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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC

    This is going to be an interesting offseason to say the least

    Well, it stinks that the season has ended two weeks too soon. At least we brought home a banner this year, but it does feel a bit bittersweet. Injuries throughout derailed what looked like a potentially great team. Just bad luck.

    With the loss, we now face a pretty tricky offseason. We lose Jefferson and Jones to graduation. We will lose Tatum to the draft as he is likely a top-5 pick. We currently have 3 recruits for next season: Carter, Trent, and McConnell. Everything else is in flux.

    Potential rising seniors
    Allen: Coming into the year, it was a foregone conclusion that he'd go pro. Reports were that he was on the "3-year graduation track." And then, injuries and incidents marred his season. Now? He's not projected to be a first round pick by anyone. Does he still go? Perhaps. Does he stay to try to improve his stock in what appears to be a weaker class next year? Perhaps.
    Obi: he appears to be essentially a manager now as it does not appear that he'll be physically able to compete anymore.

    Potential rising juniors
    Kennard: He surprised most by having an amazing sophomore year. It was a first team All-ACC caliber season, and he was at times unstoppable. His final two games of the season were disappointing relative to how great and how consistent he was this year. Did his season push him into the draft a year or two early? Perhaps.
    Jeter: He has become a bit of a forgotten man. Perhaps a bit overranked in what was a weak recruiting class for big men, he looked overwhelmed as a freshman. He looked a bit better at times as a sophomore, but the eventual arrival of Giles and Bolden and back surgery put him out of the rotation. He has the potential to be a key rotation piece next year if he stays and Bolden and Giles go. But with Carter coming in, frontcourt minutes could get scarce really quickly.
    Vrankovic: He seems to have settled in as a third or fourth center. He's had some nice moments here and there. But availability of minutes will be the issue for him.

    Potential rising sophomores
    Jackson: He has the potential to be an absolute stud next year. He seemed shaky with the ball at times, and is probably better suited playing off the ball a bit more where he can focus on his slashing. When forced to play PG, he struggled at times. But I'm extremely excited about his potential next year.
    Giles: He is likely to go pro, as I imagine he'll get drafted in the first round on potential. Would love to have him back, but whatever decision he makes is fine with me. If he does somehow decide to return, he could be a real difference maker.
    Bolden: Don't know what to expect from him. He has the size and potential, but rarely showed it this year. Nothing would surprise me with regards to his future.
    DeLaurier: Great athlete, just couldn't find his way into the rotation this year. There will be minutes available next year, but it is quite rare at Duke for a freshman to go from under 100 minutes on the season to a major role the next year.
    White: Less heralded recruit, shot well but looked overwhelmed by the speed of the game on defense in his rare minutes against ACC opponents.

    Potential freshmen
    Knox: The heir apparent to Tatum.
    Duval: The PG that we don't have.

    In thinking about it from a "team needs" perspective, we will need at least 2-3 ACC-caliber bigs, ideally a combo forward or two, 3 ACC-caliber wings, and a PG.

    Bigs
    In for sure: Carter
    Maybes: Giles, Bolden, Jeter
    In but role unclear: Vrankovic

    Combo forwards
    Maybe: Knox
    In but role unclear: DeLaurier

    Wings
    In for sure: Jackson
    Maybe: Allen, Kennard
    In but role unclear: White

    PG
    Maybe: Duval

    There are a TON of questions. Hopefully we will have at least one of Giles/Bolden/Jeter. I think it is likely that at least one will be back. Hopefully we will have at least one of Allen and Kennard. I'm less sure about this one. And hopefully we'll get Duval and Knox. If we get good fortune on those three fronts, next year's team looks quite strong again. If we lose both Allen and Kennard and don't get Knox and Duval, things could get really shaky.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    Well, it stinks that the season has ended two weeks too soon. At least we brought home a banner this year, but it does feel a bit bittersweet. Injuries throughout derailed what looked like a potentially great team. Just bad luck.

