2010-11 Starting Lineup?

[grateful_duke]

PG - Kyrie Irving
SG - Nolan Smith
SF - Kyle Singler
PF - Miles Plumlee
C - Mason Plumlee

Bench:
Andre Dawkins
Ryan Kelly
Seth Curry
Joshua Hairston
Tyler Thornton
Steve Johnson
Casey Peters


What do you think? REPEAT!? It could surely happen. For now, I think I'm going to go celebrate this CHAMPIONSHIP a bit more!!! :D

[Duke #33]

PG - Kyrie Irving
SG - Nolan Smith
SF - Kyle Singler
PF - Miles Plumlee
C - Mason Plumlee

Bench:
Andre Dawkins
Ryan Kelly
Seth Curry
Joshua Hairston
Tyler Thornton
Steve Johnson
Casey Peters


What do you think? REPEAT!? It could surely happen. For now, I think I'm going to go celebrate this CHAMPIONSHIP a bit more!!! :D

don't forget about Carrick Felix.

[DevilHorns]

I cant sleep either. :)

[airowe]

don't forget about Carrick Felix.

and possibly Michael Haynes...

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

PG: Irving
G: Smith
G: Curry
F: Singler
F: Mason Plumee

[hedevil]

If Kyle doesn't return, I'd like to see alot of:
1.Irving
2.Smith
3.Curry
4.MP1
5.MP2

bench:
Dawkins, Hairston, Felix, Kelly, Thornton

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I cant sleep either. :)
I can't sleep, but it's because of the damn cough I have. Too much excitement - NOT!

I'm not surprised someone started a thread on next year's starting lineup already, just not really interested in speculating about it tonight. I'll head up to Durham late tomorrow morning to buy my new T-shirt(s) and welcome the team back, helping celebrate our fantastic win! I'll leave next year's back-to-back prediction for the day after tomorrow. And yes, I'm in that camp to no one here's surprise :cool:

Today is for celebrating and enjoying, not worrying about next season!

[hedevil]

Wasn't Haynes being recruited for 11-12?

[airowe]

Wasn't Haynes being recruited for 11-12?

No. He'll graduate '10.

[-bdbd]

PG: Irving
G: Smith
G: Curry
F: Singler
F: Mason Plumee

Agreed - and sub in MP1 for Kyle if he goes. K will play the 5 most talented guys in most situations. So I absolutely expect to see this line-up, at least in the beginning. We'll see how different players develop. Or maybe we do different line-ups, a bit, to match up with opponents (such as if they have a tall or big WF). But remember: match-up problems go both ways. For every 6' 7" WF that Nolan or Curry (who'd be best - 'dre ?) must try to guard (and get posted up on), there will also be a 6'7" guy running all over the court trying to keep up with a speedy Duke guard, and getting pulled away from the paint, etc...

Hmmm.

Could be really fun.

But I'll worry about that next week ..... after I come down off of my cloud! Wahoo! We won!!!!

;)

[grateful_duke]

don't forget about Carrick Felix.

Can I edit my post? For some reason it has the "Reply" icon, but no "Edit" for the main post. Though I can edit this post.

A little new to the board.

Not a new Dukie though. :p

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

I'm excited for next year, and still happy about this year. Duke has a bright future, LGD!!!!!!!!

[DukieInBrasil]

PG - Kyrie Irving
SG - Nolan Smith
SF - Kyle Singler
PF - Miles Plumlee
C - Mason Plumlee

Bench:
Andre Dawkins
Ryan Kelly
Seth Curry
Joshua Hairston
Tyler Thornton
Steve Johnson
Casey Peters


What do you think? REPEAT!? It could surely happen. For now, I think I'm going to go celebrate this CHAMPIONSHIP a bit more!!! :D

originally i was gonna insist that Curry would be starting, but then I said "Over who?" If Singler stays, he'll have a chance to polish that SF skill-set he's been working on all year. If Singler goes, Curry starts.
Although this year was an aberration in terms of so many big bodies starting, I just don't see how K is gonna keep both Plumlees and Singler off of the court (once again, if KS stays). We're gonna be unbelievably deep next year, and I'm not worried in the least about "lack of big men". As mentioned earlier, Carrick Felix will also be on the roster as well as maybe one other un-signed big 'un.
I also believe we'll be very capable of repeating next year, with or without Singler. With Singler we'll be the hands down favorite, w/o him I still like our chances.

[NYDukie]

PG: Irving
G: Smith
G: Curry
F: Singler
F: Mason Plumee

I see this too but if Kyle comes back, I would not be suprised to see Kyle at the SF spot with both Plumlees starting since that type of lineup got them the championship and I don't necessarily think Coach K would want to move Kyle again in the lineup. I just get a feeling Coach K would think he owes Kyle a bit for doing what was best for the team throughout. This can all change if a 3 guard lineup looks signficantly better is early practices and they feel they can hold their own on the boards with Kyle at PF. Bottom line, they can at least go big or small rather effectively on paper as it looks right now.

Key for next season, aside from whether Kyle comes back, will be the continued development of the Plumlees and whether either Kelly or Hairston can provide a productive third big to rotate for a reasonable amount of minutes. The rebounding of this team this year won them the title and will be key again next year in my opinion!

[Saratoga2]

His job will be to sell these players on the idea that it doesn't matter if you start, you will get significant PT. We will have some great guards who will not start. We will also have other fine players who will not start. To keep the team happy and working together, coach K will possibly go to a high tempo team like our nemesis UNC prefers, so that all the fine players can get into the act.

[miramar]

If Kyle comes back, I like Deadhead's lineup:

PG - Kyrie Irving
SG - Nolan Smith
SF - Kyle Singler
PF - Miles Plumlee
C - Mason Plumlee

But Coach K would have the option of going small at any time:

PG - Kyrie Irving
SG - Nolan Smith
SG-Seth Curry
F - Kyle Singler
C - Miles or Mason

It's going to hard for anybody to keep up with this crew either way.

[northernduke]

The rebounding of this team this year won them the title and will be key again next year in my opinion!

I can't wait for next season! Not to see if we can win another championship, but to see how the players develop over the offseason and how they integrate the blue collar mindset that this team leveraged for success. Will be fun to see who steps up for the loss of Z, LT and Jon (and potentially Kyle). I hope they have the same motor this team had and can pride themselves on rebounding - it's what made this team special.

[DukieBoy]

I'm set on enjoying this year until about June when we officially know Kyle is coming back/staying. Then, we talk about next year.

[NYDukie]

Duke, behind All Americans Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith along with freshman of the year Kyrie Irving lead Duke and Coach K to back to back national champions in the Armegeddon matchup many have waited for over UNC. Nolan Smith's high arcing shot in the lane over Jon Henson with 1.3 seconds left gives Duke and Coach K it's 5th national championship and propels Coach K to #1 in all time victories after the team claims it's 35th victory of the season!!!!

Ahhhh, to be a fan and dream!!!! And you thought you were stressed last night!!!! Just imagine!!!

[duke79]

Nice fantasy !!!

[1999ballboy]

MP1 has played the 5 all year, so I don't see him switching to the 4 for his brother next year. Although personally I could make an argument for it. Mason has better footwork and more potential to be a back-to-the-basket scorer, and Miles has recently shown that he has a better mid-range jumper.

I think it'll look like this:
PG Irving
SG Smith
SF Singler/Dawkins
PF Mason Plumlee
C Miles Plumlee

Bench:
Curry
(Dawkins)
Hairston
Kelly
Felix
Thornton
Johnson
Peters
Zafirovski

The variation is in case Singler leaves. Dawkins probably won't be one of our five best players, but he fits into the lineup best. He's a pure wing, and our only guard over 6'2. I see Curry as an extremely solid sixth man. We should get valuable contributions from our bench, and I think Hairston and perhaps Kelly have the potential to be x-factors. I think this team will resemble our 2004 team, except that we don't have a Luol Deng. We'll have the same kind of guard depth that team had, and considerable depth in the post as well despite the post players being inexperienced. I'm not sure whether Felix and Thornton will work their way into the regular rotation, but who knows? Dockery got some PT on the '03 and '04 teams despite being behind a bevy of better scoring guards. The offseason development of Dawkins, Kelly, and both Plumlees is going to be absolutely key in determining how far this team can go. Those are just a few of my immediate thoughts.

[COYS]

MP1 has played the 5 all year, so I don't see him switching to the 4 for his brother next year. Although personally I could make an argument for it. Mason has better footwork and more potential to be a back-to-the-basket scorer, and Miles has recently shown that he has a better mid-range jumper.

I think it'll look like this:
PG Irving
SG Smith
SF Singler/Dawkins
PF Mason Plumlee
C Miles Plumlee

Bench:
Curry
(Dawkins)
Hairston
Kelly
Felix
Thornton
Johnson
Peters
Zafirovski

The variation is in case Singler leaves. Dawkins probably won't be one of our five best players, but he fits into the lineup best. He's a pure wing, and our only guard over 6'2. I see Curry as an extremely solid sixth man. We should get valuable contributions from our bench, and I think Hairston and perhaps Kelly have the potential to be x-factors. I think this team will resemble our 2004 team, except that we don't have a Luol Deng. We'll have the same kind of guard depth that team had, and considerable depth in the post as well despite the post players being inexperienced. I'm not sure whether Felix and Thornton will work their way into the regular rotation, but who knows? Dockery got some PT on the '03 and '04 teams despite being behind a bevy of better scoring guards. The offseason development of Dawkins, Kelly, and both Plumlees is going to be absolutely key in determining how far this team can go. Those are just a few of my immediate thoughts.

