ESPN Season Preview Stuff - Duke

[Billy Dat]

Saw some Duke related discussion on the Worldwide Leader and thought it was worth passing on:

Eamonn Brennan - Three Big Things
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/64523/three-big-things-duke
Brennan's a young-ish writer who has been covering college hoops for ESPN for a few years. I think he's ok. He's usually fair to us.

Andy Katz - 5 Questions - Coach K
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/64536/five-questions-dukes-mike-krzyzewski

Katz & Seth Greenberg (his new gig) College Hoops Podcast - lots of Duke talk
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=8436054

Insider Subscription-only preview - $
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8430872/duke-blue-devils-2012-13-countdown-madness-preview-ncb

The primary themes of all these pieces:
-The perimeter defense needs to drastically improve
-Cook or Thornton has to win the starting point guard job. PG by committee seems less than ideal
-Losing Rivers may be addition by subtraction
-Mason, Ryan and Curry are each expected to score 15+ ppg and be the heart and soul of the team
-We are expected to have a 10 man rotation (ok, perhaps this was just an uninformed reporter guessing)

[Kedsy]

-Mason, Ryan and Curry are each expected to score 15+ ppg and be the heart and soul of the team

Yeah, for those who think Seth might be coming off the bench, Coach K says, "I think our seniors are our three best players." It doesn't sound like he views Seth as a sixth man.



-We are expected to have a 10 man rotation (ok, perhaps this was just an uninformed reporter guessing)

Boy, would that be a surprise (at least after January 1).

[Wander]

I like that K envisions having only one of Cook/Thornton on the floor at a time, at least as the default. That line-up with both of them always drove me nuts.

[ChillinDuke]

Saw some Duke related discussion on the Worldwide Leader and thought it was worth passing on:

Eamonn Brennan - Three Big Things
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/64523/three-big-things-duke
Brennan's a young-ish writer who has been covering college hoops for ESPN for a few years. I think he's ok. He's usually fair to us.

Andy Katz - 5 Questions - Coach K
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/64536/five-questions-dukes-mike-krzyzewski

Katz & Seth Greenberg (his new gig) College Hoops Podcast - lots of Duke talk
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=8436054

Insider Subscription-only preview - $
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8430872/duke-blue-devils-2012-13-countdown-madness-preview-ncb

The primary themes of all these pieces:
-The perimeter defense needs to drastically improve
-Cook or Thornton has to win the starting point guard job. PG by committee seems less than ideal
-Losing Rivers may be addition by subtraction
-Mason, Ryan and Curry are each expected to score 15+ ppg and be the heart and soul of the team
-We are expected to have a 10 man rotation (ok, perhaps this was just an uninformed reporter guessing)

Nice links. Thx, Billy, for helping me get my fix.

Thought Brennan was quite fair in his analysis. Katz was whatever in his 5 Questions. But Katz and more specifically Greenberg were relatively enjoyable to listen to. Perhaps Greenberg can get off the bubble as a commentator. May try out that podcast again as the season approaches.

Most of the discussion throughout each of these links centers on our defense and a hole at small forward. However, also interesting to note that Alex Murphy is largely overlooked in these links as well.

I certainly hope he solves at least one of those two question marks. Especially when Greenberg considers putting Kelly at the SF which seems highly unlikely at this point.

- Chillin

[Dev11]

Saw some Duke related discussion on the Worldwide Leader and thought it was worth passing on:

Eamonn Brennan - Three Big Things
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/64523/three-big-things-duke
Brennan's a young-ish writer who has been covering college hoops for ESPN for a few years. I think he's ok. He's usually fair to us.

Andy Katz - 5 Questions - Coach K
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/64536/five-questions-dukes-mike-krzyzewski

Katz & Seth Greenberg (his new gig) College Hoops Podcast - lots of Duke talk
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=8436054

Insider Subscription-only preview - $
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8430872/duke-blue-devils-2012-13-countdown-madness-preview-ncb

The primary themes of all these pieces:
-The perimeter defense needs to drastically improve
-Cook or Thornton has to win the starting point guard job. PG by committee seems less than ideal
-Losing Rivers may be addition by subtraction
-Mason, Ryan and Curry are each expected to score 15+ ppg and be the heart and soul of the team
-We are expected to have a 10 man rotation (ok, perhaps this was just an uninformed reporter guessing)

Some really insightful discussion in the comments of the Katz 5 questions. /sarcasm

But seriously, thanks for the links. I find myself enjoying Greenberg's discussion. This is a new phenomenon.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Silly me! I thought surely you were going to post a link to ESPN's projected bowl list for this week. Duke's listed twice! http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections:cool:

[Billy Dat]

Perhaps Greenberg can get off the bubble as a commentator. May try out that podcast again as the season approaches.

