The dedicated "What's up with Rasheed" thread

[scottdude8]

I figured this merited its own thread since it seems like it could be a major storyline going forward, and I for one would like to be able to see any news/information/speculation as to what has gotten him into K's doghouse in one dedicated location. I'm of the mindset that for this team to be a NCAA Title contender Sheed needs to be a contributor—maybe not a starter necessarily, but a major contributor. I'm a huge fan of Jones' defense and Andre's ability to change the game with his shot, but neither (at this point) has Sheed's ability to penetrate and score, which I think is a good complement to Rodney/Jabari and can net them either more open looks from three or in the paint.

Mod's, I didn't see any thread of this nature so I really felt this was appropriate to start, but if there is another thread already discussing this please let me know/relocate. But I'd love to see others thoughts/opinons/facts on this matter. Hopefully Sheed gets his head/body in the right place soon and gets back into the rotation.

[ChillinDuke]

I figured this merited its own thread since it seems like it could be a major storyline going forward, and I for one would like to be able to see any news/information/speculation as to what has gotten him into K's doghouse in one dedicated location. I'm of the mindset that for this team to be a NCAA Title contender Sheed needs to be a contributor—maybe not a starter necessarily, but a major contributor. I'm a huge fan of Jones' defense and Andre's ability to change the game with his shot, but neither (at this point) has Sheed's ability to penetrate and score, which I think is a good complement to Rodney/Jabari and can net them either more open looks from three or in the paint.

Mod's, I didn't see any thread of this nature so I really felt this was appropriate to start, but if there is another thread already discussing this please let me know/relocate. But I'd love to see others thoughts/opinons/facts on this matter. Hopefully Sheed gets his head/body in the right place soon and gets back into the rotation.

Phew...

...Not a vigil.

- Chillin

[Skitzle]

I figured this merited its own thread since it seems like it could be a major storyline going forward, and I for one would like to be able to see any news/information/speculation as to what has gotten him into K's doghouse in one dedicated location. I'm of the mindset that for this team to be a NCAA Title contender Sheed needs to be a contributor—maybe not a starter necessarily, but a major contributor. I'm a huge fan of Jones' defense and Andre's ability to change the game with his shot, but neither (at this point) has Sheed's ability to penetrate and score, which I think is a good complement to Rodney/Jabari and can net them either more open looks from three or in the paint.

Mod's, I didn't see any thread of this nature so I really felt this was appropriate to start, but if there is another thread already discussing this please let me know/relocate. But I'd love to see others thoughts/opinons/facts on this matter. Hopefully Sheed gets his head/body in the right place soon and gets back into the rotation.

Hopefully history repeats itself. We started a "What's up with Andre thread" and won the Michigan game :)

[scottdude8]

Phew...

...Not a vigil.

- Chillin

LOL. I thought about making it a "vigil" just so I could say I had started one, would make me feel like more of a member of the board community haha. But decided to go with this much more tame sounding title...

[Kedsy]

I figured this merited its own thread since it seems like it could be a major storyline going forward, and I for one would like to be able to see any news/information/speculation as to what has gotten him into K's doghouse in one dedicated location. I'm of the mindset that for this team to be a NCAA Title contender Sheed needs to be a contributor—maybe not a starter necessarily, but a major contributor. I'm a huge fan of Jones' defense and Andre's ability to change the game with his shot, but neither (at this point) has Sheed's ability to penetrate and score, which I think is a good complement to Rodney/Jabari and can net them either more open looks from three or in the paint.

Mod's, I didn't see any thread of this nature so I really felt this was appropriate to start, but if there is another thread already discussing this please let me know/relocate. But I'd love to see others thoughts/opinons/facts on this matter. Hopefully Sheed gets his head/body in the right place soon and gets back into the rotation.

My first thought is we wasted a great deal of effort angsting over Andre after he didn't play the first two games, and it turned out he was fine.

My second thought is while I agree that Rasheed should and will be a key piece to this year's Duke puzzle, I don't think his offensive skills (i.e., his ability to penetrate and score) necessarily complement Rodney and Jabari at all -- quite the opposite actually, he does more or less the same things they do but not quite as well. Andre's skills complement Rodney's/Jabari's offensive game much better than Rasheed's do. What makes Rasheed so valuable is he's a plus defender who also requires much better than average guarding when we're on offense, which no other wing on the team can say.

Personally, I think this is probably much ado about nothing. Rasheed will be back, will be back strong, and will help the team win.

[DukeAlumBS]

I figured this merited its own thread since it seems like it could be a major storyline going forward, and I for one would like to be able to see any news/information/speculation as to what has gotten him into K's doghouse in one dedicated location. I'm of the mindset that for this team to be a NCAA Title contender Sheed needs to be a contributor—maybe not a starter necessarily, but a major contributor. I'm a huge fan of Jones' defense and Andre's ability to change the game with his shot, but neither (at this point) has Sheed's ability to penetrate and score, which I think is a good complement to Rodney/Jabari and can net them either more open looks from three or in the paint.

Mod's, I didn't see any thread of this nature so I really felt this was appropriate to start, but if there is another thread already discussing this please let me know/relocate. But I'd love to see others thoughts/opinons/facts on this matter. Hopefully Sheed gets his head/body in the right place soon and gets back into the rotation.

Yes there is a thread. I stated in that thread that he was not competing with the others. I felt Dawkins would start before him. And I got a lot of his fans here telling me it was nonsense. I saw in early practice, with the current competition he was not doing very well. Missing his 3, 2 out of 6 is not good! Long story short. He is not. So Coach K will figure this out and we will do fine.
There is plenty there that will do the job.
Sheed is not. The others are.
Including DAWKINS who should get more time this year. He has been there!
Have a nice day.
Go Duke
Jimmy

[Bluedog]

Chris Spatola stated on 99.9 The Fan yesterday that Sheed is kind of "a bad practice player"...so, sounds like he hasn't been impressing the coaching staff in practice all that much. There are other guys at the same spot that apparently have been playing better and thus, Coach K is giving them the minutes in games unless Sulaimon proves himself in practice to warrant more PT. Now, why he hasn't been performing in practice is another question entirely....

[scottdude8]

Chris Spatola stated on 99.9 The Fan yesterday that Sheed is kind of "a bad practice player"...so, sounds like he hasn't been impressing the coaching staff in practice all that much. There are other guys at the same spot that apparently have been playing better and thus, Coach K is giving them the minutes in games unless Sulaimon proves himself in practice to warrant more PT. Now, why he hasn't been performing in practice is another question entirely....

That's a very interesting tidbit, thanks! If that is the case and he isn't practicing hard than I'm fully on board with Jones/Dawkins playing over him, as they both played admirably yesterday. You definitely have to earn your PT... I'm just hoping Sheed can do that!

[NM Duke Fan]

It is now a national story:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24337191/whats-up-with-rasheed-sulaimon

"As a man, he has to step up and accept what he needs to do," guard Tyler Thornton told Laura Keeley of the Raleigh News & Observer. "We need him. That's all I can really say about that."

"He knows what he needs to do, I don't really want to speak on that," he said. "He have a week and a half until our next game. We have a lot of practice time. Hopefully we can get what we need out of him in that span."

[COCO]

My guess is that he hasn't completely gotten over his previous illness. I tell my son the same thing -- it takes a lot longer to get past what seems to be a cold or flu than you think. There is this lingering malaise that takes several weeks to completely resolve itself even when you are young.

[downtowndevil]

LOL. I thought about making it a "vigil" just so I could say I had started one, would make me feel like more of a member of the board community haha. But decided to go with this much more tame sounding title...

how about "The Official 'Sheed Playing Time Vigil"?

[Son of Jarhead]

Kedsy touched on this above, and I think he is right. On offense, Rasheed needs the ball in his hands to be most effective. Last year, he shared that "penetrate and score" duty with only Quin & Seth, and did so on a fairly even level with them, and at times better. This year that job has been handed to Jabari & Rodney. With Quin still there, and with Matt Jones earning some run, he is not the first or even second option to drive or create is own shot at the end of a clock. I think he will be fine, but he will need to adjust to playing with the new guys. I have also noticed that even in warm-ups, his shot is not falling like it was last year. Getting his shot back in a groove, and with his on-ball defensive skills, he can be an important piece of the team puzzle. All that said, I liked the way he acted on the bench last night. From my vantage point, it seemed he was fully engaged in the game, encouraging his teammates, cheering for them. There was one moment I loved: after Andre went on his own 8-pt run and a timeout was called, Rasheed ran out and jumped on Andre and put him in a head lock to rub his head. With Andre away from the team all last year, they haven't really been teammates until this year, and it was nice to see Rasheed so happy for Andre. Rasheed seemed to have a positive attitude, and to me, that bodes well for his future.

[MChambers]

It is now a national story:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24337191/whats-up-with-rasheed-sulaimon

"As a man, he has to step up and accept what he needs to do," guard Tyler Thornton told Laura Keeley of the Raleigh News & Observer. "We need him. That's all I can really say about that."

"He knows what he needs to do, I don't really want to speak on that," he said. "He have a week and a half until our next game. We have a lot of practice time. Hopefully we can get what we need out of him in that span."

Article says he is in Coach K's doghouse. Guess that reporter didn't get the memo.

[blUDAYvil]

Rasheed seemed to have a positive attitude, and to me, that bodes well for his future.

Also, Rasheed tweeted the following after yesterday's game, which underscores his apparent positive attitude and suggests that he might be on good terms with Coach K:

"Congrats to my coach, coach k, on becoming the winningest coach in mens basketball history! Honor to play under him! #G.O.A.T."

