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Truth&Justise
10-17-2019, 01:11 PM
Reporting from Spain that Kyle Singler is retiring for "personal" reasons.


Kyle Singler and Iberostar Tenerife have parted ways, the club announced. The 31-year-old American forward requested contract termination as he intends to retire in order to attend to personal matters.

Singler played for Lucentum Alicante and Real Madrid before moving to the NBA where he played 363 games split between the Detroit Pistons and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After six seasons in the US, he had a one-year stint with Obradoiro after which he joined Tenerife this summer. He banked a total of 24 points in the two games he played this season in the Spanish League.

Source (https://www.eurohoops.net/en/fiba-champions-league/950385/kyle-singler-parts-ways-with-tenerife-retires-at-31/).

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
10-17-2019, 01:14 PM
He gets buckets.

Hope all is well for Kyle.

NSDukeFan
10-17-2019, 01:19 PM
One of my all-time favorite Dukies, I hope all goes well for him.

elvis14
10-17-2019, 01:40 PM
What a tough kid he was. Always appreciated his play when he was at Duke. I could care less about numbers I appreciate how he played. Tough, competitive, smart. Champion. Played one position: winner.

SouthernDukie
10-17-2019, 01:44 PM
Well wishes to Kyle. One of my favorites from the modern era as well. Still really shocked he didn't have, at a minimum, a solid NBA career (even if it was only coming off the bench as a 6th, 7th or 8th man).

JayZee
10-17-2019, 02:36 PM
Well wishes to Kyle. One of my favorites from the modern era as well. Still really shocked he didn't have, at a minimum, a solid NBA career (even if it was only coming off the bench as a 6th, 7th or 8th man).

Not sure about overseas, but he made >19 million in the NBA, and also looks like he's getting $1M a year for the next 4 years, if that is what dead cap space means. Not bad.

HoganLake
10-17-2019, 03:26 PM
Kyle is certainly one of my favorites. He should have two national championships and his jersey hanging in the rafters - just my opinion. I wonder why he could not make it in the NBA. Did he get hurt at some point?

HereBeforeCoachK
10-17-2019, 03:30 PM
What a tough kid he was. Always appreciated his play when he was at Duke. I could care less about numbers I appreciate how he played. Tough, competitive, smart. Champion. Played one position: winner.

Not afraid to bang some with Hans-Flop either.....

sagegrouse
10-17-2019, 03:33 PM
Kyle is certainly one of my favorites. He should have two national championships and his jersey hanging in the rafters - just my opinion. I wonder why he could not make it in the NBA. Did he get hurt at some point?

He "made it" in the NBA to the tune of $22.6 million in past and future payments from the Pistons and Thunder.

JayZee
10-17-2019, 03:45 PM
He "made it" in the NBA to the tune of $22.6 million in past and future payments from the Pistons and Thunder.

My impression as to why he wasn't more successful in the NBA was that he couldn't "make it", so I looked at his stats. He was a career 36% #pt shooter which is better than I had thought. With the Pistons, he even hit 40% one year. Unfortunately, kind of like what happened at Duke, he couldn't sustain that good shooting. And while his D, rebounding, toughness and intangibles were elite at Duke (thus why he's still such a fan fav) those attributes were clearly not as valuable in the NBA. If he could have maintained that 40% 3Pt rate, surely he'd still be in the league.

I'll always remember Kyrie when asked passing instead of shooting one time, saying something to the effect "That was Kyle F**n Singler I passed to"

Besides the NBA $$, he'll always be a NCAA champ!

Billy Dat
10-17-2019, 04:54 PM
My impression as to why he wasn't more successful in the NBA was that he couldn't "make it", so I looked at his stats. He was a career 36% #pt shooter which is better than I had thought. With the Pistons, he even hit 40% one year. Unfortunately, kind of like what happened at Duke, he couldn't sustain that good shooting. And while his D, rebounding, toughness and intangibles were elite at Duke (thus why he's still such a fan fav) those attributes were clearly not as valuable in the NBA. If he could have maintained that 40% 3Pt rate, surely he'd still be in the league.

