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View Full Version : Seth Davis thinks we might not be too bad this year



davekay1971
11-02-2010, 02:03 PM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/seth_davis/11/02/duke.postcard/1.html

Click on the link for an embarrassing amount of love from Seth for Duke and, particularly, Kyrie.

Bob Green
11-02-2010, 02:27 PM
Thanks for posting the link as the article is fantastic. It is very hard to maintain an even keel while reading all the main stream media articles which rave about the amount of talent on this team. My favorite parts:


As I reflected on the practice in the days that followed, I realized how much of my positive impression resulted from the Plumlee brothers. In most programs, either one would be a first or second option who would be looked on to create scoring in the post. On this team, they only need to worry about setting screens, working the boards and keeping their hands ready for passes when they're open. Both Plumlees are good athletes with longer-than-expected shooting range, but what really surprised me was their ability to pass. They also have that telekinetic thing that brothers have, and it's a lot of fun watching them feed to each other in Duke's motion offense.

and


Most improved: Dawkins. After Elliott Williams transferred to Memphis in the summer of 2009, the coaching staff convinced Dawkins to bypass his senior year at Atlantic Shores Christian High in Chesapeake, Va., and begin his freshman year of college at the age of 17. Dawkins played well early, but in December, his sister and mother were in a horrible car accident which killed his sister and badly injured his mother. Dawkins understandably was not the same player, but his improved strength, stamina and confidence are going to be a big help this season. Krzyzewski pointed out that one reason for Dawkins's improvement is that he is usually being guarded by Singler in practice. "So you're going to get better just to keep your head above water, because you're matched up every day against a kid who will probably be a lottery pick."

Duke is going to be able to put an amazing level of talent onto the court this season.

Billy Dat
11-02-2010, 02:28 PM
If there was ever a year to just try and take it game by game and enjoy the ride it's got to be this year. We are loaded with talent and experience, K is at the top of his game, the 2005-2009 "monkey", for lack of a better term, is off our back, it's going to be too easy to be hyper-critical.

Here's to health, chemistry, defense and patience...the rest will take care of itself.

4decadedukie
11-02-2010, 02:32 PM
Here's to health, chemistry, defense and patience...the rest will take care of itself.

wow, that is as crucial as it is correct. Nice post!

roywhite
11-02-2010, 02:36 PM
If there was ever a year to just try and take it game by game and enjoy the ride it's got to be this year. We are loaded with talent and experience, K is at the top of his game, the 2005-2009 "monkey", for lack of a better term, is off our back, it's going to be too easy to be hyper-critical.

Here's to health, chemistry, defense and patience...the rest will take care of itself.

Agreed; good post.

I'm looking for team basketball at a very high level (with a disclaimer that it takes a while for any team to truly gel). The performance may occasionally be a thing of beauty. That was the case in 1986, 1992, and 1999 and it was truly special to watch.

Let's enjoy the journey.

gam7
11-02-2010, 02:38 PM
Interesting comments re: Collins and Wojo. Also, SilkyJ, are you really Seth Davis? What is it with all of these prom analogies?


"I wonder if they've become like the pretty girl in high school who doesn't get asked to the prom because everybody assumes she has a date. These guys are clearly ready to run their own programs, and they're more eager for the chance than you might think."

CharlestonDevil
11-02-2010, 02:49 PM
If there was ever a year to just try and take it game by game and enjoy the ride it's got to be this year.

I will enjoy the ride when it goes over Roy Williams, around Larry Drew, and parks on Harrison Barnes.

SMO
11-02-2010, 02:51 PM
"I have much to report about my visit to practice, but allow me to cut to the chase. I was one of the 55 voters (out of 65) who voted the Blue Devils as the No. 1 team in the country for the AP's preseason poll. From what I saw, we may have underrated them."

GREAT line!