    With the loss, we now face a pretty tricky offseason. We lose Jefferson and Jones to graduation. We will lose Tatum to the draft as he is likely a top-5 pick. We currently have 3 recruits for next season: Carter, Trent, and McConnell. Everything else is in flux.

    Potential rising seniors
    Allen: Coming into the year, it was a foregone conclusion that he'd go pro. Reports were that he was on the "3-year graduation track." And then, injuries and incidents marred his season. Now? He's not projected to be a first round pick by anyone. Does he still go? Perhaps. Does he stay to try to improve his stock in what appears to be a weaker class next year? Perhaps.
    Obi: he appears to be essentially a manager now as it does not appear that he'll be physically able to compete anymore.

    Potential rising juniors
    Kennard: He surprised most by having an amazing sophomore year. It was a first team All-ACC caliber season, and he was at times unstoppable. His final two games of the season were disappointing relative to how great and how consistent he was this year. Did his season push him into the draft a year or two early? Perhaps.
    Jeter: He has become a bit of a forgotten man. Perhaps a bit overranked in what was a weak recruiting class for big men, he looked overwhelmed as a freshman. He looked a bit better at times as a sophomore, but the eventual arrival of Giles and Bolden and back surgery put him out of the rotation. He has the potential to be a key rotation piece next year if he stays and Bolden and Giles go. But with Carter coming in, frontcourt minutes could get scarce really quickly.
    Vrankovic: He seems to have settled in as a third or fourth center. He's had some nice moments here and there. But availability of minutes will be the issue for him.

    Potential rising sophomores
    Jackson: He has the potential to be an absolute stud next year. He seemed shaky with the ball at times, and is probably better suited playing off the ball a bit more where he can focus on his slashing. When forced to play PG, he struggled at times. But I'm extremely excited about his potential next year.
    Giles: He is likely to go pro, as I imagine he'll get drafted in the first round on potential. Would love to have him back, but whatever decision he makes is fine with me. If he does somehow decide to return, he could be a real difference maker.
    Bolden: Don't know what to expect from him. He has the size and potential, but rarely showed it this year. Nothing would surprise me with regards to his future.
    DeLaurier: Great athlete, just couldn't find his way into the rotation this year. There will be minutes available next year, but it is quite rare at Duke for a freshman to go from under 100 minutes on the season to a major role the next year.
    White: Less heralded recruit, shot well but looked overwhelmed by the speed of the game on defense in his rare minutes against ACC opponents.

    Potential freshmen
    Knox: The heir apparent to Tatum.
    Duval: The PG that we don't have.

    In thinking about it from a "team needs" perspective, we will need at least 2-3 ACC-caliber bigs, ideally a combo forward or two, 3 ACC-caliber wings, and a PG.

    Bigs
    In for sure: Carter
    Maybes: Giles, Bolden, Jeter
    In but role unclear: Vrankovic

    Combo forwards
    Maybe: Knox
    In but role unclear: DeLaurier

    Wings
    In for sure: Jackson
    Maybe: Allen, Kennard
    In but role unclear: White

    PG
    Maybe: Duval

    There are a TON of questions. Hopefully we will have at least one of Giles/Bolden/Jeter. I think it is likely that at least one will be back. Hopefully we will have at least one of Allen and Kennard. I'm less sure about this one. And hopefully we'll get Duval and Knox. If we get good fortune on those three fronts, next year's team looks quite strong again. If we lose both Allen and Kennard and don't get Knox and Duval, things could get really shaky.
    Frank's issues with the ball were more decision making related than handling, IMO. I think he has the tools to be able to develop into a nice PG, but it will take a few years. He'll need to develop those tools to make it to the next level, IMO. He's too small to be a highly regarded 2 guard in the NBA.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by FerryFor50 View Post
    Frank's issues with the ball were more decision making related than handling, IMO. I think he has the tools to be able to develop into a nice PG, but it will take a few years. He'll need to develop those tools to make it to the next level, IMO. He's too small to be a highly regarded 2 guard in the NBA.
    I agree. Like we discussed at the FSU game, I think we're both really high on Jackson. He has the potential to be really great next year.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post

