All-Duke NBA team

[houstondukie]

How good would a team consisting of only the current NBA Duke players be?
(for comparison purposes, assume that other NBA teams have their respective Duke players as well - i.e. Duhon plays for the All-Duke team and the Bulls)

Here is my proposed starting lineup and bench:

PG C. Duhon
SG G. Hill
SF S. Battier
PF E. Brand
C C. Boozer

Bench: L. Deng, C. Maggette, M. Dunleavy, J.J. Redick, S. Williams,
S. Randolph, D. Jones, D. Ewing

Despite little point guard depth and no true center, I think this team would be top 3 in the league.

[LetItBD08]

I know it'll never happen for a ton of reasons, but I kind of wished that they could exhibition against an All-UNC NBA team or All-UConn NBA or any other All-College team that could feasibly be put together.

[dukelifer]

How good would a team consisting of only the current NBA Duke players be?
(for comparison purposes, assume that other NBA teams have their respective Duke players as well - i.e. Duhon plays for the All-Duke team and the Bulls)

Here is my proposed starting lineup and bench:

PG C. Duhon
SG G. Hill
SF S. Battier
PF E. Brand
C C. Boozer

Bench: L. Deng, C. Maggette, M. Dunleavy, J.J. Redick, S. Williams,
S. Randolph, D. Jones, D. Ewing

Despite little point guard depth and no true center, I think this team would be top 3 in the league.

Interesting that 3 of your starters played on the 2001 championship team and 4 of the 5 starters of the 2004 final four team are on the bench. If Jason Wiliams had not been injured- I would expect he would be starting instead of Duhon.

[juise]

It would be hard to keep Luol on the bench with the way he's been playing lately, but a healthy Grant can definitely make a team better. Having Dahntay on the bench as a defensive stopper would also be a luxury. Yeah, I'd like to see this squad in action.

[dukeisawesome]

Duke players should be getting credit for stepping it up once they get to the NBA. The NBA bust thing is definitely a thing of the past. That team could be the best team. Nobody could deal with Brand/Boozer on the inside. Also I agree Luol would start for Grant.

[JJweMISSu]

I know it'll never happen for a ton of reasons, but I kind of wished that they could exhibition against an All-UNC NBA team or All-UConn NBA or any other All-College team that could feasibly be put together.

No offense and you all know i love DUKE, but have you seen the what a team of all UNC would have

PG- Ray Felton
SG- Vince Carter
SF- Antwan Jamison
PF: Shaun May
C: i dont know right now
Thats just off the top off my head

We might be able to stay with COnnecticut

[CDu]

No offense and you all know i love DUKE, but have you seen the what a team of all UNC would have

PG- Ray Felton
SG- Vince Carter
SF- Antwan Jamison
PF: Shaun May
C: i dont know right now
Thats just off the top off my head

We might be able to stay with COnnecticut

UNC could do better than that even:

PG - Felton
SG - Carter
SF - Jamison
PF - Rasheed Wallace
C - Brendan Haywood

Bench:
McInnis, Stackhouse, McCants, Williams, May

That said, I think we could definitely "stay with" UNC's crew, with Duhon, Battier, Hill, Boozer, Brand, Deng, Dunleavy, Williams, Maggette, Redick, a healthy Randolph, and either Ewing or Jones.

[houstondukie]

I think we would beat the All-UNC team in a seven game series (in 6 games). I like their backcourt alot with Felton and Carter, but they don't have the same punch in the frontcourt like we do with Battier, Deng, Boozer, and Brand. Luol has had a break out season this year and I think he'll be an all-star next season. We also have the better depth with Maggette and Hill/Deng (depending on who you start).

[lavell12]

Duke Team
Pg Duhon
Sg Maggette
SF Deng
PF Brand
C Boozer

6th man: Grant Hill
rest of the bench: JJ, Battier, Ewing, Dunleavy, Shelden

[houstondukie]

The All-UCONN NBA team is pretty loaded, especially at shooting guard.

PG Marcus Williams
SG Ben Gordon/Rip Hamilton/Ray Allen
SF Caron Butler/Rudy Gay
PF Charlie Villaneueva/Donyell Marshall/Clifford Robinson
C Emeka Okafor

[_Gary]

Guess I'm just terribly biased, but I think the All-Duke team beats both the UNC and UConn teams in best of 7's. No doubt about it in my mind. Our frontcourt, while a tad small, is easily the best with the duo of Brand and Boozer (who are both all star guys). Add guys like Grant, Luol, Corey and Shane and we've got, by far, the best group of 2-5's. And I love Chris as a point guard. Not quite as good as Ray Felton or Marcus Williams, but a solid player none the less.