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/seth_davis/11/02/duke.postcard/index.html#ixzz149VoTfsU

WiJoe
11-02-2010, 02:51 PM
I will enjoy the ride when it goes over Roy Williams, around Larry Drew, and parks on Harrison Barnes.

Well put!

camion
11-02-2010, 03:47 PM
I read the article. It's nice,... too nice.

I don't disagree with the assessment, but I'm just a fan. I think one of the main pitfalls for this team would be to believe their press clippings and think they won't be challenged. The ones who actually step on the court must remember that pursuing a championship is hard.

rasputin
11-02-2010, 03:49 PM
I will enjoy the ride when it goes over Roy Williams, around Larry Drew, and parks on Harrison Barnes.

The ride, of course, is a bus; Ol' Roy has a lot of use for it.

Greg_Newton
11-02-2010, 04:14 PM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/seth_davis/11/02/duke.postcard/1.html

Click on the link for an embarrassing amount of love from Seth for Duke and, particularly, Kyrie.

Here's the link for the first page of the article: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/seth_davis/11/02/duke.postcard/index.html

CEF1959
11-02-2010, 04:51 PM
If you can't count on your alums to have a "man crush" on your guys, who ya gonna count on?

But seriously, I have to say: I think he's dead on. I wouldn't want to be playing us.

Funny comments about his earlier visit to CH for a practice. He made it sound like he had just moved from Mogadishu to the Upper East Side.

Greg_Newton
11-02-2010, 04:53 PM
Thanks for posting the link as the article is fantastic. It is very hard to maintain an even keel while reading all the main stream media articles which rave about the amount of talent on this team. My favorite parts:

[Plumlee rave]

and

[Dawkins rave]

Duke is going to be able to put an amazing level of talent onto the court this season.

Those were my favorite parts too. I was particularly pleased with the Plumlee comments - they had looked pretty questionable to me in the first couple scrimmages, and are the most important variables on the team this year. I know they're K's major focus this year, so it's good to see that they may be coming along a bit already.

I was also pleased to see that K has taken my advice from the blue-white thread and matched up Kyle and Andre.:p I think it's great for both of them - they both need to improve playing the three, Kyle against quicker wings and Dawkins against bigger wings. This matchup should help both of them address their weaknesses.

I also chuckled a little at the comments about how Kyrie was making it hard to practice doubleteaming the ballhandler because he was so good at splitting doubleteams.

It will be interesting to watch Ryan and Nolan find their roles this year. I think Davis will end up being wrong about Kelly getting lost in the shuffle, but it remains to be seen how much he will end up asserting himself and being a difference maker - confidence could be an issue if he struggles establishing himself in this role early on.

And he brings up an interesting point about Nolan I've been thinking about since the exhibition. As strange as it is to say about a potential A-A candidate... I'm not sure there are a whole lot of things that he does better than Kyrie. He's not the designated "slasher" on offense anymore; he's still very, very good, but it's almost like we might not necessarily need him to do the things he does well as much as we did last year. We don't really need him to create one-on-one in the halfcourt anymore, which was his bread and butter last year. I hope he can find a way to adjust and thrive in the new system alongside Kyrie.

Kedsy
11-02-2010, 05:10 PM
And he brings up an interesting point about Nolan I've been thinking about since the exhibition. As strange as it is to say about a potential A-A candidate... I'm not sure there are a whole lot of things that he does better than Kyrie. He's not the designated "slasher" on offense anymore; he's still very, very good, but it's almost like we might not necessarily need him to do the things he does well as much as we did last year. We don't really need him to create one-on-one in the halfcourt anymore, which was his bread and butter last year. I hope he can find a way to adjust and thrive in the new system alongside Kyrie.

Well, in a way I think that's sort of the best part. The opponent's best perimeter defender and primary double-team will be on Kyrie. Nolan will most often be single-teamed by a lesser defender who in almost all cases will not be able to stop him one on one.

