Latest DBR podcast (#436)

[UrinalCake]

I've only gotten through the first three questions, but here are my thoughts so far:

Ryan Young averaging more PPG than Derek Lively

I'd give this a 1 on a scale with 10 being the most likely. Barring injury, I just don't see it happening. I really like what we've seen out of Young in the scrimmage videos, and twitter comments have reinforced the notion that he has been better than expected. But Lively is arguably the #1 player in the class and he didn't earn that solely off his defense. Mark Williams averaged 7.1PPG his freshman year despite playing only 15.2 minutes and I think Lively will exceed that. Also I think Young's defensive limitations will prevent him from playing big minutes, he'll be used situationally dependent on matchups.

A better questions would be - who will average more points per MINUTE? That would be closer to a 50/50 call.

Tyrese Proctor starting our first game

This is an 8 or 9 for me. A major point that was not mentioned is that Grandison has been injured all summer, he has not practiced and is still not on the floor based on some twitter reports from just a couple days ago. So whatever advantage he might have over Proctor due to getting acclimated to his teammates while Proctor is playing in Australia has been nullified. He does of course have a massive experience advantage at the college level, but given Proctor's international experience it's not as great a differential as with a typical freshman.

As far as I know Grandison's injury is not serious and he is expected to be healthy by fall practice. But I still have Proctor as my presumed starter right now. The other factor I should mention is that Proctor starting allows Whitehead to start at his more natural 3 or wing position, whereas Grandison starting means Whitehead is playing more of the 2 which is not ideal.

Mitchell starting more games than Flip

I give this a 5, maybe a 6. Based on scrimmage videos alone you would have Mitchell as the clear starter at the 4, but based on high school rankings it would be Flip. I also have serious questions about how Flip and Lively will fit on the defensive end, and I think there's a very real possibility that Mitchell/Lively is simply a better fit while Flip is more naturally suited to play the college 5. I also think Mitchell is physically more ready in terms of strength and athleticism; Flip gives me Matthew Hurt vibes and we saw how unprepared he was his first year.

Overall my numbers for the first two are much different than the podcast crew, which perhaps speaks to how much uncertainty there is about our roster. I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of it, and appreciate the discussion as always!

[JasonEvans]

Thanks for getting the discussion started my fine yellow friend...

The episode he is referencing just dropped last night: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/duk...=VMP8896634092

In it, I present "5 surprising things that could happen for Duke basketball in the next year"

To be clear, I am not saying any of these things are really likely. My criteria was to come up with things that might seem crazy on the surface, but when you stop to think about them a bit, you suddenly go, "yeah, that could happen." Here are the five scenarios:

1. Ryan Young averages more points per game than Dereck Lively
2. Tyrese Proctor is a starter in Duke's first game of the regular season
3. Mark Mitchell ends up starting more games at PF than Kyle Filipowski
4. Jeremy Roach does not lead Duke in assists
5. At least one of Blakes, Schutt, Reeves, Young, Mgbako, Stewart, Foster, or McCain are not on the Duke team next year

Have a listen and let us know which ideas are totally crazy and which might have some kernels of reality.

[cbolden1]

Thanks for getting the discussion started my fine yellow friend...

The episode he is referencing just dropped last night: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/duk...=VMP8896634092

In it, I present "5 surprising things that could happen for Duke basketball in the next year"

To be clear, I am not saying any of these things are really likely. My criteria was to come up with things that might seem crazy on the surface, but when you stop to think about them a bit, you suddenly go, "yeah, that could happen." Here are the five scenarios:

1. Ryan Young averages more points per game than Dereck Lively
2. Tyrese Proctor is a starter in Duke's first game of the regular season
3. Mark Mitchell ends up starting more games at PF than Kyle Filipowski
4. Jeremy Roach does not lead Duke in assists
   
5. At least one of Blakes, Schutt, Reeves, Young, Mgbako, Stewart, Foster, or McCain are not on the Duke team next year

Have a listen and let us know which ideas are totally crazy and which might have some kernels of reality.

I Think this is the most likely with the Candidates being Blakes,Schutt, and McCain. Foster and Mack and Stewart I think will have a role on the team no matter what

[flyingdutchdevil]

Thanks for getting the discussion started my fine yellow friend...

The episode he is referencing just dropped last night: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/duk...=VMP8896634092

In it, I present "5 surprising things that could happen for Duke basketball in the next year"

To be clear, I am not saying any of these things are really likely. My criteria was to come up with things that might seem crazy on the surface, but when you stop to think about them a bit, you suddenly go, "yeah, that could happen." Here are the five scenarios:

1. Ryan Young averages more points per game than Dereck Lively
2. Tyrese Proctor is a starter in Duke's first game of the regular season
3. Mark Mitchell ends up starting more games at PF than Kyle Filipowski
4. Jeremy Roach does not lead Duke in assists
5. At least one of Blakes, Schutt, Reeves, Young, Mgbako, Stewart, Foster, or McCain are not on the Duke team next year

Have a listen and let us know which ideas are totally crazy and which might have some kernels of reality.