When OKC acquired him, they were looking for him to do what Shane did for the Heat, play lock down D and nail open 3s. I think they saw him as a glue guy piece of a title team. I swore he'd be perfect in that role as his play on the Pistons made it seem like he was headed that way. But, he never could shoot well enough. His 3 and D role was eventually taken by Andre Roberson, who wasn't that good of a shooter either.

Bottom line, it was all right there for Kyle, he just wasn't good enough. My gut says that he didn't live and breath the sport enough to get better..which is fine.

Luol Deng retired today, too.

Acymetric
10-17-2019, 04:56 PM
Not sure about overseas, but he made >19 million in the NBA, and also looks like he's getting $1M a year for the next 4 years, if that is what dead cap space means. Not bad.

No, dead cap space just means he counts against the Thunder's cap, I don't believe they are still paying him.

sagegrouse
10-17-2019, 05:52 PM
No, dead cap space just means he counts against the Thunder's cap, I don't believe they are still paying him.

I checked the Singler stats. It listed $999 thou under "Salaries" in 2019 and the remaining four payments under "Contract" with a notation of early termination. If they aren't paying him, why do they list anything?

This is as complicated as Brexit.

Trey21
10-17-2019, 06:21 PM
When OKC acquired him, they were looking for him to do what Shane did for the Heat, play lock down D and nail open 3s. I think they saw him as a glue guy piece of a title team. I swore he'd be perfect in that role as his play on the Pistons made it seem like he was headed that way. But, he never could shoot well enough. His 3 and D role was eventually taken by Andre Roberson, who wasn't that good of a shooter either.

Bottom line, it was all right there for Kyle, he just wasn't good enough. My gut says that he didn't live and breath the sport enough to get better..which is fine.

Luol Deng retired today, too.

Unfortunately, you're pretty much 100% right on why Singler didn't make it in OKC. In 2015 he signed a sweet 25 million/5 year deal and it just never really worked out for him with the Thunder, after showing some promise earlier in his career with the Pistons. I mean it was really, really strange to watch it happen in real time. I don't know if he got the yipps, or if his playing style just eventually took its toll, but everything just kinda vanished from him. His highest average while with the Thunder was 4 points per a game. A shame because OKC really could have used a player like him.

Luol Deng - I'm glad I grew up watching Luol. He was so special at Duke and his career as just been a wonder to watch. He is probably one of those really good NBA guys (he got two all-star nods) that might get lost to time, but those Bulls teams in the late 00's and early 10's are beloved. Those early Tom Thibodeau team's are kinda like my generation's version of the 90's Knicks. Luol also ranks sneaky high in a lot of the Bulls' major statistical categories.

Points- 4th

Steals- 5th

Games played- 6th

Rebounds- 9th

Blocks- 10th

weezie
10-17-2019, 06:28 PM
I loved Kyle for his ability to "know" where the ball was going to rebound. He was masterful at that.

dukelifer
10-17-2019, 06:30 PM
Kyle is certainly one of my favorites. He should have two national championships and his jersey hanging in the rafters - just my opinion. I wonder why he could not make it in the NBA. Did he get hurt at some point?

He made it to the NBA and got paid over 15 million dollars. That is a big accomplishment although he did not get crazy Miles Plumlee money. Kyle was a below average NBA player but half the league is below average. Still he did very well for himself and now he can move to the next phase of his life.

brevity
10-17-2019, 06:53 PM
Luol Deng retired today, too.