It's possible the most important thing Seth Davis said is that you can't zone us. Because a zone is the only way I can see that has any hope of containing Kyrie, Nolan, and Kyle. All three require our opponent's best defender and will often need to be double-teamed. But you can't do that with three (or even two) guys at once. If they can't zone us (and I agree they can't, not with all the perimeter shooting we have) then at least one and probably two of Kyrie, Nolan, and Kyle will be able to get to the hoop on more or less every possession, and either score themselves or have an easy dump off to an uncovered Plumlee (or Ryan, when he's in).

CameronBornAndBred
11-02-2010, 05:12 PM
Great article (reading it coincided with watching the most recent All Access episode on ESPNU, feels great to be a Duke fan right now) with lots of fun snippets. What intrigued me most actually wasn't about the players, but the coaches.


On several occasions, Krzyzewski turned to the spectators in the upper deck and said, "I have ultimate confidence in my staff." He was especially referring to his co-associate head coaches, Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski, to whom Coach K delegates a great deal of responsibility. Those guys are in their 11th and 12th seasons on the staff, respectively, and they also assist Coach K in all of his endeavors with USA Basketball. Yet, their names rarely crop up for major job openings when the annual spring carousel gets started. I wonder if they've become like the pretty girl in high school who doesn't get asked to the prom because everybody assumes she has a date. These guys are clearly ready to run their own programs, and they're more eager for the chance than you might think.


You know Collins and Wojo are ready, but I wonder what the conversations were that led to that last sentence.

DukieBoy
11-02-2010, 05:33 PM
I loved the part where Davis warned opposing coaches to not zone this team because Dawkins and Curry aren't shooters, they're snipers.

This is going to be a fun year

Bob Green
11-02-2010, 05:37 PM
I think one of the main pitfalls for this team would be to believe their press clippings and think they won't be challenged. The ones who actually step on the court must remember that pursuing a championship is hard.

You raise a valid concern, which is why our schedule is so important this season. We will be challenged early at the CBE Classic against Marquette and then either Kansas State or Gonzaga, and against Michigan State in the ACC - Big Ten Challenge. We will know a lot about this season's team by early December.

_TheFakeJWill_
11-02-2010, 07:09 PM
i was laughing out loud at this article. My favorite one EVER. Is it the 14th yet? Man Kyrie is gonna be amazing

DevilHorns
11-02-2010, 08:39 PM
Here's the link for the first page of the article: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/seth_davis/11/02/duke.postcard/index.html

Hah! I totally read the 2nd page first. Didn't matter though. That is a very fun article to read. I especially like the part where he mentions UNC didn't generate that "wow" feeling the way Duke did.

AZLA
11-02-2010, 10:09 PM
Good article, but I really don't think Nolan is going to get lost in the shuffle as much as Seth believes he will. Mainly because of Sr. leadership, which Coach K covets. But also, I actually believe Kyrie is going to open more lanes for Nolan and we'll see a little more dynamic like his performances in summer league. He'll also have more highlight opportunities because he'll be on the receiving end of more fast breaks. That and I think Nolan is a sharpshooter too when he gets hot and he had an excellent mid range pull up and tear drop shot in the lane. Granted, minutes could go down, but Nolan will be on the floor come crunch time leading his team shoulder-to(-taller-)shoulder with Singler.

fgb
11-02-2010, 10:21 PM
i love this part:


After Elliott Williams transferred to Memphis in the summer of 2009, the coaching staff convinced Dawkins to bypass his senior year at Atlantic Shores Christian High in Chesapeake, Va., and begin his freshman year of college at the age of 17.

come on, seth. you just can't help yourself, can you?

loran16
11-02-2010, 11:04 PM
i love this part:



come on, seth. you just can't help yourself, can you?