1. No chance. It's not the productivity; it's the minutes. Young is 3rd on the pecking order to play the 5 (Lively, Flip, Young). His minutes will be squeezed. Also, if Young does average more than Lively, I think that probably speaks more to Lively's 'disappointment' than Young's 'heroics'.
2. Yeah. Could easily see that with Grandison injured.
3. This is my take that lots of folks laugh at around here. Not saying it's gonna happen, but I could see if happening. Mitchell may be a better 'fit' with the starting 5, especially if Mitchell is solid on D and the team's calling card is defense (which it may be. This isn't a Coach K OAD team; it's a Scheyer one. So we don't really know what to expect)
4. I could easily see this happening. Roach isn't a pass-first PG, and that's okay. Dariq may be the secondary ball handler who is great at garnering assists.
5. Absolutely yes. Transfers, development leagues, someone decides to stay at Duke for another year and creates a log-jam...I unfortunately do not think this is a 'hot take' but rather the state of college basketball right now.

[dm9e24]

I Think this is the most likely with the Candidates being Blakes,Schutt, and McCain. Foster and Mack and Stewart I think will have a role on the team no matter what

Does this mean you look for McCain to de-commit?

[grad_devil]

Thanks for getting the discussion started my fine yellow friend...

Are urinal cakes ever yellow? Wouldn't that be a bit counterproductive? Isn't the idea to not remind you of urine (both color + smell)?

Now maybe all of these years I've been mis-reading Urinal Cake's username, and it's based off of a cake made of urine. While quite disgusting, it would most likely be yellow, and I owe Jason Evans an apology.

I call for an investigative segment on podcast 437! What is the purpose behind Urinal Cake's username? What is your favorite color of urinal cake? Inquiring minds and all of that...

[OZZIE4DUKE]

What is your favorite color of urinal cake? Inquiring minds and all of that...

No, they don't!

[UrinalCake]

Appreciate the interest in my username! I chose it many years ago when first signing up for the board, while internet discussion was still in its early stages. I didn't give it much thought; at the time I was doing a lot of first person shooter gaming and a buddy of mine went by the handle urinalcake because he was so bad at the game that he joked that his opponents were constantly pissing on him. Since I didn't have any other ideas I just stole it from him. Little did I know the name would stick with me after all these years.

[JasonEvans]

Are urinal cakes ever yellow? Wouldn't that be a bit counterproductive? Isn't the idea to not remind you of urine (both color + smell)?

Now maybe all of these years I've been mis-reading Urinal Cake's username, and it's based off of a cake made of urine. While quite disgusting, it would most likely be yellow, and I owe Jason Evans an apology.

I call for an investigative segment on podcast 437! What is the purpose behind Urinal Cake's username? What is your favorite color of urinal cake? Inquiring minds and all of that...

In retrospect, I should have absolutely called him, "my pink friend."

That is what I get for focusing on the urine and not the cake. Won't ever make that mistake again!

[grad_devil]

That is what I get for focusing on the urine and not the cake. Won't ever make that mistake again!

Words to live by, Jason. Words. To. Live. By. Our focus should always be on cake.

[scottdude8]

Thanks for getting the discussion started my fine yellow friend...

The episode he is referencing just dropped last night: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/duk...=VMP8896634092

In it, I present "5 surprising things that could happen for Duke basketball in the next year"

To be clear, I am not saying any of these things are really likely. My criteria was to come up with things that might seem crazy on the surface, but when you stop to think about them a bit, you suddenly go, "yeah, that could happen." Here are the five scenarios:

1. Ryan Young averages more points per game than Dereck Lively
2. Tyrese Proctor is a starter in Duke's first game of the regular season
3. Mark Mitchell ends up starting more games at PF than Kyle Filipowski
4. Jeremy Roach does not lead Duke in assists
5. At least one of Blakes, Schutt, Reeves, Young, Mgbako, Stewart, Foster, or McCain are not on the Duke team next year

Have a listen and let us know which ideas are totally crazy and which might have some kernels of reality.

I agree that 1 is unlikely based on minutes, but if this was phrased as "points per minutes played", then I think that's very feasible. I wouldn't be surprised if Duke uses Young as an offensive focus off the bench given his post skills... I've said a few times this offseason that a 4-around-1 lineup with Young as the 1 could be dangerous, especially against a small opponent.

2-4 all seem feasible. I think we're going to see a lot of Grandison and Proctor being interchangeable in the starting lineup depending upon the matchup down the stretch, but in Game 1 it'll likely depend on who integrates into the team quicker (Grandison due to his injury, Proctor due to him playing overseas over the summer). It wouldn't surprise me if Mitchell starts the year in the starting lineup but Kyle finishes it, which may make 3 a reality... it seems like Kyle has all the tools to be a stellar college player, but may need a little more time to develop. And Whitehead could easily be more of a playmaker than Roach.

5 is the interesting, and sad, question. I'd posit the bigger surprise would be if all of those guys are on next year's roster, as sad a statement as that may be. I doubt any of the incoming freshman are going anywhere, unless it's to the G-League Ignite. With McCain seeming to blow up this summer, he may demand more immediate PT than the coaching staff expected when they were initially recruiting him as a high 4* shooting specialist... which may mean Blakes or Schutt doesn't have obvious PT if they don't lay claim to it this year. I really hope I'm wrong, though, as a core of those 8 guys, buoyed potentially by an additional returnee, a late 2023 commit (Power?), or a transfer, would be a very exciting mix of youth, talent, and experience.