Dukies in the NBA 2019-20

[bundabergdevil]

Looks like Nash will get a chance to coach KI. Wonder if KI will respond to Nash better than he has past, non-K coaches.

Looking forward to seeing how Nash translates to coaching. He should obviously have immediate credibility with the players and he strikes me more Kerr than Kidd; that is, I think he'll be able to manage the personalities reasonably well for success.

Good to have him as a presence in the league again.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Looks like Nash will get a chance to coach KI. Wonder if KI will respond to Nash better than he has past, non-K coaches.

Looking forward to seeing how Nash translates to coaching. He should obviously have immediate credibility with the players and he strikes me more Kerr than Kidd; that is, I think he'll be able to manage the personalities reasonably well for success.

Good to have him as a presence in the league again.

I think Kyrie would do well with a PG mentor and coach.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Looks like Nash will get a chance to coach KI. Wonder if KI will respond to Nash better than he has past, non-K coaches.

Looking forward to seeing how Nash translates to coaching. He should obviously have immediate credibility with the players and he strikes me more Kerr than Kidd; that is, I think he'll be able to manage the personalities reasonably well for success.

Good to have him as a presence in the league again.

Kyrie didn't respond well to Brad Stevens, and Brad is the next Coach K

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Kyrie didn't respond well to Brad Stevens, and Brad is the next Coach K

And he was also a PG (at Depauw)...

Though I am more a Knicks fan than a Nets fan, it would be nice to get RJ off the dumpster fire that is the Knicks and have him play for his godfather across the river. I know there is zero chance, but we can dream.

[SouthernDukie]

And he was also a PG (at Depauw)...

Though I am more a Knicks fan than a Nets fan, it would be nice to get RJ off the dumpster fire that is the Knicks and have him play for his godfather across the river. I know there is zero chance, but we can dream.

I second that dream. As well as pulling for Kyrie to succeed, which I know on this Duke board is sadly a minority opinion.

[BlueTeuf]

I second that dream. As well as pulling for Kyrie to succeed, which I know on this Duke board is sadly a minority opinion.

Interesting perspective. I read much of these boards and thought that although many wish he was quieter, of different maturity, (and/or various this-es and thats), that about 99% of us are rooting for his success.

[sagegrouse]

I second that dream. As well as pulling for Kyrie to succeed, which I know on this Duke board is sadly a minority opinion.

There's a bunch of horse hockey about Kyrie being fomented on this Board. When has he ever played poorly? (Yeah, I know, the NBA playoffs last year -- but everyone hits a slump). Why do people think he doesn't get along with his coaches or play hard for them? Brad Stevens never said that or intimated that. He's had success everywhere he has played. His career average is 22.4 PPG and has decent stats on other measures as well. Why do people think he doesn't get along with his fellow players? He's the VP of the NBPA for heaven's sakes!

Although only in the playoffs four times he has one NBA championship (and another potential championship if he doesn't get injured in the finals) and his numbers are the same as regular season.

Well, people sat he's a malingerer -- too often injured. He has played and started (!) 508 games before this season out of a potential 656 -- 62 games per season versus 82. This is above average for injruies, but I don't know that one can make the case that he is faking it.

Well, he said he was re-signing with the Celts, and he changed his mind. On the pantheon of perfidy this doesn't even get up the first step. Besides, only a few here are Celtics fans -- but I love Jayson Tatum.

Now, I understand -- the "horse hockey" about Kyrie on this Board is far less than the crap coming out of his mouth. Yes, and he's an unusual dude, as many apparently true anecdotes indicate.

But I certainly want him to do well, and I think many others here do as well.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I second that dream. As well as pulling for Kyrie to succeed, which I know on this Duke board is sadly a minority opinion.

This is just not true. Kyrie is an unusual dude and, truth be told, I'd rather have Kemba on my team than Kyrie (which I now do). But I want Kyrie to succeed. Just not against the Celtics.

Being critical of a player doesn't mean I don't want him/her to succeed.

[SouthernDukie]

But I certainly want him to do well, and I think many others here do as well.

I agree completely with your overview of Kyrie’s career. Much better than what some seem to think. As for your last sentence... All I can say is I hope you are right. But I’m not as sure as you seem to be.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I have been hard on Kyrie at times, but for what he says, not his play. I've always found him stunning to watch, and despite rumors you here about locker room issues, his teammates seem to respect him.

I've decided the last few seasons that Kyrie's off-court babbling can be chalked up to someone who has good ideas but doesn't present them the way you would like.

Also, he was the first slam-dunk one and done, number one pick from K that set the tone for many more to follow. I suppose this also creates mixed feelings among Duke fans, but it sure has led to a pipeline of talent since.