Link: Bulls sign Luol Deng, who retires from NBA after 15 seasons (https://www.nba.com/article/2019/10/17/chicago-bulls-sign-luol-deng-who-will-retire)


Deng ranks highly on the Bulls’ All-Time Career Leaders list in seasons played (T-4th, 10), games played (6th, 637), minutes (5th, 22,882), points (4th, 10,286), field goals made (5th, 3,987), field goals attempted (5th, 8,675), free throws made (8th, 1,925), free throws attempted (8th, 2,490), offensive rebounds (9th, 1,109), defensive rebounds (6th, 2,969), total rebounds (9th, 4,078), steals (5th, 639) and blocked shots (10th, 360). He led the Bulls in scoring in both the 2011-12 (15.3 ppg) and 2012-13 (16.5 ppg) seasons.

Mods, could we make this a shared retirement thread?

cato
10-17-2019, 07:07 PM
Link: Bulls sign Luol Deng, who retires from NBA after 15 seasons (https://www.nba.com/article/2019/10/17/chicago-bulls-sign-luol-deng-who-will-retire)



Mods, could we make this a shared retirement thread?

From the window . . . To Luol!

Reilly
10-17-2019, 07:53 PM
Among former Duke players in the NBA/ABA, Luol ranks 4th in points and Kyle 33rd: https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/colleges.fcgi?college=duke

MChambers
10-17-2019, 07:54 PM
In more than 40+ years of watching Duke basketball, Kyle is one of my favorite players. What a warrior!

Luol was great, too, but since he only played one year at Duke, I don't have quite the same feelings for him. Don't get me wrong -- he was great.

Congrats to the two of them. Hope they enjoy their postplaying lives!

bundabergdevil
10-17-2019, 08:40 PM
In more than 40+ years of watching Duke basketball, Kyle is one of my favorite players. What a warrior!

Luol was great, too, but since he only played one year at Duke, I don't have quite the same feelings for him. Don't get me wrong -- he was great.

Congrats to the two of them. Hope they enjoy their postplaying lives!

This was probably shared when it was published but I'll re-link. Luol is the titular subject of Forbes' The NBA's Unlikely Real Estate Mogul: Inside Luol Deng's Towering $125M Portfolio (https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2019/06/21/the-nbas-unlikeliest-real-estate-mogul-luol-dengs-125-million-portfolio-is-a-new-playbook-for-monetizing-fame/#4aec91801db9).

Something tells me he'll keep himself busy in retirement between said mogul-dom and his humanitarian work in Africa. He's doing his alma mater proud, that's for sure.

JNort
10-17-2019, 08:59 PM
Well wishes to Kyle. One of my favorites from the modern era as well. Still really shocked he didn't have, at a minimum, a solid NBA career (even if it was only coming off the bench as a 6th, 7th or 8th man).
I expected it but not restating those thoughts again because I got flamed by 3 or 4 people last time... Despite being correct and fair in the assessment.

JNort
10-17-2019, 09:01 PM
He "made it" in the NBA to the tune of $22.6 million in past and future payments from the Pistons and Thunder.

Money doesn't mean "made it" in team sports. Performance does. More so if you consider pay relative to your peers. That said I would take that in a heartbeat!

Duke79UNLV77
10-17-2019, 09:11 PM
It’s amazing how new players retire every year, but I don’t get any older! Right?

Way to represent Duke in all aspects, Kyle!

awhom111
10-17-2019, 09:43 PM
I checked the Singler stats. It listed $999 thou under "Salaries" in 2019 and the remaining four payments under "Contract" with a notation of early termination. If they aren't paying him, why do they list anything?

This is as complicated as Brexit.

He is still being paid. Players waived with a significant amount of guaranteed money remaining have that cash stretched. Teams can choose to take the cap hit immediately or with the same amounts as the cash paid, but they have no choice on the payment schedule.

cato
10-18-2019, 12:31 AM
Money doesn't mean "made it" in team sports. Performance does. More so if you consider pay relative to your peers. That said I would take that in a heartbeat!

Well, it does and it doesn’t. Kyle made it in that he got a second contract for a good chunk of change. Many, many people do not make it that far.