Gary

[dukeisawesome]

I'm a big NBA fan and Duke beats UNC and UConn easy if you guys are naming all the players. Brand and Boozer down low is the best frontline by far. All UConn really has is good 2 guards while Duke is solid all around. UNC is pretty good, but aging and I think Duke has the better starting 5.

[rasputin]

would Maggette wear his UNC hat?

[dukelifer]

I'm a big NBA fan and Duke beats UNC and UConn easy if you guys are naming all the players. Brand and Boozer down low is the best frontline by far. All UConn really has is good 2 guards while Duke is solid all around. UNC is pretty good, but aging and I think Duke has the better starting 5.

Unfortunately, the jumped-from-high-school team would beat just about everyone- even without a true point guard

Kobe
Lebron
Garnett
Howard
McGrady

[rthomas]

The problem with your jumped-from-high-school team of
Kobe
Lebron
Garnett
Howard
McGrady

No one gives up the ball. Its why the US doesn't win in any iternational ball. It's why these guys aren't contending for an NBA ring this year. Well maybe Lebron is.

[JBDuke]

The problem with your jumped-from-high-school team of
Kobe
Lebron
Garnett
Howard
McGrady

No one gives up the ball. Its why the US doesn't win in any iternational ball. It's why these guys aren't contending for an NBA ring this year. Well maybe Lebron is.

You might want to check your stats before posting something like this. LeBron averages 6.0 apg, Kobe 5.5, Garnett 4.1, and McGrady 6.4. Even Howard averages 1.9, which, considering that he's Dwight Howard, is pretty darned good. All-in-all, that's a team that shares the ball pretty well.

Where this team would fall short, IMO, is team defense. Kobe's the only exceptional defender of the group. However, the team would be a rebounding monster. All rebound well for their positions, and Garnett and Howard are #1 and #3, respectively, in the league.

[greybeard]

UNC has em, Sheed, Carter, Jamison, all as starters and significant minutes. Add up the points, I think you guys are dreaming.

[houstondukie]

UNC has em, Sheed, Carter, Jamison, all as starters and significant minutes. Add up the points, I think you guys are dreaming.

Boozer 20.9 pts
Brand 20.4 pts
Deng 18.9 pts
=60.2

Carter 25.1
Jamison 19.8 pts
Sheed 12.8 pts
=57.7

I'm not a math major but 60.2 > 57.7
We would also kill UNC on the boards.
Side note: Maggette 16.5 pts, Hill 14.4 pts

[Clipsfan]

I'm a big NBA fan and Duke beats UNC and UConn easy if you guys are naming all the players. Brand and Boozer down low is the best frontline by far. All UConn really has is good 2 guards while Duke is solid all around. UNC is pretty good, but aging and I think Duke has the better starting 5.

You should take a look at the way Caron Butler has been playing. Not only is he a defensive stopper, but his offense has been stellar this year. He's hurt at the moment, but it's still be a great season for him.

[duke24/7]

Coach K get to coach the all-Duke team? Also what about the all-Wake team with Duncan and Paul, excellent pg and one of the best fowards of all time. With support from Josh Howard, who I believe was an all-star this year, and Darius Songaila who is getting some minutes since Bulter and Gilbert are injured.

[Sir Stealth]

UNC has the all Wizard of Oz team:

Vince Carter = Tin Man (No Heart)
'Sheed = Scarcrow (No Brain)
Stackhouse = Lion (No Balls)

[dukelifer]

The problem with your jumped-from-high-school team of
Kobe
Lebron
Garnett
Howard
McGrady

No one gives up the ball. Its why the US doesn't win in any iternational ball. It's why these guys aren't contending for an NBA ring this year. Well maybe Lebron is.

The USA team did not have this team- only Lebron and Howard played and of course these guys will be playing NBA ball which is an entirely different game. While there would be some issues on the court in terms of sharing and maybe D- the offensive power would be too difficult to match.

