8 is enough 6 is not

[dukiejay]

Even if Tyus had stayed, there was scuttlebutt that Thornton enrolling early wasn't completely out of the question. That said, Duke was talking to Thornton in earnest about it at this time last season when it became quite apparent Tyus was likely a one-and-done.

Even considering those losses (could argue we had time to replace Semi and Sheed with a late commit, albeit not the kind that takes years of recruiting), we were looking damn good before Amile went down. K had us in great position once again. The fact that he brought Thornton in late in the cycle was great. Imagine our guard situation without him... K is stepping up and protecting his guys too, saying they are playing hard and that this skid is a coaching issue. I love our coach! We're spoiled.

Semi left in December of 2014, and Sheed last January....that's at a time when about 75% of the top 100 players had already signed letters of intent. It's not an easy thing to get involved that late in the game. We did make a push hard at Caleb Swanigan and at one point were considered a distinct possibility for his services....but it wasn't meant to be. But I agree with you....I actually think K did a pretty good job putting us in a position to succeed. It just hasn't worked out with Amile's injury. Both Chase Jeter and Sean Obi were expected to provide the minutes that would be needed. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out as well as we, or the staff, had hoped. And K has taken the blame for that.

 

[Dattier]

Both Chase Jeter and Sean Obi were expected to provide the minutes that would be needed. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out as well as we, or the staff, had hoped. And K has taken the blame for that.

How do you mean K has taken the blame for it? Like sheltering them from blame or some actual error on his part or what?

 

[dukiejay]

K made reference in his PC the other night that everything is on him. The kids have done everything asked of them and they're playing as hard as any team before them. They're just not getting rewarded with wins right now.

 

[Dattier]

Oh, yeah, I heard that. I'd distinguish between blame and responsibility. Blame implies an error of some sort, which I don't really think applies.

 

[dukiejay]

You're right....bad wording on my part.

 

[Dattier]

I'm picky just b/c some actually mean that, but I figured that was what you meant.

 

[SWEc/o95]

K made reference in his PC the other night that everything is on him. The kids have done everything asked of them and they're playing as hard as any team before them. They're just not getting rewarded with wins right now.

That's what I have seen. Six guys playing their tails off till the end. We've had teams since the 2010 title team that would have been out of these games in the first half when stuff is not going their way. I have no complaints about effort on the court this year.

 

[BOOGIEMAN1914]

the effort has been evident....just late game breakdowns and poor execution right at the end

 

[adm015]

We have the guards to win games, even though Sheed, Semi and Jones are gone I think our guards are good enough to keep us in every game and give us a chance to win. What is killing Duke is rebounding, go back and look at the games and see how many 2nd chance points teams are getting. If Duke can get 2-3 more defensive rebounds that could be the difference in all 3 games.

 

[DiehardDukeFan4Life]

We have the guards to win games, even though Sheed, Semi and Jones are gone I think our guards are good enough to keep us in every game and give us a chance to win. What is killing Duke is rebounding, go back and look at the games and see how many 2nd chance points teams are getting. If Duke can get 2-3 more defensive rebounds that could be the difference in all 3 games.

Our free throw shooting was pretty poor in those 3 games as well.

 

[DukeDenver]

You don't know what you have until it's gone. We miss you, Amile. A completely efficient double double who makes it hard for the other team to score. That's value.

 

[youngman42]

I imagine that those that are calling Jeter a bust/miss just because he's struggling this season are probably the same ones that were calling Grayson a bust/miss last season and we all know how that's turned out this season.

I don't remembr many at all calling Grayson a bust last year. In fact, most, myself included, were dumbfounded as to why Grayson was not getting more minutes because when he did get some minutes he'd play well.

And, this argument you're using is pure ad hominem; it isn't really an argument. It's a logical fallacy. It serves no purpose. Even if some were saying that about Grayson and were wrong about him it has nothing to do with the evaluation of Jeter (but the vast majority of complaints were not that - see above). Everyone, including K, has mis-evaluated players.

But, the reality is, when Jeter has been in games against real competition he has not shown much at all. In fact, he hasn't shown much against below average competition. That doesn't mean he's a total bust - but he's not playing to his talent level this year. Not even close.

 

[youngman42]

I just don't see the value in never giving Obi minutes. He's a big body. He was Freshman of the Year in a mid-major conference and led his team in rebounding. That was two years ago - he's older; stronger; should be more mature (I don't read of anything about a bad attitude); and can't contribute? That makes no sense unless he's seriously regressed.

Marshall needs rest. Bring Obi in. Coach him up! Get him playing better, we've got the best coach since Wooden - if not equal to Wooden - so get him playing at least where he was as a freshman.

Even if he fouls 3x in 3 minutes, at least he'd get a taste and would be a body that could block the lane.

K's stubbornness is both his strength and his weakness. Most of the time it works and it usually makes sense. But, in this case, I've never seen the sense of this and even other really successful coaches don't see this methodology as effective.

 

[youngman42]

Here's a lineup I'd use:

Thornton
Allen
Jones
Ingram
Plumlee

Off the bench, in order:
Kennard (can sub for any of Thornton, Allen, Jones). At least 25-30 mpg.
Jeter - 5-7 mpg
Obi - 5-7 mpg.

Give the big guys a couple of minutes burn alongside Plumlee at least. If it is fitting well - give them more.

When Amile returns he can pull in a lot of minutes (if he's 100%). But, you still have some experience there and the chance to go 9 deep if needed due to foul trouble among the bigs.

I think something should be done. It's really not like K is going to collapse if he puts Obi in the game.

 

[DukeDenver]

We'll need 15 good defensive/rebounding minutes out of Chase/Obi against UNC. They'll whip our butts otherwise. I wonder if we'll resort to Vrank at some point?