Errr, I'm not sure if it's true, but AFAIK, that's not a violation of anything.

fgb
11-02-2010, 11:30 PM
not saying it's a violation, only that there were more articles written last year than i can remember about the situation, specifically mentioning that it was andre's idea to come early, and andre who approached the coaching staff with the idea. apparently sd can't help himself from revising history a little bit; sort of a snide little dig as i see it.

flyingdutchdevil
11-02-2010, 11:34 PM
not saying it's a violation, only that there were more articles written last year than i can remember about the situation, specifically mentioning that it was andre's idea to come early, and andre who approached the coaching staff with the idea. apparently sd can't help himself from revising history a little bit; sort of a snide little dig as i see it.

Did you read that article? It included a ridiculous amount of praise for Duke and Dawkins. I believe that Seth wrote that as a fact (even if the fact isn't 100% correct) rather than a "snide little dig."

Anyway, going back to the article, that has to be one of my favorite Duke bball articles in the last few years. On potential alone, we blow the competition out of the water. This is going to be, to put it simply, a fun fun year for Duke bball.

Let's ride the KISS (Coach K, Irving, Smith, Singler) train all year long!

Duke: A Dynasty
11-03-2010, 12:03 AM
One of my favorite quotes is:
I was coming off visits to two other squads that were voted in the AP's top eight: Villanova and North Carolina. In both instances, I came away a little underwhelmed


Sounds like it will be another good game in Chapel Hill and Durham

gep
11-03-2010, 01:19 AM
Did you read that article? It included a ridiculous amount of praise for Duke and Dawkins. I believe that Seth wrote that as a fact (even if the fact isn't 100% correct) rather than a "snide little dig."

I totally agree that Seth was very "uncharacteristic"... I've never heard him be so completely "on the bandwagon" of ANY team. But, I did think that his comment that the "coaching staff convinced Andre to bypass his senior year" and come to Duke early was just not correct... as far as what I remember reading last year... and was the *only* dig on Duke that he could come up with. If that's his only dig, I think we're in for a very fun season...

MChambers
11-03-2010, 02:32 PM
As wonderful as it was to read the article, I couldn't help but notice that the article never really mentioned Duke's defense, only the offense. I'm sure coach K is all over that, of course, but I'm more interested in how Duke's defense will be this year. I hope it is as good as last year, with a different style, of course.

Sorry to be a nattering nabob of negativism.

JasonEvans
11-03-2010, 03:40 PM
As wonderful as it was to read the article, I couldn't help but notice that the article never really mentioned Duke's defense, only the offense. I'm sure coach K is all over that, of course, but I'm more interested in how Duke's defense will be this year. I hope it is as good as last year, with a different style, of course.

Sorry to be a nattering nabob of negativism.

My bet is that K does not go over much of our specific offensive and defensive schemes/plays while prying eyes are around to see if.

--Jason "no nattering nabob's allowed this pre-season!" Evans

MChambers
11-03-2010, 04:02 PM
My bet is that K does not go over much of our specific offensive and defensive schemes/plays while prying eyes are around to see if.

--Jason "no nattering nabob's allowed this pre-season!" Evans

I'm sure that's part of it, and it's also probably pretty darned hard to evaluate defensive effectiveness in an intrasquad scrimmage. Still, my worries about this team (to the extent I have any) have to do with defense and unrealistic expectations generally (which I have in droves, by the way). So when I see a glowing article that only mentions offense, I have to remind myself that Coach K puts defense first. At least I think he does . . .

Greg_Newton
11-03-2010, 04:43 PM
As wonderful as it was to read the article, I couldn't help but notice that the article never really mentioned Duke's defense, only the offense. I'm sure coach K is all over that, of course, but I'm more interested in how Duke's defense will be this year. I hope it is as good as last year, with a different style, of course.

Sorry to be a nattering nabob of negativism.

From what we've seen and from a couple references in that article, one thing it sounds like we'll be doing a lot is trapping and doubleteaming the ballhandler, especially away from the basket.

We saw an interesting version of that against St. Aug's where Mason was at the top of the press and Ryan was playing center field in the back. It worked extremely well against them - Ryan was particularly good at getting into passing lanes - but then again, it was St. Aug's.

