Matt Jones Ankle Vigil

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

[sigh]

Please post any Matt Jones updates/prognosis/hot rumors here.

[Furniture]

Get better Matt! We need you!!

[gurufrisbee]

Get well soon Matt. Stick to the spot up three's for a bit.

[Henderson]

"Matt's really sprained his ankle pretty badly, so I'm not sure how long he'll be out." [Rubs forehead and looks at the table].

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

"Matt's really sprained his ankle pretty badly, so I'm not sure how long he'll be out." [Rubs forehead and looks at the table].

Excellent. Another unclear timeline.

Gotta say, Matt looked to be in pretty serious pain, but I imagine the win took a lot of sting out. For a few hours at least.

[duke blue brewcrew]

Excellent. Another unclear timeline.

Gotta say, Matt looked to be in pretty serious pain, but I imagine the win took a lot of sting out. For a few hours at least.

I had a 3rd degree sprain in HS, and the Dr. told me (re: recovery) I would have been much better off breaking it. The severity of the sprain will dictate how long he's out obviously. Fingers crossed he snaps back quickly, because Duke needs him. They face a tough Louisville team on the road in a quick turn around noon game on Saturday with a starting 5 plus Jeter.

[johnb]

I had a 3rd degree sprain in HS, and the Dr. told me (re: recovery) I would have been much better off breaking it. The severity of the sprain will dictate how long he's out obviously. Fingers crossed he snaps back quickly, because Duke needs him. They face a tough Louisville team on the road in a quick turn around noon game on Saturday with a starting 5 plus Jeter.

It's true that sprain can be worse than break, but sprain can sometimes heal in a day. We'll see.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

It's true that sprain can be worse than break, but sprain can sometimes heal in a day. We'll see.
Being carried off the court and returning on crutches is pretty clear indication to me that it's going to take real time to heal. If he couldn't bear any weight at all, that's telling.

Hoping for a speedy recovery for Matt.

[luburch]

I had a 3rd degree sprain in HS, and the Dr. told me (re: recovery) I would have been much better off breaking it. The severity of the sprain will dictate how long he's out obviously. Fingers crossed he snaps back quickly, because Duke needs him. They face a tough Louisville team on the road in a quick turn around noon game on Saturday with a starting 5 plus Jeter.

I've had doctors tell me this before too. It really just depends on the severity of the sprain (as some can heal in a few days) and Matt's seemed pretty serious. If he couldn't put any weight on it last night, I would guess he would be out for two weeks.

[mgtr]

I had a 3rd degree sprain in HS, and the Dr. told me (re: recovery) I would have been much better off breaking it.
I did the same thing in Junior High, and the Dr. said the same thing. I was on crutches for weeks, and then I taped it every morning for a long time. I still have very little hair on my ankle/lower leg on that foot. Sort of like a battle scar.

[weezie]

Hang in there Matt! Time to run in the pool! We love you!

[NYBri]

I've had doctors tell me this before too. It really just depends on the severity of the sprain (as some can heal in a few days) and Matt's seemed pretty serious. If he couldn't put any weight on it last night, I would guess he would be out for two weeks.

At least. Based on nothing but gut, I think we have a better chance of seeing Amile return before Matt.

[Saratoga2]

I thought the treatment of a sprain would include icing for the first few hours to reduce the swelling but instead they went into a tape job. Any doctors out there care to wade in.

[dukelifer]

[sigh]

Please post any Matt Jones updates/prognosis/hot rumors here.

Did not look good - although the win took away some of the pain. I doubt he is back until the last game against UNC if he is lucky.

[ThrowItAround]

At this point I just want the team to get healthy, they clearly are good enough to make a deep run. GO DUKE!!

[OldPhiKap]

Prayers for a full and quick recovery, Matt. Thanks for all you do!

[oldnavy]

I thought the treatment of a sprain would include icing for the first few hours to reduce the swelling but instead they went into a tape job. Any doctors out there care to wade in.

Probably to keep compression on the tissue to minimize swelling. I imagine he iced it later... just my guess.

[cbarry]

Sorry to see Matt's injury last night- I never want to see a guy get hurt and in obvious pain. He is a good guy & a hard worker. I hope his ankle feels better soon.

That being said... I think we are a MUCH better team without Matt in the lineup. Luke has much more talent offensively, and I'd rather see him get the minutes. I haven't been overly impressed with Matt's much-touted D either. I know the team is extremely thin now, but we played our best ball with Derryck, Luke, Grayson, Marshall, and Brandon, and very limited minutes from Chase. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I think we have a much better chance at winning without Matt on the court.

[allenmurray]

Sorry to see Matt's injury last night- I never want to see a guy get hurt and in obvious pain. He is a good guy & a hard worker. I hope his ankle feels better soon.

That being said... I think we are a MUCH better team without Matt in the lineup. Luke has much more talent offensively, and I'd rather see him get the minutes. I haven't been overly impressed with Matt's much-touted D either. I know the team is extremely thin now, but we played our best ball with Derryck, Luke, Grayson, Marshall, and Brandon, and very limited minutes from Chase. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I think we have a much better chance at winning without Matt on the court.

Did you forget to take your meds . . . ?

[Indoor66]

Sorry to see Matt's injury last night- I never want to see a guy get hurt and in obvious pain. He is a good guy & a hard worker. I hope his ankle feels better soon.

That being said... I think we are a MUCH better team without Matt in the lineup. Luke has much more talent offensively, and I'd rather see him get the minutes. I haven't been overly impressed with Matt's much-touted D either. I know the team is extremely thin now, but we played our best ball with Derryck, Luke, Grayson, Marshall, and Brandon, and very limited minutes from Chase. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I think we have a much better chance at winning without Matt on the court.

I wanted to give you negative sporks after reading this but realized that such a move would be inappropriate because I only disagree with you. What planet are you living on? Matt is the heart and soul of this team. His leadership is near the Quinn Cook level. He defends, he scores, he directs, he is the proverbial coach on the floor. I find your post to be wrong is so many ways.

[huey]

I'm not an orthopod/sports med doc, but I did find it odd that he was out there without ice on his ankle (the I in RICE treatment for sprains). Maybe they were playing mind games and pretending he might come back in (though anyone who saw him writhing on the floor would know he wasn't going to)? The announcer did say when he came back out and was on the bench that they were trying to put his shoe back on. Was he go to Willis Reed it? Hobble in, hit the game-winning corner three?

Yea, Grade 3 (complete tear) ankle sprains are no fun. You feel it, you hear it. It can be a loud pop. I can't imagine it's anything else based on how he reacted. We've seen guys with less severe rolls this year (Grayson) and last (Okafor...vs. UNC?) and they might be out a few plays, but they pull the laces tighter and come back in. You aren't doing that when you tear a ligament. There's a few in the ankle, so hopefully he only tore one.

A normal person would be out from balling for a month at a minimum plus lots of ankle strengthening rehab (now your muscles have to overcompensate to hold your foot together). But these guys are super athletes with the best training staff + already have great ankle strength. So is 2 weeks a possibility? Sure.

Hated seeing Grayson twist it earlier in the season but thankfully he was ok. That was pure heartfelt pain watching Matt lying there and then seeing the replays. It's not career ending (ask Steph) but it does take time. How much time, we'll see.

[cbarry]

I wanted to give you negative sporks after reading this but realized that such a move would be inappropriate because I only disagree with you. What planet are you living on? Matt is the heart and soul of this team. His leadership is near the Quinn Cook level. He defends, he scores, he directs, he is the proverbial coach on the floor. I find your post to be wrong is so many ways.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I respect yours. I agree Matt has good leadership skills, is an all around great guy, and has "coach on the floor" skills, but talent-wise, he's not there at all. I would much rather see Luke get all of Matt's minutes. We have a much better chance of winning with Luke getting more PT than Matt.

