Chansky on K

[buddy]

I think you mixed up your losses to UConn. Duke ran out of big men (Williams, Randolph) in the 2004 semi-final. Trajan Langdon dribbled the ball out of bounds off his leg to end the 1999 loss in the championship game.

[arnie]

I think you mixed up your losses to UConn. Duke ran out of big men (Williams, Randolph) in the 2004 semi-final. Trajan Langdon dribbled the ball out of bounds off his leg to end the 1999 loss in the championship game.

The DBR Headline wouldn't be quite as embarrassing without the comment "we remember that game well". Of course, maybe they saw a nightmare vision of Okafor later that night.

[sagegrouse]

The DBR Headline wouldn't be quite as embarrassing without the comment "we remember that game well". Of course, maybe they saw a nightmare vision of Okafor later that night.

I am still having nightmares about the referees in the 2004 games. It was ticky-tack city, until JJ is thrown to the floor on a drive for the tying basket, and those weaselly zebras swallowed their whistles.

I can't blame the refs for 1999, so I'll blame me for the hubris of assuming victory before the opening tip.

sagegrouse

[davekay1971]

Love the asterix Chansky puts on the 2010 team's championship by blaming the draw. Once again, let's feed the notion that Duke got an easy ride...as if the NCAA guaranteed that Ohio State, Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, etc would all lose before the Final Four. Should we also put an asterix on UNC's 2008 final four appearance given that they had four home games on the way there, Art? Ridiculous. Chansky probably had to take a hot shower after writing that article.

As for 1999 and 2004, I have an easier time dealing with 1999...UConn was an excellent team. I doubt K's pain meds had anything to do with that loss (it'd be interesting to get a frank reaction from K on Chansky's statement). 2004 was simply the worst officiating I've seen in a final four game, and clearly cost Duke a win. That's tough to accept.

[Billy Dat]

That is a really serious accusation Chansky makes in that article - that K was so doped up on painkillers that his judgement was impacted. Based on what I've read of Chansky over the years, I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote the entire fawning article just to unleash that juicy tidbit. I would expect someone at Duke to react fairly strongly, this is a well known regional journalist.

Anyway, saying that Duke let the lead slip away is not accurate...we battled from behind most of the game. I can't recall the latest that we had the lead.

[Monmouth77]

Making no apologies for Art Chansky (I read this piece primarily as a sour grapes homage to a Coach he despises but grudgingly accepts as an all-time great) I think the pain killers bit is tongue-in-cheek and not leveled as a serious accusation.

It's basically a farce right? With the idea being that the '99 team was so good the team or the Coach must have been on drugs to have lost?

In other words, I would doubt he even claims to have a source on this and isn't reporting it as news. It's not like the Michigan-App State story or anything.

Just more haterade.

[luvdahops]

That is a really serious accusation Chansky makes in that article - that K was so doped up on painkillers that his judgement was impacted. Based on what I've read of Chansky over the years, I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote the entire fawning article just to unleash that juicy tidbit. I would expect someone at Duke to react fairly strongly, this is a well known regional journalist.

Anyway, saying that Duke let the lead slip away is not accurate...we battled from behind most of the game. I can't recall the latest that we had the lead.

I agree with all of this, especially your theory on Chansky's motivations for writing the piece.

My recollection of the 1999 title game was that UConn led for most of the second half - I kept waiting for one of that Duke team's patented blitzes, but it never came. And I'm no fan of Calhoun, but he absolutely outcoached K in that game. Our guys were repeatedly caught in unfavorable matchups after switching (e.g. Brand on El-Amin or Hamilton), a strategy Calhoun devised after scouting us multiple times during the season (by his own admission). That UConn team was damn good, too, and had actually been ranked #1 for a good chunk of the regular season.

[alteran]

You can almost see the good (objective reporter) and bad (UNC partisan) Chankys battling it out, with some real praise mixed in with passive-aggressive cheap shots, groundless conspiracy theory asides, and left-handed compliments.

I appreciate the effort, Art, I really do.

[Kedsy]

I agree with all of this, especially your theory on Chansky's motivations for writing the piece.