[mapei]

I don't consider Deng and Maggette to be true Duke players and don't think they should count. If we're going to count K recruits, heck, throw Humphries and a healthy Livingston in there too.

[houstondukie]

I don't consider Deng and Maggette to be true Duke players and don't think they should count. If we're going to count K recruits, heck, throw Humphries and a healthy Livingston in there too.

So you're grouping two guys who helped take Duke to 2 final fours (championship game in Maggette's case) in the same category as two guys who never played a game for Duke? Would Carmelo Anthony not count for Syracuse? Kevin Durant for Texas?

[mapei]

No. I am hopelessly old-fashioned, and long for a sport that doesn't exist anymore, if it ever did. :(

[mapei]

I should add that I consider Carmelo and Durant somewhat different, because everyone knew they were one-year players long before they declared. There were no expectations to the contrary. Maggette and Deng were more like deserters.

[ScreechTDX]

The problem with your jumped-from-high-school team of
Kobe
Lebron
Garnett
Howard
McGrady

No one gives up the ball. Its why the US doesn't win in any iternational ball. It's why these guys aren't contending for an NBA ring this year. Well maybe Lebron is.

...agreed...the USA basketball philosophy is freakin garbage but very marketable...

...european basketball is a true team sport...no one man has to go out of his way to create his own shot (which the NBA is all about)...all done with screens and deception...

...we can not win gold medals on talent alone...which we have plenty of...

[dukeENG2003]

I'll agree with those who said all-Duke would beat UNC, but we would get killed by UConn, sorry. I love Duke as much as the next guy, but that team is loaded.

[g_olaf]

Using the player rankings at sportsline.com

I have no idea how they compute these rankings, however, they take into account the number of games played (you are penalized for being injured, which explains why Grant's ranking is low) and is driven by stats (which penalizes Battier). Still, looks like Duke wins.

Duke (name, position, overall ranking)
Duhon, PG, 150
Dunleavy, SG, 67
Deng, SF, 12
Boozer, PF, 5
Brand, PF, 15
BENCH:
Battier, SF, 64
Maggette, SF, 65
Hill, SG, 145

UNC (name, position, ranking)
Felton, PG, 50
Carter, SF, 7
Jamison, PF, 37
Wallace, PF, 77
Haywood, C, 156
Bench:
Stackhouse, SG, 153
M Williams, PF, 157
Noel, SF, 260

[kydevil]

I'll agree with those who said all-Duke would beat UNC, but we would get killed by UConn, sorry. I love Duke as much as the next guy, but that team is loaded.

I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that one... All Uconn is loaded at sg and solid sf's. There frontcourt is no match however. Villaneueva is solid but still soft and hasnt totally proven himself while Okafor is a decent defender and rebounder his Offense isn't amazing. Thay have no depth at frontcourt. Boozer,Brand, Deng, and heck even the landlord could go to town on them!!!
You cant play 3 sg's at once.

[oli-p]

Tar Heel graduate here,
Love Brand and used to love G-Hill. Wishing he wasn't perpetually injury prone. It's all well and good with stats, but (not an NBA fan particullarly) numbers on playoff teams versus non-playoffs would give insite - if anyone has that knowledge.
By the way, not trying to be a smart http://www.dukebasketballreport.comhttp://www.dukebasketballreport.comhttp://www.dukebasketballreport.com, but I tried to research and couldn't find great info. How many Duke players have NBA championship rings. I could only come up with Ferry on SA, but think there must be a few others. Anyone know for sure?

[oli-p]

Sorry for the curse. Didn't know a.. was bad. It is in the bible after all.

[greybeard]

The problem with your jumped-from-high-school team of
Kobe
Lebron
Garnett
Howard
McGrady

No one gives up the ball. Its why the US doesn't win in any iternational ball. It's why these guys aren't contending for an NBA ring this year. Well maybe Lebron is.

1. The rules are different and different with different geometry that combine to change rather dramatically, albeit subtley (it is basketball) what is "good" from moment to moment, making the computer-like computations of people who are used to making them with laser-like accuracy flawed. In other words, our basketball wizzards, who are genuises in making those computations in our game, get outsmarted in the different international game by players who live in that world, not ours.

3. The soccer influence on international ball makes international players masters at using space and movement in ways that only Phoenix, lead by soccer-layer Nash (he trains with the NY Red-Bulls and competes in high-end amateur leagues, and is the son of a soccer coach) can emulate.