[rtnorthrup]

Was it '92 when Brian Davis rolled his ankle in the ACC tourney and we had a vigil for his return?

[Troublemaker]

Sorry to see Matt's injury last night- I never want to see a guy get hurt and in obvious pain. He is a good guy & a hard worker. I hope his ankle feels better soon.

That being said... I think we are a MUCH better team without Matt in the lineup. Luke has much more talent offensively, and I'd rather see him get the minutes. I haven't been overly impressed with Matt's much-touted D either. I know the team is extremely thin now, but we played our best ball with Derryck, Luke, Grayson, Marshall, and Brandon, and very limited minutes from Chase. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I think we have a much better chance at winning without Matt on the court.

Geez, this not the right thread for ripping on Matt (if there are ANY appropriate threads for doing so.)

Besides, if Matt were as horrible as you think he is, for the season he would not be second on the team in plus-minus (both total and minutes-adjusted) (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?36813-2015-16-Season-Plus-Minus&p=860024#post860024) behind Grayson. Maybe there are things he does on the court that an inferior mind can't discern.

That said, I am very excited about Luke's recent shooting and look forward to his closeup to see if he can become the 3rd great scorer on this team alongside Grayson and Brandon. Coach K has mentioned in previous press conferences that Duke is trying to build Luke up to that level, and it's possible he's about to reach it.

[GGLC]

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I respect yours. I agree Matt has good leadership skills, is an all around great guy, and has "coach on the floor" skills, but talent-wise, he's not there at all. I would much rather see Luke get all of Matt's minutes. We have a much better chance of winning with Luke getting more PT than Matt.

I could not disagree more with this post, even putting aside the facially absurd notion that Duke with five guys that K trusts is better than Duke with six guys that K trusts.

[allenmurray]

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I respect yours. I agree Matt has good leadership skills, is an all around great guy, and has "coach on the floor" skills, but talent-wise, he's not there at all. I would much rather see Luke get all of Matt's minutes. We have a much better chance of winning with Luke getting more PT than Matt.

Whoever Matt defends tends to underperform compared to average. Without his D last year we don't win against Wisconsin. Without his D this year we don't beat Virginia or Louisville. I'm glad coach K's opinion differs from yours.

Offensively he has the second highest 3 pt. % on the team. Offensively Kennard looks better - offense is not the only part of basketball.

[NYBri]

Don't really need to say this, but we have no plan c if we get another injury.

Makes it all the more important that Grayson takes care of himself and notch down the flying Willendo stuff until we get some health back.

[MCFinARL]

Excellent. Another unclear timeline.

Gotta say, Matt looked to be in pretty serious pain, but I imagine the win took a lot of sting out. For a few hours at least.

Yes--did you see him jumping around on his good foot at the end of the game? I was concerned he might injure that one too. :)


I had a 3rd degree sprain in HS, and the Dr. told me (re: recovery) I would have been much better off breaking it. The severity of the sprain will dictate how long he's out obviously. Fingers crossed he snaps back quickly, because Duke needs him. They face a tough Louisville team on the road in a quick turn around noon game on Saturday with a starting 5 plus Jeter.

I think I would bet actual money (though I'm not offering a wager) that we won't see Matt on Saturday, unfortunately. What Duke can do in that game is likely dependent on the sheer guts of the 5+ Jeter group and the strategy of the GOAT unless Amile magically appears. Hope I'm wrong, though.

[Henderson]

We could use us some Obi, Vrank, and Jeter step-up about now. Pre-season, I thought we'd have at least 2 of the three available for important minutes.

[CDu]

I think that folks who don't appreciate Matt Jones' contributions simply don't fully understand the value of defense. Matt Jones is this team's best defender. He shut down Damion Lee of Louisville and he held Brogdon in check for most of the UVa game. No, he isn't as talented offensively as, say Kennard. But he provides more on the defensive end than pretty much any other player on the Duke team.

And in the spirit of the thread, I hope he isn't out for too long.

[OldPhiKap]

Was it '92 when Brian Davis rolled his ankle in the ACC tourney and we had a vigil for his return?

Not sure. I seem to remember Robert Brickey doing something similar in maybe '89?

[Eakane]

Is there anybody on the JV squad playing well that we can promote? :)
I like Luke too, but we are clearly better with Matt, not t mention a 6-7 man rotation. If you don't see that, your not watching carefully. Obi, Vranc, Jeter; this is your time to step up!

[FerryFor50]

I think that folks who don't appreciate Matt Jones' contributions simply don't fully understand the value of defense. Matt Jones is this team's best defender. He shut down Damion Lee of Louisville and he held Brogdon in check for most of the UVa game. No, he isn't as talented offensively as, say Kennard. But he provides more on the defensive end than pretty much any other player on the Duke team.

And in the spirit of the thread, I hope he isn't out for too long.

They also underestimate his shooting ability and only see how limited he is on layups.

People are going to miss Matt on Saturday when Damion Lee has a much better game against us.

[cbarry]

Thanks for this post, CDu. You make a lot of sense. I apologize to all for being hard on Matt. We will see how the team does for a few games without him. Wishing Matt a speedy recovery.


I think that folks who don't appreciate Matt Jones' contributions simply don't fully understand the value of defense. Matt Jones is this team's best defender. He shut down Damion Lee of Louisville and he held Brogdon in check for most of the UVa game. No, he isn't as talented offensively as, say Kennard. But he provides more on the defensive end than pretty much any other player on the Duke team.

And in the spirit of the thread, I hope he isn't out for too long.

[stillcrazie]

I think that folks who don't appreciate Matt Jones' contributions simply don't fully understand the value of defense. Matt Jones is this team's best defender. He shut down Damion Lee of Louisville and he held Brogdon in check for most of the UVa game. No, he isn't as talented offensively as, say Kennard. But he provides more on the defensive end than pretty much any other player on the Duke team.

And in the spirit of the thread, I hope he isn't out for too long.

Agreed, CDu.

And in terms of sprains: they can be much worse than a break. I have sprained my left ankle twice and was black and blue from my heel to halfway up my calf both times and was off my foot for six weeks. The word "sprain" seems so minor compared to the kind of damage that sometimes occurs. That said, Matt will get the best medical care available and I hope and pray he is back ASAP.

[CameronDuke]

One benefit of Amile and Matt's injuries is that both young men are incredibly team oriented and unselfish. We have two of the best player coaches on the bench now in those two. Amile and Matt will be able to tell players on the floor what they see and give them tidbits on how to approach certain situations, and both are willing and eager to teach the younger guys (Ingram, Thornton, Kennard). Just look at their reaction when we won last night - both were in the middle of the mayhem during the celebration on the sideline. Matt was hopping around on one foot with crutches in tow. Just both solid young men.

[allenmurray]

Agreed, CDu.

And in terms of sprains: they can be much worse than a break. I have sprained my left ankle twice and was black and blue from my heel to halfway up my calf both times and was off my foot for six weeks. The word "sprain" seems so minor compared to the kind of damage that sometimes occurs. That said, Matt will get the best medical care available and I hope and pray he is back ASAP.

One definition of a "sprain" is a torn ligament due to a joint being taken beyond its functional range. Funny how "sprain" doesn't sound serious, but "torn ligament" does. They are the same thing.