Most of the discussion throughout each of these links centers on our defense and a hole at small forward. However, also interesting to note that Alex Murphy is largely overlooked in these links as well.

I certainly hope he solves at least one of those two question marks. Especially when Greenberg considers putting Kelly at the SF which seems highly unlikely at this point.

- Chillin

Rim shot on that solid Greenberg bubble line. He is really SHOT OUT OF A CANNON on these initial pods, perhaps, PERHAPS, he will calm a bit.

He did talk at length about the difference between Kelly at the 3 and Kelly at the 4. His conclusion was that Kelly is solely a pick-and-pop frontcourt player who can cause problems for 4s but will get abused by 3s. Those Jefferson/Murphy battles are probably already pretty heated, as I imagine the Tyler/Cook battles are. The Blue/White battles should be epic considering what we know about the personalities:

5- Mason v Marshall (we know Mason is going to start but we also know these two got into a fight during practice last year)
1 - Cook v Thornton (we think Cook is the better player, but we also know Thornton will die before giving an inch)
4 - Kelly vs Hairston (Josh will likely get very physical with Ryan, but he's giving up a lot of size)
3 - Jefferson v Murphy (an all out war for that starting job)
2 - Curry vs Rasheed (Will Rasheed's supposedly vaunted D flex its muscle during intra-squads?)

I guess it's also possible that the Kelly/Hairston/Jefferson/Murphy match-ups could be switched as Jefferson seems like a more natural 4. And, then there's the matter of Rodney Hood who will surely be making the White Team's life MISERABLE ala Dahntay in 2000-2001.

[Kedsy]

3 - Jefferson v Murphy (an all out war for that starting job)

I wonder how much of a chance Amile has to get the starting job? It would seem a long shot to me.

[PDDuke85]

Silly me! I thought surely you were going to post a link to ESPN's projected bowl list for this week. Duke's listed twice! http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections:cool:

Ironic that the opponents predicted were Mississippi and Tennessee.
In Cut I trust.
Is it time to move this to a soon to be created Duke Bowl 2012 vigil?

[Billy Dat]

I wonder how much of a chance Amile has to get the starting job? It would seem a long shot to me.

Yes, you are probably correct, especially to start the year. Do you think Murphy or Hairston will snag that last starting spot, assuming K won't go Cook, Thornton and Curry?

[Kedsy]

Yes, you are probably correct, especially to start the year. Do you think Murphy or Hairston will snag that last starting spot, assuming K won't go Cook, Thornton and Curry?

I'm thinking it will be Alex. If for some reason it's not him, my guess is it would be Rasheed, over Tyler or Josh or Amile. But I've never actually seen Rasheed play, so that's really a pure guess, based on his recruiting ranking (#12 RSCI) and his defensive reputation.

[MChambers]

I certainly hope he solves at least one of those two question marks. Especially when Greenberg considers putting Kelly at the SF which seems highly unlikely at this point.

- Chillin
Just amazing. How could Greenberg think that Kelly is going to play SF?

I'm thinking it will be mostly Murphy, with a little Sulaimon and Jefferson mixed it.

[OldPhiKap]

Perhaps Greenberg can get off the bubble as a commentator.

Dang, that's cold. Flat-out Chillin'. ;>)

[Olympic Fan]

It continues to amaze me how many national commentators (and many Duke fans) overlook or underestimate Alex Murphy.

If he had stayed in high school for his senior year and come to Duke for the first time this summer, he'd be far more celebrated -- he would have been a borderline top 10 player in the Class of 2012 (at least that's where he was when he was reclassified). He would have been a McDonald's All-American and would be touted as one of the most significant freshman in the country.

Yet, by coming to Duke a year early and practicing with the team -- and getting college weight-training -- for a year, he's BETTER prepared to make a impact than he would have been as a highly touted incoming recruit. He was pushing for a starting job preseason last year before his concussion -- based almost soley on his defense.

Mark my words -- Murphy is going to be Duke's most significant newcomer this season. I love Suliamon and believe Jefferson has great long-term potential. but Murphy not only gives us what we need most -- a natural small forward -- but he's better prepared to play than any other newcomer.

Any national evaluation that doesn't at least suggest the impact Murphy will have isn't worth the electrons its encoded in.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I find this debate fascinating. I think the majority of us figured that Cook would just be handed the job from the get go, but Coach K clearly doesn't think so. IMO, Cook and Thornton are nothing alike. Cook is a shooter, can successful drive, is a distributor, and can see the floor well. Essentially, the perfect offensive PG. Thornton's main offensive threat is a spot up shooter, but his defense is something else. The best on-the-ball defender last year (not saying much) but a fantastic off-the-ball defender. Essentially, by putting one in for the other, you sacrifice one side of the game. I'm sure that Cook has improved on D and Thornton has improved on O, but let's not kid ourselves - D and O are not their core capabilities, respectively.