I have a feeling our defense is going to be full-court, hectic, and mainly focused on creating chaos for the opposing team. We've got the horses for it - while we don't have the size and length on the wings for a Pitinoesque zone press, we've got the depth and quickness in the backcourt to harrass ballhandlers all over the court, and we've got the length and agility/athleticism in the frontcourt to play center field and deter press-breaking fast breaks.

I think we'll see a lot of possessions where we trap the opposing team 2 or 3 times as they try and bring it up, and still recover quick enough each time so that the other team can't even really take advantage of beating the doubleteam. That's what I'm looking forward to on the defensive end - having the athletic depth to be able to take chances and go all out for turnovers all over the court without even risking that much on the back end. That's an incredibly frustrating type of team to play against if we can pull it off, and given K's recent track record, I wouldn't bet against it!

gep
11-03-2010, 04:54 PM
We saw an interesting version of that against St. Aug's where Mason was at the top of the press and Ryan was playing center field in the back. It worked extremely well against them - Ryan was particularly good at getting into passing lanes - but then again, it was St. Aug's.
.....

I think we'll see a lot of possessions where we trap the opposing team 2 or 3 times as they try and bring it up, and still recover quick enough each time so that the other team can't even really take advantage of beating the doubleteam. That's what I'm looking forward to on the defensive end - having the athletic depth to be able to take chances and go all out for turnovers all over the court without even risking that much on the back end. That's an incredibly frustrating type of team to play against if we can pull it off, and given K's recent track record, I wouldn't bet against it!

Isn't this kinda like what happened when Carlos injured his foot in the Maryland game in 2001? The very next game with unc, Shane was trapping at the top, and unc's offense just couldn't get going... (of course, it *was* Shane)

MChambers
11-03-2010, 05:16 PM
Isn't this kinda like what happened when Carlos injured his foot in the Maryland game in 2001? The very next game with unc, Shane was trapping at the top, and unc's offense just couldn't get going... (of course, it *was* Shane)

I was thinking about that, but wasn't that mostly half court trapping? I thought Greg Newton was describing a full court press.

This has all gotten me to thinking: when has a Coach K team relied heavily on a full court press? I remember it being trotted out from time to time, but I don't remember it being a staple.

bluepenguin
11-03-2010, 05:23 PM
And he brings up an interesting point about Nolan I've been thinking about since the exhibition. As strange as it is to say about a potential A-A candidate... I'm not sure there are a whole lot of things that he does better than Kyrie. He's not the designated "slasher" on offense anymore; he's still very, very good, but it's almost like we might not necessarily need him to do the things he does well as much as we did last year. We don't really need him to create one-on-one in the halfcourt anymore, which was his bread and butter last year. I hope he can find a way to adjust and thrive in the new system alongside Kyrie.
Before opining that Nolan's contributions may not be needed as much as last season, why don't we wait to see how Kyrie does first. He has yet to play a regular season college basketball game. I sure hope all the hype turns out to be true. But I will reserve judgment until he shows it.

OldPhiKap
11-03-2010, 05:46 PM
This has all gotten me to thinking: when has a Coach K team relied heavily on a full court press?

Team USA?

SuperTurkey
11-03-2010, 05:49 PM
Team USA?

IIRC, the 1999 team also pressed quite a bit.

MChambers
11-03-2010, 05:51 PM
Team USA?

Guess I was just thinking of Duke, but certainly Team USA pressed a lot this summer. Different game and different opponents, of course.

MChambers
11-03-2010, 05:52 PM
IIRC, the 1999 team also pressed quite a bit.
I remember some pressing, but the team only had one point guard (Avery), so I don't think it was a staple. I'll freely admit, however, that I could be wrong.

CameronBornAndBred
11-03-2010, 06:26 PM
As wonderful as it was to read the article, I couldn't help but notice that the article never really mentioned Duke's defense, only the offense. I'm sure coach K is all over that, of course, but I'm more interested in how Duke's defense will be this year. I hope it is as good as last year, with a different style, of course.

