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Thread: Big Men Play

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Delaware

    Big Men Play

    I figured I'd start a new thread on this topic, since the GTech post game thread, hasn't been about the GTech game for quite awhile now.

    I personally feel that while Zoubek has done a tremendous job in improving himself (especially his hands and his positioning), his lack of mobility ultimately costs him against high level competition. I wrote an article on B/R breaking down my more detailed thoughts and the importance of Duke's front court play going forward.

  2. #2
    Kind of a question for everyone:

    Do you think Zoubek will continue to play pretty well (like he has during the pre-conference part of the season)? I remember last year he did well before ACC started and then he started to do worse once we got into conference play

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Mrezt View Post
    Kind of a question for everyone:

    Do you think Zoubek will continue to play pretty well (like he has during the pre-conference part of the season)? I remember last year he did well before ACC started and then he started to do worse once we got into conference play
    Let's watch and see rather than speculate?

  4. #4

    Blasphemy!

    Quote Originally Posted by Indoor66 View Post
    Let's watch and see rather than speculate?
    Speculation is the life-blood of this board, my friend.

  5. #5
    i mentioned in another thread, I would like to see our guards/wings give our bigs some more chances to show what, if any, back to the basket game they have. While Z isn't a power player, I think he has a fairly deft back to the basket game. In the very small sample size I remember, when he gets his defender on his back he has a nice touch with a baby hook. Miles and Mason are so athletic that I think they can probably at least get fouled making a move on their defender.

    Nevertheless, our guards seem very hesitant to feed the post, and the only time our bigs seem to get the ball are on (a) offensive rebounds or (b) drive and dish.
    My Quick Smells Like French Toast.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington DC
    Quote Originally Posted by steven52682 View Post
    and the only time our bigs seem to get the ball are on (a) offensive rebounds or (b) drive and dish.
    We could use more of both. Could someone please notify the team?

    (Actually drive and dish is a great antidote to an off-night shooting the 3-ball.)

  7. #7
    Did anyone else get a bit frustrated at Zoubek hesitating for a layup when he got the ball underneath the basket unguarded? After watching him get repeatedly blocked by smaller players in the Iowa State game, this play, at least to me, was a microcosm of problems in the post on offense. He has made great strides on his hands, footwork, rebounding, and even mobility, but the next step is having him go up strong with the ball. When we don't have a consistent threat of strong shot attempts in the post on offense as a primary option (i.e. not a putback after a rebound), physical teams will be able to load up on the perimeter yet still make it back to the post for a potential block. We've seen Zoubek bang and dunk on the offensive side before (Xavier and UNC come to mind), but I'd like to see more of this to free up the perimeter.

    And kudos to Lawal, he's a great player.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Winston Salem, NC

    All three

    Miles, Mason and Brian have pretty good jump hook shots. I would love to see them shoot that shot more. I believe it was Miles that hit a great jump hook bank against GT. Quite impressive. I have noticed that Kyle has had good passing lanes into the post but has not passed the ball. I hope that does not continue. Some inside and back out game might get Kyle going. Go Duke!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Texas/NC
    two words: Florida State

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by steven52682 View Post
    Nevertheless, our guards seem very hesitant to feed the post, and the only time our bigs seem to get the ball are on (a) offensive rebounds or (b) drive and dish.
    It's true. As versatile and as effective as our guards are, they haven't been terribly good at feeding the post. Some of that is that our bigs often struggle to establish and maintain good post position. Another part of it may be that our bigs just aren't that great as a group in terms of post moves. Thomas doesn't really have a post game and the Plumlees are still developing their post scoring skills. Zoubek has the most polished moves but is the most limited physically.

    But there have been times this year where our bigs have established okay (but not great) post position but were not thrown the ball. Perhaps the guards/wings are simply not forcing the ball into positions in which the bigs may make mistakes, and are only getting them post touches in the most optimal of circumstances by design?

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    I'm seeing such encouraging signs from both Plumlees, particularly Mason, that I'm optimistic about where our interior play is going this year. Mason has strung together 5 really strong games, and, even better, has been more impressive in each game than in the one before it. He clearly has a very high ceiling, and should be an impact player by tournament time this year. Miles is not improving by leaps and bounds as his younger brother is, but he is making strides nonetheless. With Lance as a very good post defender and Zoubs at least providing good rebounding, our interior play is moving in the right direction.