My recollection of the 1999 title game was that UConn led for most of the second half - I kept waiting for one of that Duke team's patented blitzes, but it never came. And I'm no fan of Calhoun, but he absolutely outcoached K in that game. Our guys were repeatedly caught in unfavorable matchups after switching (e.g. Brand on El-Amin or Hamilton), a strategy Calhoun devised after scouting us multiple times during the season (by his own admission). That UConn team was damn good, too, and had actually been ranked #1 for a good chunk of the regular season.

That UConn team actually spent more weeks at #1 than that Duke team did. Even at the time I didn't understand why Duke was considered such a big favorite.

[MulletMan]

Love the asterix Chansky puts on the 2010 team's championship by blaming the draw.


My favorite counter to this argument is that even though the draw was sooooo easy, the majority of the talking heads picked us to lose to Purdue, Baylor, West Virginia and about 50% picked us to lose to Butler (oh... by the way, it wasn't Duke's fault that Butler beat Syracue, KState and Michigan State... or that Kansas lost to Northern Iowa). Hell, some heads were picking us to lose to Cal in the 2nd round!

Yeah... the draw was so easy. After we kicked everyone's...

Sorry...

[Wander]

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but the complaints about Duke's easy draw in 2010 are idiotic. For two big reasons.

1. Duke played, in order, a 16, 8, 4, 3, 2, and 5 seed. Other than that 5 seed in the championship game, that's a pretty normal gauntlet to run through for a national champion. And the fact that playing a 5 seed in the championship game is theoretically easier than average is partly or mostly or entirely made up for by playing Baylor in Texas.

By the way, for comparison, the seeds Kentucky beat last year were, in order, 16, 8, 4, 3, 4, and 2. In other words, they basically had the exact same path Duke did.

2. The reward for having a great regular season is that you get to be placed far away from teams like Kansas and Kentucky. It's not an accident or unfair that we didn't have to play those teams. It's the premise behind seeding in every elimination tournament in every sport.

[CDu]

I think you mixed up your losses to UConn. Duke ran out of big men (Williams, Randolph) in the 2004 semi-final. Trajan Langdon dribbled the ball out of bounds off his leg to end the 1999 loss in the championship game.

Yeah, was going to mention that this morning, but didn't want to be the guy to bring up two DBR gaffes related to the late-90s tournament teams in the span of like two days.

[superdave]

Love the asterix Chansky puts on the 2010 team's championship by blaming the draw. Once again, let's feed the notion that Duke got an easy ride...as if the NCAA guaranteed that Ohio State, Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, etc would all lose before the Final Four. Should we also put an asterix on UNC's 2008 final four appearance given that they had four home games on the way there, Art? Ridiculous. Chansky probably had to take a hot shower after writing that article.

I think we could realistically see UNC's basketball wins from 1999 to the present (including tow titles) be vacated when and if this phony major issue gets fully investigated and settled. Then and only then will I care about where Chansky has to say about asterix.

[davekay1971]

I think we could realistically see UNC's basketball wins from 1999 to the present (including tow titles) be vacated when and if this phony major issue gets fully investigated and settled. Then and only then will I care about where Chansky has to say about asterix.

I think there is a great argument for the UNC mens basketball and football teams having all wins vacated dating back as far as one can trace the funneling of players to the phony classes in the AFAM department. That may even go back before 1999. Even into the Dean Smith years, whether or not Smith actually knew about any organized attempt to keep players eligible by padding their transcripts with rotten course grades. However, I doubt that will happen. The NCAA seems to be resolute in ignoring the obvious corruption at UNC.

However, I absolutely agree that everyone associated with UNC ought to be very quiet for a very long time in doubting the validity of the athletic accomplishments at any other institution. Whether the NCAA formally declares it or not, UNC Men's Basketball is absolutely tainted, as are that program's accomplishments for at least the last 13 years.

[Lord Ash]

Art said another title would move K into second behind Wooden...

Except he already is in second, tied with Rupp.

[sagegrouse]

I asked this question a few days ago. I think the answer is, "No, the NCAA is not at the moment investigating the academic improprieties surrounding AfAm Studies and scholarship athletes."

Here, for example is a paragraph from an SI article today on Butch Davis's phone records (a judge has ordered them released):


Following an investigation of improper benefits provided to UNC football players, the NCAA in March issued a one-year postseason ban against the team and eliminated five football scholarships per year in each of the next three academic years. Last week, school officials announced a new investigation to examine academic improprieties involving athletes taking no-show classes and receiving grades they did not earn.

