Kyrie shouldn't have played in the tournament

[dukefan5656]

I just read this on ESPN and I wish I hadn't. It just rehashes the Kyrie issue that I had finally begun to get over, he's not coming back. Apparently according to Kyrie, if he had not played in the tournament he would be playing for Duke this coming season. It doesn't do any good to open old wounds, but here is the article for all of us masochists who want to torture ourselves with what could have been.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/31959/irving-says-tourney-prompted-departure

[Lord Ash]

Yes he should have. Can you imagine if he were healthy and we sat him? With last years team? Not a chance. Despite the outcome, last years team had amazing potential to win it all... You don't sit the number one draft pick when looking for a title.

[stillcrazie]

Yes he should have. Can you imagine if he were healthy and we sat him? With last years team? Not a chance. Despite the outcome, last years team had amazing potential to win it all... You don't sit the number one draft pick when looking for a title.

I agree with this, although last year's team looked very good beating UNC for the ACC championship and everyone knew their role and played well together. I don't see how Coach K leaves Irving on the bench, but at the same time, there was no time for everyone to adjust. It was a risk bringing him back, but if we lose to Arizona with Irving on the bench, people would forever blame Coach K for NOT playing him.

[MCFinARL]

I agree with this, although last year's team looked very good beating UNC for the ACC championship and everyone knew their role and played well together. I don't see how Coach K leaves Irving on the bench, but at the same time, there was no time for everyone to adjust. It was a risk bringing him back, but if we lose to Arizona with Irving on the bench, people would forever blame Coach K for NOT playing him.

True--and we could certainly have lost to Arizona with Irving on the bench, given the way Arizona was playing and the way the game was developing (with foul trouble for us, Kyle's absence to stop bleeding, etc.).

And also, if Coach K doesn't play a ready and wiling Kyrie, what might be the impact on future recruiting of high-profile players? Clearly, based on this article, Kyrie wanted the chance to show what he could do post-injury, and if he had stayed on the bench it might be taken as evidence of Coach K's unwillingness to accommodate one- or two- and done players. That perception could undo the work the program has done to adapt to modern basketball reality by recruiting a mix of solid four-year players and stars who may leave early.

[uh_no]

True--and we could certainly have lost to Arizona with Irving on the bench, given the way Arizona was playing and the way the game was developing (with foul trouble for us, Kyle's absence to stop bleeding, etc.).


It didn't matter who we put on the floor the way D-will and company played.....ki or no, arizona wins that game. That's just the way it goes in the tournament sometimes.

this thread might be the worst second guess in the history of forever

[noyac]

I am not sure if my memory is accurate here but I don't think we would have beaten Michigan without Kyrie in the NCAAT. He was the only one aggressively taking the ball to the hoop, everyone else was settling for jumpers.

I am not just talking about the winning basket he made I am talking about the whole game.

The real question is would it have been worth it to risk losing earlier in the NCAAT without Kyrie playing and he come back or have a better chance to win it all with him playing. This is open to scrutiny because some would ask "Did we really have a better chance with him playing?"

[cbnaylor]

Not this again. Can we please move on. This is becoming a broken record.

[Arrghbc1201]

i guess hindsight is not always 20/20 :confused:

[superdave]

I am glad Kyrie did not make up his mind on playing in the Tourney or going pro based on what the fans want, but rather he did it based on what's best for him. I'll survive anything college basketball throws my way while I'm in the comfort of my home, but he lives it every day so I'll defer to him.

[epoulsen]

I began to read this article as well, except it was in the N & O. Then I stopped reading it because it doesn't help anything and honestly just hurt too much. This topic needs to die for those reasons. Besides, what good can really come of second guessing Coach K?

[SupaDave]

It’s the summer and I’m ready to start talking about next year but some of the recent comments I've seen about Kyrie have bothered me a little bit.

If you feel cheated then you know nothing about college – and its purpose. He played for the team for one year but shall continue to matriculate – as a student. He’s a recruiting coup that will be still around the campus. Like Jason Williams before him, he'll be around to mentor our future point guards.

He came to school early, played his heart out when he played, did what Coach K said, was an excellent player/coach while on the bench and he worked his butt off to help the team.

The NCAA loss was reminiscent of the LSU, VCU and the West Virginia losses – wouldn’t have mattered who was out there. The other team came to play, weren’t intimated, their leader was hot (a top 3 draft pick without a doubt), and then the dunk fest began. The entire team was more shell shocked than anything. Georgetown, NC State, St. Johns – our team has been known to take the occasional blowout the last couple years. Additionally, we played what amounted to a home game for them and an away game across the country for us. Wouldn't be the first time we didn't win the national championship after being heavily favored. Next play.

Kyrie will be the consumate pro that I pray goes bezerk because when they show his college it will always say DUKE.

If there IS a season - there's a potential influx of 5 more Duke players next year to add to a stellar playoff cast. Kyrie, Nolan, Kyle, Jon, and Lance - a whole squad! And I hope Zoubek pops up again. It's a great time to be a Devil.

Plus, now you can ask your Tarheel pals when was the last time they had a #1 draft pick...

