duke kids using social media. Also, we are always talking about how this player is such a "good" and "responsible" kid and "fits the Duke mold." If you truly believe that, then let Duke players act on their own accord - no need for K to pull the plug on Twitter, Facebook, youtube, uStream, etc.
What does this really mean?
(a) Practice doesn't officially start until o/a October 15.
(b) Players are allowed to scrimmage, of course, but coaches are forbidden from even watching.
How can there as yet be a "starting five?" Says who? Coaches who haven't seen the players play a minute? Or, maybe its the consensus of the veterans on the team? Or, maybe just Nolan? And, of course, he named six players for his starting five..
sagegrouse
'BTW with each thread now evolving into colloquys on Twitter and U-Stream, does that mean that Marshall McLuhan was stating an eternal truth -- "The medium is the message?"'
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
I don't see why we are being dissuaded from speculating the starting 5, even if it's before practice season. This type of chatter gets everyone excited for the future season, which is always positive. Plus, these aren't the starting five of us, but rather of Nolan.
This is the most exciting recruiting class since the 2005 class (even if they didn't pan out, it was one hell of an exciting class to follow at the time). I think Mason can easily be a starter, with Dawkins and Kelly as the 6th, 7th, or 8th guys off the bench (with Miles will come off the bench as well). I am really excited for this season.
What the heck is ustream?
As per wikipedia:
"Ustream, established March 2007, is a website which consists of network of diverse channels providing a platform for lifecasting and live video streaming of events online. The website has over 2,000,000 registered users who generate 1,500,000+ hours of live streamed content per month with over ten million unique hits per month. It received $11.1 million in Series A funding for new product development from DCM and investors Labrador Ventures and Band of Angels."
Basically - live youtube
I cannot speak for others, but the point I was trying to make is that nothing is set in stone. Some folks are acting like Nolan's comments are the final word and that the starting 5 is a done deal. While Nolan's five/six may very well be the starters this season, I can guarantee you that it is not a done deal at this point because practice has not even started yet.
So, I have no objection to speculating about starting fives and interesting combos of players and the such, but treating any of this as if it is a done deal is just foolish...
...and that was what I was trying to convey.
--Jason "anyone dreaming of a big lineup with Scheyer, Singler, Kelly, Mason, and Miles?" Evans
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
No one is saying don't speculate on a starting 5. It's just that Nolan was asked a question in a very informal setting and gave his opinion on what will happen. From there people jump to conclusions like "Mason has locked up a starting spot". It's somewhat silly. Obviously Nolan was just taking a guess. There's no way the starting 5 has been decided before practice even begins.
I watched some of the ustream last night and had very mixed feelings. I thought it was very cool to see Nolan in a relaxed setting just interacting with people. That's something you really don't get to see very often. He came across very well I think. Just a normal kid who happens to be really good at basketball. On the other hand I could see it getting out of hand and he could easily say something "wrong" and things could totally be taken the wrong way. The more things like this happen the more that non-Duke fans will try to disrupt and cause problems with it.