    There are a TON of questions. Hopefully we will have at least one of Giles/Bolden/Jeter. I think it is likely that at least one will be back. Hopefully we will have at least one of Allen and Kennard. I'm less sure about this one. And hopefully we'll get Duval and Knox. If we get good fortune on those three fronts, next year's team looks quite strong again. If we lose both Allen and Kennard and don't get Knox and Duval, things could get really shaky.
    No way we lose both Allen and Kennard, without getting Knox or Duval. Their decision I'm sure is based on PT and there will be a lot of it if we lose both...

  5. #5
    I like the potential for both Vrank and Javin to break into the rotation next year - maybe not playing major minutes but at least in reserve roles. Agreed Jackson is poised for a big time leap.

    We're probably going to have a really young team next year. Not sure if Obi will graduate or stick around but I'm not including him as a player - we could in theory have no seniors and only one recruited junior. If that does prove to be the case it'll be very interesting to see what if any adjustments K makes defensively.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Regardless of what happens, it's going to be a very young team out there. However, if we lose both Grayson and Luke, we're basically only playing underclassmen and Jeter/Vrank, who have a combined 1 year of being a rotation player. I hate to say it, but that's probably a Sweet 16 team at BEST, even if we get Duval and Knox.

    Really hope one of Grayson or Luke comes back. Would love for both to give it one more go, but I will respect/support their decision either way. Certainly no one would blame either for going pro given their respective situations.

    But even then, who becomes the glue guy? Who steps in and fills Matt and Amile's shoes defensively? Who guards the other team's best player? These are tough questions that I'm not sure we have answers for. I certainly hope the freshmen can come in and play great defense, but I wouldn't bank on that. It's too early to say for sure, but we have the look of yet another elite offensive unit who can't really defend.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by DBGoins View Post
    No way we lose both Allen and Kennard, without getting Knox or Duval. Their decision I'm sure is based on PT and there will be a lot of it if we lose both...
    I don't think either Knox or Duval are concerned about playing time wherever they go. And Knox isn't really competing with Allen and Kennard for PT anyway.

    It's not simply a matter of playing time for those guys. They'll get playing time at whatever program they go to. We could certainly lose both Allen and Kennard and not land either Knox or Duval. We could also keep at least one of Allen and Kennard and get both Knox and Duval.

    That's part of what makes this such a big offseason. The next couple of months could go in a number of different directions. We could conceivably be stacked again or we could be incredibly lacking in experience. There are SO many potential moving parts to get figured out.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    Well, it stinks that the season has ended two weeks too soon. At least we brought home a banner this year, but it does feel a bit bittersweet. Injuries throughout derailed what looked like a potentially great team. Just bad luck.

    With the loss, we now face a pretty tricky offseason. We lose Jefferson and Jones to graduation. We will lose Tatum to the draft as he is likely a top-5 pick. We currently have 3 recruits for next season: Carter, Trent, and McConnell. Everything else is in flux.

    Potential rising seniors
    Allen: Coming into the year, it was a foregone conclusion that he'd go pro. Reports were that he was on the "3-year graduation track." And then, injuries and incidents marred his season. Now? He's not projected to be a first round pick by anyone. Does he still go? Perhaps. Does he stay to try to improve his stock in what appears to be a weaker class next year? Perhaps.
    Obi: he appears to be essentially a manager now as it does not appear that he'll be physically able to compete anymore.