[FerryFor50]

Last time I sprained my ankle, it took me a month to be able to play ball again. Then again, I was 37 and don't heal as fast as someone in their early 20s, nor did I have the advantage of world class health facilities like they have at Duke.

How long Matt is out depends on how severe the sprain was and how fast he hesls.

[FerryFor50]

One definition of a "sprain" is a torn ligament due to a joint being taken beyond its functional range. Funny how "sprain" doesn't sound serious, but "torn ligament" does. They are the same thing.

Sprains can also be stretched ligaments. That's where the severity degrees come in. Torn ligament sounds bad, but stretched? Not as bad.

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sprainsandstrains.html

[CDu]

Agreed, CDu.

And in terms of sprains: they can be much worse than a break. I have sprained my left ankle twice and was black and blue from my heel to halfway up my calf both times and was off my foot for six weeks. The word "sprain" seems so minor compared to the kind of damage that sometimes occurs. That said, Matt will get the best medical care available and I hope and pray he is back ASAP.

Yeah, it is very unlikely that Jones' ankle is 100% again this season. That's just not how sprains (even minor ones) work. He may or may not be back to "playable" within a week or two, but he'll still be playing on a weakened ankle. It probably takes 3-4 months for an ankle sprain to fully heal. Basically, he'll just be battling to avoid another injury if and when he returns this season.

[Pghdukie]

I remember vividly that Kyrie was team's best sideline cheerleader while he re-habed

[devildeac]

Let's see, Amile has 1 good foot and Matt has 1 good foot, surely DUMC can figure out some sort of transplant procedure. :rolleyes:

Seriously, I hope this is not too bad and physical therapy works rapid wonder with him.

[Indoor66]

Let's see, Amile has 1 good foot and Matt has 1 good foot, surely DUMC can figure out some sort of transplant procedure. :rolleyes:

Seriously, I hope this is not too bad and physical therapy works rapid wonder with him.

Crank us the electrical stim 10 times per day... :cool:

[CDu]

Crank us the electrical stim 10 times per day... :cool:

God I love that machine.

[billy]

Sprains can also be stretched ligaments. That's where the severity degrees come in. Torn ligament sounds bad, but stretched? Not as bad.


Technically, all sprains are tears (ligament tear to be specific). It's just in low grade sprains (grade I) the fibers tear on a microscopic level, as opposed to a grade III sprain where the ligament literally rips in two.

Ice-wise, the tape job would do the trick to keep swelling down initially. We have no idea what happened after returning to Duke after the game; I'd assume there was ice then.

I hope (and am sure is the case) that he had an xray after he exited the court (while at the Dean Dome). The fact that he was taped rather than splinted, or transported to Durham, would indicate the lack of a fracture. Fracture would automatically be at least 6 weeks; sprain could be much, much sooner but could be as long if not longer.

[rasputin]

It's over ?
;)

[FerryFor50]

Technically, all sprains are tears (ligament tear to be specific). It's just in low grade sprains (grade I) the fibers tear on a microscopic level, as opposed to a grade III sprain where the ligament literally rips in two.

Ice-wise, the tape job would do the trick to keep swelling down initially. We have no idea what happened after returning to Duke after the game; I'd assume there was ice then.

I hope (and am sure is the case) that he had an xray after he exited the court (while at the Dean Dome). The fact that he was taped rather than splinted, or transported to Durham, would indicate the lack of a fracture. Fracture would automatically be at least 6 weeks; sprain could be much, much sooner but could be as long if not longer.

What are you? A doctor or something? :p

[devildeac]

From a Mike Cragg/SID Email at 1047 this AM:

"He is at the doctor's now-getting examined and x-rayed...so we'll know more at some point soon."

Yea, it's not up to the minute reporting but that's the best I can do at this time. :o

[Bluegrassdevil1]

I have heard from a source close to the program that Nate James has been slowly chewing his lower leg off throughout the day. The James leg will be grafted onto Jones, giving him an unguardable kickstand stance.

I have also heard that James offered to remove his other leg for Jefferson, in much the same way as he did for Irving and Kelly, but the program discovered that having a coach that can regrow multiple limbs is an impermissible benefit.

[billy]

What are you? A doctor or something? :p

Not a real doctor (like devildeac), just an orthopod :rolleyes:

[MChambers]

Was it '92 when Brian Davis rolled his ankle in the ACC tourney and we had a vigil for his return?
Davis sprained his ankle, quite badly, in 92, but it was in the national semifinal against Indiana. He played a bit in the final against Michigan, on pure guts.

[MChambers]

We could use us some Obi, Vrank, and Jeter step-up about now. Pre-season, I thought we'd have at least 2 of the three available for important minutes.
Wasn't this going to be the season with 9 players in the rotation, all playing comparable minutes? How's the playing time prediction thread doing?

[AustinDevil]

It's over ?
;)

Yes! Thanks for doing it!

[mattman91]

How does Matt get a vigil before Amile?

[NYBri]

I guess the next question is: WTF is K going to do now in terms of minutes with both Matt and Amile sitting?

Options as far as I can see:


- Everyone in our present rotation not named Plumlee or Jeter plays the entire game...with Jeter and Plumlee doing what they are doing now...With tons of zone.

- Plumlee and Jeter sub for each other and occasionally Jeter (or Obi or Vrank) and Plumlee play together to give others a couple of sit minutes.

- We look to a walk-on to spell a minute or two here and there in the backcourt.

- What else?

I know there are variables based on opponent matchups and K might go game to game and feel his way through, but I'm sure he will have an idea going into each game from here on out.

[Doria]

God I love that machine.

It's unfortunate (for me) that I can wholeheartedly agree. I have a little, portable home model.

Best wishes to Matt, and I'm sure the doctors will do whatever is in his best interests. Pretty hard, though, since I'm sure he'll want to be out there soon, just like Amile.

Also, even if some combo of our remaining guys improbably comes on strong (rest assured, I would take it, no question), aren't they all frontcourt-type players? Could any of them play on the wing? Maybe Vrank?

Our depth concerns/crises aside, what about foul trouble? Our guys play smart, but foul trouble is bound to happen sooner or later, with essentially all our guards playing 40 mins. What do we do then? I guess we can go with two bigs, but that is not ideal on so many levels.

Anyway, the point here is to wish Matt well. I know he will be cheering hard for the team if he can't play (can't imagine that he will against UL, at the least), and I'll be cheering for him to make a complete recovery; a speedy one would be nice too.

[Kedsy]

Could any of them play on the wing? Maybe Vrank?

I don't think so, no. But if either Amile returns before Matt, or if Chase can play PF alongside Marshall, then Brandon can move back to the wing to give some rest to Grayson/Derryck/Luke.

[mattman91]

I guess the next question is: WTF is K going to do now in terms of minutes with both Matt and Amile sitting?

Options as far as I can see:


- Everyone in our present rotation not named Plumlee or Jeter plays the entire game...with Jeter and Plumlee doing what they are doing now...With tons of zone.

- Plumlee and Jeter sub for each other and occasionally Jeter (or Obi or Vrank) and Plumlee play together to give others a couple of sit minutes.

- We look to a walk-on to spell a minute or two here and there in the backcourt.

- What else?

I know there are variables based on opponent matchups and K might go game to game and feel his way through, but I'm sure he will have an idea going into each game from here on out.

We've seen this before. Maybe Patrick or Jordan Davidson? The eldest Pagliuca, Joe? I wouldn't imagine it would be more than 1 or 2 minutes each half with a lead, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. As a matter of fact, I could see this happening before seeing Obi/Vrank in with Plumlee.