I bring this up more to highlight how strangely special this year's team is as I'm not quite ready to speculate on next season. Our two best offensive players based on offensive rating from Kenpom's site (http://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Duke) were Jon and . . . Zoubs! The reason? His offensive rebounding. As many have mentioned before, we had the most efficient offense this year not because we were a great shooting team, but because we extended possessions by pulling down offensive boards. Zoubek was the biggest part of this, by far, as he was the best offensive boardsman in the nation. For next year's team, we have to find a way to replace Zoubek's contributions. Early in the year, many were concerned that we didn't get enough easy buckets. We made up for that by getting second chances on slightly more difficult shots (three's, jumpers, runners, etc.). Obviously, I hope that Mason and Miles improve their rebounding skills. That being said, I think our lineup will have to be reconfigured to get easy buckets in other ways as Zoubek may be the best offensive rebounder Duke will ever have. I think we can get those buckets off of ball-pressure, fast breaks, and by basically running teams out of the gym next season, but I still think that we will miss Zoubs more than we realize. This is no knock on anyone else as I think we can be great next year, but Zoubek had one of the most special second halves of a season of any Duke forward ever . . . and he did it without scoring much at all.

[awich1]

Agree that most posters are underestimating the loss of Zoubek and, to an important but lesser extent. Thomas. The Plumlees are going to have to become major and consistent contributors, something that we did not need this year. I think their playing time last night vs Zoubs and Thomas is an indicator of how much less confidence K had in the Plumlees. If Singler does not return, I have less confidence in the team next year than most posters because of the potential weakness up front. We will need Kelly and/or Hairston to be significant contributors at the 4. That said, I also think that the potential contribution from Curry may be undervalued. This guy averaged over 20 points a game as a freshman, admittedly in lesser competition. But, with a redshirt year under his belt, my guess is that he will command starter type minutes and be the #2 or 3 scoring option depending on if Singler returns. All in all, a very different team, possibly a more exciting and interesting team to watch, but much weaker up front than this year"s edition.

[whereinthehellami]

PG - Kyrie Irving
SG - Nolan Smith
SF - Kyle Singler
PF - Miles Plumlee
C - Mason Plumlee

Bench:
Andre Dawkins
Ryan Kelly
Seth Curry
Joshua Hairston
Tyler Thornton
Steve Johnson
Casey Peters


What do you think? REPEAT!? It could surely happen. For now, I think I'm going to go celebrate this CHAMPIONSHIP a bit more!!! :D

If Kyle goes pro I see:

Irving 6-1 FR - With Curry (more) and Thornton (less) getting some PT.
Smith 6-2 SR - Curry also gets some burn here whenever Smith needs rest.
Dawkins 6-4 SO - Felix (6-6, SO) starts some games depending on matchups.
Mason 6-10 SO - Kelly (more) and Hairston (less) see some PT.
Miles 6-10 JR - Mason and Kelly see some time here as needed.

[Reisen]

I don't mean to sound harsh, but almost every one of you have the Plumlee brothers playing together, and I just don't see it. You saw that this year because we were so deep at the 4 and the 5. The problem is, we just lost our starters for both positions.

Like it or not, we're going back to Duke teams of old next year with a focus on guard play. You're not going to see the kind of rebounding numbers you saw this year without a 7'1 center, certainly not the offensive numbers. And I don't think you'll see a ton of our two best post players in the game at the same time, especially given their limited minutes this year.

Unless Kelly puts on a lot of muscle and proves he can bang down low, we're going to need Miles and Mason to spell each other for minutes and fouls. Maybe Hairston will prove to be a stud, who knows?

My starting lineup is:

G: Smith
G: Irving
G: Curry
F: Singler
F/C: Either Plumlee

I think Curry will command a lot of minutes (would be a junior at Liberty by now) and score 15+ ppg. Smith and Irving will split ball handling duty, maybe like JWill and Duhon used to do.

We will be much more athletic, turn people over more, get more transition points, etc.

All we need is for one low post presence to blossom (ala Zoubek), and we are a national title contender.

[jimsumner]

The expectation is that Miles and Mason Plumlee will both start next season. That doesn't mean they'll both play 40 mpg and that doesn't mean Singler wouldn't play some 4.

The expectation also is that Kelly will put on muscle in the off-season and be more capable of playing in the post and that Hairston will be able to contribute from day one. Four capable post players, excluding Singler.

No, Duke will not have a seven-foot force in the middle. This puts Duke in line with practically every other team in Duke history and every other team in the NCAA.

The big question will be Duke's ability to play Smith, Curry and Irving at the same time. A trio of players in the 6'1"-6'2" range is going to cause some problems on the defensive end of the court. Going to depend on matchups. One of these guys likely can guard a 6'4" wing. A 6'6"-6'8" wing is more problematical. That's where Dawkins and Felix come into play.

But we've got plenty of time to fret about this stuff; and I'm sure we will. :)

For now, I'm going to enjoy life.

[PADukeMom]

I can't even think about next year. I'm enjoying this season right now.

[COYS]

The expectation is that Miles and Mason Plumlee will both start next season. That doesn't mean they'll both play 40 mpg and that doesn't mean Singler wouldn't play some 4.

The expectation also is that Kelly will put on muscle in the off-season and be more capable of playing in the post and that Hairston will be able to contribute from day one. Four capable post players, excluding Singler.

No, Duke will not have a seven-foot force in the middle. This puts Duke in line with practically every other team in Duke history and every other team in the NCAA.

The big question will be Duke's ability to play Smith, Curry and Irving at the same time. A trio of players in the 6'1"-6'2" range is going to cause some problems on the defensive end of the court. Going to depend on matchups. One of these guys likely can guard a 6'4" wing. A 6'6"-6'8" wing is more problematical. That's where Dawkins and Felix come into play.

But we've got plenty of time to fret about this stuff; and I'm sure we will. :)

For now, I'm going to enjoy life.

FWIW, Dickie V has us as preseason number 1 provided Singler returns. We will lose a lot of experience and talent in Zoubs, Jon, and Lance, but if Singler comes back we will still have a lot of veteran leadership plus, two of our newcomers in Seth and Felix will be more acclimated than the average freshman since they are both transfers and, in the case of Seth, will have had a year practicing with the team. Based on that, I don't think Dickie V is that far off =). Let's hope that the team steps up and proves it!

[DukieInBrasil]

Agree that most posters are underestimating the loss of Zoubek and, to an important but lesser extent. Thomas. The Plumlees are going to have to become major and consistent contributors, something that we did not need this year. I think their playing time last night vs Zoubs and Thomas is an indicator of how much less confidence K had in the Plumlees. If Singler does not return, I have less confidence in the team next year than most posters because of the potential weakness up front. We will need Kelly and/or Hairston to be significant contributors at the 4. That said, I also think that the potential contribution from Curry may be undervalued. This guy averaged over 20 points a game as a freshman, admittedly in lesser competition. But, with a redshirt year under his belt, my guess is that he will command starter type minutes and be the #2 or 3 scoring option depending on if Singler returns. All in all, a very different team, possibly a more exciting and interesting team to watch, but much weaker up front than this year"s edition.

I agree about Curry being under-valued, but he didn't just average 20ppg against lesser competition, he averaged like 22 pts vs ACC competition too. Liberty played UVA and Clemson his Fr. year and he scored more than 20 in both games.

[DukieInBrasil]

I don't mean to sound harsh, but almost every one of you have the Plumlee brothers playing together, and I just don't see it. You saw that this year because we were so deep at the 4 and the 5. The problem is, we just lost our starters for both positions.

Like it or not, we're going back to Duke teams of old next year with a focus on guard play. You're not going to see the kind of rebounding numbers you saw this year without a 7'1 center, certainly not the offensive numbers. And I don't think you'll see a ton of our two best post players in the game at the same time, especially given their limited minutes this year.

Unless Kelly puts on a lot of muscle and proves he can bang down low, we're going to need Miles and Mason to spell each other for minutes and fouls. Maybe Hairston will prove to be a stud, who knows?

My starting lineup is:

G: Smith
G: Irving
G: Curry
F: Singler
F/C: Either Plumlee

I think Curry will command a lot of minutes (would be a junior at Liberty by now) and score 15+ ppg. Smith and Irving will split ball handling duty, maybe like JWill and Duhon used to do.

We will be much more athletic, turn people over more, get more transition points, etc.

All we need is for one low post presence to blossom (ala Zoubek), and we are a national title contender.

I disagree with your take on the Plumlees. I think they'll both start b/c they can both run like and jump like gazelles, which fits in perfectly with the overall speed that this team is projected to have next year. Having Irving and Smith and Curry and Dawkins in the backcourt as well as (maybe) Singler and Felix on the wing, and there's not a below-average (NCAA) athlete in the bunch. Also, rebounding may not be as essential for next year's squad due to said athleticism. This year's champions (i love saying that) needed that rebounding b/c they just didn't have an abundance of ways to put the ball in the bucket or the defense to force turns and subsequent easy hoops. Don't be fooled by the MPs either, they both rebounded very well on a per-minute basis.

[MChambers]

The expectation is that Miles and Mason Plumlee will both start next season. That doesn't mean they'll both play 40 mpg and that doesn't mean Singler wouldn't play some 4.

The expectation also is that Kelly will put on muscle in the off-season and be more capable of playing in the post and that Hairston will be able to contribute from day one. Four capable post players, excluding Singler.

No, Duke will not have a seven-foot force in the middle. This puts Duke in line with practically every other team in Duke history and every other team in the NCAA.

The big question will be Duke's ability to play Smith, Curry and Irving at the same time. A trio of players in the 6'1"-6'2" range is going to cause some problems on the defensive end of the court. Going to depend on matchups. One of these guys likely can guard a 6'4" wing. A 6'6"-6'8" wing is more problematical. That's where Dawkins and Felix come into play.

