MOTM: Duke vs. Davidson (Nov. 8, 2013)

[JBDuke]

Who was Man of the Match in Duke's 111-77 season-opening win over Davidson?

[Utley]

Rodney Parker

[throatybeard]

I voted for "Jabari Park." I'm glad the South Korean influence on women's golf has finally spread to men's college basketball.

[JBDuke]

I voted for "Jabari Park." I'm glad the South Korean influence on women's golf has finally spread to men's college basketball.

Fixed.

[Henderson]

Quinn got my vote. 21 points, running the point, 8 assists and not a single turnover.

Rodney, Jabari, and Rasheed were all great too.

Sleep tight, Coach Self.

[Native]

Stellar games tonight from a lot of guys tonight — not much to criticize offensively.

Went with Hood — he really paced us in the first half with an all-around game IMO. Got to the rim with ease and pulled down a lot of boards.

Honorable mention to Mr. Parker for that alley-oop. Wow! Best I've seen in Cameron since last year's Mason Plumlee throwdown against OSU.

[kAzE]

Gotta be Quinn for me. He was the man out there, running the offense like a pro.

[JNort]

Gotta be Quinn! Scored right with everyone else yet also ran the offense without any turnovers. Also 8 dimes as well.

Next woulda been Rodney then Jabari

[plimnko]

i say call in MEN of the match and give it to the whole team.

[mgtr]

No easy choice tonight. I voted for Rasheed because some posters were questioning his status. So, in a way he sort of came out of nowhere, in part because he ended last season on a downer. But he finished with the big boys, joining three others with 20 or more points. Pretty good.

[Dukeblue91]

I had to go with Quinn on this one too, a superb game by him as the floor general.

[Jim3k]

Our team is about the team concept. This year coach is re-emphasizing TEAM by noting that the team is essentially positionless, meaning that there are many moving parts. In fact we played 12 guys, eight of whom had double digit minutes. Four players reached 20 points or higher, the range being only 20-22, an insignificant differential. One cannot declare one of those MOTM without dissing the other three. In fact, I think using offensive "star power" as a valid measuring stick is close to ignorance. It's too easy to look at offense when there are plenty of other skills which contribute.

I say let's drop this whole MOTM thing and just enjoy. After all, we are FOR this team as a whole. Let's keep it that way by doing/saying nothing divisive. IMO, the MOTM vote is insidiously divisive.

[duke4ever19]

I'm all about the team concept that Coach K promotes. We saw it on display tonight on the court, as well as afterwords when Jabari dismissed the Parker vs Wiggins hype by saying it was a team game.

However, I think there should be exceptions for us fans:) For instance, every time I re-watch the '92 classic against UK, I know I would vote Laettner for MOTM because the guy was a PERFECT 10-10 from the field and the line that night AND hit the game winner. Or Jay Williams hitting key shots in the Miracle Minute. Those are two obvious examples of recognizing stellar individual effort.

[MarkD83]

Our team is about the team concept. This year coach is re-emphasizing TEAM by noting that the team is essentially positionless, meaning that there are many moving parts. In fact we played 12 guys, eight of whom had double digit minutes. Four players reached 20 points or higher, the range being only 20-22, an insignificant differential. One cannot declare one of those MOTM without dissing the other three. In fact, I think using offensive "star power" as a valid measuring stick is close to ignorance. It's too easy to look at offense when there are plenty of other skills which contribute.

I say let's drop this whole MOTM thing and just enjoy. After all, we are FOR this team as a whole. Let's keep it that way by doing/saying nothing divisive. IMO, the MOTM vote is insidiously divisive.

Since we all like to vote for something how about Best Aspect of the Game with categories such as:

1. Outside shooting
2. Inside shooting
3. Perimeter defense
4. Interior defense
5. Passing
6. Rebounding
7. Coaching

I like adding the coaching because there are games in the past where it was a coaching decision that clearly won a game rather than any individual players contribution.

In the comments folks could always add who the best player was in the BAG. (Maybe this needs a better acronym.)

[brevity]

I say let's drop this whole MOTM thing and just enjoy. After all, we are FOR this team as a whole. Let's keep it that way by doing/saying nothing divisive. IMO, the MOTM vote is insidiously divisive.

"But I can't choose! I love all my children equally!"