    Potential rising juniors
    Kennard: He surprised most by having an amazing sophomore year. It was a first team All-ACC caliber season, and he was at times unstoppable. His final two games of the season were disappointing relative to how great and how consistent he was this year. Did his season push him into the draft a year or two early? Perhaps.
    Jeter: He has become a bit of a forgotten man. Perhaps a bit overranked in what was a weak recruiting class for big men, he looked overwhelmed as a freshman. He looked a bit better at times as a sophomore, but the eventual arrival of Giles and Bolden and back surgery put him out of the rotation. He has the potential to be a key rotation piece next year if he stays and Bolden and Giles go. But with Carter coming in, frontcourt minutes could get scarce really quickly.
    Vrankovic: He seems to have settled in as a third or fourth center. He's had some nice moments here and there. But availability of minutes will be the issue for him.

    Potential rising sophomores
    Jackson: He has the potential to be an absolute stud next year. He seemed shaky with the ball at times, and is probably better suited playing off the ball a bit more where he can focus on his slashing. When forced to play PG, he struggled at times. But I'm extremely excited about his potential next year.
    Giles: He is likely to go pro, as I imagine he'll get drafted in the first round on potential. Would love to have him back, but whatever decision he makes is fine with me. If he does somehow decide to return, he could be a real difference maker.
    Bolden: Don't know what to expect from him. He has the size and potential, but rarely showed it this year. Nothing would surprise me with regards to his future.
    DeLaurier: Great athlete, just couldn't find his way into the rotation this year. There will be minutes available next year, but it is quite rare at Duke for a freshman to go from under 100 minutes on the season to a major role the next year.
    White: Less heralded recruit, shot well but looked overwhelmed by the speed of the game on defense in his rare minutes against ACC opponents.

    Potential freshmen
    Knox: The heir apparent to Tatum.
    Duval: The PG that we don't have.

    In thinking about it from a "team needs" perspective, we will need at least 2-3 ACC-caliber bigs, ideally a combo forward or two, 3 ACC-caliber wings, and a PG.

    Bigs
    In for sure: Carter
    Maybes: Giles, Bolden, Jeter
    In but role unclear: Vrankovic

    Combo forwards
    Maybe: Knox
    In but role unclear: DeLaurier

    Wings
    In for sure: Jackson
    Maybe: Allen, Kennard
    In but role unclear: White

    PG
    Maybe: Duval

    There are a TON of questions. Hopefully we will have at least one of Giles/Bolden/Jeter. I think it is likely that at least one will be back. Hopefully we will have at least one of Allen and Kennard. I'm less sure about this one. And hopefully we'll get Duval and Knox. If we get good fortune on those three fronts, next year's team looks quite strong again. If we lose both Allen and Kennard and don't get Knox and Duval, things could get really shaky.

    Great Post and organization. This is what I've been thinking about this morning, rather than refs, seeding, OAD's, Greenville, etc.

    K seemed happy with his team, if not the result. Interesting that he brought Tatum and Grayson to the podium and not his two graduating seniors. Perhaps a way to let them say goodbye as well...
    If Grayson is gone ( NBA money/almost graduated/sick of media scrutiny and fan hatred), then it feels like Kennards decision is extremely critical to next season. Even with him and Duval we would only likely have 3 guards in the rotation. Wow!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by kAzE View Post
    Regardless of what happens, it's going to be a very young team out there. If we lose both Grayson and Luke, we're basically only playing underclassmen and Jeter/Vrank, who have a combined 1 year of being a rotation player. I hate to say it, but that's probably a Sweet 16 team at BEST, even if we get Duval and Knox.

    Really hope one of Grayson or Luke comes back. Would love for both to give it one more go, but I will respect/support their decision either way. Certainly no one would blame either for going pro given their respective situations.
    Yeah, if we lose both Kennard and Allen then there would be no seniors and two juniors with a combined 600 minutes of play for their careers (i.e., the equivalent of one season of 15-20 mpg).

    We are going to be young regardless. But we could be unbelievably young.

