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View Full Version : Favorite Player Poll- JJ vs. Billy King



JasonEvans
10-26-2007, 10:11 AM
We are gonna do 3 more polls today and then 3 over the weekend to wrap up the Round of 32. This one will be very interesting. JJ Redick, our #7 seed, is one of the great offensive weapons in college basketball history. Opposing him is the #26 seeded Billy King, as good a one-on-one defender as you will find and a guy who has gone on to HUGE success as a pro basketball GM.

--Jason "as always, your explanation/arguemnts of your vote are encouraged!" Evans

Jfrosh
10-26-2007, 10:47 AM
Arrrgh! I hate these first rounds where I have to vote against somone I want to go deep. Billy King could lock down anybody. He couldn't hit a shot to save his life, but I always wanted him on the floor. But how can I vote against JJ, so many memorable shots.

OldPhiKap
10-26-2007, 11:25 AM
BILLY!

BILLY!

BILLY!

(Love JJ and all, but his lock-down of Marc Macon was one of the highlights of the early K years. K's philosophy starts with D, and Billy -- along with Tommy and JD -- was perhaps the most dominating defensive backcourt of K's tenure so far).

gw67
10-26-2007, 11:35 AM
These players are polar opposites. JJ was perhaps the greatest shooter in Duke history and Billy who couldn't shoot straight (48% career free throw %). I pick Billy because he was a member of my favorite Duke team; he shut down Mark Macon of Temple (6-29 shooting) in one of the biggest upsets in Duke history; he and Ferry led an undermanned Duke team to the Final Four; he was one of the greatest defensive players in Duke history; and he is another local kid who did well at Duke.

I liked JJ and really admired how he was able play so well on the road considering how much abuse he took from fans.

gw67

dw0827
10-26-2007, 11:43 AM
This is a nasty one.

I'm trying to imagine a game with Billy guarding JJ for much of the game. I think Billy could stay with JJ and make his life miserable. JJ goes for 15 with a very poor shooting percentage. Gets most of his points off transition . . . but in sets, he can't shake Billy.

Of course, Billy gets 2 . . . a pass bounces off his head and SWISH, NOTHING BUT NET.

This is a final four matchup . . . I love them both. But you young people are all gonna vote for JJ so I'm going with the old guy.

Indoor66
10-26-2007, 12:06 PM
These players are polar opposites. JJ was perhaps the greatest shooter in Duke history and Billy who couldn't shoot straight (48% career free throw %). I pick Billy because he was a member of my favorite Duke team; he shut down Mark Macon of Temple (6-29 shooting) in one of the biggest upsets in Duke history; he and Ferry led an undermanned Duke team to the Final Four; he was one of the greatest defensive players in Duke history; and he is another local kid who did well at Duke.

I liked JJ and really admired how he was able play so well on the road considering how much abuse he took from fans.

gw67

I love JJ but Verga was a better shooter.

RepoMan
10-26-2007, 12:11 PM
Everytime JJ took the floor, there was a chance that something amazing, even unprecedented, might happen. That was fun and pretty unique.

Not so with Billy King.

SilkyJ
10-26-2007, 12:13 PM
Opposing him is the #26 seeded Billy King, as good a one-on-one defender as you will find and a guy who has gone on to HUGE success as a pro basketball GM.


I grew up all over but moved to Philadelphia in '96 and called that home through middle/high school and college. And its where my parents still live, so I consider myself a Philadelphian.

POINT is, Billy King is the GM of the 76ers, and while I love him, the man is a terrible GM. I don't know which Billy is worse, Jason, yours or mine. He made one good trade in his life, which was to get Dikembe Mutombo for a title run back in '01 (ish) but Dikemebe was long past his prime and was only helpful for that one year.

The man signed Samuel Dalembert (who?) and Kyle Korver to HUGE contracts two years back as the "foundation" for the team. I mean come on...

I do love how he brings the 76ers to practice in Cameron every year and they scrimmage against the team. I watched them scrimmage my senior year (fall of '05) and AI was just siiiiiiiick...although JJ held his own on the offensive end.

dw0827
10-26-2007, 12:18 PM
I love JJ but Verga was a better shooter.

I love Verga too . . . and I agree that he was a really good shooter. But I'm not sure about your statement.

Of course, there was no 3 point shot in Verga's day . . . but when he went to the ABA (and later NBA), his career 3 point percentage was under 30%. And he was only a decent free throw shooter . . . 73% while at Duke.

And I don't recall that defenses were so completely designed to stop Verga like they were with JJ.

So I give the nod to JJ. I think Verga was a good shooter but a great scorer, if you understand the difference. Had more ways to score than JJ did.

But JJ was a better shooter, IMO.

OldPhiKap
10-26-2007, 12:34 PM
Everytime JJ took the floor, there was a chance that something amazing, even unprecedented, might happen. That was fun and pretty unique.