But we've got plenty of time to fret about this stuff; and I'm sure we will. :)

For now, I'm going to enjoy life.

Great post, Jim. I certainly agree that having three small players on the floor will present some defensive mismatches, but the other end of the floor would be a different story, so I definitely think you could get away with playing all three for portions of the game. And, if you are ahead, that would be a nice trio to have to protect a lead.

Now back to enjoying the 2009-2010 season.

[MChambers]

I disagree with your take on the Plumlees. I think they'll both start b/c they can both run like and jump like gazelles, which fits in perfectly with the overall speed that this team is projected to have next year. Having Irving and Smith and Curry and Dawkins in the backcourt as well as (maybe) Singler and Felix on the wing, and there's not a below-average (NCAA) athlete in the bunch. Also, rebounding may not be as essential for next year's squad due to said athleticism. This year's champions (i love saying that) needed that rebounding b/c they just didn't have an abundance of ways to put the ball in the bucket or the defense to force turns and subsequent easy hoops. Don't be fooled by the MPs either, they both rebounded very well on a per-minute basis.

You think an athletic team can be a champion? None of them even made the Final Four this year.

[roywhite]

You think an athletic team can be a champion? None of them even made the Final Four this year.

Hmmm...good question. We'll need all of Coach K's ability to have any success with a team that is young and athletic.

[DukieInBrasil]

You think an athletic team can be a champion? None of them even made the Final Four this year.

I hope that this is snark.

I wasn't commenting on whether they would be champions, although I think that they can. I was commenting on who I thought would be starters. The fact is that we are returning a large portion of the team that won this year's championship, so that is a huge experience advantage for us.

[whereinthehellami]

Unless Kelly puts on a lot of muscle and proves he can bang down low, we're going to need Miles and Mason to spell each other for minutes and fouls. Maybe Hairston will prove to be a stud, who knows?

Coach K will play the best 5 players. Mason and Miles play really well together and will be needed. Hairston is going to have a difficult adjustment next year IMO. He is more of a 3 right now than a 4. He doesn't have the srength to play in the post or the speed to play on the perimter. Kind of along the lines of the adjustment kelly had this year.

I think Felix could be the sleeper player next year in terms of PT. He is a sophomore who has decent strength and above average athletiscm. plus his experience in the JUCO ranks will have prepared him pretty well for the jump to the ACC level of play. I think his O might be limited to transition points and dunks but that might be all that is needed for next year. But i think on the defensive side he will be able to cover the 3 and 4 (depending on matchups). I can see him as a Thomas Hill type.

[MChambers]

I hope that this is snark.

I wasn't commenting on whether they would be champions, although I think that they can. I was commenting on who I thought would be starters. The fact is that we are returning a large portion of the team that won this year's championship, so that is a huge experience advantage for us.

It was snark. I still can't find an emoticon for tongue in cheek.

[northernduke]

Mason and Miles play really well together and will be needed.

I agree with you in that they play well together, especially on this year's team. I am curious to see if they will continue to play together or if they will be split to "anchor / guide" the two new "bigs" we have coming in. Note, this assumes that Felix and Hairston will play meaningful minutes which very well might not be the case.

Was K able to play both Plumlees together and keep LT & Z together because of the consistency and steadiness of our backcourt? Both Plumlees were not as disciplined as LT and Z, which is to be expected from underclassmen, yet they played together (and played great together). Was their success due to the steadiness of the other 3 players on the court? If our backcourt is not as consistent as this year, will K divide the Plumlees and use their experience as an anchor for their respective line mates? Certainly this will depend on their development in the offseason and how the team plays together in the preseason, but it's at least fun to try and analyze.

[DukieInBrasil]

I agree with you in that they play well together, especially on this year's team. I am curious to see if they will continue to play together or if they will be split to "anchor / guide" the two new "bigs" we have coming in. Note, this assumes that Felix and Hairston will play meaningful minutes which very well might not be the case.

Was K able to play both Plumlees together and keep LT & Z together because of the consistency and steadiness of our backcourt? Both Plumlees were not as disciplined as LT and Z, which is to be expected from underclassmen, yet they played together (and played great together). Was their success due to the steadiness of the other 3 players on the court? If our backcourt is not as consistent as this year, will K divide the Plumlees and use their experience as an anchor for their respective line mates? Certainly this will depend on their development in the offseason and how the team plays together in the preseason, but it's at least fun to try and analyze.

Interesting proposition, however, I think our back-court ought to be pretty stable next year: we'll have Nolan (Sr.), Curry (rs So.) and Dawkins (So.), who have 6 years of college experience and will be joined by 2 Fr., Irving and Thornton. If Singler stays, then that will be an extra 3 years of college experience able to distribute the ball.
The frontcourt will be somewhat inexperienced with only 4 years of college ball between the MPs and Kelly, and 1 year of JUCO ball out of Carrick being joined by Hairston and possibly Haynes (or another) as Fr. Although Mason played in every game after his injury, he missed alot of PT by not being at full speed from the start and Ryan saw pretty limited action this year, not even playing in lots of games down the stretch.
I think both MPs will start and then one will come out for another big or a for a guard depending on the opponent and situation. I think they'll combine for ~50mpg between them, so there will be ~30 minutes of PT for the other big 'uns and/or a 4th guard if we go 4-G line-up, .

[Saratoga2]

This year both Plumlee's had issues getting into defensive position. In addition, they sometimes were slow getting back, choosing to jog rather than outrun the opponents. They also were guilty of reaching in fouls.

They have had the advantage of 39 games this year plus all of that practice against senior big men. I am hoping for a major improvement next year as they start from game one.

For those watching, Miles was guilty of jogging back on defense and reaching in on Hawkins of Butler. I saw coach K react to that error and saw Miles come out, as the game was really close. I am hoping that the Plumlee's can get some of the bad D out of their system. I don't doubt they have the athletic ability and strength to play the position well, both on offense and defense. They just need to think more in game situations.

Kelly seems to get the game better than the Plumlee's but they have it over on him athletically. I think they will complement each other well but I have no idea how long it will take Hairston to get up to speed.

[MrBisonDevil]

I have the feeling Seth Curry will make an All-ACC team in his 1st as a Blue Devil. He will be a starter. I think Irving will log 25mpg but he will only get 10 starts.

G - Curry
G - Smith
G/F - Dawkins/Singler
F - MP2
C - MP1

G - Irving (25mpg)

[Big Pappa]

I really think Mason is going to be a star next year. He is as good an athlete as we have had in a long time (he was the runner-up in the McDonal's All American Dunk Contest), not to mention his skill-set is incredible for a big guy. He has great touch around the rim along with a good mid range shot, he is also an excellent passer. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him with 15 ppg, 12 rpg, 4apg, and 3-4 blocks per game next year. 1st team All-ACC.

[phaedrus]

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him with 15 ppg, 12 rpg, 4apg, and 3-4 blocks per game next year. 1st team All-ACC.

Those are certainly 1st team All-America stats as well.

[licc85]

kyle most likely won't return, he's a lock for a mid to late first round pick, possibly late lottery. I'd be thrilled if he did return, but he's ready, and this is what he wanted to accomplish here, so I have no problem with that. Having said that, losing the likes of our 2 best rounders in zoubs and kyle, we are going to be much more lacking in interior defense and rebounding next year unless miles and mason both make huge strides and improve to be able to at least somewhat emulate zoubek's rebounding.

Miles needs to work on his hands and keeping the ball high, he seems to always lose the grip on the ball or get it slapped away. Mason's ready to be a star, he just needs to put on about 20 more pounds of muscle, as does kelly. Our backcourt is without a doubt, the best in all of college basketball next year, so once again, back to the norm, the issues will be in the frontcourt. It will be difficult to repeat without the same kind of rebounding we had this year, but hopefully, our guard play can make up for that.

[OldSchool]

Here's how I expect it to play out:

We have three outstanding guards who will share the minutes at the 1 & 2 spots: Nolan, Kyrie & Seth. 120 total minutes at these positions, theoretically each could get 30 minutes. We'll probably see each different combination of these three at the two positions for extensive minutes. As to Tyler, I don't think we are going to have to place a heavy burden on him his freshman year, but he could see minutes to provide depth in case of injury or foul trouble.

At the 3 spot, the principal variable is whether Kyle returns. I think he will go, with the well wishes and deep gratitude of Duke fans everywhere. The competition for the 3 starter in that case will come down to Dre vs Felix. For Dre to nab the starter spot, he needs to get physically stronger in the offseason and work hard on his defense - he cannot allow opposing wings to post him up or burn him on the dribble if he wants to see extensive minutes. For a more athletic look, K could use Felix at this spot.

At the 4 & 5 spot, I think we will see the 120 minutes divided mainly between Miles, Mason and Ryan. Like for the two guard spots, we'll probably see each different combination of the three players in the two spots extensively. Theoretically, each could get 30 minutes. As to Josh, I don't think we will need to rely on him extensively as a freshman, but the opportunity is there for him to play his way into taking minutes for himself.

Overall, I expect our guard play to be outstanding in the first part of the season, and then for our talented bigs to catch up and be outstanding by the end of the season.

The team will have an entirely different personality than this year's team. With our mobile and athletic bigs, we can and should run a lot, play pressure extended man-to-man with lots of transition opportunities, and it should be an outstanding 3-pt shooting team.

[airowe]

He played for Dallas Mavericks, but only in 5 games.

Who played in 5 games for the Dallas Mavericks?

[jpfrizzle]

I can't believe the person who started this thread benched Seth Curry!!
Srsly, you benched him? On what grounds?
He's played/trained with this championship team all season long, he just couldn't go to Away Games cause of regulations.