[Doria]

I don't think so, no. But if either Amile returns before Matt, or if Chase can play PF alongside Marshall, then Brandon can move back to the wing to give some rest to Grayson/Derryck/Luke.

Ah, you are totally right. Just a brain freeze. I've gotten so used to seeing Ingram inside more often than not, I completely forgot that he's a wing guy, too. Well, that's good. Don't want to see a repeat of the days of yore, when teams had to field four players if they ran out!

[CDu]

It's unfortunate (for me) that I can wholeheartedly agree. I have a little, portable home model.

Me too. Stupid ACL.


I don't think so, no. But if either Amile returns before Matt, or if Chase can play PF alongside Marshall, then Brandon can move back to the wing to give some rest to Grayson/Derryck/Luke.

Yeah, I think we are much more likely to just see Jeter bump up to 6-8 mpg, with 4-5 being to back up Plumlee and the other 2-3 coming at PF alongside Plumlee while one of our four wing players sits briefly. I think we'll see something like this in terms of minutes distribution:

Plumlee: 36 mpg
Ingram: 39-40 mpg
Kennard: 38-40 mpg
Allen: 39-40 mpg
Thornton: 38-40 mpg
Jeter: 6-8 mpg

In other words, let's hope one of Jefferson or Jones (preferably both) get healthy enough to play soon, because our five starters are going to be going non-stop until then.

[Neals384]

Wasn't this going to be the season with 9 players in the rotation, all playing comparable minutes? How's the playing time prediction thread doing?

That's right - if we take the average of all the guesses, we would have had 9 guys averaging 10 minutes or more. As the season has turned out, no one should be surprised that all of our playing time guesses were way off. I'll have a full update after the 2nd UNC game, but for now, here's the leaderboard for our playing time prediction contest (time shown is the total of differences between prediction and actual for each player):



mattman91
49:27


Troublemaker
54:19


kAzE
55:27


wherethehellami
56:25


timmy c
57:10


gumbomoop
57:10


DallasDevil
59:19



After DallasDev, There is a significant dropoff, so these are the guys with a realistic chance to win.

Of course, everyone is way off on Amile's minutes; that lowered everyone's score but most of the guesses for Amile were in a narrow range. Those on the leader board are (for the most part) those who figured out that Luke would play lots and Sean would not. For example, mattman91 has Luke at 18 minutes and Sean at only 4.

Matt Jones is averaging 32:28 while the high Matt guess was 30:00, so if he misses just 2 games, it won't change the leaderboard and will actually improve everyone's result. If he misses 3 or more, his average will be under 30 minutes and will start to affect our leaderboard. So, hurry back Matt!

[mattman91]

That's right - if we take the average of all the guesses, we would have had 9 guys averaging 10 minutes or more. As the season has turned out, no one should be surprised that all of our playing time guesses were way off. I'll have a full update after the 2nd UNC game, but for now, here's the leaderboard for our playing time prediction contest (time shown is the total of differences between prediction and actual for each player):



mattman91
49:27


Troublemaker
54:19


kAzE
55:27


wherethehellami
56:25


timmy c
57:10


gumbomoop
57:10


DallasDevil
59:19



After DallasDev, There is a significant dropoff, so these are the guys with a realistic chance to win.

Of course, everyone is way off on Amile's minutes; that lowered everyone's score but most of the guesses for Amile were in a narrow range. Those on the leader board are (for the most part) those who figured out that Luke would play lots and Sean would not. For example, mattman91 has Luke at 18 minutes and Sean at only 4.

Matt Jones is averaging 32:28 while the high Matt guess was 30:00, so if he misses just 2 games, it won't change the leaderboard and will actually improve everyone's result. If he misses 3 or more, his average will be under 30 minutes and will start to affect our leaderboard. So, hurry back Matt!

Wow. I'm winning this? Incredible.

[devildeac]

Wow. I'm winning this? Incredible.

Yea, but you're playing with 4 fouls :p .

[kAzE]

That's right - if we take the average of all the guesses, we would have had 9 guys averaging 10 minutes or more. As the season has turned out, no one should be surprised that all of our playing time guesses were way off. I'll have a full update after the 2nd UNC game, but for now, here's the leaderboard for our playing time prediction contest (time shown is the total of differences between prediction and actual for each player):



mattman91
49:27


Troublemaker
54:19


kAzE
55:27


wherethehellami
56:25


timmy c
57:10


gumbomoop
57:10


DallasDevil
59:19



After DallasDev, There is a significant dropoff, so these are the guys with a realistic chance to win.

Of course, everyone is way off on Amile's minutes; that lowered everyone's score but most of the guesses for Amile were in a narrow range. Those on the leader board are (for the most part) those who figured out that Luke would play lots and Sean would not. For example, mattman91 has Luke at 18 minutes and Sean at only 4.

Matt Jones is averaging 32:28 while the high Matt guess was 30:00, so if he misses just 2 games, it won't change the leaderboard and will actually improve everyone's result. If he misses 3 or more, his average will be under 30 minutes and will start to affect our leaderboard. So, hurry back Matt!

What was the actual title of this thread? I want to go back and see what I put down . . .

[oldnavy]

I hope Matt's ankle gets better real soon.

You never can tell about ankle sprains and such.... sometimes they hurt like crazy right after, but heal sooner than you expect, and other times you can play through the pain only to find it was damaged more than you thought...

Hope Matt's is the former.

[Indoor66]

God I love that machine.

I couldn't live without mine. The old man's friend.

[oldnavy]

I couldn't live without mine. The old man's friend.

Better than a heating pad???

[Indoor66]

Better than a heating pad???

Absolutely no question. If you have muscle or joint problems, get one (https://www.google.com/#q=electric+pulse+massager). My Orthopedic Surgeon, Physical Therapist and I all swear by them.

[Devilwin]

Had a severe sprain in high school, bad bruising down to my toes. Within four days I was walking on it, and after eight days was playing again, although the soreness took about two weeks to go away completely. Hope and pray it wasn't as bad as it looked, we certainly do need him bad.

[kAzE]

Absolutely no question. If you have muscle or joint problems, get one (https://www.google.com/#q=electric+pulse+massager). My Orthopedic Surgeon, Physical Therapist and I all swear by them.

I just had knee surgery for a basketball injury last month. I'm still months away from returning to the court (cartilage damage, need to stop playing like a maniac, I just hit 30), and this seems like it would help strengthen my leg muscles for a more speedy recovery. Is that an accurate statement? Is there a particular model you or your orthopedist would recommend?

[FerryFor50]

I just had knee surgery for a basketball injury last month. I'm still months away from returning to the court (cartilage damage), and this seems like it would help strengthen my leg muscles for a more speedy recovery. Is that an accurate statement? Is there a particular model you or your orthopedist would recommend?

I used one for a bone injury a few years ago. Dunno if it helped. Likely not because I don't think it's meant for those. :)

[MChambers]

Maybe you should have taken placebos instead?

[Saratoga2]

It's unfortunate (for me) that I can wholeheartedly agree. I have a little, portable home model.

Best wishes to Matt, and I'm sure the doctors will do whatever is in his best interests. Pretty hard, though, since I'm sure he'll want to be out there soon, just like Amile.

Also, even if some combo of our remaining guys improbably comes on strong (rest assured, I would take it, no question), aren't they all frontcourt-type players? Could any of them play on the wing? Maybe Vrank?

Our depth concerns/crises aside, what about foul trouble? Our guys play smart, but foul trouble is bound to happen sooner or later, with essentially all our guards playing 40 mins. What do we do then? I guess we can go with two bigs, but that is not ideal on so many levels.