[DukeAlumBS]

We need to look at the first forum on him, combine it to this.
I felt a flaw in his game with practice and games.
Long story short, as I said before.
Dawkins over him.
\Dawkins 8 points in 2 minutes.
What has SHEED done?

Jimmy

[nyesq83]

Greatest Of All Time?

[FerryFor50]

I think Sheed will be fine. I suspect this benching was a "light a fire" move.

While Sheed's game is similar to Jabari and Hood, it's still good. Why? I'd rather have three guys on the floor who can drive, shoot and pass than just 2.

[elvis14]

As I've watched our games this year I've consistently noticed that Rasheed was basically a black hole on offense. Get ball. Shoot ball. There was 1 game where he picked up a couple of drive and dish assists where I thought he'd start making progress back to playing within the framework of the team's offense. But the next game he reverted back to shooting too much. The Arizona game was a terrible game for Rasheed. He just kept driving into traffic and taking bad shots. I like Rasheed and think he has a lot of talent but he's got some work do on his game. I hope he gets it figured out because we need him.

[DukeAlumBS]

Is this the thread where you predicted that Tyler Thornton would start at the 2, Matt Jones would be the first wing off the bench and Andre Dawkins would play 92 minutes in Duke's first eight games? That one?

There's no question Sulaimon is in a funk right now and there's no question that he needs to elevate his game to get back into the rotation and it needs to start in practices.

But IMO there's also no question that Sulaimon playing at his full potential brings more to the table than Thornton, Jones or Dawkins playing at their full potential. Getting him back to snuff--and the primary onus is on him--is very important for Duke to play into April.

I did not state Thornton will replace him. I said Dawkins will!
Sheed is on the bench. I hope he does what he did last year, and soon.
I would not call this a funk!
He has to get back. His Issue, he does not want to compete in practice, let alone a game.
Please bring that forum?
Read what I stated;. Too much powerful completion!
I liked him last year. Dawkins in 2 minutes. 8 points.
Sheed is not in the same league as Dawkins

Combine the thread and see what I said about his game vs the others.

He does not have a cold!
Later

[FerryFor50]

As I've watched our games this year I've consistently noticed that Rasheed was basically a black hole on offense. Get ball. Shoot ball. There was 1 game where he picked up a couple of drive and dish assists where I thought he'd start making progress back to playing within the framework of the team's offense. But the next game he reverted back to shooting too much. The Arizona game was a terrible game for Rasheed. He just kept driving into traffic and taking bad shots. I like Rasheed and think he has a lot of talent but he's got some work do on his game. I hope he gets it figured out because we need him.

I think his on-court demeanor also played into the decision. His attitude has been pretty poor on the floor lately (due to frustration over his play, non-calls, etc), so I'm sure they want him to reign that in as well.

Channel the emotions into positive play. And definitely drive and dish.

When the defense thinks you WON'T pass, they'll triple team you. When they think you MIGHT pass, driving lanes open up. Ask Quinn Cook... :)

[Kedsy]

As I've watched our games this year I've consistently noticed that Rasheed was basically a black hole on offense. Get ball. Shoot ball. There was 1 game where he picked up a couple of drive and dish assists where I thought he'd start making progress back to playing within the framework of the team's offense. But the next game he reverted back to shooting too much. The Arizona game was a terrible game for Rasheed. He just kept driving into traffic and taking bad shots. I like Rasheed and think he has a lot of talent but he's got some work do on his game. I hope he gets it figured out because we need him.

I completely got the same impression in the Arizona game. But for the season, if you look at Rasheed's stats, his assist rate is down (from 12.0% to 10.4%) but not down that much, especially considering his usage rate is also down (from 19.8% to 17.2%).

[Kedsy]

I did not state Thornton will replace him. I said Dawkins will!
Sheed is on the bench. I hope he does what he did last year, and soon.
I would not call this a funk!
He has to get back. His Issue, he does not want to compete in practice, let alone a game.
Please bring that forum?
Read what I stated;. Too much powerful completion!
I liked him last year. Dawkins in 2 minutes. 8 points.
Sheed is not in the same league as Dawkins

Combine the thread and see what I said about his game vs the others.

He does not have a cold!
Later

JimSumner knows you didn't say Thornton would replace him. He was reciting what has actually happened (Tyler starting at SG, Matt first wing off the bench, at least against Michigan, and Andre averaging 11.5 mpg).

You have now spent four posts in this thread patting yourself on the back for a prediction that has not yet come true. I think I speak for many here when I say we don't care what you said in the other thread. Especially since your prediction of Andre taking over the starting SG position while Rasheed languishes on the bench doesn't have a particularly strong chance of actually coming true.

And, while there is certainly a lot of competition (I assume you meant "competition" and not "completion") at the SG position this season, based on Rasheed's talent level and body of work he still ought to place at the top of that competition. I've been a huge Andre supporter for awhile and I want him to play a lot, but to say Rasheed is "not in the same league" as Andre is just plain silly.

Also, you have no idea what Rasheed's issues are. You don't know whether he "want[s] to compete in practice" or not, "let alone a game." You don't know anything more about him than most of the rest of us do. Please stop saying the same thing over and over again.

[FerryFor50]

JimSumner knows you didn't say Thornton would replace him. He was reciting what has actually happened (Tyler starting at SG, Matt first wing off the bench, at least against Michigan, and Andre averaging 11.5 mpg).

You have now spent four posts in this thread patting yourself on the back for a prediction that has not yet come true. I think I speak for many here when I say we don't care what you said in the other thread. Especially since your prediction of Andre taking over the starting SG position while Rasheed languishes on the bench doesn't have a particularly strong chance of actually coming true.

And, while there is certainly a lot of competition (I assume you meant "competition" and not "completion") at the SG position this season, based on Rasheed's talent level and body of work he still ought to place at the top of that competition. I've been a huge Andre supporter for awhile and I want him to play a lot, but to say Rasheed is "not in the same league" as Andre is just plain silly.

Also, you have no idea what Rasheed's issues are. You don't know whether he "want[s] to compete in practice" or not, "let alone a game." You don't know anything more about him than most of the rest of us do. Please stop saying the same thing over and over again.

Well his name *is* DukeAlumBS.... :p

[BigWayne]

As I've watched our games this year I've consistently noticed that Rasheed was basically a black hole on offense. Get ball. Shoot ball. There was 1 game where he picked up a couple of drive and dish assists where I thought he'd start making progress back to playing within the framework of the team's offense. But the next game he reverted back to shooting too much. The Arizona game was a terrible game for Rasheed. He just kept driving into traffic and taking bad shots. I like Rasheed and think he has a lot of talent but he's got some work do on his game. I hope he gets it figured out because we need him.
IIRC, one of these bad drives was at the end of the game after we had called a time out and theoretically set up a play. The play seemed to involve Rasheed immediately taking the ball to the hoop to get stuffed by their big guys, like he (and others) had done a few times too many already in that game . At the time, I was thinking that whoever drew that up hadn't been watching the game I was watching, which I know is not true. So I'm curious how that specific play transpired and whether that has anything to do with his bench sitting.

[theschwartz]

JimSumner knows you didn't say Thornton would replace him. He was reciting what has actually happened (Tyler starting at SG, Matt first wing off the bench, at least against Michigan, and Andre averaging 11.5 mpg).

You have now spent four posts in this thread patting yourself on the back for a prediction that has not yet come true. I think I speak for many here when I say we don't care what you said in the other thread. Especially since your prediction of Andre taking over the starting SG position while Rasheed languishes on the bench doesn't have a particularly strong chance of actually coming true.

And, while there is certainly a lot of competition (I assume you meant "competition" and not "completion") at the SG position this season, based on Rasheed's talent level and body of work he still ought to place at the top of that competition. I've been a huge Andre supporter for awhile and I want him to play a lot, but to say Rasheed is "not in the same league" as Andre is just plain silly.

Also, you have no idea what Rasheed's issues are. You don't know whether he "want[s] to compete in practice" or not, "let alone a game." You don't know anything more about him than most of the rest of us do. Please stop saying the same thing over and over again.

Yeah, co-sign on that. Rasheed will figure it out. We've seen his talent, and we've seen the coaching staff leverage high-level talent in the long run. Why stir up discord on the boards? Whatever his issue are--and as Kedsy says, none of US really have any idea--we should all be rooting for Rasheed to get back to the level we know he's capable of achieving, not putting him down.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Yeah, co-sign on that. Rasheed will figure it out. We've seen his talent, and we've seen the coaching staff leverage high-level talent in the long run. Why stir up discord on the boards? Whatever his issue are--and as Kedsy says, none of US really have any idea--we should all be rooting for Rasheed to get back to the level we know he's capable of achieving, not putting him down.

This. Sulaimon really needs our support, and I'm sure the whole team and Coach K are behind Sulaimon as well (although Coach K may have a different way of showing his affection ;)).

I changed my mind about Sulaimon; I though he was going to be our X-factor. I now think that is Quinn. However, Sulaimon is what takes us from good to down-right scary. If he can hit his form from last year and gel effectively with Parker, Hood, and Quinn, watch out ACC. Just watch out.

[dukebballcamper90-91]

I would be willing to wager Sheed would abuse tyler or matt in practice on a regular basis.

[BD80]

I would be willing to wager Sheed would abuse tyler or matt in practice on a regular basis.

Tyler? You do realize that there wouldn't be many whistles blown? Sheed would come out looking like a victim in a crime drama.

[NSDukeFan]

Tyler? You do realize that there wouldn't be many whistles blown? Sheed would come out looking like a victim in a crime drama.