[Billy Dat]

There's a bunch of horse hockey about Kyrie being fomented on this Board. When has he ever played poorly? (Yeah, I know, the NBA playoffs last year -- but everyone hits a slump). Why do people think he doesn't get along with his coaches or play hard for them? Brad Stevens never said that or intimated that. He's had success everywhere he has played. His career average is 22.4 PPG and has decent stats on other measures as well. Why do people think he doesn't get along with his fellow players? He's the VP of the NBPA for heaven's sakes!

Although only in the playoffs four times he has one NBA championship (and another potential championship if he doesn't get injured in the finals) and his numbers are the same as regular season.

Well, people sat he's a malingerer -- too often injured. He has played and started (!) 508 games before this season out of a potential 656 -- 62 games per season versus 82. This is above average for injruies, but I don't know that one can make the case that he is faking it.

Well, he said he was re-signing with the Celts, and he changed his mind. On the pantheon of perfidy this doesn't even get up the first step. Besides, only a few here are Celtics fans -- but I love Jayson Tatum.

Now, I understand -- the "horse hockey" about Kyrie on this Board is far less than the crap coming out of his mouth. Yes, and he's an unusual dude, as many apparently true anecdotes indicate.

But I certainly want him to do well, and I think many others here do as well.

I think most people on DBR root for Kyrie.

BUT, I do think there has been a lot of reporting about his being tough to play with and tough to coach. Here's a Jeff Goodman article from last year on the topic:
https://watchstadium.com/kyrie-irvin...nt-05-09-2019/

His fellow players are mesmerized by his talent, his offensive skills earn him major respect. They also respect his performance during the Cavs title run. But, I am not sure he's fun to play with as suggested by the current raft of, "Kemba is an overall upgrade over Kyrie" articles on the web right now.

A guy like Brad Stevens, or any modern NBA coach, is never going to slag their stars because stars run the league. A big part of modern coaching is the Zen Master aspect that Phil Jackson forgot once he arrived in NY.

I think that is why Nash was hired...because both KD and Kyrie approved of him and his #1 task will be to get along with them and to get them to play well together within whatever kind of team construct exists. Kenny Atkinson built a great culture in Brooklyn, but it was a culture for underdogs. Kyrie came in and said, "Later to your methods" and that was, essentially, that. Atkinson couldn't bridge the gap, so they are rolling the dice with a 2-time MVP sure fire Hall of Famer in the hopes that he can, and keeping Jacque Vaughan along, presumably, to keep the mojo going from an undermanned team who looked tough and feisty in the bubble.

My biggest question, will KD and Kyrie one day look at Nash and say, "We've won titles, you haven't, so what's up?" He better hope they are saying, "Welcome to the Club!" as they pop champagne. Sadly, I'd bet the former comment is made first, but I hope I am wrong.

[JasonEvans]

From another thread:

As for best Duke NBA player, it's still Grant Hill, right? Maybe closely followed by Kyrie? I think it's a moot point, cus Tatum, with his excellent combination of offense, defense, and ability to stay healthy (unlike Grant and Kyrie), who will likely take that honor. Also, it helps that Tatum is the "star" player on a really, really good team.

Ok, my list of the 10 best Dukies in the NBA (all-time**)

1. Grant Hill
2. Kyrie Irving
3. Carlos Boozer
4. Elton Brand
5. Jayson Tatum
6. Luol Deng
7. JJ Redick
8. Cory Maggette
9. Shane Battier
10. Mike Gminski

And my list of the best Dukies in the NBA (right now)

1. Kyrie Irving
2. Jayson Tatum
3. Zion Williamson
4. Brandon Ingram
5. JJ Redick
6. Justise Winslow
7. Marvin Bagley
8. Luke Kennard
9. Gary Trent, Jr.
10. RJ Barrett

-Jason "I am sure this will inspire some debate... don't hurt me too much " Evans

**- Post 1980, because I really have no frame of reference on the pre-1980 guys that I did not see play at all

[DukieInBrasil]

Ok, my list of the 10 best Dukies in the NBA (all-time**)

1. Grant Hill
2. Kyrie Irving
3. Carlos Boozer
4. Elton Brand
5. Jayson Tatum
6. Luol Deng
7. JJ Redick
8. Cory Maggette
9. Shane Battier
10. Mike Gminski

And my list of the best Dukies in the NBA (right now)

1. Kyrie Irving
2. Jayson Tatum
3. Zion Williamson
4. Brandon Ingram
5. JJ Redick
6. Justise Winslow
7. Marvin Bagley
8. Luke Kennard
9. Gary Trent, Jr.
10. RJ Barrett

-Jason "I am sure this will inspire some debate... don't hurt me too much " Evans