This is the main question mark that I will be following in October and November, and hopefully we'll have a definitive starting PG by December.

[airowe]

It continues to amaze me how many national commentators (and many Duke fans) overlook or underestimate Alex Murphy.

If he had stayed in high school for his senior year and come to Duke for the first time this summer, he'd be far more celebrated -- he would have been a borderline top 10 player in the Class of 2012 (at least that's where he was when he was reclassified). He would have been a McDonald's All-American and would be touted as one of the most significant freshman in the country.

Yet, by coming to Duke a year early and practicing with the team -- and getting college weight-training -- for a year, he's BETTER prepared to make a impact than he would have been as a highly touted incoming recruit. He was pushing for a starting job preseason last year before his concussion -- based almost soley on his defense.

Mark my words -- Murphy is going to be Duke's most significant newcomer this season. I love Suliamon and believe Jefferson has great long-term potential. but Murphy not only gives us what we need most -- a natural small forward -- but he's better prepared to play than any other newcomer.

Any national evaluation that doesn't at least suggest the impact Murphy will have isn't worth the electrons its encoded in.

Yeah, I'm very surprised at the national guys missing it. Almost just as surprised that people see Amile battling Murphy for the starting spot. This is a no-brainer to me. Amile isn't ready to guard small forwards at the college level in my opinion. I see him playing in the post more often than the wing. This is saying a lot about the three seniors, but Murphy should be at worst the fourth best player on the team. As far as most valuable, he's probably higher than that.

Duke's troubles guarding the small forward spot last year was very underrated in the effect it had on the perimeter defense. If Austin had been able to stay at the shooting guard spot on D, those matchups would have been a lot easier to deal with.

[roywhite]

Yeah, I'm very surprised at the national guys missing it. Almost just as surprised that people see Amile battling Murphy for the starting spot. This is a no-brainer to me. Amile isn't ready to guard small forwards at the college level in my opinion. I see him playing in the post more often than the wing. This is saying a lot about the three seniors, but Murphy should be at worst the fourth best player on the team. As far as most valuable, he's probably higher than that.

Duke's troubles guarding the small forward spot last year was very underrated in the effect it had on the perimeter defense. If Austin had been able to stay at the shooting guard spot on D, those matchups would have been a lot easier to deal with.

I'm wondering how much flexibility 'Sheed can give us here. We think he'll be a pretty good defender....good enough to guard someone in the 6'6" to 6'8" range? Or how many teams have a good offensive player at #3 in that size range?

Cook, Curry, 'Sheed, and two bigs? Or not very often?

[Kedsy]

I'm wondering how much flexibility 'Sheed can give us here. We think he'll be a pretty good defender....good enough to guard someone in the 6'6" to 6'8" range? Or how many teams have a good offensive player at #3 in that size range?

Cook, Curry, 'Sheed, and two bigs? Or not very often?

I suspect that will be the arrangement most of the time when Alex is resting. For 10 or so mpg.

[Olympic Fan]

I'm wondering how much flexibility 'Sheed can give us here. We think he'll be a pretty good defender....good enough to guard someone in the 6'6" to 6'8" range? Or how many teams have a good offensive player at #3 in that size range?

Cook, Curry, 'Sheed, and two bigs? Or not very often?

I wish we could avoid calling our new wing guard "Sheed ... too many connotations to one of the most despicable players every to play in the ACC.

But as for his ability to defend on the wing, it might help that he has (measured at the Nike Hoop Summit) a 6-8 wing span. As Dean Smith used to say, reaching height is far more valuable that real height because "you don't play defense with the top of your head."

[RepoMan]

I wish we could avoid calling our new wing guard "Sheed ... too many connotations to one of the most despicable players every to play in the ACC.



Agreed! Every time I read "'Sheed," I do a double take

[Olympic Fan]

Agreed! Every time I read "'Sheed," I do a double take

It's like one of those urban legends about the monster (Candyman?) that appears if you say his name three times.

Well, we've done it. Today, 40-year-old Rasheed Wallace just signed to play for the Knicks.

Thanks a lot ...

[slower]

It's like one of those urban legends about the monster (Candyman?) that appears if you say his name three times.

Well, we've done it. Today, 40-year-old Rasheed Wallace just signed to play for the Knicks.

Thanks a lot ...

I thought that was Beetlejuice.