I agree. I doubt very much that Tyler is the abusee in practise.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I agree. I doubt very much that Tyler is the abusee in practise.

After Tyler is finished abusing, do you think he puts his hands behind his head, grinds his teeth, and squints (ie, the vintage "I-did-something-bad" Thornton look)?

[wk2109]

An interesting article about how Duke doesn't need Rasheed Sulaimon to be "Rasheed Sulaimon," but instead need a guy who can step into the off-guard role -- that is, someone who can defend and knock down threes: http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/04/duke-doesnt-need-rasheed-sulaimon-if-they-have-three-guys-that-fit-into-a-role/

These are Tyler's quotes re: Rasheed after last night's game:

“As a man, he has to step up and accept what he needs to do.”

“We need him. That’s all I can really say about that.”

“He knows what he needs to do, I don’t really want to speak on that. He has a week and a half until our next game. We have a lot of practice time. Hopefully we can get what we need out of him in that span.”

Tyler doesn't specifically say what Rasheed "needs to do," but I surmise that it's what the article above states: defend and hit shots. We all know Rasheed is an excellent all-around basketball player who can drive, shoot and defend. But this team doesn't necessarily need him to display all of his skills. It's similar to how it was with Team USA, where Kobe and Carmelo didn't need to dominate the ball -- Kobe, at least in 2008, guarded the opponent's best perimeter player and he and Carmelo became spot-up shooters. Kobe said that he had to work more on his catch-and-shoot skills with Team USA than he did with the Lakers because he never really had to catch and shoot in his NBA career. Same goes for Melo. And the same goes for Rasheed.

I agree with other posters who say that Rasheed's ceiling is higher than Matt's, Andre's or Tyler's. If he can become a knockdown shooter who can defend on the wing and occasionally slash to the basket when he sees the opportunity, he can complement Jabari, Rodney and Quinn very nicely. I think Tyler was basically saying that Rasheed still hasn't fully bought into that role.

[lumberbaron]

An interesting article about how Duke doesn't need Rasheed Sulaimon to be "Rasheed Sulaimon," but instead need a guy who can step into the off-guard role -- that is, someone who can defend and knock down threes: http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/04/duke-doesnt-need-rasheed-sulaimon-if-they-have-three-guys-that-fit-into-a-role/

These are Tyler's quotes re: Rasheed after last night's game:

“As a man, he has to step up and accept what he needs to do.”

“We need him. That’s all I can really say about that.”

“He knows what he needs to do, I don’t really want to speak on that. He has a week and a half until our next game. We have a lot of practice time. Hopefully we can get what we need out of him in that span.”

Tyler doesn't specifically say what Rasheed "needs to do," but I surmise that it's what the article above states: defend and hit shots. We all know Rasheed is an excellent all-around basketball player who can drive, shoot and defend. But this team doesn't necessarily need him to display all of his skills. It's similar to how it was with Team USA, where Kobe and Carmelo didn't need to dominate the ball -- Kobe, at least in 2008, guarded the opponent's best perimeter player and he and Carmelo became spot-up shooters. Kobe said that he had to work more on his catch-and-shoot skills with Team USA than he did with the Lakers because he never really had to catch and shoot in his NBA career. Same goes for Melo. And the same goes for Rasheed.

I agree with other posters who say that Rasheed's ceiling is higher than Matt's, Andre's or Tyler's. If he can become a knockdown shooter who can defend on the wing and occasionally slash to the basket when he sees the opportunity, he can complement Jabari, Rodney and Quinn very nicely. I think Tyler was basically saying that Rasheed still hasn't fully bought into that role.

This is exactly right, and perhaps why Jones is a little more suited to that role. Sheed can be a spot up shooter--we saw last year that he's absolutely capable of shooting a good % from 3 pt. I think once he starts hitting those, and we're not talking forced 3's we're talking open 3's when people have to help on Hood and Parker, the drive will start to open up for him.

I agree with other posters that he has seemed like a black hole that puts his head down and drives and he's working so hard on beating his man when it's not there, that he's not getting lift when he gets to the rack and is getting swatted more often. It feels to me like he's trying to show his "NBA ready" game--he was with team USA and competed with other guys being ranked in the draft process and I'm sure he feels he's as good as many of those guys and wants to prove it. But you can't prove you're an NBA player every time you touch the ball. He's got to let the game come to him and the best way to do that is to play good defense, shoot open 3's, and let the driving lane start to open up naturally.

The idea that Dawkins is better than him is ridiculous. I love Dre and he is a ridiculous shooter, but his problem remains the same and we saw it in the Michigan game--yes he made the difference with those 2-3 pointers, but he got beat for dunks by Levert on consecutive plays. He just seems to have heavy feet, and I'm not sure anything can be done about that. I still love what Dre brings to the table and he can be a huge asset for us off the bench, a real game changer with his shooting, especially if we get better as a team on defense and guys can help him a bit. But to say he's better than Sheed overall?? Don't think so.

[CBecker]

An interesting article about how Duke doesn't need Rasheed Sulaimon to be "Rasheed Sulaimon," but instead need a guy who can step into the off-guard role -- that is, someone who can defend and knock down threes: http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/04/duke-doesnt-need-rasheed-sulaimon-if-they-have-three-guys-that-fit-into-a-role/

These are Tyler's quotes re: Rasheed after last night's game:

“As a man, he has to step up and accept what he needs to do.”

“We need him. That’s all I can really say about that.”

“He knows what he needs to do, I don’t really want to speak on that. He has a week and a half until our next game. We have a lot of practice time. Hopefully we can get what we need out of him in that span.”

Tyler doesn't specifically say what Rasheed "needs to do," but I surmise that it's what the article above states: defend and hit shots. We all know Rasheed is an excellent all-around basketball player who can drive, shoot and defend. But this team doesn't necessarily need him to display all of his skills. It's similar to how it was with Team USA, where Kobe and Carmelo didn't need to dominate the ball -- Kobe, at least in 2008, guarded the opponent's best perimeter player and he and Carmelo became spot-up shooters. Kobe said that he had to work more on his catch-and-shoot skills with Team USA than he did with the Lakers because he never really had to catch and shoot in his NBA career. Same goes for Melo. And the same goes for Rasheed.

I agree with other posters who say that Rasheed's ceiling is higher than Matt's, Andre's or Tyler's. If he can become a knockdown shooter who can defend on the wing and occasionally slash to the basket when he sees the opportunity, he can complement Jabari, Rodney and Quinn very nicely. I think Tyler was basically saying that Rasheed still hasn't fully bought into that role.

I agree, I was thinking quite a few weeks back about how Rasheed projects to the next level, and I think his best bet at this stage is that of a "3 and D" player, with the ability to get out on the break with his speed. I think that's probably his best role for this team too. He really struggles finishing in the paint due to his lack of leaping ability, so those forced drives are not working out for him. Of course if he has a clear path he's quick enough to take advantage of that and get right to the rim uncontested on occasion. I am sure his defense will come around,it hasn't been that bad anyway, and I think he's got a nice shooting stroke, so I expect him to get back on track from the perimeter as well. He's one of my favourite players, really hoping he gets another opportunity very soon!
To the guy that thinks he isn't in the same league as Dawkins....what garbage

[johnb]

To my mind, the most interesting thing about hearing Sheed criticism from an assistant coach and two players is that we heard criticism from an assistant coach and two players. We are the IBM/Military of college basketball. While our guys are thoughtful and funny and can do terrific off-season videos, they don't say anything controversial or even noteworthy during the season (correct away, but I'm drawing a blank). The likelihood that they all decided to say such things at the same time about the same player strikes me as about as likely as Coach wearing a tie dye shirt to our next game.

The notion that Sheed doesn't compete in games is, by the way, absurd. I do recall him saying something about feeling a little demoralized guarding Hood and Parker in practice (the quote was something about how he could guard them perfectly and they'd still never missed a shot). Does that mean he's lazy in practice? Maybe. I suppose it's not the sort of demoralization that ground down Andre, or we wouldn't be publicly telling him to man up. And I don't think it's dislike for Duke, or Justise wouldn't have attributed some of his college choice to being friends with Rasheed.

Anyway, go Duke, and go Sheed!

[Troublemaker]

These are Tyler's quotes re: Rasheed after last night's game:

“As a man, he has to step up and accept what he needs to do.”

“We need him. That’s all I can really say about that.”

“He knows what he needs to do, I don’t really want to speak on that. He has a week and a half until our next game. We have a lot of practice time. Hopefully we can get what we need out of him in that span.”

Tyler doesn't specifically say what Rasheed "needs to do," but I surmise that it's what the article above states: defend and hit shots.

Yeah, it could be anything that Sheed needs to do. I like your theory better than mine. When I saw Tyler's quote, my first thought was that Sheed is going to need to get on a knee and propose to some lucky girl, and that when his head is cleared of all that, he can then resume his responsibilties with Duke and do them well.

[wk2109]

Yeah, it could be anything that Sheed needs to do. I like your theory better than mine. When I saw Tyler's quote, my first thought was that Sheed is going to need to get on a knee and propose to some lucky girl, and that when his head is cleared of all that, he can then resume his responsibilties with Duke and do them well.