Not so with Billy King.

I disagree. Every time the opposing team took the floor, Billy shut down "their JJ". And he could guard multiple positions as well; I would argue that his game had more flexibility than JJ's.

Duke has had a lot of great outside shooters. They have not had many lock-down wing defenders like Billy (and I say that knowing how many NDPOY players we have had). He was a human blanket.

Cameron
10-26-2007, 12:52 PM
Have to go with JJ. The kid was unguardable when he was feeling it. The ACC's all-time leading scorer, NCAA's all-time leader in three-pointers made, averaged 26.8 PPG as a senior, scoring over 40 three times, and, of course, put on the second best shooting performance in Duke history (behind Laettner's Kentucky game) against the Virginia Cavaliers in 2006, scoring 40 on 11 of 13 shooting. Amazing. Everything he touched that night was golden.

JJ Redick....JJ Redick....JJ Redick...JJ Redick... That cheer gave me chills every time.

And let's not forget the ACC championship game performace JJ had as a senior: 26 points on 7 of 11 three-point shooting. It was a day on which JJ surpassed Lenny Chappel as the ACC Tournament's all-time leading scorer, and capped by JJ's 22-footer with less than a minute remaining to give Duke it's seventh ACC title in eight years.

"He's the best shooter I ever saw"

-Legendary broadcaster Mike Patrick, on JJ Redick at the 2006 ACC Tourney

EarlJam
10-26-2007, 01:15 PM
Everytime JJ took the floor, there was a chance that something amazing, even unprecedented, might happen. That was fun and pretty unique.

Not so with Billy King.

I know the point you are making, and can see it, but I disagree with such a definitive statement as "Not so with Billy King."

Back in the day, especially the infamous Marc Macon game, we hoisted many a brew and high-five and such over just watching Billy perform his lock downs. It WAS exciting. It was exciting hearing the announcer pre-game talk about how some foe was just "deadly" on offense, and then hearing those same announcers time and again express disbelief at how the #1 offensive threat managed only three points against King.

He provided many an unprecedented moment indeed.

-EarlJam

OldPhiKap
10-26-2007, 01:53 PM
EarlJam: You stated my thoughts better than I.

Cameron: I think Ferry scored over 40 in a game (against Miami?) so I'm not sure I'd say JJ's was the "second-best ever." But it's obviously very subjective. I agree that when Redick was in the zone he was a lot of fun to watch. We've been blessed with a bunch of memorable offensive outputs -- Dunleavy outscoring NC State for a half comes to mind (something like 23 points for Dunleavy in the first half, while we kept State to 21 or so). That's kind of why I lean towards Billy in this one -- game after game, he had jaw-dropping defensive pressure that REALLY pumped everyone up.

mapei
10-26-2007, 02:00 PM
"I saw JJ Redick. JJ Redick was a [virtual] friend of mine. Marc Macon, sir, you are no JJ Redick."

bird
10-26-2007, 02:07 PM
I voted JJ, but hated to vote against a member of the 1986 team. As an apology, I wanted to add that Billy's smile while sitting on the court after finally being called for a foul toward the end of the Notre Dame game in 1988, where he helped hold Rivers to 3-17 shooting, is one of my all-time Duke memories.

OldPhiKap
10-26-2007, 02:29 PM
^ Same here, as well as Dawkins reverse-jamming on Rivers' head in Cameron a few years earlier.

Good times.

Indoor66
10-26-2007, 02:41 PM
Cameron: I think Ferry scored over 40 in a game (against Miami?)

12/10/88 Danny Ferry at Miami 58

That is the Duke single game high.

elvis14
10-26-2007, 03:37 PM
This one was just easy for me, JJ was just too much fun to watch. I loved the nasty streak he had that just fueled his game! Oh and he could shoot a little.

OrangeDevil
10-26-2007, 03:38 PM
I don't like this pairing. It puts me in the very uncomfortable position of having to vote against someone (or the other) who I believes exemplifies the team spirit of Duke BBall.

JasonEvans
10-27-2007, 06:14 AM
Apparently, Billy could not stop JJ in this poll.

http://nbadraft.net/profiles/largepics/jjredick.jpg http://hoopedia.nba.com/images/4/40/King_billy_portrait.jpg

-Jason "this one is done and will be closed soon" Evans

JasonEvans
10-27-2007, 07:27 AM
This poll is closed. JJ moves on to face Tommy Amaker in the Sweet 16.

-Jason

merry
10-27-2007, 10:41 AM
No mistake, JJ was an amazing player to watch. Seeing him shoot was about as close to pure aesthetic pleasure as basketball fandom gets.

Still... I'm tempted to invite the 30 other people who voted for Billy King over to my house for a party.

mapei
10-27-2007, 12:51 PM
Party? I'm switching my vote.