**- Post 1980, because I really have no frame of reference on the pre-1980 guys that I did not see play at all

Amazing what a Playoffs will do to one's reputation! Well, Playoffs + Bubble. Gary Trent would not have made hardly anyone's top-10 current players list until he blew up the Bubble. However, I'm not sure he deserves to be ahead of Seth Curry, who is right up there withe best all-time 3FG shooters. I suppose Gary's D is better, and his potential growth is probably greater than Seth, but Seth has proven himself to be a great shooter, excellent scorer and has been a reasonable starter when tasked.
These discussions always bring up whether it's based on current productivity, career productivity, or potential/expected future production, or some combination of those. Seth is clearly ahead on career, probably roughly equal in current productivity, and behind when it comes to potential. At least on the offensive side of the ball.
I would think that Rodney Hood would deserve a mention, but sitting out a full year makes it difficult to gauge his ranking.
ed.- ...and... the Front Page article, and the article it linked to, neglected to mention Gary Trent, Jr. in the list of Duke players from athletic lineage!!! Gary Trent, Sr. played in the NBA for 10 years!

[Acymetric]

Ok, my list of the 10 best Dukies in the NBA (all-time**)

1. Grant Hill
2. Kyrie Irving
3. Carlos Boozer
4. Elton Brand
5. Jayson Tatum
6. Luol Deng
7. JJ Redick
8. Corey [sic] Maggette
9. Shane Battier
10. Mike Gminski

And my list of the best Dukies in the NBA (right now)

1. Kyrie Irving
2. Jayson Tatum
3. Zion Williamson
4. Brandon Ingram
5. JJ Redick
6. Justise Winslow
7. Marvin Bagley
8. Luke Kennard
9. Gary Trent, Jr.
10. RJ Barrett

-Jason "I am sure this will inspire some debate... don't hurt me too much " Evans

**- Post 1980, because I really have no frame of reference on the pre-1980 guys that I did not see play at all

Your all-time list looks good. I think spots 6/7/8 are all really close and you could probably make arguments for putting them in any order you want. I did not remember Maggette having that nice of a career with the Clippers (I knew he hung around the league for a long, long time but didn't realize he was as much of a contributor as he was). As much as I love JJ I would probably be tempted to move Corey ahead of him.

I can't put together a coherent list of current players because too many of them were hurt this year. Your list is reasonable, but I feel like Zion, Winslow, Bagley, and Kennard need to be moved down.

[Steven43]

Kyrie didn't respond well to Brad Stevens, and Brad is the next Coach K

Both of your comments are 100% accurate. Trust me. 😊

[Steven43]

From another thread:



Ok, my list of the 10 best Dukies in the NBA (all-time**)

1. Grant Hill
2. Kyrie Irving
3. Carlos Boozer
4. Elton Brand
5. Jayson Tatum
6. Luol Deng
7. JJ Redick
8. Cory Maggette
9. Shane Battier
10. Mike Gminski

And my list of the best Dukies in the NBA (right now)

1. Kyrie Irving
2. Jayson Tatum
3. Zion Williamson
4. Brandon Ingram
5. JJ Redick
6. Justise Winslow
7. Marvin Bagley
8. Luke Kennard
9. Gary Trent, Jr.
10. RJ Barrett

-Jason "I am sure this will inspire some debate... don't hurt me too much " Evans

**- Post 1980, because I really have no frame of reference on the pre-1980 guys that I did not see play at all

I would take Tatum over Irving in a heartbeat. Zero hesitation.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I would take Tatum over Irving in a heartbeat. Zero hesitation.

In total agreement. Especially now, with his ability to play both sides of the floor and durability.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

From another thread:

Ok, my list of the 10 best Dukies in the NBA (all-time**)

1. Grant Hill
2. Kyrie Irving
3. Carlos Boozer
4. Elton Brand
5. Jayson Tatum
6. Luol Deng
7. JJ Redick
8. Cory Maggette
9. Shane Battier
10. Mike Gminski

-Jason "I am sure this will inspire some debate... don't hurt me too much " Evans

**- Post 1980, because I really have no frame of reference on the pre-1980 guys that I did not see play at all

I think Christian Laettner had a better (injury-plagued) NBA career (12.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) than Gminski.

[jv001]

From another thread:



Ok, my list of the 10 best Dukies in the NBA (all-time**)

1. Grant Hill
2. Kyrie Irving
3. Carlos Boozer
4. Elton Brand
5. Jayson Tatum
6. Luol Deng
7. JJ Redick
8. Cory Maggette
9. Shane Battier
10. Mike Gminski

And my list of the best Dukies in the NBA (right now)

1. Kyrie Irving
2. Jayson Tatum
3. Zion Williamson
4. Brandon Ingram
5. JJ Redick
6. Justise Winslow
7. Marvin Bagley
8. Luke Kennard
9. Gary Trent, Jr.
10. RJ Barrett

-Jason "I am sure this will inspire some debate... don't hurt me too much " Evans

**- Post 1980, because I really have no frame of reference on the pre-1980 guys that I did not see play at all

You would have loved Jack Marin.

[sagegrouse]

You would have loved Jack Marin.

And Jeff Mullins -- both multiple-time NBA All-Stars