Last I checked, we are not required to vote in, or even visit, the MOTM threads. I'll vote if I've seen all or most of the game, which is rare. (I did not see any of tonight's game.) But I'll visit the thread anyway because I enjoy the handwringing. I take note of the members who want to vote for the team as a whole, or try to pick a player for each half, or some other weaseling nonsense. And I remind myself not to invite them to the Game of Scruples that is sure to accompany Judgment Day.

In direct response, though, I strongly disagree that the MOTM threads are divisive. Usually they strike me as quite inclusive. Even if the vote tally is near unanimous, there are always a small number of people who make cogent arguments for otherwise unsung players. And in cases of plurality, like tonight, I look forward to seeing how perspectives can form distinct subgroups. We all see a different game, so the fun is seeing how our views merge and clash. We also get that in the postgame thread, but the MOTM thread can force us to go beyond generalities.

[oldnavy]

Let's just give them all participation "trophy's" and orange slices after the game. Heaven forbid that we single out a player who had a great night over all the others who maybe had just a really good game. Sure wouldn't want to hurt any of these children's feelings.

I voted for Quinn Cook, because I think he played an amazing game at the point. He was the straw that stirred the drink. Does that lessen, JB, or RS, or RH's outstanding play? Not in the least. That is my opinion, and I would not argue with any one who voted for one of the others.

But, just to make sure we don't bruise anyone's ego, trophy's for all, including the guys who got 2-3 minutes PT, because well they tried hard too by gosh by golly!!

This PC/feel good mess has got to stop at some point folks, really.... in this game it was particularly hard to pick a MOTM because so many players had great games, but doesn't the team itself pick individual winners at it's end of year banquet?? Don't coaches give out game balls, yet folks (that have probably never played a competitive game outside Dungeons and Dragons), think we are damaging the psyche of this fragile children.

[mgtr]

Duke is really a tough place -- no one got a vote for MOTM unless they had 20 points or better!

[weezie]

Quinn: steady hand at the helm.

[Jim3k]

Let's just give them all participation "trophy's" and orange slices after the game. Heaven forbid that we single out a player who had a great night over all the others who maybe had just a really good game. Sure wouldn't want to hurt any of these children's feelings.

****

But, just to make sure we don't bruise anyone's ego, trophy's for all, including the guys who got 2-3 minutes PT, because well they tried hard too by gosh by golly!!

This PC/feel good mess has got to stop at some point folks, really.... in this game it was particularly hard to pick a MOTM because so many players had great games, but doesn't the team itself pick individual winners at it's end of year banquet?? Don't coaches give out game balls, yet folks (that have probably never played a competitive game outside Dungeons and Dragons), think we are damaging the psyche of this fragile children.

Oh for Pete's sake! What a nonsensical response! PC/Feel Good? Ptui! Orange slices for the players and participant trophies? Bruised egos? I suggested no such thing. This response presumes way too much. I come from an era where the only reward for players, win or lose, was a hot shower. We neither needed nor wanted anything past a handshake from a teammate. I bet these players feel the same way today.

The MOTM vote is nothing more than an artificial altar where a fan may genuflect toward a given player. What is the need for this? It's certainly not aimed at the team as a whole. Its only purpose is to serve as a public (and often inaccurate) assessment of who played best. But it can have no real purpose beyond rating players against one another. Teams don't do that internally so why should fans? In fact, such a procedure puts fan egos ahead of the team.

Rating players in this way can be seen as far more offensive it we were doing it the other way: What if we voted for goat of the match and publicly scored it the same way? If we did that, I can assure you that there would be deserved outrage coming from all directions. MOTM is simply the other side of that coin. But it contains all the same shortcomings of a goat vote.

Let's remember, we are FOR everyone who puts on the jersey. We don't have to go publicly any further than that. Our private opinions about a player's worth need to remain private.

[CPDUKEGUY24]

Quinn got my vote. 21 points, running the point, 8 assists and not a single turnover.

Rodney, Jabari, and Rasheed were all great too.

Sleep tight, Coach Self.

Yep, Quinn for these reasons.

[JBDuke]

Oh for Pete's sake! What a nonsensical response! PC/Feel Good? Ptui! Orange slices for the players and participant trophies? Bruised egos? I suggested no such thing. This response presumes way too much. I come from an era where the only reward for players, win or lose, was a hot shower. We neither needed nor wanted anything past a handshake from a teammate. I bet these players feel the same way today.