Well I like your theory better than mine! (Couldn't spork you though)

[Gthoma2a]

I don't know how low Dre's ceiling is. He needs to work on his handle, but he can score with anyone and he does cause turnovers. Look at a lot of those games where he got near 30 point efforts and you see that he overplays on D a lot. He is a heck of a player who unclogs games. He has done it his entire career. When we need to separate, he gives us distance. He just came in and between 1 to 2 minutes, he scored 8 off of two spot-on 3s and a drive to the basket. His athleticism is there because when he gets a runout, he doesn't generally end up being contested on the other end and his leaping ability led him to beat the Plumlees in a dunk contest. He just got his head back in the game. I suspect that, in the next step in his career, he may surprise us like a Miles Plumlee. He plays a role here, but he could do more. No matter what, he could go around 30 on any given night. It just depends how he feels and how much we decided to use him that night. I also think he opens the floor up for our stars with his shot, too. Maybe he isn't a starter on this team, but, again, let's not make that a reason to claim he is less than Sulaimon.

A lot of us have higher expectations from Rasheed based on last year. Last year was a year where we really didn't have much depth at the 2, but wanted to play a 3-guard line-up for most of the year (we didn't have any true 3s on the roster). He will be very good, but we had a picture in our heads that was a bit inflated. He needs to play within himself, develop a floater for when he does get in the lane, but, primarily, facilitate Parker, Hood and Quinn. Example: If you drive, and there's nothing there, hit Cook for a 3 and float around there for the rebound.

[cato]

JimSumner knows you didn't say Thornton would replace him. He was reciting what has actually happened (Tyler starting at SG, Matt first wing off the bench, at least against Michigan, and Andre averaging 11.5 mpg).

You have now spent four posts in this thread patting yourself on the back for a prediction that has not yet come true. I think I speak for many here when I say we don't care what you said in the other thread. Especially since your prediction of Andre taking over the starting SG position while Rasheed languishes on the bench doesn't have a particularly strong chance of actually coming true.

And, while there is certainly a lot of competition (I assume you meant "competition" and not "completion") at the SG position this season, based on Rasheed's talent level and body of work he still ought to place at the top of that competition. I've been a huge Andre supporter for awhile and I want him to play a lot, but to say Rasheed is "not in the same league" as Andre is just plain silly.

Also, you have no idea what Rasheed's issues are. You don't know whether he "want[s] to compete in practice" or not, "let alone a game." You don't know anything more about him than most of the rest of us do. Please stop saying the same thing over and over again.

Kedsy, that was an admirable post, and I don't want to detract from it, but it is times like this that I miss Jumbo.

[Billy Dat]

"New" info, hot off the presses.
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/90892/3-point-shot-sulaimons-status-at-duke

ESPN's Andy Katz's daily "3 Point Shot" video news update:
(RE: Sulaimon's DNP against Michigan)
"According to the Duke staff, the issue is with Sulaimon's preparation for games and in practice. Now, they haven't given up on him at all. In fact, they are working with him and they said to me they owe it to him to get him back on the court, but he obviously has to make that commitment as well. Now, they have not heard any rumblings of him wanting to transfer, but certainly they could be the last ones to know, but this is a case where Sulaimon has to re-commit himself to getting on the court the way Duke wants to get him on the court and that means preparing for practice and for games the way the staff insists he does."

Personally, I think his success last year gave him a bit of a big head and he didn't think he was going to have to work as hard this year, failing to recognize the increased level of inter-team competition, and the fact that he lacked competition last year (no Dawkins, Curry unable to practice, etc.) I offer these quotes as evidence:

10/16/13 - Quotes from "Elevate Duke" trip to NY
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/10/16/4393524/mike-krzyzewski-talks-matt-jones.html#.UqDBLcRDuSo

"Throughout the preseason, Krzyzewski had avoided anointing Rasheed Sulaimon a starter, even though he and Quinn Cook are the pair of returning starters from last year’s Elite Eight squad. That continued Wednesday when he was asked specifically about Sulaimon’s role. “Rasheed had a really good freshman year, but we also had no competition because Seth couldn’t practice, he just played,” Krzyzewski said. “And Andre didn’t play at all. Now, you have Andre back, Matt is really good and Rodney. You have three guys on the perimeter and Quinn back and Tyler, it’s tougher for everybody, which is good. “The other thing is, we knew we were going to build our team around three guys last year, the three seniors. So, then you fit in. You fit in really well in a drama. Now, it’s an action movie or a musical. Something you did with that, you have to adapt to do it here. He’s still in a period of adapting. He’s not the only one.”

11/8/13 - Post Davidson game comments from K
“Rasheed, he has had a good week. I think he is finally in good shape. Rasheed had a great week of practice, and he is an explosive player, he is a really good player. We should expect him to play at the level he played tonight, and that was a big pick-me-up for us.”

There are also a lot of mentions, from week to week, of him being sick. So, between thinking he'd earned a spot he hadn't earned, not being in great shape to start the year, and being sick on and off, the kid is a mess. I am also sure that the coaches know he's got pro-level tools and are pushing the heck out of him to realize his potential.

[mr. synellinden]

I agree, I was thinking quite a few weeks back about how Rasheed projects to the next level, and I think his best bet at this stage is that of a "3 and D" player, with the ability to get out on the break with his speed. I think that's probably his best role for this team too. He really struggles finishing in the paint due to his lack of leaping ability, so those forced drives are not working out for him. Of course if he has a clear path he's quick enough to take advantage of that and get right to the rim uncontested on occasion. I am sure his defense will come around,it hasn't been that bad anyway, and I think he's got a nice shooting stroke, so I expect him to get back on track from the perimeter as well. He's one of my favourite players, really hoping he gets another opportunity very soon!
To the guy that thinks he isn't in the same league as Dawkins....what garbage

I wonder if part of his issues with finishing at the rim so far this year are related to him apparently being out of shape. The very good news for Duke is that it does not appear to be an injury issue, it appears there is crystal clear communication about what is expected of him, and the team and staff believe he can meet those expectations. If and when that happens, I think we go back to being a national title contender.

[uh_no]

To my mind, the most interesting thing about hearing Sheed criticism from an assistant coach and two players is that we heard criticism from an assistant coach and two players. We are the IBM/Military of college basketball. While our guys are thoughtful and funny and can do terrific off-season videos, they don't say anything controversial or even noteworthy during the season (correct away, but I'm drawing a blank). The likelihood that they all decided to say such things at the same time about the same player strikes me as about as likely as Coach wearing a tie dye shirt to our next game.

The notion that Sheed doesn't compete in games is, by the way, absurd. I do recall him saying something about feeling a little demoralized guarding Hood and Parker in practice (the quote was something about how he could guard them perfectly and they'd still never missed a shot). Does that mean he's lazy in practice? Maybe. I suppose it's not the sort of demoralization that ground down Andre, or we wouldn't be publicly telling him to man up. And I don't think it's dislike for Duke, or Justise wouldn't have attributed some of his college choice to being friends with Rasheed.

Anyway, go Duke, and go Sheed!

so we don't make anything anyone buys anymore, lay everyone off, and outsource all our jobs to india?

sorry, couldn't resist.

[flyingdutchdevil]

so we don't make anything anyone buys anymore, lay everyone off, and outsource all our jobs to india?

sorry, couldn't resist.

Actually, IBM is one of the best companies at completely remodeling their business. They are seen as the ultimate survivor in the business world. Kinda like Coach K. I like the analogy.

[Kedsy]

"New" info, hot off the presses.
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/90892/3-point-shot-sulaimons-status-at-duke

ESPN's Andy Katz's daily "3 Point Shot" video news update:
(RE: Sulaimon's DNP against Michigan)
"According to the Duke staff, the issue is with Sulaimon's preparation for games and in practice. Now, they haven't given up on him at all. In fact, they are working with him and they said to me they owe it to him to get him back on the court, but he obviously has to make that commitment as well. Now, they have not heard any rumblings of him wanting to transfer, but certainly they could be the last ones to know, but this is a case where Sulaimon has to re-commit himself to getting on the court the way Duke wants to get him on the court and that means preparing for practice and for games the way the staff insists he does."


To me, the bolded part seems key. That could mean a lot of things. Not necessarily that Rasheed isn't working in practice, but perhaps the staff is asking him to prepare for a role in which he's not comfortable? Who knows, but it doesn't necessarily mean what we think it means.


Kedsy, that was an admirable post, and I don't want to detract from it, but it is times like this that I miss Jumbo.

Yeah, I don't quite have the cuddly yet irascible thing down the way Jumbo did.

[uh_no]

Actually, IBM is one of the best companies at completely remodeling their business. They are seen as the ultimate survivor in the business world. Kinda like Coach K. I like the analogy.

they weathered the recessions in 2004 and 2008 after reforming the business very well....but have been sucking wind the past couple years....they have staying power, for sure, but their go to move is to boost margins by laying off american employees...entire sites have become ghost towns as they cut the work force (IBM southbury, for instance, went from a bustling site to something like 30% of it's original occupancy...with entire sections of the building boarded off...and that's not the exception)

i'd love to be at the top 100 years from now, but not at the expense of treating people like scum.

[flyingdutchdevil]

they weathered the recessions in 2004 and 2008 after reforming the business very well....but have been sucking wind the past couple years....they have staying power, for sure, but their go to move is to boost margins by laying off american employees...entire sites have become ghost towns as they cut the work force (IBM southbury, for instance, went from a bustling site to something like 30% of it's original occupancy...with entire sections of the building boarded off...and that's not the exception)

i'd love to be at the top 100 years from now, but not at the expense of treating people like scum.

So I assume you don't work for financial services?

couldn't resist.

[The Gordog]

they weathered the recessions in 2004 and 2008 after reforming the business very well....but have been sucking wind the past couple years....they have staying power, for sure, but their go to move is to boost margins by laying off american employees...entire sites have become ghost towns as they cut the work force (IBM southbury, for instance, went from a bustling site to something like 30% of it's original occupancy...with entire sections of the building boarded off...and that's not the exception)

i'd love to be at the top 100 years from now, but not at the expense of treating people like scum.