[CDu]

Here's how I expect it to play out:

We have three outstanding guards who will share the minutes at the 1 & 2 spots: Nolan, Kyrie & Seth. 120 total minutes at these positions, theoretically each could get 30 minutes. We'll probably see each different combination of these three at the two positions for extensive minutes. As to Tyler, I don't think we are going to have to place a heavy burden on him his freshman year, but he could see minutes to provide depth in case of injury or foul trouble.

There are only 80 minutes at the 1 and 2 spots. I completely agree with your rotation, but unless you think we'll play a lot of tiny 3-guard lineups, then the three won't average 30mpg each.


At the 3 spot, the principal variable is whether Kyle returns. I think he will go, with the well wishes and deep gratitude of Duke fans everywhere. The competition for the 3 starter in that case will come down to Dre vs Felix. For Dre to nab the starter spot, he needs to get physically stronger in the offseason and work hard on his defense - he cannot allow opposing wings to post him up or burn him on the dribble if he wants to see extensive minutes. For a more athletic look, K could use Felix at this spot.

I basically agree here. If Singler returns, I think he and Dawkins split the time at the 3. If Singler doesn't return, I think Dawkins, Felix, and Hairston split the time at the 3.


At the 4 & 5 spot, I think we will see the 120 minutes divided mainly between Miles, Mason and Ryan. Like for the two guard spots, we'll probably see each different combination of the three players in the two spots extensively. Theoretically, each could get 30 minutes. As to Josh, I don't think we will need to rely on him extensively as a freshman, but the opportunity is there for him to play his way into taking minutes for himself.

Again, there are only 80 minutes between the 4 and 5 spot. But I do think the primary rotation will be the Plumlees and Kelly, with either Hairston or Singler (if he stays) getting some minutes at the 4 as well. But again, we won't (can't) see the Plumlees and Kelly all averaging 30 minutes.

[OldSchool]

Thanks for correcting my appalling math!

[whereinthehellami]

Kelly seems to get the game better than the Plumlee's but they have it over on him athletically. I think they will complement each other well but I have no idea how long it will take Hairston to get up to speed.

I read some good quotes from Kelly the other day about how he was happy at Duke this year despite not playing much. He had a great attitude and said that he had gotten alot better over this year and knows what he needs to work on for next year. You've got to love gym rats. I think he becomes a valuable member of the frontcourt next year.

Also there was an article earlier in the year where players picked the biggest gym rat and some of the guys said it was Mason. I love hearing that and think that he will make a big jump next year in terms on consistency and production.

[roywhite]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/sports/ncaabasketball/07duke.html?hpw

Good NYT piece looking at next year's team.


The ambidextrous Irving, a slippery dribbler and smooth shooter from St. Patrick High in Elizabeth, N.J., will be expected to equal, if not surpass, the production generated by the graduating senior Jon Scheyer, who scored 15 points in the championship.

“No disrespect to Jon but Kyrie’s capable of walking onto the court there and impacting not only Duke, but the entire league,” said Dave Telep, a recruiting evaluator for Scout.com. “He’s been a model for how to develop consistently. That won’t change.”

[CDu]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/sports/ncaabasketball/07duke.html?hpw

Good NYT piece looking at next year's team.

That's asking a lot of Irving as a freshman. To expect Irving to equal or surpass the performance of a senior leader who was runner-up for the ACC PoY and was a 2nd Team All-American is unrealistic. And frankly, I don't see it happening.

But he doesn't have to equal/surpass Scheyer. He just has to provide as much as he can and hope that the combination of him and Curry and improvements by Smith (if he returns) and Dawkins offset the loss of Scheyer.

The article is definitely optimistic, but I think it reads too much like a best-case scenario and overlooks the fact that a big part of this team's success was the experience the starters have playing together for the last 3-4 years. We should be very good, but if Singler leaves, we'll be asking a lot of some guys with very little experience. We should expect some growing pains, just like we saw from most of the other young-but-talented teams in college ball this year.

[dukelifer]

That's asking a lot of Irving as a freshman. To expect Irving to equal or surpass the performance of a senior leader who was runner-up for the ACC PoY and was a 2nd Team All-American is unrealistic. And frankly, I don't see it happening.

But he doesn't have to equal/surpass Scheyer. He just has to provide as much as he can and hope that the combination of him and Curry and improvements by Smith (if he returns) and Dawkins offset the loss of Scheyer.

The article is definitely optimistic, but I think it reads too much like a best-case scenario and overlooks the fact that a big part of this team's success was the experience the starters have playing together for the last 3-4 years. We should be very good, but if Singler leaves, we'll be asking a lot of some guys with very little experience. We should expect some growing pains, just like we saw from most of the other young-but-talented teams in college ball this year.
I agree. College ball is a big step in many ways. Irving is solid and will dazzle at times- but he will make his share of mistakes as all freshman do. Still guards tend to adjust much faster. IMO, it will come down to how well and hard he plays D and how that affects his O. Duke will pressure a lot next year given their guard depth. In Singler leaves- I expect a lot of growing pains for the team. Although the ACC may have more weaker teams or at least more with some big question marks.

[jimsumner]

Duke expects Kyrie Irving to start from day one. Curry should play a lot off the bench and in three-guard lineups, along with Irving and Smith. But neither Curry nor Smith has Irving's point-guard skills and Duke has to have those skills in the lineup to have a realistic chance to repeat.

Irving should be at least as good as Jason Williams was a freshman.

I think Curry could well average over 10 ppg next season. But I suspect 2012will be his break-out season.

[COYS]

That's asking a lot of Irving as a freshman. To expect Irving to equal or surpass the performance of a senior leader who was runner-up for the ACC PoY and was a 2nd Team All-American is unrealistic. And frankly, I don't see it happening.

But he doesn't have to equal/surpass Scheyer. He just has to provide as much as he can and hope that the combination of him and Curry and improvements by Smith (if he returns) and Dawkins offset the loss of Scheyer.

The article is definitely optimistic, but I think it reads too much like a best-case scenario and overlooks the fact that a big part of this team's success was the experience the starters have playing together for the last 3-4 years. We should be very good, but if Singler leaves, we'll be asking a lot of some guys with very little experience. We should expect some growing pains, just like we saw from most of the other young-but-talented teams in college ball this year.

If Singler leaves, then 4/5 of the lineup that played the vast majority of the championship game and most of the important minutes of all the tourney games will be gone. The team had an incredible chemistry that will be difficult to replicate. This article is really interesting and I certainly think we will be very good next year and will have a chance to go back to back. We also have an advantage that Curry and Felix will be more experienced from your usual first year players. Nevertheless, to say that Irving will meet or surpass Scheyer's production sells Scheyer way, way, way short. Scheyer had one of the best seasons in Duke point guard history, and that is high praise.

As the author hinted, an uptempo, run you out of the gym offense is probably the team's best bet. With young, inexperienced players, usually the most difficult games to master are the half-court, grind-it-out affairs that we thrived on this season. We will have to prove that we can execute in the half court and defend/rebound in the half-court against good teams despite our lack of experience. We can do it and K can get the guys ready, but it is a tall order. It definitely undersells how special this year's team was.

[CDu]

I agree. College ball is a big step in many ways. Irving is solid and will dazzle at times- but he will make his share of mistakes as all freshman do. Still guards tend to adjust much faster. IMO, it will come down to how well and hard he plays D and how that affects his O. Duke will pressure a lot next year given their guard depth. In Singler leaves- I expect a lot of growing pains for the team. Although the ACC may have more weaker teams or at least more with some big question marks.

Yeah. I'm hopeful that this team is a better version of the 2000 team. That team lost three starters, their sixth man, and a backup center, and returned with a junior, a redshirt junior, and a senior who had been primarily secondary players. They relied on several new faces (in this case, all freshmen) to fill in the voids. The upperclassmen stepped up and the freshman (though inconsistent) played very well, and we finished with a #1 seed and had a really good chance at a Final Four.

Of course, there's also the possibility that things turn out more like the 2003 team. That team lost its three best players and returned a junior and a senior who were secondary players and a couple of minor contributors. They relied on several new faces (in this case, all freshmen) to fill in the voids. The incumbents stepped up to some degree, but only one of the newcomers was really ready to take on a big role, and we finished as a #3 seed.

This team will lose at least three starters (possibly four) and will return one (or two) senior star(s), two regular/minor contributors, and two guys who saw occasional time. We'll rely on several new faces (a few freshman and two transfers - one with a year of practice time) to fill in the voids. I'd like to believe that next year's team will be more like the 2000 team, and maybe even better. But I think it's important to keep the 2000 and 2003 teams in mind when setting expectations.

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

From Twitter: Dukeblueplanet

@sdotcurry- "When we were on the stage getting our trophies, I just thought my red shirt is finally off. Let’s go.” Watch out for this guy.

[CDu]

Duke expects Kyrie Irving to start from day one. Curry should play a lot off the bench and in three-guard lineups, along with Irving and Smith. But neither Curry nor Smith has Irving's point-guard skills and Duke has to have those skills in the lineup to have a realistic chance to repeat.

Irving should be at least as good as Jason Williams was a freshman.

I think Curry could well average over 10 ppg next season. But I suspect 2012will be his break-out season.

I've always thought (based on admittedly a small sample of observations of Curry) that Curry was more in the Smith mold (i.e., great shooter/scorer, capable distributor, but more of an undersized SG than a PG. Based on the description/review of Irving and the one game I've seen of him (again, small sample sizes), what you say makes perfect sense.

We rotate Irving/Smith/Curry, with Irving as the primary PG but both Smith and Curry capable of handling the ball plenty to take pressure off of Irving. All three would get plenty of playing time in that scenario.