    I had thought about starting a Mason thread to track his development as the season unfolded, but this thread will undoubtedly cover that ground.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by davekay1971 View Post
    I'm seeing such encouraging signs from both Plumlees, particularly Mason, that I'm optimistic about where our interior play is going this year. Mason has strung together 5 really strong games, and, even better, has been more impressive in each game than in the one before it. He clearly has a very high ceiling, and should be an impact player by tournament time this year. Miles is not improving by leaps and bounds as his younger brother is, but he is making strides nonetheless. With Lance as a very good post defender and Zoubs at least providing good rebounding, our interior play is moving in the right direction.

    I had thought about starting a Mason thread to track his development as the season unfolded, but this thread will undoubtedly cover that ground.
    Mason certainly has the most upside of our bigs this year. It's nice to see him developing confidence. I'm not sure I'd quite call his games against LBSU and Clemson "really strong," but he's certainly shown flashes of his potential in the seven games following the SJU game. And hopefully this game against a big and talented frontcourt is a sign of things to come over the next few months.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    North Venice, FL
    Quote Originally Posted by BlueintheFace View Post
    two words: Florida State
    I'm not sure what this means but are you saying we will have a problem with the same Florida State that lost to Maryland over the weekend?

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve68 View Post
    I'm not sure what this means but are you saying we will have a problem with the same Florida State that lost to Maryland over the weekend?
    Well, I'm not sure what the previous poster meant, but you do realize that we just lost to a team that had lost to Georgia during the week, right? Using a particular recent bad performance doesn't always serve as a good measuring stick. If we struggle with shooting like we did against Tech, we could very well lose to FSU. Now, I don't think we will, but there are some similarities between the two teams.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by LanceChef View Post
    Did anyone else get a bit frustrated at Zoubek hesitating for a layup when he got the ball underneath the basket unguarded?
    If I'm remembering the same play, Z caught the ball awkwardly -- either he stumbled as he caught it or it was thrown a little behind him. To me it looked like he was worried about getting called for a travel which is why he hesitated and then tossed it up softly without straightening up first. Rather than being frustrated, I was happy he was able to recover, avoid the travel, and put the ball in the basket.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve68 View Post
    I'm not sure what this means but are you saying we will have a problem with the same Florida State that lost to Maryland over the weekend?
    I think I know BiTFace's posts well enough to say that he was referring to the job Zoubs did guarding Solomon Alabi last year in the ACC Tourney. It's a good point, and one that often gets overlooked WRT Zoubs. If he gets matched with a post-oriented big he generally does well against them. K is very good at playing Zoubs in the right situations.

    I'm most impressed by the Plumlees and love the way Lance and Miles play with each other and Z and Mase as well. I wonder how much that rotation will play out as the year goes on. I'm interested to see if that changes to the two Plumlees playing together and Z and Lance together. Regardless, a 4 (or 5) man deep rotation in the paint is something we haven't had in a while. This group hasn't even come close to realizing their full potential yet and we will be a much better team when they do.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by LanceChef View Post
    Did anyone else get a bit frustrated at Zoubek hesitating for a layup when he got the ball underneath the basket unguarded?
    I agree, but frustrated wouldn't have been the word I would use. It actually looked like the game went into a slow-mo mode .... truly, it looked like the pace of the action went really s-l-o-w just for that play.
    Last edited by Bob Green; 01-11-2010 at 02:25 PM. Reason: Fix quote tag

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Texas/NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve68 View Post
    I'm not sure what this means but are you saying we will have a problem with the same Florida State that lost to Maryland over the weekend?
    Okay, 5 words:

    Brian Zoubek, Florida State Stopper

  19. #19
    We should also give a lot of props to David for helping us when those games against Florida State.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Overall, I'm pretty happy with the play of our bigs and I think it's clever the way K has been pairing MP1 with Lance and MP2 with Z. Foul trouble changes the pairs (or just K mixing it up some) at times but I think it adds to their effectiveness to have a 'partner'. I also like the way we have seen improvements over last year in MP1, Z and Lance and the improvement we've seen from MP2 over the last month. It really gives me hope that we can be really good by the end of the year (note, I'm not saying we aren't good we are but we can continue to get better). I do have concerns that Z and Lance will struggle against better teams (seen it for 4 years) but I'll hope for the best.

    As for feeding the post, we need to improve in that area IMHO. There are two times where I see us miss opportunities: Simple situations where guys get good position on the blocks and it seems that the pass is obvious and we send it around the perimeter or dribble around more instead, and on the pick and roll. I've seen our bigs roll to the rim after setting picks time and time again and the pass just doesn't go in. I'd love to see that improve. Having said that, if it's obvious to me, it's more than obvious to K and his coaching staff and they have decided against it, I would assume. Might be one of those places where I disagree with them (like THAT matters ).

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