IBM abandoned the town where they started and where I grew up (Endicott, NY) and left a poluted water table (http://www.syracuse.com/specialreports/index.ssf/2009/01/life_in_the_plume_ibms_polluti.html)there to boot. They paid most of my way at Duke - I was a Watson Scholar (http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/us/benefits/afteribm/watson_article.html)- and will be eternally gateful for that, but they don't treat their people or communities as well as they did in the old days. No one does.

[jv001]

To me, the bolded part seems key. That could mean a lot of things. Not necessarily that Rasheed isn't working in practice, but perhaps the staff is asking him to prepare for a role in which he's not comfortable? Who knows, but it doesn't necessarily mean what we think it means.



Yeah, I don't quite have the cuddly yet irascible thing down the way Jumbo did.

Every time someone mentions Jumbo, I have a little sinking spell. I really miss Jumbo's posts. GoDuke!

[Goduke2010]

IBM abandoned the town where they started and where I grew up (Endicott, NY) and left a poluted water table (http://www.syracuse.com/specialreports/index.ssf/2009/01/life_in_the_plume_ibms_polluti.html)there to boot. They paid most of my way at Duke - I was a Watson Scholar (http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/us/benefits/afteribm/watson_article.html)- and will be eternally gateful for that, but they don't treat their people or communities as well as they did in the old days. No one does.

Like most large US corporations, IBM puts "shareholder value" above all else: employees, communities, customers, country. It will be interesting to see how things - from a social and economic perspective - play out as the most extreme income inequality in modern history continues to accelerate in this country.

I'm worried about Sheed's status with the team. From my perspective, he doesn't handle adversity well - witness him berating himself when he makes mistakes on the court. I hope the coaches can tailor their approach based on his personality as well as his game.

Being an athlete is tough. Imagine every year, regardless of your performance, your boss hired 1-2 folks who do what you do, only they may do it better. Talk about pressure...

[pfrduke]

All, friendly reminder to stay away from public policy related topics and to stay on the topic at hand.

[NSDukeFan]

All, friendly reminder to stay away from public policy related topics and to stay on the topic at hand.

Were you referring to the IBM discussions, or the Jumbo discussions? :D

[jipops]

We need to look at the first forum on him, combine it to this.
I felt a flaw in his game with practice and games.
Long story short, as I said before.
Dawkins over him.
\Dawkins 8 points in 2 minutes.
What has SHEED done?

Jimmy

I still completely disagree. With the exception of spot up shooting, every facet of Rasheed's game is superior to Dawkins. This includes ball handling, passing, defending, penetrating, directing offense. Yes, Andre has an extremely valuable weapon with his shooting but that is mostly all he is asked to focus on... that and make the effort to be a serviceable defender. Rasheed takes on a much larger burden when he is in the game, he certainly took a large burden last year when he was asked to create much of the team's offense. This is not at all a part of Andre's bag of tools.


But there is something going on here that is more mental than just basketball ability. This has pretty much already been stated by others, but while Andre is used to shooting off a pass and that's pretty much it, Rasheed is accustomed to creating because that has been a part of who he is already. Now, he's having a hard time fitting when other players besides Quinn (Jabari and Rodney) are now generating offense. It's far more difficult for him to just be relegated to being a catch and shoot type guy like Andre is.

We're a far better team if Rasheed is at the top of his game. If he's playing up to his potential then we're one of the top back courts in the country in terms of versatility.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I still completely disagree. With the exception of spot up shooting, every facet of Rasheed's game is superior to Dawkins. This includes ball handling, passing, defending, penetrating, directing offense. Yes, Andre has an extremely valuable weapon with his shooting but that is mostly all he is asked to focus on... that and make the effort to be a serviceable defender. Rasheed takes on a much larger burden when he is in the game, he certainly took a large burden last year when he was asked to create much of the team's offense. This is not at all a part of Andre's bag of tools.


But there is something going on here that is more mental than just basketball ability. This has pretty much already been stated by others, but while Andre is used to shooting off a pass and that's pretty much it, Rasheed is accustomed to creating because that has been a part of who he is already. Now, he's having a hard time fitting when other players besides Quinn (Jabari and Rodney) are now generating offense. It's far more difficult for him to just be relegated to being a catch and shoot type guy like Andre is.

We're a far better team if Rasheed is at the top of his game. If he's playing up to his potential then we're one of the top back courts in the country in terms of versatility.

jipops, pretty sure DukeAlumBS is alone on this. Everyone has already piled on. (redacted)

[jipops]

jipops, pretty sure DukeAlumBS is alone on this. Everyone has already piled on.

Yea, knew I was piling on. I was a part of the disagreement in the other thread he mentions. Therefore I felt compelled.

[NashvilleDevil]

Every time someone mentions Jumbo, I have a little sinking spell I really miss Jumbo's posts. GoDuke!

Last Jumbo post I remember was his prediction that the 09-10 team would make it to the Final Four. He was spot on as usual.

[NYBri]

As a young athlete, I had an attitude problem that I would demand way too much of my performance. A mistake would ruin my golf game or soccer game. Coach pulled me and told me that I was good for no one if I couldn't accept my mistakes and move on.

Hardest lesson I ever learned.

I sense the same difficult lesson Sheed may have yet to learn.

[gurufrisbee]

We Need Sheed.

There is a logjam at SG, but there doesn't need to be.

Jones can swing up and play some SF.

Tyler should NEVER be on the court unless Cook needs a break at PG.

Sheed and Dawkins should be splitting the SG minutes.

Sulaimon's offense, defense, energy, rebounding, and shooting give him a complete package WAY better than all those other guys. He just has to want it and to earn it. And we need him to.

[Kedsy]

There is a logjam at SG, but there doesn't need to be.

I don't entirely understand what you're saying here. Rodney plays 33 mpg and some of those minutes (let's say 5 for now) come at PF, so approximately 12 minutes at SF go to other people. I don't see how that lightens up the wing logjam all that much.


Jones can swing up and play some SF.

Matt is listed on the official Duke roster at 6'4, 200. Rasheed is listed at 6'4, 190, and Andre is listed at 6'5, 215. So why are you singling out Matt Jones as the guy who should play SF?


Tyler should NEVER be on the court unless Cook needs a break at PG.

There's an old adage about wishes and horses that comes to mind. Coach K clearly feels that Tyler should spent a lot of time in the game, so I'm not sure this point is even worth discussing.


Sheed and Dawkins should be splitting the SG minutes.

So when you said Matt "can swing up and play some SF," you meant he shouldn't play at all except as Rodney's backup? And Tyler should only play the 5 minutes a game that Quinn rests? So when you say there shouldn't be a logjam, you meant in gurufrisbee fantasyland?

[SupaDave]

So when you said Matt "can swing up and play some SF," you meant he shouldn't play at all except as Rodney's backup? And Tyler should only play the 5 minutes a game that Quinn rests? So when you say there shouldn't be a logjam, you meant in gurufrisbee fantasyland?

Excellent point b/c wasn't it Thornton, Dawkins, Jones, Hood and Quinn on the floor at the end of the Michigan game? Or something very close to that I recall.

[Billy Dat]

From USA Today, today

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2013/12/06/duke-basketball-coach-k-mike-krzyzewski-coachs-corner/3889481/

Q: Players kept bringing up the Vermont game (Duke escaped 91-90 in November), saying things along those lines.

A: The Vermont game, we're up by 17, 18 points and my feeling is our guys just feel they're going to win. The other thing for us is, Vermont is good. They were playing bad for five games. But they have five kids who are 22 or 23 years old. They're well-coached. They're predicted to win their conference. Everything can go away if they play well against us. They didn't play well, they played great. It wasn't just that we weren't good. They played great. Our team has to understand that the team we see on tape is not the team we necessarily see at that point when we play them. I think our team understands right now that you have to change roles. Quinn Cook had a great game (Tuesday) night. He had no points in the first half and played really well. That's what we told him, 'You're going to shoot the ball a little more.' The second half, he was terrific. But he was not more terrific in the second half, for me. He's had to adjust. He played with three seniors last year. I tell our team all the time, 'Last year, you guys were in a drama. This year, for lack of a better term, you're in an action movie. The role you played in a drama, you were good at. It's a different role.' I think that's where Rasheed (Sulaimon) is having a tough time. It's a different role, and you don't have these seniors around. How he thinks he's doing the role is not how it should be done. There are changes like that. Arizona is not going through that. Kentucky is going through that. Michigan State is not going through that. Kansas is, because they have all new guys. There has to be a period of time. … We have to run this team not based on ranking and all that. How do we get them along? The last three games we've played really good defense. Why? Well, Tyler (Thornton) and Josh (Hairston) are in the game. They're our senior guys. There's stability around Jabari, Rodney (Hood) and Quinn. (Tuesday) night, some of the younger guys played well. Matt Jones played well. Amile (Jefferson) played like he can play. Marshall (Plumlee) gave us good minutes. It's a work in progress.

[mr. synellinden]

From USA Today, today

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2013/12/06/duke-basketball-coach-k-mike-krzyzewski-coachs-corner/3889481/

Q: Players kept bringing up the Vermont game (Duke escaped 91-90 in November), saying things along those lines.