[BlueintheFace]

...aint being a fan great? We won the national championship yesterday and we are already talking about next year. I've pretty much read every article and seen every pic available for popular consumption, so why not take a minute to look ahead?

Irving/Curry/Thornton
Curry/Dawkins/Smith
Smith/Dawkins/Kelly/Felix
Ma. Plumlee/Hairston/Felix (when going small)
Mi. Plumlee/ Ma. Plumlee


Irving ~25mpg
Smith ~30mpg
Curry ~ 25mpg
Dawkins~ 15 mpg (but so much depends on his offseason and defense)
Kelly ~25 mpg
Ma. Plumlee ~30mpg
Mi. Plumlee ~30mpg
Hairston ~10mpg
Felix~5mpg
Thornton ~5mpg


The really intriguing thing about next year's team is the massive amount of flexibility. Projecting rotations is almost worthless at this point, but if Singler is gone, you better believe we will be going small a lot given our talent and depth on the perimeter. Plus, pressure defense will definitely be back.

[MChambers]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/sports/ncaabasketball/07duke.html?hpw

Good NYT piece looking at next year's team.

With an amphibious pg, the sky's the limit!

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

...aint being a fan great? We won the national championship yesterday and we are already talking about next year. I've pretty much read every article and seen every pic available for popular consumption, so why not take a minute to look ahead?

Irving/Curry/Thornton
Curry/Dawkins/Smith
Smith/Dawkins/Kelly/Felix
Ma. Plumlee/Hairston/Felix (when going small)
Mi. Plumlee/ Ma. Plumlee


Irving ~25mpg
Smith ~30mpg
Curry ~ 25mpg
Dawkins~ 15 mpg (but so much depends on his offseason and defense)
Kelly ~25 mpg
Ma. Plumlee ~30mpg
Mi. Plumlee ~30mpg
Hairston ~10mpg
Felix~5mpg
Thornton ~5mpg


The really intriguing thing about next year's team is the massive amount of flexibility. Projecting rotations is almost worthless at this point, but if Singler is gone, you better believe we will be going small a lot given our talent and depth on the perimeter. Plus, pressure defense will definitely be back.

Just imagine how great we would be with Kyle back, right?

[CDu]

...aint being a fan great? We won the national championship yesterday and we are already talking about next year. I've pretty much read every article and seen every pic available for popular consumption, so why not take a minute to look ahead?

Irving/Curry/Thornton
Curry/Smith/Dawkins
Smith/Kelly/Felix/Hairston
Ma. Plumlee/Hairston/Felix (when going small)
Mi. Plumlee/ Ma. Plumlee


Irving ~25mpg
Smith ~30mpg
Curry ~ 25mpg
Dawkins~ 15 mpg (but so much depends on his offseason and defense)
Kelly ~25 mpg
Ma. Plumlee ~30mpg
Mi. Plumlee ~30mpg
Hairston ~10mpg
Felix~5mpg
Thornton ~5mpg


The really intriguing thing about next year's team is the massive amount of flexibility. Projecting rotations is almost worthless at this point, but if Singler is gone, you better believe we will be going small a lot given our talent and depth on the perimeter. Plus, pressure defense will definitely be back.

I don't see us going that small to start. Of course, your minute allotments don't suggest we'll actually go with the Smith/Curry/Irving lineup very often (the four little guards will get a combined 85 minutes). I also don't see Kelly playing at the 3 next year. I think the 3 will be played by Dawkins/Felix/Hairston, with some minutes for the really small lineup. I think the 4 spot will be Mason/Kelly/Hairston. But Mason will get about half his minutes at the 5, so Kelly and Hairston have ample opportunity for minutes at the 4.

I think you might be giving a few more minutes to the Plumlees and Kelly than they'll likely get. They averaged a combined 30 mpg this year. Next year, I'd expect closer to 25 mpg from them and around 20 mpg from Kelly. That's 70 of the 80 minutes at the 4/5.

Here's my guess (and I admit it's nothing more than a wild guess):
Irving: 28 min
Smith: 32 min
Curry: 25 min
Thornton: 5-10 min
Dawkins: 20 min
Felix: 5-10 min
Hairston: 10-15 min
Mason: 27 min
Miles: 27 min
Kelly: 18-22 min

Note: this is all under the assumption that Singler goes pro. If he doesn't go pro, I think that cuts substantially into the minutes of Hairston and Felix, and will take some minutes from Dawkins and Kelly as well.

[jv001]

...aint being a fan great? We won the national championship yesterday and we are already talking about next year. I've pretty much read every article and seen every pic available for popular consumption, so why not take a minute to look ahead?

Irving/Curry/Thornton
Curry/Dawkins/Smith
Smith/Dawkins/Kelly/Felix
Ma. Plumlee/Hairston/Felix (when going small)
Mi. Plumlee/ Ma. Plumlee


Irving ~25mpg
Smith ~30mpg
Curry ~ 25mpg
Dawkins~ 15 mpg (but so much depends on his offseason and defense)
Kelly ~25 mpg
Ma. Plumlee ~30mpg
Mi. Plumlee ~30mpg
Hairston ~10mpg
Felix~5mpg
Thornton ~5mpg


The really intriguing thing about next year's team is the massive amount of flexibility. Projecting rotations is almost worthless at this point, but if Singler is gone, you better believe we will be going small a lot given our talent and depth on the perimeter. Plus, pressure defense will definitely be back.

How good will Dawkins, Curry, Irving and Thornton be on defense. I have heard that Thornton is a good defender and I know Nolan is above average on defense. The others I don't know about. And we all know that defense determines minutes played with Coach K. We will not know what the minutes will be for next years team until November or even later. But it's good to speculate. Go Duke!

[Zeb]

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Mason with 15 ppg, 12 rpg, 4apg, and 3-4 blocks per game next year. 1st team All-ACC.

Ummm... I would be surprised. I think we would all be surprised. Name a Duke player who has ever put up a season like that.

[DukeBlood]

A lot of you are selling Andre Dawkins short. He averaged 12 MPG this year and really lost a lot of that time after a terrible tragedy in his family. The last week of the season and tourny time he really stepped his game up. He is physically ready for college ball, he just needs to get a little better on D and a little quicker. I wouldnt be surprised to see him average 20-25 MPG.

I will make my line-up as Singler going pro(Best of luck Kyle!)

Kyrie Irving 6'2 FR
Nolan Smith 6'3 SR
Andre Dawkins 6'4 SO
Mason Plumlee 6'10 SO
Miles Plumlee 6'10 JR

Seth Curry 6'2 SO (6th man)
Ryan Kelly 6'9 SO (7th man)
Carrick Felix 6'6 SO
Tyler Thornton 6'2 FR
Josh Hairston 6'8 FR

I believe Duke will go 8 deep in close games, with Seth and Ryan being the two of the three. The final spot will go to whoever earns it or fits better for defensive purposes. It will be interesting to see how next season breaks down.

With that being said, This year was great. I still cant believe Duke is the champs! Im loving it!

[roywhite]

One perspective on putting together the 2010-11 team:

From the national championship game, Duke will lose players that played 103 of 200 total minutes. If Kyle Singler were to go pro also, Duke would be losing players that played 143 out of 200 total minutes.

[MChambers]

That's asking a lot of Irving as a freshman. To expect Irving to equal or surpass the performance of a senior leader who was runner-up for the ACC PoY and was a 2nd Team All-American is unrealistic. And frankly, I don't see it happening.

But he doesn't have to equal/surpass Scheyer. He just has to provide as much as he can and hope that the combination of him and Curry and improvements by Smith (if he returns) and Dawkins offset the loss of Scheyer.

The article is definitely optimistic, but I think it reads too much like a best-case scenario and overlooks the fact that a big part of this team's success was the experience the starters have playing together for the last 3-4 years. We should be very good, but if Singler leaves, we'll be asking a lot of some guys with very little experience. We should expect some growing pains, just like we saw from most of the other young-but-talented teams in college ball this year.
The article literally said that Irving "expected to equal, if not surpass, the production of the graduating senior Jon Scheyer." I suppose, with an uptempo style of play, that it is possible that Irving will score as much as Jon, and probably have as many assists. I agree with you, however, that it is unrealistic to think that Irving will be as a good of a player next year as Jon was this year, and that is the most important point.

Also have to note that the article says that Coach K "plans to instill a more up-tempo offense." Think that should have been "install". Ah, journalism in the age of the Internet.

[jimsumner]

"I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Mason with 15 ppg, 12 rpg, 4apg, and 3-4 blocks per game next year. 1st team All-ACC."

12 rebounds per game is quite unrealistic. The last Krzyzewski coached player to average 12 rpg was . . . well, no one. Not Christian Laettner, not Elton Brand, not Carlos Boozer, not even Shelden Williams. In fact, you've got to go back to Bob Fleisher in 1974 to find someone at Duke who hit that level.

4 blocks per game is about as likely.

Try Josh McRoberts' sophomore season, without the chemistry issues. If Mason could give Duke 13 and 8, I'd take it in a New York minute.

[dukeblue225]

Duke, behind All Americans Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith along with freshman of the year Kyrie Irving lead Duke and Coach K to back to back national champions in the Armegeddon matchup many have waited for over UNC. Nolan Smith's high arcing shot in the lane over Jon Henson with 1.3 seconds left gives Duke and Coach K it's 5th national championship and propels Coach K to #1 in all time victories after the team claims it's 35th victory of the season!!!!

Ahhhh, to be a fan and dream!!!! And you thought you were stressed last night!!!! Just imagine!!!

This sounds crazy at first.
However, so did a second-team all american (Jon Scheyer), best rebounder in college basketball (Zoubs), and toughest team in all of college basketball, all coming together to lead us to a 4th title, this time last year.