Anyway, the point here is to wish Matt well. I know he will be cheering hard for the team if he can't play (can't imagine that he will against UL, at the least), and I'll be cheering for him to make a complete recovery; a speedy one would be nice too.

Is it possible Justin could come off of his red shirt year and add a body in an emergency? He is listed at 6'8" but appears around the same size as Luke in the team photo. He seems like the only remaining guy with the right size and athleticism to play wing.

[jcannon]

Is it possible Justin could come off of his red shirt year and add a body in an emergency? He is listed at 6'8" but appears around the same size as Luke in the team photo. He seems like the only remaining guy with the right size and athleticism to play wing.

I can't see them wasting an entire year on Justin for just a handful of games. If a guard is in foul trouble, maybe Brandon at the 3, with Jeter and Plumlee down low would be about the only option, as I don't think Vrank or Obi would be quick enough to defend any type of stretch 4. Maybe Jeter not having to bang with guys 30+ pounds heavier would be a positive? Let's hope Jefferson and/or Jones returns soon, and this will not be an issue.

[rtnorthrup]

Davis sprained his ankle, quite badly, in 92, but it was in the national semifinal against Indiana. He played a bit in the final against Michigan, on pure guts.

Indeed, that was it. Thank you.

[ricks68]

Sprains can also be stretched ligaments. That's where the severity degrees come in. Torn ligament sounds bad, but stretched? Not as bad.

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sprainsandstrains.html

Even if this did come from Medline, putting on my health professional hat, I was taught that ligamentous tissue cannot "stretch", unless it is being considered that "shredding" is a form of "stretching". Muscles can elongate, shred, or tear, etc., but ligaments don't have the same elasticity that muscles have. Someone that is more qualified, please step in and put me in my place, if necessary. I would so much rather be wrong, than have Matt's injury be more serious.:(

ricks

[BD80]

Maybe you should have taken placebos instead?

I recommend the generic brands, the name brands just aren't worth the extra money, they're only a little more effective.

[billy]

I just had knee surgery for a basketball injury last month. I'm still months away from returning to the court (cartilage damage, need to stop playing like a maniac, I just hit 30), and this seems like it would help strengthen my leg muscles for a more speedy recovery. Is that an accurate statement? Is there a particular model you or your orthopedist would recommend?

Have used them on and off for years for my patients following knee and shoulder surgery. The manufacturers claim they help with swelling; I'm not sure I agree with that. They do seem to help with pain relief, in my opinion by "distracting" the nerves carrying pain signals, impairing the nerve's ability to do so. I've used one intermittently for muscular low back pain with good results. That said, there's very little scientific evidence to support their efficacy in relieving pain.

I don't have any recommendations of the ones that provide neuromuscular stimulators (NMS) and haven't seen any data to suggest that it would improve your muscle strength.

This is an inexpensive unit ($27) that can be found on Amazon for cheap, simply called TENS unit


Even if this did come from Medline, putting on my health professional hat, I was taught that ligamentous tissue cannot "stretch", unless it is being considered that "shredding" is a form of "stretching". Muscles can elongate, shred, or tear, etc., but ligaments don't have the same elasticity that muscles have. Someone that is more qualified, please step in and put me in my place, if necessary. I would so much rather be wrong, than have Matt's injury be more serious.:(

ricks

See post #45

[Indoor66]

I just had knee surgery for a basketball injury last month. I'm still months away from returning to the court (cartilage damage, need to stop playing like a maniac, I just hit 30), and this seems like it would help strengthen my leg muscles for a more speedy recovery. Is that an accurate statement? Is there a particular model you or your orthopedist would recommend?

I have this one (http://www.amazon.com/Portable-HealthmateForever-Shoulder-Electric-Massager/dp/B00BTD5Y9E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1455835975&sr=8-2&keywords=electric+impulse+massager)and it is more than adequate for me. I would recommend that you buy a pack of additional electrode patches for use with it. They come with four. They "wear out" in time. Additionally, if another wishes to use it they will want their own.

(Note: I am not a doctor and am not doing any more that mentioning something that I use and enjoy. I did not even stay in a Holiday Inn Express. Some of the Orthos on the board may have comments - PAGING BILLY.) Edit: I did not see Billy's post when I wrote this one.

[CDu]

I just had knee surgery for a basketball injury last month. I'm still months away from returning to the court (cartilage damage, need to stop playing like a maniac, I just hit 30), and this seems like it would help strengthen my leg muscles for a more speedy recovery. Is that an accurate statement? Is there a particular model you or your orthopedist would recommend?

It won't help with strengthening, but it is great for alleviating pain and swelling. I swear by it as it helped with my recovery. But the strength will come from all of the rehab work you will have to do.

[Olympic Fan]

Davis sprained his ankle, quite badly, in 92, but it was in the national semifinal against Indiana. He played a bit in the final against Michigan, on pure guts.

Correct ... Davis played 10 minutes in the game, but was pretty ineffective -- 0-for-2 from the floor, no rebounds ... one steal.

My memory might be faulty but it seems that he tweaked it again in the game and left for good -- not a bad risk in the ultimate game of the year, but something you wouldn't risk with more games coming up.

[Doria]

Have used them on and off for years for my patients following knee and shoulder surgery. The manufacturers claim they help with swelling; I'm not sure I agree with that. They do seem to help with pain relief, in my opinion by "distracting" the nerves carrying pain signals, impairing the nerve's ability to do so. I've used one intermittently for muscular low back pain with good results. That said, there's very little scientific evidence to support their efficacy in relieving pain.

I've used mine for years to help with lingering issues and chronic pain in my neck and shoulder from an auto accident. From personal and anecdotal experience, I wouldn't expect it to help much with swelling, certainly not more than other things (ice, ibuprofen, etc.), but I and one of my friends have used it pretty successfully for neck and back pain.

I wouldn't pay a fortune for one, since the results probably will vary, but especially if you have a situation in which you cannot or do not want to take more powerful pain relievers, I think these units help, alongside normal NSAID medications.

[gurufrisbee]

Is Matt now 4-1 against NC? Anyone know who for Duke has the best all time record against them?

[wilson]

Is Matt now 4-1 against NC? Anyone know who for Duke has the best all time record against them?I would think it would either be someone now-ish or someone who graduated somewhere around 2005-6.
I heard somewhere today that Marcus Paige has only beaten Duke once.

[Doria]

Is Matt now 4-1 against NC? Anyone know who for Duke has the best all time record against them?

Starting from around 1999-2005, you can find a couple 4-year intervals that if players stayed for all four years, they'd have 10 wins, assuming you're counting the ACCT.

[OldPhiKap]

Is Matt now 4-1 against NC? Anyone know who for Duke has the best all time record against them?

To be fair, I think Pete Gaudet gets credit for last night's win. ;-)

[Monmouth77]

Battier and Duhon both had 8 wins against UNC. I think that's the record.

[freshmanjs]

Battier and Duhon both had 8 wins against UNC. I think that's the record.

Duhon 9

[Bluegrassdevil1]

Battier and Duhon both had 8 wins against UNC. I think that's the record.

I believe Battier was 8-3:

98 - L @ UNC. W @ Cameron. L in ACC tournament.

99 - W @ Cameron. W @ UNC. W in ACC tournament.

00 - W @ UNC. W @ Cameron.

01 - L @ Cameron. W @ UNC. W in ACC tournament.


But Duhon's record of 9-2 (with both losses being close) against UNC is incredible:

01 - L @ Cameron (close loss). W @ UNC. W in ACC tournament.

02 - W @ UNC. W @ Cameron. W in ACC tournament.