A: The Vermont game, we're up by 17, 18 points and my feeling is our guys just feel they're going to win. The other thing for us is, Vermont is good. They were playing bad for five games. But they have five kids who are 22 or 23 years old. They're well-coached. They're predicted to win their conference. Everything can go away if they play well against us. They didn't play well, they played great. It wasn't just that we weren't good. They played great. Our team has to understand that the team we see on tape is not the team we necessarily see at that point when we play them. I think our team understands right now that you have to change roles. Quinn Cook had a great game (Tuesday) night. He had no points in the first half and played really well. That's what we told him, 'You're going to shoot the ball a little more.' The second half, he was terrific. But he was not more terrific in the second half, for me. He's had to adjust. He played with three seniors last year. I tell our team all the time, 'Last year, you guys were in a drama. This year, for lack of a better term, you're in an action movie. The role you played in a drama, you were good at. It's a different role.' I think that's where Rasheed (Sulaimon) is having a tough time. It's a different role, and you don't have these seniors around. How he thinks he's doing the role is not how it should be done. There are changes like that. Arizona is not going through that. Kentucky is going through that. Michigan State is not going through that. Kansas is, because they have all new guys. There has to be a period of time. … We have to run this team not based on ranking and all that. How do we get them along? The last three games we've played really good defense. Why? Well, Tyler (Thornton) and Josh (Hairston) are in the game. They're our senior guys. There's stability around Jabari, Rodney (Hood) and Quinn. (Tuesday) night, some of the younger guys played well. Matt Jones played well. Amile (Jefferson) played like he can play. Marshall (Plumlee) gave us good minutes. It's a work in progress.

Wow, that was a very interesting read with a lot of candid comments from Coach K on several topics. Thanks for sharing it.

[ACCBBallFan]

I don't entirely understand what you're saying here. Rodney plays 33 mpg and some of those minutes (let's say 5 for now) come at PF, so approximately 12 minutes at SF go to other people. I don't see how that lightens up the wing logjam all that much.



Matt is listed on the official Duke roster at 6'4, 200. Rasheed is listed at 6'4, 190, and Andre is listed at 6'5, 215. So why are you singling out Matt Jones as the guy who should play SF?



There's an old adage about wishes and horses that comes to mind. Coach K clearly feels that Tyler should spent a lot of time in the game, so I'm not sure this point is even worth discussing.



So when you said Matt "can swing up and play some SF," you meant he shouldn't play at all except as Rodney's backup? And Tyler should only play the 5 minutes a game that Quinn rests? So when you say there shouldn't be a logjam, you meant in gurufrisbee fantasyland?

Assuming the starting team practices as a unit in practice, that pretty much just leaves Matt or Sheed "swing" to play the PG role, as much or more than the SF role, since Dre is even less of a PG.

I have no idea how they are matching up in practice but with Alex transferring, seems like the match-ups would be:

Josh - MP3/Amile
Jabari - Amile/Semi
Rodney-Semi/Sheed/Matt
Tyler- Dre/Sheed/Matt
Quinn-Sheed/Matt

With an inexperienced backup PG and limited offense from the bigs, understandable how it can be a frustrating practice with second unit chucking 3's due to their inability to run plays against Duke's 5 best defenders.

With 2 ineffective backup bigs, that clogs the middle too much for Sheed to drive and dish, given that he is either matched up with Rodney who is bigger or Tyler who is tenacious or having to play PG and still being guarded by Tyler.

The problem with starting the seniors is that you are basically forgoing 2 offensive positions, reminiscent of how an NCAA tournament ended a few years ago, putting an awful lot of pressure on Jabari-Rodney and Quinn to score.

Worked well versus Michigan especially with Dre to light things up quickly, but in one and out setting, can be a problem.

Back to practice, in theory the reason guys don't start is due to their defense not being up to K's standard. So that masks the problem of only having 3 bona fide offensive players. and pushes the big 3 less than if they were toiling against Josh and Tyler who are better defensive players, especially when fouls are not called as closely as they are being called in games this year.

Not sure how unit's offensive woes would be different it would be than the early season starters and match-ups in practice

Amile - MP3/Josh
Jabari - Josh/Semi
Rodney - Semi/Matt
Sheed - Dre/Matt
Quinn - Tyler

Still no offensively minded backup PG and limited production from the bigs, the only difference being that Jabari and Quinn match up with better defenders. The big 3 still are not pushed to improve defensively due to makeup of backup unit's skill sets. That second unit's offense is limited to Dre/Matt/Semi hoisting 3's and Tyler's occasional ability to feed MP3 in post, but Jabari and Rodney can shade quite a bit to help defensively

So to give them some challenge I suspect the units sometimes have to be broken up differently to match Jabari versus Rodney, mix and match the 4 bigs Josh/Amile/MP3/Semi and mix and match the 4 combos Quinn/Tyler/Sheed/Dre, but early in the season prime goal is to get the starters to gel, which can be frustrating for whichever guard does not start, currently Sheed.

So Duke could use next year's recruits this year, in practice, not to mention games.

[Goduke2010]

I have no idea how they are matching up in practice but with Alex transferring, seems like the match-ups would be:

Josh - MP3/Amile
Jabari - Amile/Semi
Rodney-Semi/Sheed/Matt
Tyler- Dre/Sheed/Matt
Quinn-Sheed/Matt

So to give them some challenge I suspect the units sometimes have to be broken up differently to match Jabari versus Rodney, mix and match the 4 bigs Josh/Amile/MP3/Semi and mix and match the 4 combos Quinn/Tyler/Sheed/Dre, but early in the season prime goal is to get the starters to gel, which can be frustrating for whichever guard does not start, currently Sheed.

So Duke could use next year's recruits this year, in practice, not to mention games.

This is a great point. I've been wondering how, during the summer, Coach K was talking about having the personnel to press at every opportunity, yet by halftime of the first game, that philosophy was found unrealistic for this group. How could he have misread the team so badly? The answer, at least in part, is due to the point you bring up - if the "competition" in practice isn't all that good, at least compared to an AZ or KU, there's really no way to simulate how the team will perform.

Of course, part of the problem with building a strong bench is they're going to want to play in games. But since that doesn't happen much at Duke, either good players won't come to Duke (e.g., Travis) or they'll transfer (maybe they thought they were starting material when they signed). Either way, the starters aren't being sufficiently challenged in practice, and Coach K isn't getting a good read on what we can/can't do.

[ArtVandelay]

To bring it back to an answer to the question of the thread, I thought I would offer one game-specific thought (i.e., having nothing to do with fitness, mental toughness, learning his role on this new team, etc.). Perhaps I am misremembering, but it seemed like last year -- particularly earlier in the season -- Rasheed showed a really nice mid-range game. He looked very smooth and comfortable taking the elbow jumper. At some point, he seemed to go away from that and started taking the ball to the basket with reckless abandon every time. Don't get me wrong, he had some success driving, and has definitely shown the ability to beat his man off the bounce. But as others have noted, the problem seems to come at the next level; a lot of the time he seems to drive into too much traffic, gets a bit out of control, and struggles to finish. Anecdotally, it seems he's been particularly susceptible to having his shot blocked as well.

In addition to hitting his open 3s and dribbling with his head up more so he can drive and dish (as others have correctly discussed), I'd like to see Rasheed re-discover the move where he drives and pulls up for a mid-range jumper.

Perhaps he never had that in his arsenal as much as I recall. Perhaps the coaching staff had him get away from that shot because it's a less efficient place on the floor to score than staying behind the arc. Both plausible explanations. But this is one the main changes in his game that I've noticed that may be hurting his offensive performance.

[Kedsy]

This is a great point. I've been wondering how, during the summer, Coach K was talking about having the personnel to press at every opportunity, yet by halftime of the first game, that philosophy was found unrealistic for this group. How could he have misread the team so badly? The answer, at least in part, is due to the point you bring up - if the "competition" in practice isn't all that good, at least compared to an AZ or KU, there's really no way to simulate how the team will perform.

Of course, part of the problem with building a strong bench is they're going to want to play in games. But since that doesn't happen much at Duke, either good players won't come to Duke (e.g., Travis) or they'll transfer (maybe they thought they were starting material when they signed). Either way, the starters aren't being sufficiently challenged in practice, and Coach K isn't getting a good read on what we can/can't do.

Well, I know there are new rules about this sort of thing, but how much practice time was there over the summer? The decision not to press so much probably didn't come during halftime of the first game; more probably over the course of the early season practices.

Also, especially if you count Tyler and Josh as starters, Duke's 2nd five of Amile, Marshall or Semi or Alex, Andre, Matt, and Rasheed would have to be one of the best 2nd fives in the country. Possibly the best. If you look at Arizona's or Kansas' 2nd five, we'd certainly be competitive and probably better. My guess is that our non-starters could have beaten the full roster of Davidson, who was the opponent in our first game (the game in which you suggest we decided we couldn't press).

Now, if what you're saying is our 2nd five isn't as good as the starting five of a top ten team, no kidding. And yet, lots of teams and most (really all) Duke teams have been able to work on things in practice.

Finally, Travis is rated as #35 in the RSCI. Every single player on Duke's roster except Marshall, Tyler, and Alex was rated higher than Travis (and as others have pointed out, Alex would probably have rated higher than Travis if he'd stayed in his original high school class). So it's not a matter of "good players won't come to Duke." And since Duke ranks lowest in the ACC in transfer rates (at least in recent years), it's also not a matter of all the good players transferring.

To sum up, if the "starters aren't being sufficiently challenged in practice," then neither are the starters of any other team, and neither were the starters of pretty much all past Duke teams except possibly the 1997-98 team.

[Des Esseintes]

This is a great point. I've been wondering how, during the summer, Coach K some was talking about having the personnel to press at every opportunity, yet by halftime of the first game, that philosophy was found unrealistic for this group. How could he have misread the team so badly? The answer, at least in part, is due to the point you bring up - if the "competition" in practice isn't all that good, at least compared to an AZ or KU, there's really no way to simulate how the team will perform.