[dukeblue225]

I have the feeling Seth Curry will make an All-ACC team in his 1st as a Blue Devil. He will be a starter. I think Irving will log 25mpg but he will only get 10 starts.

G - Curry
G - Smith
G/F - Dawkins/Singler
F - MP2
C - MP1

G - Irving (25mpg)

I think Irving is too talented and too good a passer, in effect making his entire team better, to not start next year.

[whereinthehellami]

Irving ~30mpg
Smith ~35mpg
Curry ~ 25mpg
Dawkins~ 15 mpg (but so much depends on his offseason and defense)
Kelly ~20 mpg
Ma. Plumlee ~27.5mpg
Mi. Plumlee ~27.5mpg
Hairston ~2.5mpg
Felix~15mpg
Thornton ~2.5mpg

I think Dawkins and Felix pretty much split time at the 3, depending on matchups. I also think the Plumlees time will be limited by foul trouble. i don't see Hairston and Thornton getting much time next year.

[Biscuit King]

What excites me about next season is it will be a COMPLETELY different team and a completely different style. This year, we punished teams with our size. Next year, we'll try to run circles around them. It may be bumpy at first, but it's going to be fun to watch. We'll have 4 guards who can play for any team in the conference, and at least 3 of them are going to be on the floor most of the time. We may set a school record for three pointers and attempts.

[roywhite]

What excites me about next season is it will be a COMPLETELY different team and a completely different style. This year, we punished teams with our size. Next year, we'll try to run circles around them. It may be bumpy at first, but it's going to be fun to watch. We'll have 4 guards who can play for any team in the conference, and at least 3 of them are going to be on the floor most of the time. We may set a school record for three pointers and attempts.

At the same time, I expect numerous alley--oop dunks with the Plumlees being the main beneficiaries, and a number of wing players getting into the act also.

Mid-range shooters?---we know Nolan has a great mid-range game (and certainly Kyle if he returns); I hope Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins develop in that area.

Pressure on the ball and overplay the passing lanes? Yes, should see plenty of that too.

As mentioned, it will be a different team, but one with some real strong points and potential.

[Cisco]

With Kyle:

6'1 175 SO S.Curry
6'2 185 SR N.Smith
6'8 230 SR K.Singler
6'11 240 SO Ma.Plumlee
6'10 250 JR Mi.Plumlee

Without Kyle:

Three guard lineup, with Andre Dawkins starting at SF.

[hurley1]

duke is going to be LOADED next year regardless of how coack uses the players.......having all this talent is a great problem to deal with......i am sure coach k already knows what he wants to do with this bunch, however, those plans will constantly change as these young talented kids mature.......this is going to be really fun to watch and this will be amazingly fun for coach k as he manuvers the game plans around all this talent.......

[Matches]

With Kyle:

6'1 175 SO S.Curry
6'2 185 SR N.Smith
6'8 230 SR K.Singler
6'11 240 SO Ma.Plumlee
6'10 250 JR Mi.Plumlee

Without Kyle:

Three guard lineup, with Andre Dawkins starting at SF.

You don't think Irving will start?

[BigZ]

I don't see how Curry doesn't start next year w/ or w/o Singler. The dude averaged 20ppg as a freaking Freshmen. I don't think he will score that much with Duke but he should be up near 15.

[roywhite]

I don't see how Curry doesn't start next year w/ or w/o Singler. The dude averaged 20ppg as a freaking Freshmen. I don't think he will score that much with Duke but he should be up near 15.

Would you put him ahead of Nolan Smith?

I hope posters will read some of the comments on this thread....Kyrie Irving is a virtual certainty to start, as is Nolan Smith.

Where we go from there is the question. Adding Seth Curry would give us a 3-guard lineup and none of the three are in the ideal size range to go up against players who are 6'4" or better.

[mo.st.dukie]

I don't see how Curry doesn't start next year w/ or w/o Singler. The dude averaged 20ppg as a freaking Freshmen. I don't think he will score that much with Duke but he should be up near 15.

Seth can still come off the bench and get big time minutes and production. Remember Jon's sophomore year? I think most matchups will require Andre and Carrick getting the majority of the minutes at the 3 becaue of their size. Seth has more of a PG body and think of him trying to go up against some of the 6'4+ wings that are built like tanks. I think Seth could put up 10-12 ppg and the only reason I don't think he'll put up more is because of all the talent we'll have.

[Indoor66]

Curry averaged 20 ppg as a freshman on a team that had no other scorers. I doubt he will ever average 20 ppg at Duke. It is a different system with too may high quality players.

Next year I expect we will again have three 14 - 19 scorers with additional emphasis on inside out play.

[theAlaskanBear]

Would you put him ahead of Nolan Smith?

I hope posters will read some of the comments on this thread....Kyrie Irving is a virtual certainty to start, as is Nolan Smith.

Where we go from there is the question. Adding Seth Curry would give us a 3-guard lineup and none of the three are in the ideal size range to go up against players who are 6'4" or better.

Curry spent a lot of time Liberty handling the ball,much like his brother Stephen at Davidson. He was guarded by all the best defenders on opposing teams.

I dont think it is a stretch to suggest that Curry may spend significant time either playing point or "handling" the ball. Did you read about that quote at the trophy ceremony? He said, all I could think about seeing that trophy, is my red shirt is off. Its time to go.

Expect the dude to be fierce next year.

You are right to bring up defensive matchups, but honestly, thats why I think Duke was so intent on bringing Felix. I think they see a Dahntay-like defender in him, someone who can guard the powerful wings. And lets not forget Nolans splendid job defensively this year. He will matchup with the best guard.

[mkirsh]

I think the real key to next season is Miles Plumlee growing a beard. I hope he is starting on it now.

[InSpades]

Kyrie is definitely going to start.

I could see Duke going w/ a 4 man inside rotation again w/ Plumlee^2, Hairston and Kelly. Having those 4 mainly cover the 80 frontcourt minutes with things obviously skewed towards the Plumlees (25 each or so?). Having 1 Plumlee on the court at almost all-times.

That leaves Irving, Smith, Curry, Dawkins, Thornton and Felix to cover the 3 other positions. Most seem to agree Smith and Irving are locks to start. Which leaves Curry or Dawkins the last spot (I'd guess Curry but could go either way). Whoever doesn't get the starting nod will still get plenty of run (atleast 20). If you give Irving and Smith each around 30, Curry and Dawkins around 20 that leaves 20 minutes leftover. Those minutes could go a lot of ways... including more for Curry or Dawkins. Felix and Thornton both fighting for some of that time too.

Next season is ridiculously exciting even if Kyle leaves. The style of play is going to be like night and day. Thank god we have a coach who's not stuck in a specific system and can tailor things to his personnel. It will be nice to have other teams worry about our lightning quick penetrating guard instead of the other way around. Mason and Miles or both going to blossom with the increased responsibility. It's a good time to be a Duke basketball fan!

Edit: As for scorers... I hope we go from 3 guys averaging 17+ to like 6 guys getting double figures. Nolan is almost a lock... Curry and Dawkins are more than capable. Irving should get there too. Then the Plumlees too? I wouldn't be surprised to see Duke average 80 next year.

[loran16]

I don't think Singler stays. I'm pretty convinced of this. Sooo then I believe it'll be the following:

PG: Irving
SG: Nolan
SG: Curry
PF: MP1
PF: MP2
6th man (Guard): Dre
Extra Big Men in rotation: Kelly, Hairston
Wild Card: Felix

-------
If Singler Stays, Expect for Seth Curry to be first off the bench, though i wouldnt' be surprised if he beat out Kyrie in practice for the final Starting spot (Nolan and Singler are starting no matter what)

[superdave]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Duke average 80 next year.

We averaged 90.7 ppg in 2001. I suspect 2000 is a better comparison for next year though (talented rookie pg, some great talent but a very different team than the previous year) and they averaged 88 ppg.

We averaged 77 this year, but will run a lot more next year and be able to pressure the perimeter and get in passing lanes better.

[NSDukeFan]

Next season is ridiculously exciting even if Kyle leaves. The style of play is going to be like night and day. Thank god we have a coach who's not stuck in a specific system and can tailor things to his personnel. It will be nice to have other teams worry about our lightning quick penetrating guard instead of the other way around. Mason and Miles or both going to blossom with the increased responsibility. It's a good time to be a Duke basketball fan!

Shouldn't the coach always use the same system, especially if it won him a national championship? It worked down the road didn't it? That team made it to the final the year after a championship. Oh, I guess it was a different tournament though. I'm glad the team has coach K.

[ACCBBallFan]

With Singler:

Irving, Thornton (Curry)

Smith, Curry (Dawkins)

Singler 50%, Dawkins (Felix)

Singler 50%, Kelly (Hairston)

Plumlees alternate at center

with my preferred lineup Irving-Smith-Singler-Kelly-a Plumlee with Curry plus other Plumlee first two off the bench and losts of PT for Andre.

Without Singler, then Irving, Smith, Curry and Dawkins each play about 25-30 minutes with other 0-20 on perimeter split between Thornton and Felix

while Plumlees and Kelly each play 25-30 MPG with other 0-15 to Hairston and no fifth big as insurance that Kelly/Singler each provided this year

Irving, Thornton (Curry)

Smith, Curry (Dawkins)

Curry, Dawkins (Felix)

Kelly, Mason (Hairston)

Plumlees alternate at center

with emergency post backup from Kelly, Hairston when Duke would have to play Nova small 4 guard formation.

So Kyle offers experience and ability to play very big where warranted versus pretty much same 3 guard style regardless of opponent but still very talented two deep at every position.

[BlueintheFace]

For those who think we will not go small...

K has a record of playing his best players. I do not see him using a lineup with just two of Smith, Curry, Dawkins, and Irving on the perimeter very often. It is very possible that 3 or 4 of those will be our best 3 or 4 players.