I mean this seriously, aspiring basketball players are wasting their time playing AAU ball and working on "trick" skills that do nothing to enhance their games or their concepts of what is possible. The basketball camps are redundant and give a false sense of accomplishment, grounded on becoming ever more proficient at "showing off." These athletes, in my opinion, would be much better off spending their off seasons playing soccer, which, I have mentioned, contributes immeasurably to an understanding of the possible in terms of one-two combinations, changes in direction, spacing, changing the point of attack, all of which Nash exemplifies. Take a look if you haven't at Barcelona playing Real Madrid sometime and you will quickly pick up where Nash's approach to the game comes from.

[johnb]

I don't consider Deng and Maggette to be true Duke players and don't think they should count. If we're going to count K recruits, heck, throw Humphries and a healthy Livingston in there too.

Luol Deng had some strong reasons for trying to ensure financial security. All indications are that he is smart, thoughtful, well read, mature, altruistic, and--to use a word that I don't often use--heroic. No basketball team ever had five guys on it who possessed Deng's personal qualities, and I think we should feel some sense of displaced pride that he chose to attend Duke for a couple of years.

[kydevil]

I think we should feel some sense of displaced pride that he chose to attend Duke for a couple of years.

Deng just attended Duke for one year.

[dukeisawesome]

You should take a look at the way Caron Butler has been playing. Not only is he a defensive stopper, but his offense has been stellar this year. He's hurt at the moment, but it's still be a great season for him.

I did not mention Caron, but I am a Wiz fan so I know how great he has been. What I meant UConn is only deep at the 2 position, but they do have a good 3 in Butler. They are still much weaker all around than Duke or UNC.

[yancem]

Here is a link to an article on SI a little over a year ago.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/bill_syken/12/22/scorecard.daily/index.html

Duke actually came in fourth but I believe that Boozer was hurt at the time and G Hill's comback was still questionable. Also, it was before Deng really started making noise.

[VaDukie]

I should add that I consider Carmelo and Durant somewhat different, because everyone knew they were one-year players long before they declared. There were no expectations to the contrary. Maggette and Deng were more like deserters.

I have to take serious issues with you calling Deng a deserter. Deng himself wanted to come back, but for family reasons (his family being displaced from genocide for crying out loud), he went pro. And frankly I'm glad Maggette left, if he hadn't we'd have been further implicated in the Myron Piggie business.

[JJweMISSu]

Unfortunately, the jumped-from-high-school team would beat just about everyone- even without a true point guard

Kobe
Lebron
Garnett
Howard
McGrady
My god I forgot about Arizona they would kill everyone with Bibby, Terry, Arenas, Iggy, Rich Jeff, and there has to be somewhat of a big guy from there in the NBA.



But back to someone said the USA team couldn't win. But look at there starters compared to the jum straight from high school

Hinrich-Kobe
Wade-McGrady
Lebron-LeBron
Mello-Garnett
Howard-Howard

come on dont say the highschool team wouldnt win

[JJweMISSu]

Also did u guys see how many people quit because of a supposable injury before the USA offical roster.

It includes:
Arenas
Billups
Kobe
Oden
Odom
Pierce
Redd
Redick
Stoudemire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Team_(basketball)#2006-2008_U.S._Men.27s_Basketball_Team

I mean i know most where actual injuries or serious situations, but think how many of our stars didn't even play on that team.
Also i didnt know that Kevin Durant got cut from there roster.

[kydevil]

Also did u guys see how many people quit because of a supposable injury before the USA offical roster.

It includes:
Arenas
Billups
Kobe
Oden
Odom
Pierce
Redd
Redick
Stoudemire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Team_(basketball)#2006-2008_U.S._Men.27s_Basketball_Team

I mean i know most where actual injuries or serious situations, but think how many of our stars didn't even play on that team.
Also i didnt know that Kevin Durant got cut from there roster.

Ya Arenas def. didnt choose not to play... he was cut. Which he expresses his anger towards commonly

[DavidBenAkiva]

Duke's team would Kill, KILL the opposition of UNC, UConn, Arizona or any other college (but not a high school team with Kobe, Lebron, Howard, etc.)
The one word that you guys are all forgetting is DEFENSE. 'Sheed is a great player and defender, but with a team of Vince Carter and Antwan Jamison, how could you EVER hope to stop anyone. Did you guys watch the NBA playoffs each of the last few years? MJ said that he wouldn't even want to sign VC as a free agent because he won't defend. Felton, May and Haywood would be pretty lousy on D as well.