However, since the University has launched an investigation, I suppose it would be normal practice to wait until that's finished and then request a copy.

sagegrouse
'The Davis issue relates to his personal mobile phone. The University has been stonewalling equests from the media and others to release info on business-related calls. Today Judge Manning ordered them releaed, saying that use of personal phones could not evade the state open records law'

'Anyway, I expect another feeding frenzy when Davis's call logs are available for public review'

[OldPhiKap]

Love the asterix Chansky puts on the 2010 team's championship by blaming the draw.

Well, to be fair, Carolina won one NC when Chris Webber called a time out he didn't have, and another when Georgetown inexplicably threw the ball right to Carolina at the end of the game. So they're familiar with questionable wins.


I respect Chansky like I respect parsley. I know it's there, I assume it has a function -- but I can easily do without.

[comdytrd]

I saw this game live and replayed it a few times. I'll take an impaired K (whether pain or pills) over most anyone, but I would not be surprised to find that to have been a contributing factor to what seemed to me to be uncharacteristic behavior by K at the end of the game.

[devildeac]

Hey, art, just remember your password...

(I think it starts something like 9f9f...)

(Newton_14 might have to help me out here with a search to discover where we talked about this a couple weeks ago...)

;)

[CLT Devil]

I think you mixed up your losses to UConn. Duke ran out of big men (Williams, Randolph) in the 2004 semi-final. Trajan Langdon dribbled the ball out of bounds off his leg to end the 1999 loss in the championship game.

Always wonder if Michael Thompson was watching...and if so, what he was thinking when Tricky Nicky was the last body available (with all due respect to Patrick Johnson) to attempt to slow Okafor. Man, I HATE that game - made for a looong two days in San Antonio...

[OldPhiKap]

Hey, art, just remember your password...

(I think it starts something like 9f9f...)

(Newton_14 might have to help me out here with a search to discover where we talked about this a couple weeks ago...)

;)

What a maroon.

[Newton_14]

Hey, art, just remember your password...

(I think it starts something like 9f9f...)

(Newton_14 might have to help me out here with a search to discover where we talked about this a couple weeks ago...)

;)

You dastardly devil you! Ah the fun we could have! On a serious note, what a tool AC is. To borrow a phrase from Ol Roy, Jim Sumner has more professionalism and ethics in his pinky finger than AC will ever have. Jim loves Duke, but in all the mainstream media articles I have ever read by Jim where UNC was part of the article, I have never even seen a hint of bias directed against UNC. Jim is a true professional who still loves his alma mater, AC is a homer and a joke. Like Doherty, UNC throws him under the bus, and he still drinks the Koolaide daily.


Always wonder if Michael Thompson was watching...and if so, what he was thinking when Tricky Nicky was the last body available (with all due respect to Patrick Johnson) to attempt to slow Okafor. Man, I HATE that game - made for a looong two days in San Antonio...

I have always thought the same thing, including that very night, when I was muttering that Thompson would have made a difference in that game. A big difference. The refs would have likely fouled him out too, but he very well may have gotten us over the top. Nick did the best he could, but was just out-talented that night. Thompson would have had a much better chance out there. And yes JJ got mugged on that last drive, as did Duhon on his last couple of drives. I will never forget JJ's response to the reporter who asked, "Why didn't you guys try putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket those last 3 minutes vs settling for jumpers?" JJ: "Uh, actually we did that, watch the tape".

[hq2]

Usually, most of what Art Chumpsky says can be dismissed as Carolina nonsense. Every now and then he
says something relevant, but not too often. Over the years, we've learned to ignore him (although back
in the 70s when my friends would call into his radio talk show, he was sometimes funny.)

As far as the '04' game is concerned, it is universally agreed that it was poorly officiated, but whether it was
that biased, I don't remember. Okafor missed a lot of the game with three fouls, and I wasn't sure about those
either. In the end, for whatever reason, Duke couldn't score in the last three minutes and of course, Okafor
could do anything he wanted to against Horvath. If it had been called better, I think they still would have won,
but it's hard to say.