Of course, part of the problem with building a strong bench is they're going to want to play in games. But since that doesn't happen much at Duke, either good players won't come to Duke (e.g., Travis) or they'll transfer (maybe they thought they were starting material when they signed). Either way, the starters aren't being sufficiently challenged in practice, and Coach K isn't getting a good read on what we can/can't do.

Before we go crazy with this analysis, let's remember that the 2010 team had to scrimmage against traffic cones and a pair of giant stuffed pandas Kyle won playing ring toss at the Oregon State Fair. That team did ok.

And, it bears repeating, we have fantastic recruiting right now and the ACC's lowest transfer rate. Everyone should have such worries.

[Kedsy]

I was thinking about our supposedly insufficiently challenging non-starters, and also about the juggernaut UNC team that some in another thread have annointed as a Final Four contender, and wondered how the two groups would match up.

Frontcourt:

UNC has McAdoo, Johnson, James, and Meeks
Duke has Jefferson, Plumlee, Ojeleye, and Murphy

Backcourt:

UNC has Paige, Britt, and Tokoto
Duke has Sulaimon, Dawkins, and Jones

I'd say UNC's frontcourt has an advantage in this scenario, but I wouldn't say it's a huge advantage, especially the way McAdoo's been playing lately.

I think Duke's backcourt in this exercise has a huge edge, however.

Overall, which team would win? Not sure, I think it would be a good game. But if that's the case, and Duke could play UNC tough while missing our entire starting lineup, then either our reserves are certainly a sufficient challenge to our starters in practice, or UNC isn't as good as some people think in the wake of a couple major upsets.

Or both.

[Goduke2010]

I was thinking about our supposedly insufficiently challenging non-starters, and also about the juggernaut UNC team that some in another thread have annointed as a Final Four contender, and wondered how the two groups would match up.

Frontcourt:

UNC has McAdoo, Johnson, James, and Meeks
Duke has Jefferson, Plumlee, Ojeleye, and Murphy

Backcourt:

UNC has Paige, Britt, and Tokoto
Duke has Sulaimon, Dawkins, and Jones

I'd say UNC's frontcourt has an advantage in this scenario, but I wouldn't say it's a huge advantage, especially the way McAdoo's been playing lately.

I think Duke's backcourt in this exercise has a huge edge, however.

Overall, which team would win? Not sure, I think it would be a good game. But if that's the case, and Duke could play UNC tough while missing our entire starting lineup, then either our reserves are certainly a sufficient challenge to our starters in practice, or UNC isn't as good as some people think in the wake of a couple major upsets.

Or both.

Don't see us having an edge either way, especially not in the back court.

Not sure I follow your conclusion, seems like a bit of a non-sequitur. Perhaps the most unbiased tool we have to compare teams overall is Kenpom, where UNC handily beats us right now. All w/o their best player.

[Goduke2010]

Well, I know there are new rules about this sort of thing, but how much practice time was there over the summer? The decision not to press so much probably didn't come during halftime of the first game; more probably over the course of the early season practices.

Also, especially if you count Tyler and Josh as starters, Duke's 2nd five of Amile, Marshall or Semi or Alex, Andre, Matt, and Rasheed would have to be one of the best 2nd fives in the country. Possibly the best. If you look at Arizona's or Kansas' 2nd five, we'd certainly be competitive and probably better. My guess is that our non-starters could have beaten the full roster of Davidson, who was the opponent in our first game (the game in which you suggest we decided we couldn't press).

Now, if what you're saying is our 2nd five isn't as good as the starting five of a top ten team, no kidding. And yet, lots of teams and most (really all) Duke teams have been able to work on things in practice.

Finally, Travis is rated as #35 in the RSCI. Every single player on Duke's roster except Marshall, Tyler, and Alex was rated higher than Travis (and as others have pointed out, Alex would probably have rated higher than Travis if he'd stayed in his original high school class). So it's not a matter of "good players won't come to Duke." And since Duke ranks lowest in the ACC in transfer rates (at least in recent years), it's also not a matter of all the good players transferring.

To sum up, if the "starters aren't being sufficiently challenged in practice," then neither are the starters of any other team, and neither were the starters of pretty much all past Duke teams except possibly the 1997-98 team.

Good points. I think I should have been more clear. Coach K, into September, and even October, I believe, was talking about us pressing all the time. And after the first game game (or maybe after the KU game, don't recall), he said we wouldn't.

The question about our bench is a bit more nuanced than, "Are they good?" The better question is, do they present the challenge to a pressing team that would give the staff a good feel for whether the pressing style fits our team? I would argue that neither our starters - and certainly not our bench - present that type of challenge, and hence, did not give a good read on the appropriateness of our chosen approach. I think it's appropriate to question why we didn't know this beforehand.

Having said that, I really like our new approach to D, and feel it will only get better as the team gets more experience.

[freshmanjs]

I was thinking about our supposedly insufficiently challenging non-starters, and also about the juggernaut UNC team that some in another thread have annointed as a Final Four contender, and wondered how the two groups would match up.

Frontcourt:

UNC has McAdoo, Johnson, James, and Meeks
Duke has Jefferson, Plumlee, Ojeleye, and Murphy

Backcourt:

UNC has Paige, Britt, and Tokoto
Duke has Sulaimon, Dawkins, and Jones

I'd say UNC's frontcourt has an advantage in this scenario, but I wouldn't say it's a huge advantage, especially the way McAdoo's been playing lately.

I think Duke's backcourt in this exercise has a huge edge, however.

Overall, which team would win? Not sure, I think it would be a good game. But if that's the case, and Duke could play UNC tough while missing our entire starting lineup, then either our reserves are certainly a sufficient challenge to our starters in practice, or UNC isn't as good as some people think in the wake of a couple major upsets.

Or both.

no one in the other thread said unc was a juggernaut. just that it was premature to declare they have zero chance to make the final four, especially with their 2 wins over top 10 teams early. nice strawman though.

[Kedsy]

Don't see us having an edge either way, especially not in the back court.

Not sure I follow your conclusion, seems like a bit of a non-sequitur. Perhaps the most unbiased tool we have to compare teams overall is Kenpom, where UNC handily beats us right now. All w/o their best player.

You don't think Rasheed/Andre/Matt Jones has a huge edge over Paige, Britt, and Tokoto? Seriously?

Kenpom is simply not reliable as an objective predictor at this time of year. Don't know why anybody would think otherwise.


no one in the other thread said unc was a juggernaut. just that it was premature to declare they have zero chance to make the final four, especially with their 2 wins over top 10 teams early. nice strawman though.

What they said is UNC is a legitimate Final Four contender. If that's not a juggernaut, then I apologize for using the wrong word. Nice strawman though.

[NYBri]

9F!!!

[Dukeface88]

Kenpom is simply not reliable as an objective predictor at this time of year. Don't know why anybody would think otherwise.



Beyond that, Sagarin actually does have us higher than UNC (for what little that's worth at this point). So the dork polls aren't exactly anointing them.

[Kedsy]

Perhaps the most unbiased tool we have to compare teams overall is Kenpom, where UNC handily beats us right now.

Last year at this time, Pomeroy ranked Kentucky #13. Just sayin'.

[freshmanjs]

These are the most positive quotes about UNC from that thread:


I think Michigan State this year plays right into UNC's hands. MSU is a running team this season.... they aren't the bruisers they used to be. UNC plays best when they run. If you can force them into a half court set, UNC is pretty bad. But in transition, they can play with anyone...

This is why UNC is leading, I think.


Looks like a 20 point possibility. Bet they beat KY as well and then lose to some mediocre team.


I am not convinced they are mediocre. I also do not think Mich State is that good. They did not impress in their win against KY


Heels are an enigma. Obviously they have talent.


And we're on the verge now of UNC having two MUCH better wins than anything we have on our resume. Yes, they've lost to Belmont and UAB. But they're about to be 2-0 against the top-10 of KenPom, where we are 0-2.


Too better wins, too worse losses.

Lesson: both of our teams are talented but young.

Really, pretty much it.


No question they can play with anyone. Lots of parts to work with- none great but most solid

And, the Money Quote:


Yep. They are a tough matchup and their young guys will get better. They are a potential final four team that could lose in the second round.

[freshmanjs]

Last year at this time, Pomeroy ranked Kentucky #13. Just sayin'.

and even that KY team was not over-ranked by 90+ spots in KenPom as you've suggested UNC is.

KY finished #69 in his post tournament final rankings. and, that is with the Noel injury. they would likely have been higher had he stayed healthy (I don't have access to look up KY's KenPom ranking on Feb 14 of this year when Noel went out).

[Kedsy]

and even that KY team was not over-ranked by 90+ spots in KenPom as you've suggested UNC is.

KY finished #69 in his post tournament final rankings. and, that is with the Noel injury. they would likely have been higher had he stayed healthy (I don't have access to look up KY's KenPom ranking on Feb 14 of this year when Noel went out).

I never suggested UNC should be ranked 98th. What I said exactly was "Without [PJH], there have to be 50 teams with a better chance to make [the Final Four] than UNC has, and possibly closer to 100 teams."

First of all, ranking in KenPom is not the same as chance to make the Final Four. Second, even if it was, if UNC ends up 69th, my statement would be true (note the use of the words "possibly" and "closer").

I stand by my other statement that UNC without PJ and LMac is approximately even with Duke without its entire current starting lineup. Personally, I think Duke would win that matchup six out of ten.