Butler, Hamilton and Okafor on the other hand would provide a pretty nice challenge since they play at both ends of the court, but I wouldn't consider them if they had to start Marcus Williams and Charlie Villanueva. They would get eaten alive in the paint between Brand and Boozer.

Arizona would be an interesting team. Gilbert Arenas, Jason Terry, Andre Iguodala, Richard Jefferson, and Channing Frye would be a real nice nucleus with Luke Walton off the bench. A small team, but who can honestly provide any beef up front?

[kydevil]

Duke's team would Kill, KILL the opposition of UNC, UConn, Arizona or any other college (but not a high school team with Kobe, Lebron, Howard, etc.)
The one word that you guys are all forgetting is DEFENSE. 'Sheed is a great player and defender, but with a team of Vince Carter and Antwan Jamison, how could you EVER hope to stop anyone. Did you guys watch the NBA playoffs each of the last few years? MJ said that he wouldn't even want to sign VC as a free agent because he won't defend. Felton, May and Haywood would be pretty lousy on D as well.

Butler, Hamilton and Okafor on the other hand would provide a pretty nice challenge since they play at both ends of the court, but I wouldn't consider them if they had to start Marcus Williams and Charlie Villanueva. They would get eaten alive in the paint between Brand and Boozer.

Arizona would be an interesting team. Gilbert Arenas, Jason Terry, Andre Iguodala, Richard Jefferson, and Channing Frye would be a real nice nucleus with Luke Walton off the bench. A small team, but who can honestly provide any beef up front?

Well Duke's Nba team wouldn't be oversized... seeing that Brand and Boozer would be our big men and they are both undersized big men. At least height wise, they have bulk and skill but aren't tall bigs.

[JJweMISSu]

Ya Arenas def. didnt choose not to play... he was cut. Which he expresses his anger towards commonly

"Gilbert Arenas, of the Washington Wizards (suffered a groin injury just before the 2006 Worlds)"

im just going by what the site says, maybe that is why he got cut.

[JJweMISSu]

Duke's team would Kill, KILL the opposition of UNC, UConn, Arizona or any other college (but not a high school team with Kobe, Lebron, Howard, etc.)
The one word that you guys are all forgetting is DEFENSE. 'Sheed is a great player and defender, but with a team of Vince Carter and Antwan Jamison, how could you EVER hope to stop anyone. Did you guys watch the NBA playoffs each of the last few years? MJ said that he wouldn't even want to sign VC as a free agent because he won't defend. Felton, May and Haywood would be pretty lousy on D as well.

Butler, Hamilton and Okafor on the other hand would provide a pretty nice challenge since they play at both ends of the court, but I wouldn't consider them if they had to start Marcus Williams and Charlie Villanueva. They would get eaten alive in the paint between Brand and Boozer.

Arizona would be an interesting team. Gilbert Arenas, Jason Terry, Andre Iguodala, Richard Jefferson, and Channing Frye would be a real nice nucleus with Luke Walton off the bench. A small team, but who can honestly provide any beef up front?

7 game series I take DUKE, 1 game I take Arizona. They could press the Sh** out of us, along with spreading the court and pushing the ball. Yea we might have the inside advantage but Iggy is very versitle, Jefferson is a good SF and Channing Frye is pretty good so you start 3 guards a SF and PF playing big. Im just saying Arenas Terry and Iggy all over your guards, how you gonna be able to obstain that pressure in one game?

[sagegrouse]

Tar Heel graduate here,
Love Brand and used to love G-Hill. Wishing he wasn't perpetually injury prone. It's all well and good with stats, but (not an NBA fan particullarly) numbers on playoff teams versus non-playoffs would give insite - if anyone has that knowledge.
By the way, not trying to be a smart http://www.dukebasketballreport.comhttp://www.dukebasketballreport.comhttp://www.dukebasketballreport.com, but I tried to research and couldn't find great info. How many Duke players have NBA championship rings. I could only come up with Ferry on SA, but think there must be a few others. Anyone know for sure?
Duke Championship Rings

Jeff Mullins, Golden State, ca. 1975-1976.

Sage Grouse