  10. #10
    scottdude8's Avatar
    scottdude8 is online now Moderator, Contributor, Zoubek disciple, and resident Wolverine
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    I was about to start a similar thread, but with a more optimistic tone, lol

    I consider speculating optimistically about next season as the second step in getting over the hangover of the end of the season (the first, of course, is blaming every possible circumstance besides us not playing well, i.e. the refs, essentially playing on the road, etc.). So I'm totally on board for doing that, here instead of in my own thread since you essentially beat me to the punch, lol.

    I view our potential losses in three categories:
    -Definite, or almost so: Amile, Matt, Jayson (99.9%)
    -More than likely, but reasonable possibility of return: Harry, Grayson
    -More than likely to return, but probably more like 50/50: Luke, Marques
    -I think we can agree anyone else leaving, at this moment, would be a shock

    As you mentioned, we gain Carter, Trent, and McConnell for sure, with the possibility of some other recruits, but I won't speculate on any of that.

    Considering all that, lets think about three cases:
    1) We get extremely lucky and everyone who has a reasonable chance of returning does. Such a roster could look like
    -Starters: Frank, Luke, Grayson, Harry, Wendell Carter
    -Key Bench: Gary Trent, Marques, Chase, Vrank
    -Reserves: McConnell, DeLaurier, White
    Conclusion: This is a top 5 team, not even considering the possibility of new recruits. It would have a legitimate 4 or 5 man big rotation, and a potential top 10 NBA pick coming off the bench in a four man guard rotation

    2) We lose the most likely players to go in Harry and Grayson
    -Starters: Frank, Luke, Trent, Marques, Carter
    -Key Bench: Chase, Vrank, McConnell
    -Reserves: DeLaurier, White
    Conclusion: This is still a national championship contender, but significantly shorter rotation. This team would probably need a boost from a late recruit to be a major contender

    3) Worst case scenario, where we lose everyone we could reasonably lose
    -Starters: Frank, Trent, ?, ?, Carter
    -Everybody else: Chase, Vrank, McConnell, DeLaurier, White
    Conclusion: This would be painful, since we'd essentially be losing any sort of continuity from the last two seasons into this one. We'd need a few late recruits and would be a Kentucky like team of mostly freshman.

    My overall takeaway: if the right guys come back, next season could be what we were hoping this season could be, i.e. a once-in-a-lifetime talented team. With reasonable attrition, we're still a legit national title contender. With crazy attrition, I would rail against the one-and-done system harder than I ever have before.

    Let the countdown clock begin!
    Last edited by scottdude8; 03-20-2017 at 10:41 AM. Reason: Organization
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  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    Yeah, if we lose both Kennard and Allen then there would be no seniors and two juniors with a combined 600 minutes of play for their careers (i.e., the equivalent of one season of 15-20 mpg).

    We are going to be young regardless. But we could be unbelievably young.
    I'd be shocked if we lost Allen *and* Kennard.

    It's a very deep draft class this season and Allen is no longer a guaranteed first rounder. Kennard faded a bit down the stretch and might be better served to leave the following season with a weaker class.

    Will be interesting to see.

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    I think April 23 is the date by which an underclassman must declare for the draft, and May 24 is the date by which players who declare can pull their names back. Someone who knows better can check me on that. But we should know a lot more within a month or so, and then maybe hoping for a change of thought for another month beyond.

    Good luck to each young man as they weigh their options. I'm happy with whatever they each choose.

  13. #13
    Join Date
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    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by scottdude8 View Post
    I consider speculating optimistically about next season as the second step in getting over the hangover of the end of the season (the first, of course, is blaming every possible circumstance besides us not playing well, i.e. the refs, essentially playing on the road, etc.). So I'm totally on board for doing that, here instead of in my own thread since you essentially beat me to the punch, lol.