[DukieInBrasil]

I never suggested UNC should be ranked 98th. What I said exactly was "Without [PJH], there have to be 50 teams with a better chance to make [the Final Four] than UNC has, and possibly closer to 100 teams."

First of all, ranking in KenPom is not the same as chance to make the Final Four. Second, even if it was, if UNC ends up 69th, my statement would be true (note the use of the words "possibly" and "closer").

I stand by my other statement that UNC without PJ and LMac is approximately even with Duke without its entire current starting lineup. Personally, I think Duke would win that matchup six out of ten.

That's a pretty strong bet. I saw your assertion above and i don't think it's wildly wrong, but i would guess the non-starting Duke squad would win 3 or 4 out of 10 vs. the PJ-less Holes. Your assertion that Jones, Sulaimon and Dawkins is better than Paige, Britt and Tokoto baffled me a little bit. While the J-S-D unit can shoot the 3 hella better than the P-B-T combo (FTs too), i'm not sure that as a playing unit they would play better. Jones hasn't shown much so far except some defense, Sulaimon has been an enigma this year and Dre is a great 3-pt shooter and has shown a bit of drive-n-score this year. As far as getting the ball around, Sulaimon could be a decent PG in a pinch, Jones is reputed to be so but i haven't noticed him doing that this year and Dawkins is right out, whereas Paige and Britt are both good (or better) at distributing the ball.
If it's just based on potential, i'm with you, i think the JSD combo has a higher ceiling than the PBT combo, however Sulaimon's struggles this year have been so glaring that your assertion takes a big hit. However, if Sheed's troubles are in fact related to having Parker and Hood encroach on his role as a drive-n-score player, then making him the #1 option for drive-n-score withe lineup you proposed may in fact cause him to play more like how he played last year. Dre's numbers would also likely be much gaudier if there were only 3 guards on Duke's roster. I have no idea what Jones's numbers would be like with an expanded role.
I'm just expressing my view of these line-ups based on what we've seen this year, not on potential. UNC's inside play would tear Duke's inside reserves apart, especially with a talented PG to get them the ball.
If both squads go with full rosters (UNC w/PJ and L-Mac), i think Duke would win 6 out of 10.

[sagegrouse]

That's a pretty strong bet. I saw your assertion above and i don't think it's wildly wrong, but i would guess the non-starting Duke squad would win 3 or 4 out of 10 vs. the PJ-less Holes. Your assertion that Jones, Sulaimon and Dawkins is better than Paige, Britt and Tokoto baffled me a little bit. While the J-S-D unit can shoot the 3 hella better than the P-B-T combo (FTs too), i'm not sure that as a playing unit they would play better. Jones hasn't shown much so far except some defense, Sulaimon has been an enigma this year and Dre is a great 3-pt shooter and has shown a bit of drive-n-score this year. As far as getting the ball around, Sulaimon could be a decent PG in a pinch, Jones is reputed to be so but i haven't noticed him doing that this year and Dawkins is right out, whereas Paige and Britt are both good (or better) at distributing the ball.
If it's just based on potential, i'm with you, i think the JSD combo has a higher ceiling than the PBT combo, however Sulaimon's struggles this year have been so glaring that your assertion takes a big hit. However, if Sheed's troubles are in fact related to having Parker and Hood encroach on his role as a drive-n-score player, then making him the #1 option for drive-n-score withe lineup you proposed may in fact cause him to play more like how he played last year. Dre's numbers would also likely be much gaudier if there were only 3 guards on Duke's roster. I have no idea what Jones's numbers would be like with an expanded role.
I'm just expressing my view of these line-ups based on what we've seen this year, not on potential. UNC's inside play would tear Duke's inside reserves apart, especially with a talented PG to get them the ball.
If both squads go with full rosters (UNC w/PJ and L-Mac), i think Duke would win 6 out of 10.

I have no idea how this thread, as evolved, has anything to do with Rasheed Sulaimon. -- Kindly, Sage

[Kedsy]

That's a pretty strong bet. I saw your assertion above and i don't think it's wildly wrong, but i would guess the non-starting Duke squad would win 3 or 4 out of 10 vs. the PJ-less Holes. Your assertion that Jones, Sulaimon and Dawkins is better than Paige, Britt and Tokoto baffled me a little bit. While the J-S-D unit can shoot the 3 hella better than the P-B-T combo (FTs too), i'm not sure that as a playing unit they would play better. Jones hasn't shown much so far except some defense, Sulaimon has been an enigma this year and Dre is a great 3-pt shooter and has shown a bit of drive-n-score this year. As far as getting the ball around, Sulaimon could be a decent PG in a pinch, Jones is reputed to be so but i haven't noticed him doing that this year and Dawkins is right out, whereas Paige and Britt are both good (or better) at distributing the ball.
If it's just based on potential, i'm with you, i think the JSD combo has a higher ceiling than the PBT combo, however Sulaimon's struggles this year have been so glaring that your assertion takes a big hit. However, if Sheed's troubles are in fact related to having Parker and Hood encroach on his role as a drive-n-score player, then making him the #1 option for drive-n-score withe lineup you proposed may in fact cause him to play more like how he played last year. Dre's numbers would also likely be much gaudier if there were only 3 guards on Duke's roster. I have no idea what Jones's numbers would be like with an expanded role.
I'm just expressing my view of these line-ups based on what we've seen this year, not on potential. UNC's inside play would tear Duke's inside reserves apart, especially with a talented PG to get them the ball.
If both squads go with full rosters (UNC w/PJ and L-Mac), i think Duke would win 6 out of 10.

Obviously we'll never know. But I think Rasheed's main problem has been he's kind of a third wheel with Jabari and Rodney. If he were the main slasher, I think he'd still be outstanding. And I think he'd be adequate as the primary ballhandler as well and would at least be a wash with Paige. I'm unimpressed enough with Tokoto (oRtg = a poor 92.8) and Britt (oRtg = a putrid 79.9) that I think Matt and Andre would wipe the floor with them.

Up front, I don't think the difference is as great as you do. I think Amile could hold his own with JMM. I think Marshall could handle James when he's in and probably not get beaten too badly by Meeks. When Johnson's in, I think Semi or Alex (since we're talking about the team right now) could probably not get beaten too badly, either.

But it doesn't really matter. I brought this up because (a) people seem to think the PJ-less Heels are potentially a Final Four team; and (b) someone said our own reserves weren't capable of challenging our starters in practice. The idea that we can even have this conversation (debating whether our reserves would beat UNC's whole team 6 times out of ten or "only" 3 or 4 times) means at least one and probably both of those things aren't true.

[Wander]

I stand by my other statement that UNC without PJ and LMac is approximately even with Duke without its entire current starting lineup. Personally, I think Duke would win that matchup six out of ten.

Yeah, totally. It's just too bad the football team didn't have these guys last night. I'm pretty sure the Duke basketball backups could beat the Florida State football starters like 9 times out of 10 by themselves, and that one loss would only be due to the unfairness of having to play with less than eleven players on the field.

[Newton_14]

Guys, give the UNC thing, and the sniping a rest and get back on topic please.

thanks

[MChambers]

Nice Decourcy piece on Sulaimon.

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2014-01-16/rasheed-sulaimon-benching-duke-michigan-game-fitting-in-jabari-parker-hood

[flyingdutchdevil]

Nice Decourcy piece on Sulaimon.

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2014-01-16/rasheed-sulaimon-benching-duke-michigan-game-fitting-in-jabari-parker-hood

How can you not love Sulaimon after reading this article? He is my favorite player on this team, bar none. He is intelligent (both on and off the court. He was a TIP student, proving that he's academic as well), self-aware, and seems like an incredible teammate.

I will continuously root for this kid. I'm convinced he'll be a first rounder when all is said and done.

[jv001]

Nice Decourcy piece on Sulaimon.

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2014-01-16/rasheed-sulaimon-benching-duke-michigan-game-fitting-in-jabari-parker-hood

Thanks for the link. I especially like the last paragraph where Rasheed says. When he's on the court with Jabari and Rodney he's being guarded by the third or fourth best defender and can take some pressure off them. Then he goes on to say that once they are on the same page, get's the chemistry where they play with each other and play with their teammates as well, he thinks they can really become a special team. It sounds like Rasheed as been paying attention to what the coaching staff has been telling him. I too, think they can be a special team. GoDuke!

[Gthoma2a]

How can you not love Sulaimon after reading this article? He is my favorite player on this team, bar none. He is intelligent (both on and off the court. He was a TIP student, proving that he's academic as well), self-aware, and seems like an incredible teammate.

I will continuously root for this kid. I'm convinced he'll be a first rounder when all is said and done.

Maybe next year on being MY favorite. Dre's got that title this year. Sulaimon is one of my favorite kids, though. He struggled early in the season, but it looks like that is him and Jabari not fitting. With Jabari fading a little, Sulaimon came in and did work the other day, so it seems like a lot of it is just chemistry (with a little bad decision-making). Hopefully the good game becomes habit forming.

I hope he stays for next year, because I think he has slipped into the second round for this year. He needs to get through a full season in order to get into the first round, IMO. He is a great kid, though and we are lucky to have him.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I hope he stays for next year, because I think he has slipped into the second round for this year. He needs to get through a full season in order to get into the first round, IMO. He is a great kid, though and we are lucky to have him.

I don't think there is any chance that Rasheed goes pro. If he does, it won't be because of his stock but rather because he doesn't like his options next year (similar to why players would transfer). The best example of this is Shavlik Randolph. However, I see Rasheed as our best 3 next year: he was the most experience, he is great at getting to the rim, and he won't have Jabari or Hood around.

I see Rasheed as an All-ACC next year.