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View Full Version : What if this team is finally ready to tip...



calltheobvious
03-10-2007, 08:54 PM
...in the Malcolm Gladwell sense of the word?

During the four-game losing streak, I asked myself this question, and I thought maybe it happened during the winning streak that followed, but then our defense went into the tank, we ran into three teams playing well, and here we are again.

But what if?

At different points this season, we've all hoped that several things would happen (this is certainly not an exhaustive list). In no particular order:

1) Paulus would find his form
2) McRoberts would take a more assertive role both in terms of offense
and leadership.
3) Thomas, Henderson, and Zoubek would start to catch up with Scheyer on
the freshman-development curve.
4) Marty would demonstrate consistently in games what we've all seen
flashes of during his two seasons.
5) DeMarcus would exhibit more control going to the basket, and improve
at the line.
6) The team would find a go-to scorer.

Let's look at these one-by-one.

Paulus--has become our most potent offensive threat. Has shown signs of entering that zone wherein we think if he shoots it's going in. Still has spurts of turnover-itis, but is quite clearly feeling better physically, and seems to be a hair away from putting it all together offensively.

McBob--the biggest question-mark as far as I can tell. Has shown flashes, such as the second half + of Thursday night, where he decides that he's going to dominate offensively. If he can sustain such a fire, who knows what could happen. It's possible that Josh feels mentally capable of being the go-to guy down the stretch as long as he doesn't feel like he has to be option #1 all game long. Perhaps with Marty and Gerald (see below) coming along, he can become more comfortable in his role.

Thomas and Zoubek were clearly not ready to contribute immediately, and we all need to step back and take a deep breath on the expectations that we put on kids just because they're highly-touted in high school. I don't know how many of you watch high school basketball consistently, but as someone who referees at both the high school and college level, I can tell you that there are a relatively large number of guys who can look like world-beaters on a high school court but aren't cut out to be immediate superstars at the major-college level. So maybe we can just relax on this point?

As for Henderson, there's no question that he has all of the tools, and in the last few games, he's been to demonstrate much better consistency. Who knows what recent events have done to his psyche, but I trust that the coaching staff will be able to help him deal with it successfully, and he will return to form next week with the same aggressiveness and efficiency that he showed in his last few games. If he is able to bring 10-12 points per game, it will have a substantial trickle-down effect on the team.

Marty--I'm under no delusions that Marty will sustain the pace he set for himself against State (even Laettner missed some shots against IU after being perfect against UK). But it's worth noting that he's physically healthier than he's been for a while; and his recent outburst probably has something to do with the fact that he trusts his body more than he has in a while (see Paulus, Greg). Further, if Gerald is able to bring consistent scoring at a level beyond which he has for most of the season, it will give K the freedom to give Marty more minutes to spell Jon, without worrying that Marty's defensive defficiencies are too much for the team to endure. I think that Jon may have worn down more than any other player this year because he has been in many ways indispensable for basically the whole season. If Gerald and Marty are able to give more offensive support, the margin for error of the team increases significantly, which I believe would transfer to Jon being able to play 32-34 mpg rather than his standard 38-40.

DeMarcus--playing much more efficient basketball offensively (slow start against State notwithstanding, and he seems to have improved his FT shooting a little bit over the last couple weeks. I'm not worried about him.

Go-to scorer--obviously, we've all been hoping that Josh would assume this role. It's not too late, obviously, but I think we have to assume that it may not happen. And that's not necessarily catastrophic. Hopefully every one of the guys knows that they all have to make plays in crunch time. If everybody has that mentality, there's the possibilty that we could have multiple guys step up in big moments; hardly a bad thing.

All of that said, it is equally- if not more likely that this team has given everything they have, and they've simply run out of gas. If that's true, I hope we will all salute them for the courage and competitive spirit they have demonstrated through a tough season filled with growing pains. There's no shame in the way any of them has performed this year, and I'm proud of all of them. But what if, with a week off and Gerald back, it all comes together at the right time? What if indeed.

imagepro
03-10-2007, 09:01 PM
INDEED! CTO- I actually agree with nearly all of this! A lot of thought went into this, and I for one, found it logical.

rsvman
03-10-2007, 09:03 PM
It COULD happen. I, for one, have not yet given up hope on this team for THIS year. They can play with and beat anybody in the tournament.

duke24/7
03-10-2007, 11:46 PM
It's not like these goals of yours are saying Gerald scores 25 a game and Markie makes his next 54 free throws. These are certainly within reach, and hopefully will be met.

Madrasdukie
03-11-2007, 12:15 AM
Agree that it is quite probable esp. if our defense starts kicking into form, the way it was for the majority of the season. Our offense has improved significantly over the course of the season.
If this team felt any of the "DUKE" pressure, I reckon they probably don't feel it that much anymore, and hopefully this would help them enjoy the game more and play with abandon.

Here's to sharing in your realistic optimism.

Go Duke.

bigdog
03-11-2007, 01:56 AM
We'll all be lucky to see Duke play twice in the tournament. I would hope for more, but I think the team is fed up with Josh and K has pretty much given up.

Kewlswim
03-11-2007, 03:15 AM
We'll all be lucky to see Duke play twice in the tournament. I would hope for more, but I think the team is fed up with Josh and K has pretty much given up.

Hi Bigdog,

I don't take John Fienstein's word as gospel that the team is fed up with McRoberts. Were you basing that statement on Fienstein's article or on something else? If it is based on another article, would you please post a link to it so I can read it?

Also, "K has pretty much given up" are VERY strong words. On what do you base this? I am not saying you are wrong, but I would like to know how you have come to this conclusion. From my vantage point it looks like Coach Krzyzewski is doing everything possible to keep the ship afloat. He is not giving up at all. I don't see the white flag. It seems very much out of character.

GO DUKE!

Duke15304
03-11-2007, 09:05 AM
is probably a Carolina fan since he only has 6 posts in the first place

calltheobvious
03-11-2007, 09:58 AM
We'll all be lucky to see Duke play twice in the tournament. I would hope for more, but I think the team is fed up with Josh and K has pretty much given up.


Bye, Felicia. Have fun trolling elsewhere.

bigdog
03-11-2007, 02:31 PM
Have been watching Duke b-ball since K became coach. I'm sure K hasn't totally given up on this team, but he is extremely frustrated and probably not expecting too much at this point. Not many of his teams have saved their worst defense for the end of the season. I think he is also probably shocked that Josh hasn't developed his game more. You can just watch the team and tell they are tired of Josh's constant I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.ing and moaning during games.