    I view our potential losses in three categories:
    -Definite, or almost so: Amile, Matt, Jayson (99.9%)
    -More than likely, but reasonable possibility of return: Harry, Grayson
    -More than likely to return, but probably more like 50/50: Luke, Marques
    -I think we can agree anyone else leaving, at this moment, would be a shock

    As you mentioned, we gain Carter, Trent, and McConnell for sure, with the possibility of some other recruits, but I won't speculate on any of that.

    Considering all that, lets think about three cases:
    1) We get extremely lucky and everyone who has a reasonable chance of returning does. Such a roster could look like
    -Starters: Frank, Luke, Grayson, Harry, Wendell Carter
    -Key Bench: Gary Trent, Marques, Chase, Vrank
    -Reserves: McConnell, DeLaurier, White
    Conclusion: This is a top 5 team, not even considering the possibility of new recruits. It would have a legitimate 4 or 5 man big rotation, and a potential top 10 NBA pick coming off the bench in a four man guard rotation

    2) We lose the most likely players to go in Harry and Grayson
    -Starters: Frank, Luke, Trent, Marques, Carter
    -Key Bench: Chase, Vrank, McConnell
    -Reserves: DeLaurier, White
    Conclusion: This is still a national championship contender, but significantly shorter rotation. This team would probably need a boost from a late recruit to be a major contender

    3) Worst case scenario, where we lose everyone we could reasonably lose
    -Starters: Frank, Trent, ?, ?, Carter
    -Everybody else: Chase, Vrank, McConnell, DeLaurier, White
    Conclusion: This would be painful, since we'd essentially be losing any sort of continuity from the last two seasons into this one. We'd need a few late recruits and would be a Kentucky like team of mostly freshman.

    My overall takeaway: if the right guys come back, next season could be what we were hoping this season could be, i.e. a once-in-a-lifetime talented team. With reasonable attrition, we're still a legit national title contender. With crazy attrition, I would rail against the one-and-done system harder than I ever have before.

    Let the countdown clock begin!
    Yeah, I wasn't trying to be negative at all. And I'm agnostic as to what is actually going to happen. I do suspect we'll lose more than just the seniors and Tatum. I am also hopeful that we add more than just the current incoming freshman. But there are a WIDE range of potential rosters for next year, ranging from your scenario 1 in the "best" case to scenario 3 in the worst.

    I have put quotes around "best" because in your scenario 1 we would then not be able to add any additional recruits. We would be at the 13 scholarship limit (Obi makes 13). Now, Obi could be asked to relinquish his scholarship to free up one spot if needed.

    In that scenario though, we would be very lacking in perimeter players. One of White or DeLaurier or McConnell would almost have to crack the rotation to play Coach K's typically-preferred lineup (5 guards/wings/combo-forwards, 2-3 bigs). We'd have tons of big men, but (like this year) that would likely mean 2-3 bigs playing virtually no minutes.

    So my guess would be that we'll lose at least one (if not multiple) of the bigs.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    Bigs
    In for sure: Carter
    Maybes: Giles, Bolden, Jeter
    In but role unclear: Vrankovic

    Combo forwards
    Maybe: Knox
    In but role unclear: DeLaurier

    Wings
    In for sure: Jackson
    Maybe: Allen, Kennard
    In but role unclear: White

    PG
    Maybe: Duval

    There are a TON of questions. Hopefully we will have at least one of Giles/Bolden/Jeter. I think it is likely that at least one will be back. Hopefully we will have at least one of Allen and Kennard. I'm less sure about this one. And hopefully we'll get Duval and Knox. If we get good fortune on those three fronts, next year's team looks quite strong again. If we lose both Allen and Kennard and don't get Knox and Duval, things could get really shaky.
    Nice write up -- one small nit is that Trent and O'Connell are also "In for sure" wings, or perhaps O'Connell goes in the "In but role unclear" wing group with White. What's clear is that only 3 out of the 7-8 rotation spots for next year are filled with any reasonable certainty (Carter, Jackson, Trent).