He did not make it in that he did not live up to that second contract.

But that does not take away from the fact that he made it far enough to earn more money in his basketball career than the vast majority of his college classmates who have very successful careers in something other than sports.

Acymetric
10-18-2019, 12:35 AM
I checked the Singler stats. It listed $999 thou under "Salaries" in 2019 and the remaining four payments under "Contract" with a notation of early termination. If they aren't paying him, why do they list anything?

This is as complicated as Brexit.

The most likely explanation is that I was completely wrong and they're still paying him. ;)

I do think in some cases (at least in the NFL, maybe not the NBA) "dead cap" hits can involve signing bonuses that were already paid but are prorated across the span of the contract for salary cap purposes. If the player is cut, the team isn't necessarily still paying the player, but that prorated signing bonus is still counted against the cap (thus "dead" cap, since it isn't actually being used towards an active player). No clue which is the case for Singler but if they list a salary it is probably guaranteed annual salary still being paid.

revmel53
10-18-2019, 07:31 AM
One of my all-time favorite Dukies, I hope all goes well for him.

One of the all-time favorite warriors, which include Laettner and Battier... Laettner remains on a level all his own, as over and over, especially when teammates (Grant Hill and Bobby Hurley) were injured, he took the team on his shoulders and willed it to win.

Nrrrrvous
10-18-2019, 12:27 PM
I know it said he was retiring for personal reasons. But... maybe after that... rejoin his teammates... Jon and Nolan... Down the bench... ???

uh_no
10-18-2019, 01:12 PM
I know it said he was retiring for personal reasons. But... maybe after that... rejoin his teammates... Jon and Nolan... Down the bench... ???

I think that would be highly unlikely.

InSpades
10-18-2019, 01:26 PM
Still a proud member of the "Kyle should have his number in the rafters" club.

1 of my favorite Duke players (heck, he might be 2nd after JJ). We all remember how good he was when they won it all but I'll always remember how hard he played as a freshman. He gave 100% every time he was on the court and he had a lot of wonderful skills.

Best of luck in retirement!

COYS
10-18-2019, 01:53 PM
1 of my favorite Duke players (heck, he might be 2nd after JJ). We all remember how good he was when they won it all but I'll always remember how hard he played as a freshman. He gave 100% every time he was on the court and he had a lot of wonderful skills.

Best of luck in retirement!

One of my favorite memories of Kyle’s freshman season was right as the buzzer sounded in the loss to UNC at Cameron (a game Duke was in until the last five minutes when the UNCheat’s size clearly wore Duke down), Kyle knocked the ball away from [forgotten UNC player] in complete disgust. For a guy who never showed too much emotion in other ways, that outburst showed just how hot his competitive fire was burning under the surface.

Furniture
10-18-2019, 11:02 PM
He got buckets...

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

One of my all time favorites. Those days were very cool. Scheyer, Smith Singler.....

Nrrrrvous
10-19-2019, 10:30 AM
I think that would be highly unlikely.

Just curious if there is reasoning behind that or just your opinion? Not being snarky, just curious.

Steven43
10-19-2019, 04:26 PM
One of my all time favorites. Those days were very cool. Scheyer, Smith Singler....
I’m with you. All three of those guys are on the list of all-time great Duke players. Just imagine how differently you would feel about them if they had left after their freshman year. This OAD thing has to stop.

JNort
10-19-2019, 06:21 PM
I’m with you. All three of those guys are on the list of all-time great Duke players. Just imagine how differently you would feel about them if they had left after their freshman year. This OAD thing has to stop.
I don't mind it. I remeber Zion, Ingram, Rivers, Tatum, Jabari, Winslow, Tyus, and Jah all more fondly than most who come through. To each his own, but for me length of time doesn't matter.

Steven43
10-19-2019, 06:33 PM
I don't mind it. I remeber Zion, Ingram, Rivers, Tatum, Jabari, Winslow, Tyus, and Jah all more fondly than most who come through. To each his own, but for me length of time doesn't matter.