Look at Kyrie's situation in the right light and you'll see that he's the gift that keeps on giving.

[dukeballboy88]

If my Ferrari gets repaired and its sitting in my garage, im going to drive it!

[epoulsen]

Thats interesting SupaDave, I just had a UNC friend come up and mock KI for being a lock in for the Cavs. I asked him why having a #1 draft pick, which they haven't had in some time, was something to be ashamed of, at which point he asked me to name 5 Duke players in the NBA. I rattled off seven in one breath without any pause. Those crazy Tarheels.....

[roywhite]

I'm wondering how this desired conversation would have gone:

Kyrie: Hey, Coach; I think I'm back; I've been busting my tail with rehab and now in practice. I want to play in the NCAA Tournament and help the team. It's been my dream to play in the tournament and help win a national championship.

Coach K: Yeah, good work, Kyrie. I think we'll stick with the team the way it is. We don't want to disrupt our momentum, and we want you to come back next year.

Kyrie: Yeah, Coach, you know best. It'll hurt to sit out, but I want to play in the tournament, so I'll just come back to Duke next year and do it. The pros can wait, eh?

???

[SCMatt33]

I'm wondering how this desired conversation would have gone:

Kyrie: Hey, Coach; I think I'm back; I've been busting my tail with rehab and now in practice. I want to play in the NCAA Tournament and help the team. It's been my dream to play in the tournament and help win a national championship.

Coach K: Yeah, good work, Kyrie. I think we'll stick with the team the way it is. We don't want to disrupt our momentum, and we want you to come back next year.

Kyrie: Yeah, Coach, you know best. It'll hurt to sit out, but I want to play in the tournament, so I'll just come back to Duke next year and do it. The pros can wait, eh?

???

I think i get it now... The problem lies in the first part of the conversation. Who doe Kyrie think he is by "busting his tail in rehab." It's got to be the trainers' fault. We should have locked him in a dungeon and only let him out at the start of this year. We let them help him get healthy and now he's going to go live his dream???? What could we have possibly been thinking????:eek:

[MCFinARL]

I think i get it now... The problem lies in the first part of the conversation. Who doe Kyrie think he is by "busting his tail in rehab." It's got to be the trainers' fault. We should have locked him in a dungeon and only let him out at the start of this year. We let them help him get healthy and now he's going to go live his dream???? What could we have possibly been thinking????:eek:

Your post points out another benefit the Duke program has received from Kyrie--the careful attention Duke paid to Kyrie's injury and the success with which the excellent medical and training staff brought him back send a strong message to future prospects that they will be in good hands at Duke should they have the bad luck to be injured. He's a success story for Duke in many ways, and as SupaDave points out, he intends to graduate from Duke--so he will stay close to the Duke program.

On another note, there's no guarantee Irving and Rivers would work well together in the back court (although I think they did play together on a USA U-18 team)--it might be a little bit like trying to combine LeBron and Dwyane Wade--except, of course, that Austin and Kyrie would bring more maturity to the process ;).

[SoCalDukeFan]

While I think Kyrie is sincere, we really don't know what he would have done had he not played in the tournament.

I also don't understand the difference between 8 games and 11 games, the last three with a toe at 70%.

Those that advised him to put in his name in draft would have done the same had he not played in the tournament.

Coach K owed it to himself and Kyrie's teammates to give them the best chance of winning it all. He did.

Lets move on.

SoCal

[tommy]

While I think Kyrie is sincere, we really don't know what he would have done had he not played in the tournament.

I also don't understand the difference between 8 games and 11 games, the last three with a toe at 70%.

Those that advised him to put in his name in draft would have done the same had he not played in the tournament.

Coach K owed it to himself and Kyrie's teammates to give them the best chance of winning it all. He did.

Lets move on.

SoCal

Yes, let's move on. I for one wouldn't object to the mods locking this thread. The topic has been discussed ad nauseum. It's over. What's the point of continuing to rehash it?

[wsb3]

[QUOTE=SoCalDukeFan;507296]
While I think Kyrie is sincere, we really don't know what he would have done had he not played in the tournament.


I could not agree more. Every spring we go through this ritual of who is leaving and who is staying and I refuse to believe in what someone says immediately after the season is over. I said in November he was one and done and I would have loved to be wrong but I never thought that I would be.

Next play. Last year is over. Best wishes Kyrie in the NBA.

[Nugget]

While I think Kyrie is sincere, we really don't know what he would have done had he not played in the tournament. . . .

SoCal

Yup. It's too easy to say now that he would have stayed in he hadn't played in the tournament. Even Kyrie himself can't know for sure what he would have done if he hadn't played in the NCAAs, as he didn't actually face that decision.

[rotogod00]

Yup. It's too easy to say now that he would have stayed in he hadn't played in the tournament. Even Kyrie himself can't know for sure what he would have done if he hadn't played in the NCAAs, as he didn't actually face that decision.

Except he confirmed it in an ESPN chat today

[jaimedun34]

This kinda conflicts with the other article where Kyrie asks his dad "am I still coming out this year?" sometime in December.

[darjum]

Spilled milk, move on.