I predict that K does what he has always done. Put the best 5 players on the floor A LOT and adapt the offense and defense to complement that group.

For my money, the best 5 players next year will be, Irving, Curry, Smith, Plumlee, Plumlee.

[Osiagledknarf]

Lineups with Singler:

PG: Irving- 30 Min
SG: Smith- 28 min
SF: Singler- 28 min
PF: Miles-26 min
C: Mason-26 min

Bench:

Curry- 25 min
Dawkins: 15- 20 min
Kelly 15-20 min
Felix: 15 min
Hairston: 0-5 min
Thronton: 5-10 min


According to what I have heard and read is that Felix and Thornton are good to great defenders so they may get more of a look then what is projected right now..

I also see Dawkins getting a lot more playing time seeing that he does what the coaching staff asks of him, and he really works hard on his conditioning and strength this offseason, which I believe he will.

Lineup without Singler:

PG: Irving
SG: Smith
SF: Dawkins
PF: Miles
C: Mason

Curry
Felix
Kelly
Hairston
Thronton

[whereinthehellami]

I like the competition between Irving and Curry for the PG spot. I think Irving will be too good to keep out of the starting lineup but I think Curry can make it a tough decision for the coaches. There is time for all three to get significant PT. I like Smith being in the backcourt to mentor the younger guys and smooth over any egos that get caught the way.

I think Duke has a high potential for next year but will no doubht experience some bumps in the road, especially early in the year. They should be able to get alot of easy buckets next year.

[JohnGalt]

According to what I have heard and read is that Felix and Thornton are good to great defenders so they may get more of a look then what is projected right now..


This could be particularly good for practice, ensuring increased development of the plethora of firepower at the guard spot we'll have next season.

[whereinthehellami]

SG: Smith- 28 min
SF: Singler- 28 min

I don't see any way in which Smith and Singler playing less than 35 MPG next year. These guys would be seniors and All-Americans. Coach K will play them as much as he can.

[airowe]

Josh Hairston is being seriously undervalued in almost every single one of these projections. He is the best PF Recruit coming into the ACC according to Scout and has spent the last year working on his perimeter game and ball-handling, thus making his game much more well-rounded.

[JohnGalt]

Josh Hairston is being seriously undervalued in almost every single one of these projections. He is the best PF Recruit coming into the ACC according to Scout and has spent the last year working on his perimeter game and ball-handling, thus making his game much more well-rounded.

I have to agree with you here. His size and athleticism will provide some needed depth to the frontcourt. 6'9" 220 is no joke and he's now in the top 20 of ESPN's Top 100. I expect a decent level of contribution from Mr. Hairston.

[licc85]

man . . a starting backcourt of irving, smith and curry will be sooo undersized . . 6'1, 6'2, and 6'1 . . . we are going to miss kyle's rebounding from the SF position a LOT.

[JohnGalt]

man . . a starting backcourt of irving, smith and curry will be sooo undersized . . 6'1, 6'2, and 6'1 . . . we are going to miss kyle's rebounding from the SF position a LOT.

Mack and Veasley are 6'2, 6'3, Nored is 6'1...and Butler did alright. Didn't they?

[CrazieDUMB]

You mean to tell me I have to wait six months before I can find the answer to this question? I'm still anxious for the next game!

[jv001]

Mack and Veasley are 6'2, 6'3, Nored is 6'1...and Butler did alright. Didn't they?

what you're saying about the Butler guards and I know how much Coach K loves to go small at times. But I sure liked the way we owned the backboards for most of this Championship year(boy that sounds good). But if the Plumlee's work hard this summer and play Duke defense, we could do the same next year. That along with the addition of Hairston and Felix. Then throw in Kelly and we will be ok. But where will all the minutes go, if all are as good as we hope they are. Interesting season coming up. Go Duke!

[whereinthehellami]

Josh Hairston is being seriously undervalued in almost every single one of these projections. He is the best PF Recruit coming into the ACC according to Scout and has spent the last year working on his perimeter game and ball-handling, thus making his game much more well-rounded.

I disagree with you here. I like Josh and want him to do well but he is going to have a big adjustment ahead of him at Duke. And there is nothing wrong with that. See Ryan Kelly. Josh and Ryan are both perimeter guys who are skilled and savy but lack strength and quickness. Josh doesn't have the speed to guard ACC type guys on the perimeter or the strength to enter the post at this point in his career.

[airowe]

I disagree with you here. I like Josh and want him to do well but he is going to have a big adjustment ahead of him at Duke. And there is nothing wrong with that. See Ryan Kelly. Josh and Ryan are both perimeter guys who are skilled and savy but lack strength and quickness. Josh doesn't have the speed to guard ACC type guys on the perimeter or the strength to enter the post at this point in his career.

I had a feeling I'd hear from you after my comment. ;) I know you've seen Josh play, but I believe most of your opinion of Josh is from his time prior to Montrose.

From what I've been told by people who have watched him this year, he is a much improved player. IMO, he will play a very big role if Kyle leaves

I also disagree with your premise of Ryan as a "perimeter guy.". Ryan was recruited to a big with perimeter skills. Josh will be given more freedom to roam outside than Ryan was or will be, especially in a more wide open 4 out, 1 in system next year but I'd hardly call him a perimeter guy.

We have all Summer to differ on this, and neither of us will be proven right or wrong until probably the end of next season.

[bluedevil2012]

As much as I'm excited about the talent we have coming in, I'm really nervous about Singler leaving. Any time you lose 4 starters, its hard to predict how you're going to do. I think some folks down the road learned that the hard way ;).

[_Gary]

I think everyone has the starters and rotation pretty well pegged. The only wildcard is Kyle and what he decides.

What I have noticed is that the numbers 0, 1, and 2 have been very good to Duke in terms of the year the championship is played. Of our four NCAA Championships the number 0 has factored in four times. The number 1 has factored in five times. The number 2 has factored in three times.

Next year should be very good to us again. As well as the year after. Can anyone say "3-Peat"? :D

[jimsumner]

RE: losing four starters. It should be noted that Miles Plumlee started 24 games this season, Brian Zoubek started 16. Zoubs played about one minute per game more than Plumlee.

So, technically, Miles Plumlee is a returning starter.

It also should be noted that Seth Curry started one season in D-1 basketball and Carrick Felix started one season at the junior-college level. Neither Liberty nor Southern Idaho is the ACC but they aren't high school, either.

So, Duke has a bit more returning experience than many realize.

As for the baby blue down the street, I'll bet the mortgage Duke isn't in the NIT next season.

[uh_no]

I think everyone has the starters and rotation pretty well pegged. The only wildcard is Kyle and what he decides.

What I have noticed is that the numbers 0, 1, and 2 have been very good to Duke in terms of the year the championship is played. Of our four NCAA Championships the number 0 has factored in four times. The number 1 has factored in five times. The number 2 has factored in three times.

Next year should be very good to us again. As well as the year after. Can anyone say "3-Peat"? :D

don't forget 9 which has factored in 4 times....therefore our next national title years should be

2011
2012
2019
2020
2021
2022....etc

[whereinthehellami]

I had a feeling I'd hear from you after my comment. ;) I know you've seen Josh play, but I believe most of your opinion of Josh is from his time prior to Montrose.

From what I've been told by people who have watched him this year, he is a much improved player. IMO, he will play a very big role if Kyle leaves

I also disagree with your premise of Ryan as a "perimeter guy.". Ryan was recruited to a big with perimeter skills. Josh will be given more freedom to roam outside than Ryan was or will be, especially in a more wide open 4 out, 1 in system next year but I'd hardly call him a perimeter guy.

We have all Summer to differ on this, and neither of us will be proven right or wrong until probably the end of next season.

I Don't mean to come across heavy handed or anything. I've enjoyed following Josh's development. i was dissapointed to see him on the TV the other day playing on the perimeter. And I also noticed that he got beat a few times off the dribble on the perimeter. I hope he does well and suprises me next year with a fair amount of PT. I just hope the fans and Josh himself don't get discouraged if he struggles. It'll be a big adjustment.

I think ryan did a great job this year with his attitude. When he got yanked there was never any bad body language or anything. It was all positive.

I was really impressed with Josh's attitude in person. You could tell he enjoyed playing the game. He exuded a positive attitude.


RE: losing four starters. It should be noted that Miles Plumlee started 24 games this season, Brian Zoubek started 16. Zoubs played about one minute per game more than Plumlee.

So, technically, Miles Plumlee is a returning starter.

It also should be noted that Seth Curry started one season in D-1 basketball and Carrick Felix started one season at the junior-college level. Neither Liberty nor Southern Idaho is the ACC but they aren't high school, either.

So, Duke has a bit more returning experience than many realize.

As for the baby blue down the street, I'll bet the mortgage Duke isn't in the NIT next season.

Great points Jim. Plus the reserves that saw PT saw high quality time in the NCAA tourney.

[Indoor66]

As for the baby blue down the street, I'll bet the mortgage Duke isn't in the NIT next season.

Takin' the short odds, eh Jim? :eek::)

[dukeblue225]

We shouldn't be too nervous though. Last year UNC lost their top 3 scorers, but we'll still definitely have Nolan. UNC relied too much on Lawson running the run and gun style, and their defense was not near as what our defense was this past season.

When you pride yourself in defense the way K and Duke do, the loss of a scorer or two does not mean instantaneous death.

And, even my trying to be fair and unbiased, K has proved he can adjust to his personnel like no other, in particular Roy.

[licc85]

Mack and Veasley are 6'2, 6'3, Nored is 6'1...and Butler did alright. Didn't they?

still 2 inches taller thatn 6'1, 6'1, 6'2 lol. Don't laugh, 2 inches matters.