So....let’s say you’re in a relationship with someone you really care about. Would you rather have that relationship last one year or four years? Be honest.

Neals384
10-20-2019, 09:20 AM
I have always been a Duke fan, but when Kyle committed to Duke I became a Duke FAN. I live in Kyle's neck of the woods and watched him play in HS.

dbr is the reason I'm still a Duke FAN.

Best wishes for continued success in all your future endeavors, Kyle!

jdk
10-20-2019, 09:49 AM
Wow, just saw this. Kyle was probably my favorite player in the past 20 seasons at Duke. Incredible grit. Could have been a lottery pick after 2010, but came back to give it another try. He plays winner. I thought he should have had his jersey retired, but that's from an outside perspective with no clue as to the inner workings of the basketball machine at Duke.

Never would have thought Lance Thomas would have had the longest NBA career from the 2010 Championship team. His career may have just ended as well.

Son of Jarhead
10-21-2019, 12:54 PM
Never would have thought Lance Thomas would have had the longest NBA career from the 2010 Championship team. His career may have just ended as well.

Still too early to call that one. The Plumlees (MP1 & MP2) are still playing. Lance currently has played 8 years in the league, Miles 7, and Mason 6.

AGDukesky
10-21-2019, 01:09 PM
Still too early to call that one. The Plumlees (MP1 & MP2) are still playing. Lance currently has played 8 years in the league, Miles 7, and Mason 6.

Right and Mason has clearly been the better pro. If he stays healthy, there is no reason he won’t be in the league 10+ years...

elvis14
10-21-2019, 01:33 PM
Never would have thought Lance Thomas would have had the longest NBA career from the 2010 Championship team. His career may have just ended as well.

Did Lance get hurt or cut?

uh_no
10-21-2019, 03:38 PM
Right and Mason has clearly been the better pro. If he stays healthy, there is no reason he won’t be in the league 10+ years...

If we knew what we know about both at the time of their graduation, I don't think that's wholly unexpected. Mason made huge improvements each year over the course of his college career, and still had a huge upside after his senior year. I think by then Kyle was pretty much plateued, and one might even argue that Mason was a better player his senior year than was kyle.

If you had asked me kn 2010 or 2011, sure, the answer would have been kyle....but we didn't know about the plumlee development curve then yet.

HereBeforeCoachK
10-21-2019, 04:13 PM
If we knew what we know about both at the time of their graduation, I don't think that's wholly unexpected. Mason made huge improvements each year over the course of his college career, and still had a huge upside after his senior year. I think by then Kyle was pretty much plateued, and one might even argue that Mason was a better player his senior year than was kyle.

If you had asked me kn 2010 or 2011, sure, the answer would have been kyle...but we didn't know about the plumlee development curve then yet.

All the Plumlees had hops over Singler.....especially Mason. That athleticism is key in the NBA.

miramar
10-21-2019, 08:10 PM
Never would have thought Lance Thomas would have had the longest NBA career from the 2010 Championship team. His career may have just ended as well.

If nobody picks up Lance then he will either have to go overseas or retire, but I am sure I am not the only one who never expected Lance to make $24 million in the NBA. I have to take my Panama hat off to him.

JasonEvans
10-23-2019, 08:20 AM
Worth noting that Kyle and Luol, in addition to their millions, are also eligible for their NBA pension. Any player who plays 3 years in the league gets one. It pays $12,400 per year of service up to 11 years of service and kicks in starting at age 62. The NBA also has a generous health insurance plan for former players that makes it easier to afford family health insurance.

Billy Dat
10-23-2019, 09:32 AM
I am sure I am not the only one who never expected Lance to make $24 million in the NBA...

Well...there was this one supposed merchant in NYC's diamond district....still too soon? Does anybody remember laughter? ;^)