Sorry to be a nattering nabob of negativism.
From a different article, here is what Kyle and K say about the defense this year.


"We do have a lot of offensive weapons, but we've got to focus on defense," Singler said. "Just going through what we went through last year, we realize that playing defense and working together is a key to winning. We're definitely going to have to do that this year."
They will, but in a new way. Instead of locking down on opponents in the half-court game, this team will look to take advantage of its improved depth by using more full-court pressure to generate turnovers, and depending on its guards to rebound from the perimeter and get the Blue Devils off and running.
"Hopefully, we can rebound, so we can run," Krzyzewski said. "We're going to try to force more turnovers and try to get more possessions in a game. I think more possessions in a game would favor our group, whereas not as many possessions in a game would have favored last year's group."

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/college_basketball/story/8561543/

JasonEvans
11-03-2010, 09:07 PM
Isn't this kinda like what happened when Carlos injured his foot in the Maryland game in 2001? The very next game with unc, Shane was trapping at the top, and unc's offense just couldn't get going... (of course, it *was* Shane)

"Shane, run around and make plays."

The single greatest quote in K's history, if you ask me.

-Jason "http://sports.chronicleblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/shane-battier-and-coach-k-11.jpg" Evans

Indoor66
11-03-2010, 09:14 PM
"Shane, run around and make plays."

The single greatest quote in K's history, if you ask me.

-Jason "http://sports.chronicleblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/shane-battier-and-coach-k-11.jpg" Evans

And for all these years I thought it was Brandon DeWilde who said that! :confused:

loran16
11-04-2010, 12:18 AM
http://www.salisburypost.com/2001march/030501f.htm

Of course, there is no such thing as a replacement for Shane...

jacone21
11-04-2010, 10:08 AM
http://www.salisburypost.com/2001march/030501f.htm

Of course, there is no such thing as a replacement for Shane...



Battier said..."I sort of felt like a cheetah on the horizon chasing after a pack of zebras."

Indeed. There will never be another Shane.

rasputin
11-04-2010, 10:27 AM
And for all these years I thought it was Brandon DeWilde who said that! :confused:

Shane! Come back!

OldPhiKap
11-04-2010, 10:49 AM
Guess I was just thinking of Duke, but certainly Team USA pressed a lot this summer. Different game and different opponents, of course.

True, although I think it also means that the ol' coach may have learned a new trick to bring home.

roywhite
11-09-2010, 11:56 AM
Seth has spread the word among the SI crowd, evidently.

SI's preseason crystal ball (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/ncaa/11/08/preseason.crystal.ball/index.html)

COYS
11-09-2010, 12:05 PM
Seth has spread the word among the SI crowd, evidently.

SI's preseason crystal ball (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/ncaa/11/08/preseason.crystal.ball/index.html)

Wow, Davis has the Hokies as a darkhorse Final Four contender? I like experience as much as the next guy, but final four for a team an NIT team that remains largely the same minus an injury seems a little extreme. People are calling Duke's run in '10 as a bit of a surprise, but that was a season after the team won the ACC tournament and made the sweet 16. If Duke's 2010 championship was a surprise, then a Final 4 run for a Hokie team that has never even come close to advancing to the Final Four after an NIT season would be truly astounding. I suppose stranger things have happened (George Mason '06 for a recent example), but this would really surprise me.

gumbomoop
11-09-2010, 12:08 PM
I'm looking to several darkhorses to make a deep run next spring: Syracuse [maybe only quasi-dark], Missouri, Illinois.

Duvall
11-09-2010, 12:14 PM
I'm looking to several darkhorses to make a deep run next spring: Syracuse [maybe only quasi-dark], Missouri, Illinois.

A lot of people are high on those teams. I get Syracuse and Missouri, but I don't see the appeal of Illinois. How did they go from bubble squad to borderline top 10 in many people's eyes?