[PhillyDuke]

Curry averaged 20 ppg as a freshman on a team that had no other scorers. I doubt he will ever average 20 ppg at Duke. It is a different system with too may high quality players.

Next year I expect we will again have three 14 - 19 scorers with additional emphasis on inside out play.

Curry averaged 20 ppg. facing double and triple teams and junk defenses designed to stop him because he had no help. Next season he will face 1:1 coverage--he's gonna be a killer next year. Irving is the man, but Curry ain't gonna sit the bench behind anyone. Even Nolan said he's going to be one of the best in the country. Watch and see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ACCBBallFan]

man . . a starting backcourt of irving, smith and curry will be sooo undersized . . 6'1, 6'2, and 6'1 . . . we are going to miss kyle's rebounding from the SF position a LOT.


Mack and Veasley are 6'2, 6'3, Nored is 6'1...and Butler did alright. Didn't they?


still 2 inches taller thatn 6'1, 6'1, 6'2 lol. Don't laugh, 2 inches matters.

If without Singler, Duke would revert to its past successes where less emphasis was placed on rebounding and more on relentless defense of the passing lanes for easy buckets.

If that extra 3" of height makes a diference at WF, just insert 6'4" Dawkins backed up by 6' 6" Felix at WF and alternate the three 6'1" -ish Irving, Curry, Smith 25 MPG each with other 5 to Thornton.

Duke would then be 6'1" 6'2" 6'4" an inch bigger than what Butler performed very well with, and more skilled. Dawkins and Plumlees would be good targets for alley oops.

Kelly offers the same mismatch on Offense possibilities Kyle (or in Butler analogy Gordon Hayward) did his first two years and can perhaps grow into the player Kyle became by Ryan's senior year, basically on same track with one year lag.

Until they learn to foul less, I think the Plumlees are destined to share the center slot as mobile PFs rather than play aside one another enough to both start. Miles can bulk up and Mason can be the quicker defensive player who does double duty backing up Ryan Kelly at WF/PF.

[theAlaskanBear]

If without Singler, Duke would revert to its past successes where less emphasis was placed on rebounding and more on relentless defense of the passing lanes for easy buckets.

If that extra 3" of height makes a diference at WF, just insert 6'4" Dawkins backed up by 6' 6" Felix at WF and alternate the three 6'1" -ish Irving, Curry, Smith 25 MPG each with other 5 to Thornton.

Duke would then be 6'1" 6'2" 6'4" an inch bigger than what Butler performed very well with, and more skilled. Dawkins and Plumlees would be good targets for alley oops.

Kelly offers the same mismatch on Offense possibilities Kyle (or in Butler analogy Gordon Hayward) did his first two years and can perhaps grow into the player Kyle became by Ryan's senior year, basically on same track with one year lag.

I can see the game starting with both on the floor, and at the first timeout or TV interruption switching one to the bench and sliding the PF over, then putting him back in 4-5 minutes while the other rests, then playing them both together etc.

A big part of our season really hinges on the progression of the Plumlees. Miles took big steps this year, lets hope Mason can do the same!
Until they learn to foul less, I think the Plumlees are destined to share the center slot as mobile PFs rather than play aside one another enough to both start. Miles can bulk up and Mason can be the quicker defensive player who does double duty backing up Ryan Kelly at WF/PF.

Yeah, the Plumlees WILL share the center slot, because neither Hairston nor Kelly are centers or even Boozer-type forwards. But they will also be on the floor together a lot. It wont be a strict platoon.

[dukeblue225]

I really like how versatile this team is going to be.

-Starting with versatile big men, we'll have MP1 and MP2. And of course Kyle if he stays. And hopefully Ryan if he improves.
-We'll also have a true athletic point guard with more potential than any other since J Will.
-Seth and Andre are lights out shooters that we could put in at the same time when we elect to go small.
-And of course we'll have nolan and hopefully Kyle as the stars and potential all americans.
-Then if we need big stops and having trouble stopping perimeter scorers, we'll have great perimeter defense with Nolan, Thorton, and Irving (who is actually a really good on-ball defender).
-We're also going to have athletic wing defense and shot blocking at the 3 in Carrick Felix.
-The only possible weakness could be a lack of interior D, if the Plums don't improve. Maybe Ryan and Hairston can step in and be good defenders and producers as well.

Although we're losing experience, I think we're going to be able to adjust to our opponents very well, and our versatility and ability to adjust will be our strong points.

[COYS]

-The only possible weakness could be a lack of interior D, if the Plums don't improve. Maybe Ryan and Hairston can step in and be good defenders and producers as well.

I think you'll see us go back to our great wing denial defense. Even during the years when we've been undersized in the post and have been eaten up on the boards, we've still done a great job preventing opposing bigs from catching the ball in a comfortable position to score. We're definitely going to miss Zoubek and Thomas, but if our perimeter is active enough, we can prevent the ball from even making it in the post as we have in years past. I hope that the Plumlees dedicate themselves to rebounding so that we can continue to own the boards next season.

[Osiagledknarf]

I think an intresting thing I have watched and really the only battle I would see going into the year is Ryan Kelly or Miles Plumlee for the 5 spot. Kelly is more of an offensive threat and is a good shot blocker, while Miles is a more physical rebounder. I think Miles has the edge but it is something to think about.


Also, watching the Pro Am I have been very impressed with Tyler Thornton's ability to run the floor and be an on the ball defender. I know coach K likes guys who are tough and can play defense. I know you have Kyrie and Curry in front of him, but what do you think of him possibly getting a little bit more time this season? I think he could be eeked up to a 10 minute guy vs. a 5 minute guy.

[Kedsy]

I think an intresting thing I have watched and really the only battle I would see going into the year is Ryan Kelly or Miles Plumlee for the 5 spot. Kelly is more of an offensive threat and is a good shot blocker, while Miles is a more physical rebounder. I think Miles has the edge but it is something to think about.

This is the "only battle"? Why do you think Mason's spot is safe but not Miles? Personally, I expect all three of them to get between 15 and 25 mpg.


Also, watching the Pro Am I have been very impressed with Tyler Thornton's ability to run the floor and be an on the ball defender. I know coach K likes guys who are tough and can play defense. I know you have Kyrie and Curry in front of him, but what do you think of him possibly getting a little bit more time this season? I think he could be eeked up to a 10 minute guy vs. a 5 minute guy.

Whose minutes do you expect him to take? I don't want to revive the sleeping elephant, but unless he plays more than Andre (which I don't think has any chance of happening) the only way Tyler can get 10 mpg is if Josh hardly plays and we go with Kyle at the 4 a lot. Which personally I don't think is very likely.

[DevilDan]

I think an intresting thing I have watched and really the only battle I would see going into the year is Ryan Kelly or Miles Plumlee for the 5 spot. Kelly is more of an offensive threat and is a good shot blocker, while Miles is a more physical rebounder. I think Miles has the edge but it is something to think about.


Also, watching the Pro Am I have been very impressed with Tyler Thornton's ability to run the floor and be an on the ball defender. I know coach K likes guys who are tough and can play defense. I know you have Kyrie and Curry in front of him, but what do you think of him possibly getting a little bit more time this season? I think he could be eeked up to a 10 minute guy vs. a 5 minute guy.


Catchy title in this election year, huh??

I'm leaning more toward Miles as the "5" starter (that's if we are slowed down enough to have to set up in the frontcourt). It's true that he is a better rebounder, but I also think he is further along offensively than Mason at this point. He has a better shooting touch, uses the backboard better, and shows more post-up skills so far. They both have incredible hops, and can be major shot blockers this season.

I think it may become more of a Mason vs. Ryan for the "4" in early practice. Ryan looks like he is ready for a kickass year, and again, he has a better offensive skill set than Mason. Also I think Josh is going to bust his tail to get some minutes inside.

Whoever starts among the four, I like our chances with those two AND the other two coming on the floor at (likely) the first TV timeout.

[COYS]

Catchy title in this election year, huh??

I'm leaning more toward Miles as the "5" starter (that's if we are slowed down enough to have to set up in the frontcourt). It's true that he is a better rebounder, but I also think he is further along offensively than Mason at this point. He has a better shooting touch, uses the backboard better, and shows more post-up skills so far. They both have incredible hops, and can be major shot blockers this season.

I think it may become more of a Mason vs. Ryan for the "4" in early practice. Ryan looks like he is ready for a kickass year, and again, he has a better offensive skill set than Mason. Also I think Josh is going to bust his tail to get some minutes inside.

Whoever starts among the four, I like our chances with those two AND the other two coming on the floor at (likely) the first TV timeout.

I tend to agree. I think Miles is safe unless both Mason and Ryan really take off. He is the best returning rebounder and post defender on the team . . . two traits that will be all-important for a team that will have plenty of offensive firepower from the perimeter. He is experienced and, although he was outplayed by Zoubek during the second half of the season last year, gave us great minutes last year and looks to make another jump. I predict that Miles will be among the ACC leaders in rebound-rate and possibly rebounds if he earns enough minutes, will see a boost in his scoring average, and, although we will rarely if ever run the offense through him, will be enough of a threat from 12-15 feet that opposing bigs will not be able to leave him alone to help on Kyrie, Nolan, or Seth driving the lane without giving Miles some easy jumpers. This last part will be in addition to a few more post moves and the usual put-back dunks. Throw in a bucket or two in transition and we've got a player who can give us 8pts and 8reb or so per game . . . possibly even higher in either category if he gets the minutes.

Mason and Ryan are more dynamic offensive players and may prove to be equally effective defenders. However, I think Miles' strength, experience, mobility, and rebounding ability earn him the most minutes at the 5 and a starting spot.