The MOTM vote is nothing more than an artificial altar where a fan may genuflect toward a given player. What is the need for this? It's certainly not aimed at the team as a whole. Its only purpose is to serve as a public (and often inaccurate) assessment of who played best. But it can have no real purpose beyond rating players against one another. Teams don't do that internally so why should fans? In fact, such a procedure puts fan egos ahead of the team.

Rating players in this way can be seen as far more offensive it we were doing it the other way: What if we voted for goat of the match and publicly scored it the same way? If we did that, I can assure you that there would be deserved outrage coming from all directions. MOTM is simply the other side of that coin. But it contains all the same shortcomings of a goat vote.

Let's remember, we are FOR everyone who puts on the jersey. We don't have to go publicly any further than that. Our private opinions about a player's worth need to remain private.

Oh, I think the MOTM tradition is okay. After all, sports discussions are rife with similar things. The conference does a player of the month, a tourney MVP, all-conference teams, etc. National organizations do similar things recognizing individuals for their performances in team sports. Even Coach K does end of the year awards for individuals and singles players out for praise or criticism in press conferences. All that we're doing with MOTM is giving folks a chance to recognize and vote for the player that they thought contributed most to the win. This doesn't mean that others didn't contribute. It does allow for differences of opinion, so that folks can explain why they voted for, say, Tyler Thornton coming off the bench for 10 minutes, but rallying a defensive effort that turned the game around rather than Mason Plumlee contributing 20 points and 10 boards.

Now, bashing on other players isn't tolerated in these threads any more than it is in other threads. A "Goat of the Match" poll would be very much contrary to the culture we try to foster here.

[jv001]

Have we ever had a unanimous choice for MOTM? If so, I can't remember it. Shows that fans see things differently. I could have picked any of Parker, Hood, Quinn and Sheed. They all played well enough to be MOTM. GoDuke!

[JBDuke]

Have we ever had a unanimous choice for MOTM? If so, I can't remember it. Shows that fans see things differently. I could have picked any of Parker, Hood, Quinn and Sheed. They all played well enough to be MOTM. GoDuke!

Yes, we've had a few. And the vote has been rigged a few times. (After Austin's buzzer beater in Chapel Hill, I created the poll with two options - "Austin Rivers" and "Someone else - and you better have a good explanation". I don't think anyone took the bait.)

[Wander]

Teams don't do that internally so why should fans?

I'm pretty sure many athletic teams, including Duke basketball, often do just this sort of thing, if sometimes informally.

[oldnavy]

Our team is about the team concept. This year coach is re-emphasizing TEAM by noting that the team is essentially positionless, meaning that there are many moving parts. In fact we played 12 guys, eight of whom had double digit minutes. Four players reached 20 points or higher, the range being only 20-22, an insignificant differential. One cannot declare one of those MOTM without dissing the other three. In fact, I think using offensive "star power" as a valid measuring stick is close to ignorance. It's too easy to look at offense when there are plenty of other skills which contribute.

I say let's drop this whole MOTM thing and just enjoy. After all, we are FOR this team as a whole. Let's keep it that way by doing/saying nothing divisive. IMO, the MOTM vote is insidiously divisive.

Bull. If this isn't straight out of the "lets not, say anything good about someone, because unless we say something good about EVERYONE, someone is going to be hurt" camp I don't know what is.

Your opinion goes against just about every team and coach that has ever given out a game ball or player of the game award, or even those little stickers on the helmets which I would guess includes about 99.99% of all coaches.

Is your issue with fans having an opinion about MOTM specifically? If so, then lighten up, it is just the opinion of internet posters. I am doubtful that anyone in the locker room give a rats behind on our MTOM poll.

[duke4ever19]

Teams don't do that internally so why should fans?

Ever heard of a team giving out a game ball? :D

Growing up playing basketball in high school, we always gave a game ball to one of the players after a big win, especially in the playoffs. Go on youtube and type in "game ball dedication" and you will get lots of results showing teams recognizing outstanding effort on the court, or maybe honoring a player for achieving a milestone. I know it happens in the NFL all the time.

I'm assuming to, be consistent, you are also against player of the game/week/month/year honors? What about Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four? Hall of Fame? It goes without saying that these conference and national honors go far beyond us fans having a good time on an internet forum by choosing a best performance.

[Newton_14]

Easy folks. Tone it down a touch please. Let's celebrate an outstanding win.

As for the vote, any of the 4 kids that broke the 20 point mark deserved a vote as all 4 had a big hand in the win.