03 - W @ Cameron. L @ UNC (close loss). W in ACC tournament.

04 - W @ UNC. W @ Cameron.

[devildeac]

Just got an email from one of my friends who got a text from one of Matt's (real) close family members who said ankle was sprained and, according to trainer, he'll miss just one game. Obviously, things can change but, if true, that is great news.

[NYBri]

Just got an email from one of my friends who got a text from one of Matt's (real) close family members who said ankle was sprained and, according to trainer, he'll miss just one game. Obviously, things can change but, if true, that is great news.

Drinks are on me!!!!!!

[Monmouth77]

Yes, that's right. Somehow I always forget that we played UNC in the ACC tournament in 2002. It was in the first round-- a real anomaly.

[FerryFor50]

Just got an email from one of my friends who got a text from one of Matt's (real) close family members who said ankle was sprained and, according to trainer, he'll miss just one game. Obviously, things can change but, if true, that is great news.

That would be incredible, with how swollen that looked.

But again, super healing of the 20 year old body. :cool:

[Olympic Fan]

I believe Battier was 8-3:

98 - L @ UNC. W @ Cameron. L in ACC tournament.

99 - W @ Cameron. W @ UNC. W in ACC tournament.

00 - W @ UNC. W @ Cameron.

01 - L @ Cameron. W @ UNC. W in ACC tournament.


But Duhon's record of 9-2 (with both losses being close) against UNC is incredible:

01 - L @ Cameron (close loss). W @ UNC. W in ACC tournament.

02 - W @ UNC. W @ Cameron. W in ACC tournament.

03 - W @ Cameron. L @ UNC (close loss). W in ACC tournament.

04 - W @ UNC. W @ Cameron.

Duhon has more wins, but the best record I can find for any Duke player is 7-0 ... Both Bernie Janicki and Rudy D'Emilio were 7-0 in their three varsity seasons between 1952-54.

The class of Jeff Mullins, Jay Buckley and Buzzy Harrison were 7-0 in their three-seasons 1962-64. They were also 3-0 as freshmen (playing freshman basketball), so you could credit them as 10-0 against UNC.

[fan345678]

Duhon 9

Horvath. 11.

[Newton_14]

Duhon has more wins, but the best record I can find for any Duke player is 7-0 ... Both Bernie Janicki and Rudy D'Emilio were 7-0 in their three varsity seasons between 1952-54.

The class of Jeff Mullins, Jay Buckley and Buzzy Harrison were 7-0 in their three-seasons 1962-64. They were also 3-0 as freshmen (playing freshman basketball), so you could credit them as 10-0 against UNC.

I need to look it up for exact numbers, but I believe Mason Plumlee/Ryan Kelly also have a good/great career record against unCheat as well...

[El_Diablo]

I need to look it up for exact numbers, but I believe Mason Plumlee/Ryan Kelly also have a good/great career record against unCheat as well...

They were both 7-2.

Marshall is 6-1.

[moonpie23]

here's a phrase to commit to memory for some next level smack-down...

"the plumlee kids have more rings than dean smith"....

[El_Diablo]

Horvath. 11.

Not sure if the redshirt games should count...otherwise it looks like he was 9-1.

[Mike Corey]

Here's the official word:


Duke junior Matt Jones will miss Saturday’s game at Louisville with a sprained left ankle sustained Wednesday.

X-rays on Jones’ ankle were negative and an MRI confirmed the diagnosis of a sprained ankle.

[royalblue]

here's a phrase to commit to memory for some next level smack-down...

"the plumlee kids have more rings than dean smith"...

Yes they do!! I was at the game and thought MP3 got extra pumped for the finish when he realized I have more fouls than my family has rings:) My vote goes to Chris D at 9-1 as a starter
3-0 in 02
3-0 at Home as starter
Signature coast to coast moment at the dump
Senior sweep

[Doria]

This is the best news I could hope for, assuming it really will be only the UL game. Great news!

Feel better, Matt (and Amile)!

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Yes they do!! I was at the game and thought MP3 got extra pumped for the finish when he realized I have more fouls than my family has rings:) My vote goes to Chris D at 9-1 as a starter
3-0 in 02
3-0 at Home as starter
Signature coast to coast moment at the dump
Senior sweep

Anyone not on a phone want to research cummulative Plumlee records against UNC?

[CDu]

Here's the official word:

No surprise there. Hopefully the sprain heals enough to get him back out before the ACC tournament. Would be thrilled to have him back by the UNC game.

[Olympic Fan]

Anyone not on a phone want to research cummulative Plumlee records against UNC?

Miles -- 5-4 (he was on the 2009 team that was 0-2 against UNC)
Mason -- 7-2
Marshall -- 6-1 (7-2 if you count his redshirt year)

Obviously that includes a lot of overlap. You could say the Plumlees were 18-7 against UNC. Or you could say that Duke is 11-5 with a Plumlee on the roster.

[luburch]

Anyone not on a phone want to research cummulative Plumlee records against UNC?

I believe my math is correct, but feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I have the cumulative record at 11-5.

Edit: Oops, look like Oly beat me to it. At least I had it right!

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I believe my math is correct, but feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I have the cumulative record at 11-5.

Edit: Oops, look like Oly beat me to it. At least I had it right!

I prefer that 18-7 number! :)

[superdave]

Just saw on the Duke.MBB instagram that Matt Jones is out for tomorrow's game. Who runs that account?

[Devilwin]

Bleacher Report says x rays were negative, just a sprain, no time line on his return.

[plimnko]

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke-guard-matt-jones-to-miss-louisville-game-with-ankle-sprain/15392442/


Duke guard Matt Jones to miss Louisville game with ankle sprain

[BD80]

Here's the official word:

Has there been an "official word" on Amile for tomorrow?

[OldPhiKap]

Has there been an "official word" on Amile for tomorrow?

Grease is the word.

[Henderson]

Has there been an "official word" on Amile for tomorrow?

Sports books in Vegas list Amile as "out" against Louisville. Cards favored by about 6.5 to 7 with both Amile and Matt expected to miss the game.

[Olympic Fan]

Sports books in Vegas list Amile as "out" against Louisville. Cards favored by about 6.5 to 7 with both Amile and Matt expected to miss the game.

I got the official release from Duke ... he's out. It was e-mailed to the media at 12:58 today ... don't know why it's not posted at goduke yet.

That 6.5 to 7 point line looks familiar. It's almost exactly the line from last Wednesday night ... how'd that turn out?

[flyingdutchdevil]

Grease is the word.

Nope.

Bird is the word.

[ricks68]

That's right - if we take the average of all the guesses, we would have had 9 guys averaging 10 minutes or more. As the season has turned out, no one should be surprised that all of our playing time guesses were way off. I'll have a full update after the 2nd UNC game, but for now, here's the leaderboard for our playing time prediction contest (time shown is the total of differences between prediction and actual for each player):



mattman91
49:27


Troublemaker
54:19


kAzE
55:27


wherethehellami
56:25


timmy c
57:10


gumbomoop
57:10


DallasDevil
59:19



After DallasDev, There is a significant dropoff, so these are the guys with a realistic chance to win.

Of course, everyone is way off on Amile's minutes; that lowered everyone's score but most of the guesses for Amile were in a narrow range. Those on the leader board are (for the most part) those who figured out that Luke would play lots and Sean would not. For example, mattman91 has Luke at 18 minutes and Sean at only 4.

Matt Jones is averaging 32:28 while the high Matt guess was 30:00, so if he misses just 2 games, it won't change the leaderboard and will actually improve everyone's result. If he misses 3 or more, his average will be under 30 minutes and will start to affect our leaderboard. So, hurry back Matt!