    A few key dates to keep in mind:

    April 23, 2017: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)
    June 12, 2017: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5:00 p.m. ET)

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by scottdude8 View Post
    I view our potential losses in three categories:
    -Definite, or almost so: Amile, Matt, Jayson (99.9%)
    -More than likely, but reasonable possibility of return: Harry, Grayson
    -More than likely to return, but probably more like 50/50: Luke, Marques
    -I think we can agree anyone else leaving, at this moment, would be a shock
    I would not be shocked by other departures. I don't think anyone other than the folks you listed are realistic candidates to leave for the NBA. But other departures are possible. How many of us thought when last season ended that Thornton would leave?

  16. #16
    I think bigs are a real wildcard for next year, both in how many and quality. I'd love Harry to stay but he has to go if he's a first rounder. I have significant concerns that Chase may be a rich man's Casey Sanders. I don't think I've ever seen a basketball player fall down as much as Chase does. Hopefully he makes a leap between sophomore and junior year. I have no idea what to make of Marques. K said he was a starter before he was injured. Was that coachspeak? Maybe the injury set him back too far to make up during the season. He probably should come back, but I wouldn't be surprised if he declared. Vrank is a good practice/role player. If he's playing significant minutes, I would think something went very, very wrong. Given the Grand Canyon sized gap between expectation and reality (mostly due to unforeseen circumstances) with respect to Harry and Marques, I will take a wait and see stance concerning Carter and be pleasantly surprised when he turns out to be a stud.

    I am not sure what is meant by a combo forward. Is Tatum a combo forward? If so, I didn't see anything this year that would lead me to believe that Javin can fill that role. I always saw Javin as Amile 2.0, which in the grand scheme of things would be a fairly awesome outcome.

    I think one of Luke and Grayson comes back. Heck, I wouldn't be shocked if both come back. If they both go, yeesh. Who are our guards? Frank and Gary? That makes Duval a must get. Maybe Waters re-opening his recruitment is a tell.

    Our starting point for next season has such a wide range of possibilites. Best case scenario is Luke and Marques come back and we add Knox and Duval to the freshman class. That would be a team Coach K can turn into a title contender.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by wk2109 View Post
    Nice write up -- one small nit is that Trent and O'Connell are also "In for sure" wings, or perhaps O'Connell goes in the "In but role unclear" wing group with White. What's clear is that only 3 out of the 7-8 rotation spots for next year are filled with any reasonable certainty (Carter, Jackson, Trent).

    A few key dates to keep in mind:

    April 23, 2017: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)
    June 12, 2017: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5:00 p.m. ET)
    Thanks. Yes, I'd put Trent in the "In for sure" and O'Connell in the "In but role unclear". But yes, as of now, I'd say that only Carter, Jackson, and Trent are the guaranteed rotation players for next year. We have lots of potential options to fill those other 4-5 spots in the rotation. But there is a LOT of uncertainty at the moment.

  18. #18
    Join Date
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    New Jersey
    Quote Originally Posted by azzefkram View Post
    Given the Grand Canyon sized gap between expectation and reality (mostly due to unforeseen circumstances) with respect to Harry and Marques, I will take a wait and see stance concerning Carter and be pleasantly surprised when he turns out to be a stud.
    Ha, you're falling into the same trap as last offseason. Change it to "if" and you can count me in.
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  19. #19
    Unfortunately, I think the reality is this team is going to lose eight players off of the current roster. What is concerning is most of the talent that will be coming in likely won't be on the roster in 2019 so the reset button will be hit again 12 months from now. It is starting to seem like Duke is going to have another thin and inexperienced roster next year and the following. Having experienced players like Grayson, Luke, Amile, and Matt this season was a luxury that the teams going forward likely won't have.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    Ha, you're falling into the same trap as last offseason. Change it to "if" and you can count me in.
    I know, I know. I always try to have a sunny outlook when it comes to Duke Basketball. I was one of the 14-4 guys.

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