[oldnavy]

Easy folks. Tone it down a touch please. Let's celebrate an outstanding win.

As for the vote, any of the 4 kids that broke the 20 point mark deserved a vote as all 4 had a big hand in the win.

Agree. Not sure why the OP ever had an issue with this to start with? Any 4 of those guys deserve the win, the MTOM just gives us a chance to say why we think our pick is deserving. Doesn't mean that we think poorly of the three we didn't vote for or that this is divisive in any way at all.

[sagegrouse]

Oh for Pete's sake! What a nonsensical response! PC/Feel Good? Ptui! Orange slices for the players and participant trophies? Bruised egos? I suggested no such thing. This response presumes way too much. I come from an era where the only reward for players, win or lose, was a hot shower. We neither needed nor wanted anything past a handshake from a teammate. I bet these players feel the same way today.

The MOTM vote is nothing more than an artificial altar where a fan may genuflect toward a given player. What is the need for this? It's certainly not aimed at the team as a whole. Its only purpose is to serve as a public (and often inaccurate) assessment of who played best. But it can have no real purpose beyond rating players against one another. Teams don't do that internally so why should fans? In fact, such a procedure puts fan egos ahead of the team.

Rating players in this way can be seen as far more offensive it we were doing it the other way: What if we voted for goat of the match and publicly scored it the same way? If we did that, I can assure you that there would be deserved outrage coming from all directions. MOTM is simply the other side of that coin. But it contains all the same shortcomings of a goat vote.

Let's remember, we are FOR everyone who puts on the jersey. We don't have to go publicly any further than that. Our private opinions about a player's worth need to remain private.

I hope Devildeac doesn't see this rant. -- Your friend, Sage

[devildeac]

I hope Devildeac doesn't see this rant. -- Your friend, Sage

I read it and I like both you guys so I'm staying out of it.

[BD80]

Let's just give them all participation "trophy's" and orange slices after the game. Heaven forbid that we single out a player who had a great night over all the others who maybe had just a really good game. Sure wouldn't want to hurt any of these children's feelings.

I voted for Quinn Cook, because I think he played an amazing game at the point. He was the straw that stirred the drink. Does that lessen, JB, or RS, or RH's outstanding play? Not in the least. That is my opinion, and I would not argue with any one who voted for one of the others.

But, just to make sure we don't bruise anyone's ego, trophy's for all, including the guys who got 2-3 minutes PT, because well they tried hard too by gosh by golly!!

This PC/feel good mess has got to stop at some point folks, really.... in this game it was particularly hard to pick a MOTM because so many players had great games, but doesn't the team itself pick individual winners at it's end of year banquet?? Don't coaches give out game balls, yet folks (that have probably never played a competitive game outside Dungeons and Dragons), think we are damaging the psyche of this fragile children.

You better stay off MY lawn too!

In a sense Rodney and Jabari cancel each other out, they provide the same sort of offensive flexibility. Quinn is unique in his ability to push the ball and break down defenses (and ankles) off the dribble.

As the team gels and gets to know each other in game situations, I think you'll see more and more of Quinn excelling in the break, and particularly the secondary break. As we start overplaying passing lanes more, there will be even more fast break opportunities. Quinn will be MOTM more than once.

[JNort]

Our team is about the team concept. This year coach is re-emphasizing TEAM by noting that the team is essentially positionless, meaning that there are many moving parts. In fact we played 12 guys, eight of whom had double digit minutes. Four players reached 20 points or higher, the range being only 20-22, an insignificant differential. One cannot declare one of those MOTM without dissing the other three. In fact, I think using offensive "star power" as a valid measuring stick is close to ignorance. It's too easy to look at offense when there are plenty of other skills which contribute.

I say let's drop this whole MOTM thing and just enjoy. After all, we are FOR this team as a whole. Let's keep it that way by doing/saying nothing divisive. IMO, the MOTM vote is insidiously divisive.

Im sorry but I think this whole post is fairly ignorant and unnecessary. Yes we play as a team and win as a team but every game there are gonna be players or a player who go above and beyond in their performance. Last year many times Mason led the team in stats but I did not vote for him because I thought he played like his usual self. MOTM is not an MVP vote it is a congratulatory vote for someone who went above and beyond. I don't even know if I have ever seen 1 guy get all the votes anyway which further emphasizes the team playing well. I think If you read my post earlier in this thread I said something along the lines of I voted for Cook for the way he ran the offense. His scoring was just a bonus.