More beer for Mattman!

ricks

[53n206]

I got the official release from Duke ... he's out. It was e-mailed to the media at 12:58 today ... don't know why it's not posted at goduke yet.

That 6.5 to 7 point line looks familiar. It's almost exactly the line from last Wednesday night ... how'd that turn out?

As I recall Carolina was favored by 8 1/2.

[mattman91]

More beer for Mattman!

ricks

Hear, hear!

[NYBri]

Day at a time. At this point, day at a time.

[freshmanjs]

Bilas just said that Matt Jones is warming up with the team (on ESPN Gameday)

[Pghdukie]

Jay Bilas just reported that Matt Jones is on the court warming up.

[mr. synellinden]

https://twitter.com/sportsmancave/status/701075488698200064

https://twitter.com/espnandykatz/status/701074854703996928

[Furniture]

Looks pretty good on ESPN. They are showing him warming up....apparently he may not start which seems wise.

[Newton_14]

Wow. I'm totally stunned he can even walk today, much less run, cut, etc and do the things playing basketball require. That ankle must have responded really well to treatment. Crazy

[plimnko]

let's hope his healing powers rub off on amile!!!!

[devildeac]

let's hope his healing powers rub off on amile!!!!

Vice versa. I heard Amile loaned him his good foot today:rolleyes:.

[mattman91]

Vice versa. I heard Amile loaned him his good foot today:rolleyes:.

I know what it is. Matt has a vigil, Amile doesn't.

The powers of DBR vigils...

[timmy c]

James Brown says, " Get on the good foot"... to a championship in 2016!
So excited to hear that Matt is warming up. Even if he's not at 100% today it bodes well for a quick recovery.

[BD80]

Bilas just said that Matt Jones is warming up with the team (on ESPN Gameday)


I know what it is. Matt has a vigil, Amile doesn't.

The powers of DBR vigils...

Matt just doesn't understand what a vigil is for.

Neither would Patrick Davidson.

[wavedukefan70s]

Play or not today.he wont miss another game if my eyes arent deceiving me.

[Newton_14]

Play or not today.he wont miss another game if my eyes arent deceiving me.K said in the pressure he watched and evaluated Matt pre-game and he could not "push", which was clearly seen in the layup line. He could not push off the foot to elevate. With that, K stated Matt was never going to play today, no matter what. They showed him in pre-game moving really good side to side with lateral drills, and looked normal except when going in for a layup. During the game I went from "He is going to come off the bench rather than start, but will play", and as more minutes went by, I was like "Ok, as long as we are maintaining the lead and winning, they will hold him out, but will bring him in if we lose the lead", but by the 10 minute mark of the 2nd half I finally got that he was not going to play under any circumstance. Especially when Thornton went down....

That said, I was shocked he was able to do what he did during pre-game warmups and individual lateral drills. That's amazing. It looks like based on that, he will very likely play on Thursday. With as bad as it looked Wednesday with no ability to put pressure on it, I felt like it would a weeks deal vs a days deal. Glad it is progressing much better than hoped.

[dukelifer]

K said in the pressure he watched and evaluated Matt pre-game and he could not "push", which was clearly seen in the layup line. He could not push off the foot to elevate. With that, K stated Matt was never going to play today, no matter what. They showed him in pre-game moving really good side to side with lateral drills, and looked normal except when going in for a layup. During the game I went from "He is going to come off the bench rather than start, but will play", and as more minutes went by, I was like "Ok, as long as we are maintaining the lead and winning, they will hold him out, but will bring him in if we lose the lead", but by the 10 minute mark of the 2nd half I finally got that he was not going to play under any circumstance. Especially when Thornton went down...

That said, I was shocked he was able to do what he did during pre-game warmups and individual lateral drills. That's amazing. It looks like based on that, he will very likely play on Thursday. With as bad as it looked Wednesday with no ability to put pressure on it, I felt like it would a weeks deal vs a days deal. Glad it is progressing much better than hoped.

Matt can't elevate? Sounds like he is close to normal. Insert rimshot here ;)

[Furniture]

Laura Keeley tweets!
#Duke expects Jones and Thornton back for FSU game Thursday, and other post-game notes bit.ly/1KBrtCY pic.twitter.com/A8d7qCiVnZ
1:44pm - 21 Feb 16

[wsb3]

Laura Keeley tweets!
#Duke expects Jones and Thornton back for FSU game Thursday, and other post-game notes bit.ly/1KBrtCY pic.twitter.com/A8d7qCiVnZ
1:44pm - 21 Feb 16

Great news..When Thornton went down I worried less about the outcome of the game & more about if we had just lost yet another player.

[Steven43]

Matt can't elevate? Sounds like he is close to normal. Insert rimshot here ;)

Serious question: Can Matt Jones dunk? I don't mean right now, with the injury. I mean when he is fully healthy can he dunk the basketball? I don't recall having ever seen him dunk. I know his game is not built around skywalking; I'm just curious.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Serious question: Can Matt Jones dunk? I don't mean right now, with the injury. I mean when he is fully healthy can he dunk the basketball? I don't recall having ever seen him dunk. I know his game is not built around skywalking; I'm just curious.

If you are over 6'3" and playing D1 college basketball, you can dunk. Redick dunked twice in college, and that was on breakaways. He said after the game it made him tired.

If JJ can dunk, Matt can dunk.

[nmduke2001]

Serious question: Can Matt Jones dunk? I don't mean right now, with the injury. I mean when he is fully healthy can he dunk the basketball? I don't recall having ever seen him dunk. I know his game is not built around skywalking; I'm just curious.

I had the same exact question last year. CDu confirmed that he saw Matt dunk in pre-game.

[kAzE]

I had the same exact question last year. CDu confirmed that he saw Matt dunk in pre-game.

6'5" kid with ~8'5" standing reach. All he needs to do is jump a little more than 2 feet in the air to be able to dunk. Most normal people with a reasonable BMI can pull off a 24 inch vertical. It would be shocking if he couldn't dunk EASILY.

[jcannon]

Serious question: Can Matt Jones dunk? I don't mean right now, with the injury. I mean when he is fully healthy can he dunk the basketball? I don't recall having ever seen him dunk. I know his game is not built around skywalking; I'm just curious.

Apparently he can, at least in high school mix tapes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUN7P_sn0_M

[Henderson]

Most normal people with a reasonable BMI can pull off a 24 inch vertical.

HEY!!

[kAzE]

HEY!!

5999

If this kid can do it, you can too!

[nocilla]

Yes they do!! I was at the game and thought MP3 got extra pumped for the finish when he realized I have more fouls than my family has rings:) My vote goes to Chris D at 9-1 as a starter
3-0 in 02
3-0 at Home as starter
Signature coast to coast moment at the dump
Senior sweep

A little off topic, but based on my research;

Duhon was 9-2 against UNC. 2-1 as a freshman in '01, 3-0, 2-1, and 2-0 as a senior.

Nick Horvath was 8-1 in games he actually played against UNC.
He was on the roster for another 4 games where Duke was 3-1. (2-1 in med redshirt season, and DNP in a win on 2/5/04)

Battier was 8-3
D. Ewing was 8-2
N. James was 8-2
J. Williams 7-1
MP2 and R. Kelly were 7-2

Duke won 4 straight at the Dean Dome from '99-'02 but the only freshman on that '99 team was Maggette.

If you go back to the 1964 class; Jay Buckley, Jeff Mullins, and Buzzy Harrison were 7-0 against UNC.

[dukelifer]

Serious question: Can Matt Jones dunk? I don't mean right now, with the injury. I mean when he is fully healthy can he dunk the basketball? I don't recall having ever seen him dunk. I know his game is not built around skywalking; I'm just curious.

I don't recall a Duke game but he certainly has dunked in high school as the videos show. Matt has a very deliberate game. He moves deliberately- takes a long time to shoot and rarely explodes near the rim. But Matt has had some big moments and has definitely helped Duke win big games.

[rasputin]

From about an hour ago:

K reiterates that he expects both Matt Jones and Derryck Thornton to play Thursday vs FSU. No structural damage to Thornton's shoulder

[CDu]

Serious question: Can Matt Jones dunk? I don't mean right now, with the injury. I mean when he is fully healthy can he dunk the basketball? I don't recall having ever seen him dunk. I know his game is not built around skywalking; I'm just curious.


I had the same exact question last year. CDu confirmed that he saw Matt dunk in pre-game.

Yeah, I've seen him dunk with (seeming) ease in warmups. He just doesn't choose to try to do so in games, for whatever reason.


If you are over 6'3" and playing D1 college basketball, you can dunk. Redick dunked twice in college, and that was on breakaways. He said after the game it made him tired.

If JJ can dunk, Matt can dunk.

I tend to agree that very few guys 6'4" or taller in D-1 college basketball can't dunk. They may have trouble doing so in a game, and may not want to risk an embarrassing miss or injury to do so. But it would be VERY surprising to see someone Jones's height who is able to play D-1 college bball and can't dunk.

[jv001]

Yeah, I've seen him dunk with (seeming) ease in warmups. He just doesn't choose to try to do so in games, for whatever reason.



I tend to agree that very few guys 6'4" or taller in D-1 college basketball can't dunk. They may have trouble doing so in a game, and may not want to risk an embarrassing miss or injury to do so. But it would be VERY surprising to see someone Jones's height who is able to play D-1 college bball and can't dunk.

If I remember correctly, even Bobby Hurley could dunk the basketball. I believe some of his team mates got him to do it in a game. After that dunk, I think Bobby said no more dunks for him. The chance of injury was too great for him. GoDuke!

[DukieInBrasil]

Yeah, I've seen him dunk with (seeming) ease in warmups. He just doesn't choose to try to do so in games, for whatever reason.



I tend to agree that very few guys 6'4" or taller in D-1 college basketball can't dunk. They may have trouble doing so in a game, and may not want to risk an embarrassing miss or injury to do so. But it would be VERY surprising to see someone Jones's height who is able to play D-1 college bball and can't dunk.

Not only surprising, in the general case, but in Matt's case extremely frustrating as he has gotten blocked from behind on breakaway fast breaks on multiple occasions while trying to lay the ball up rather than dunking. Even if he doesn't want to show off or yank the rim, if he can dunk he needs to at least get the ball in the cylinder before releasing it rather than getting his shot swatted with such alarming frequency. His refusal to dunk in those situations has hurt the team, and if he continues to do something that hurts the team then he needs to re-evaluate why he's doing that. He could come at the goal from the side and do a reverse layup on a fast break, for example, to shield the ball from the defender and avoid the block.
In general, i'm not a big fan of Matt trying to shoot around the rim, he really is terrible at it. I don't know the stat for shots close to the rim, but i think i remember seeing that he was shooting like 30% from there. He's shooting 41% on 3s though, which is equivalent to shooting almost 62% from 2. Overall, he's shooting 40% on 2s this year. I think it's pretty safe to say that his main value on offense is to shoot 3s, and as such he should shoot 2pt shots with much less frequency than he currently is, and should shoot near the rim almost never, as it's almost always a better play for the team when someone else takes a shot rather than Matt shooting around the rim.
Matt is very important to this team, he's become an excellent 3&D wing. Now that Derryck has really grown into the PG role, the need for Matt to run the point has almost disappeared. I hope Matt returns on Thursday fully (or nearly fully) recovered. I want to see him keep shooting 3s and playing solid defense. I don't see the value in having him continue to look for his shot near the rim.

[Kedsy]

I don't know the stat for shots close to the rim, but i think i remember seeing that he was shooting like 30% from there.

Matt is shooting just over 40% at the rim, according to HoopMath. Granted, that's still the worst such percentage on Duke's team.

[CDu]

Matt is shooting just over 40% at the rim, according to HoopMath. Granted, that's still the worst such percentage on Duke's team.

Yeah, that's a pretty awful percentage. I would think the norm is over 50%, though I haven't looked in a while.

[CDu]

[/B]

If I remember correctly, even Bobby Hurley could dunk the basketball. I believe some of his team mates got him to do it in a game. After that dunk, I think Bobby said no more dunks for him. The chance of injury was too great for him. GoDuke!

There are PLENTY of guys 6'0" and shorter who can dunk in college ball. I was a shade under 5'11" and could dunk a volleyball, and I was far from an elite leaper.

There are surely a fair share of guys 6'3" and under that have some trouble dunking, and certainly some guys 6'1" and below that can't dunk. But I'd venture that many if not the majority of D-1 regulars in the 6'1" to 6'3" range can dunk, and almost all (if not all) 6'4" and above can dunk. These guys are really good athletes, and you don't have to be a great leaper to dunk at 6'4" or taller. You have to be a fairly good but not necessarily great leaper to dunk if you're in the 6'0" to 6'3" range. You have to be a really good leaper to dunk if you're 6'0" and under.

[Saratoga2]

There are PLENTY of guys 6'0" and shorter who can dunk in college ball. I was a shade under 5'11" and could dunk a volleyball, and I was far from an elite leaper.

There are surely a fair share of guys 6'3" and under that have some trouble dunking, and certainly some guys 6'1" and below that can't dunk. But I'd venture that many if not the majority of D-1 regulars in the 6'1" to 6'3" range can dunk, and almost all (if not all) 6'4" and above can dunk. These guys are really good athletes, and you don't have to be a great leaper to dunk at 6'4" or taller. You have to be a fairly good but not necessarily great leaper to dunk if you're in the 6'0" to 6'3" range. You have to be a really good leaper to dunk if you're 6'0" and under.

Part of dunking is not only elevation and height but also hand size. I am 6'1" and could go well above the rim when young but had what I call farmers hands, broad but not very long and had trouble gripping the ball securely in one hand. Look at Jah for someone who had huge hands. Don't know about Matt but at 6'4" he should easily have the elevation but may not have big enough hands to grip the ball securely.

[CDu]

Part of dunking is not only elevation and height but also hand size. I am 6'1" and could go well above the rim when young but had what I call farmers hands, broad but not very long and had trouble gripping the ball securely in one hand. Look at Jah for someone who had huge hands. Don't know about Matt but at 6'4" he should easily have the elevation but may not have big enough hands to grip the ball securely.

Jones can dunk. I have seen him do it. He can dunk with two hands, easily.

[Newton_14]

Jones can dunk. I have seen him do it. He can dunk with two hands, easily.

As can Kennard... again with ease... In one of the early games, Kennard threw down a nasty right handed dunk on a fast break where he had to dunk it moving really fast. That was impressive.

[-jk]

C'mon - dunking is overrated. Just ask Zoubek! (And his ring...)

-jk

[NSDukeFan]

I don't recall a Duke game but he certainly has dunked in high school as the videos show. Matt has a very deliberate game. He moves deliberately- takes a long time to shoot and rarely explodes near the rim. But Matt has had some big moments and has definitely helped Duke win big games.
Greybeard would approve.