It’s been 13 days, people.
I'm not sure how much easier their ACC schedule was but they did get lucky about Zion.How lucky are the cheats....no Zion for both games ( maybe) and an easier ACC schedule ( which something needs to change since it matters in standings, rankings and seedings)
The only thing they could do is not schedule the last 4-6 games and pair up teams at that point based on conference record, but even with that you’d have to decide who plays at home, decide if you factor in injuries like Zion’s, etc. There really isn’t anything they can do other than trim the fat back to 11 teams and play 20 conf games.How lucky are the cheats....no Zion for both games ( maybe) and an easier ACC schedule ( which something needs to change since it matters in standings, rankings and seedings)
How lucky are the cheats....no Zion for both games ( maybe) and an easier ACC schedule ( which something needs to change since it matters in standings, rankings and seedings)
The only thing they could do is not schedule the last 4-6 games and pair up teams at that point based on conference record, but even with that you’d have to decide who plays at home, decide if you factor in injuries like Zion’s, etc. There really isn’t anything they can do other than trim the fat back to 11 teams and play 20 conf games.
Ill be extremely disappointed if Zion misses the unc game. It’s absolutely ridiculous to say he’s not in good enough shape after missing just two weeks. The injury was very minor and imo wasn’t as bad as was ever thought. I think Zion was just more shocked at what happened and got scared when it happened. He should’ve played limited minutes tonight. He doesn’t have to go all out, but let the dude ease his way back into the game. Even if it’s just limited minutes, he’s fine enough to play. Heck he was jumping up and down pretty hard at the Syracuse game
Reid Travis had a very similar injury that occurred prior to Zion’s. He’s still out. Before we give too strong of an opinion from our couch let’s consider that too. Assuming Zion comes back and I absolutely believe he will, let’s give a little trust to the coaches/medical staff that are around him on a daily basis to help guide him through this process.
Just because everyone with an opinion has created their own “reasonable” timeline, myself included, doesn’t mean any of them are accurate. For the first time since Zion went down Coach K gave us a small peek behind the curtain and gave us a little context as to when we’ll likely see him back. Just because we really want him back for UNC doesn’t mean it is the right decision.
All I can say is that beating UNC w/out Zion would be mega sweet.
I don't have even a small concern that Zion isn't coming back. K has very definitively stated as much, so that debate shouldn't even exist.
What is very concerning is what the missed time is costing the team. There are some tangible things it has cost them: no ACC 1 seed, a very real shot and not getting a 1 seed in the NCAAT (I think getting one requires a win Saturday or a ACCT championship, two extremely difficult tasks under the circumstances). But beyond that, Duke is losing unbelievably valuable time to continue to coalesce and evolve as a full team. As K said in the presser, they will close their ACC season with a full team having played exactly half of the ACC schedule. Being so young makes that an even bigger hurdle, as that time together is absolutely paramount. Another direct quote from the presser: "We don't have it."
I know this team when fully assembled is very capable of cutting down the nets, and that is very exciting. But the reality is that road gets tougher and tougher the longer they go without that full squad evolving together again. I'm not being a downer, I am just voicing some concerns I have.
I agree with everything you are saying. Something has happened with this group and I cannot put my finger on it.I don't have even a small concern that Zion isn't coming back. K has very definitively stated as much, so that debate shouldn't even exist.
What is very concerning is what the missed time is costing the team. There are some tangible things it has cost them: no ACC 1 seed, a very real shot and not getting a 1 seed in the NCAAT (I think getting one requires a win Saturday or a ACCT championship, two extremely difficult tasks under the circumstances). But beyond that, Duke is losing unbelievably valuable time to continue to coalesce and evolve as a full team. As K said in the presser, they will close their ACC season with a full team having played exactly half of the ACC schedule. Being so young makes that an even bigger hurdle, as that time together is absolutely paramount. Another direct quote from the presser: "We don't have it."
I know this team when fully assembled is very capable of cutting down the nets, and that is very exciting. But the reality is that road gets tougher and tougher the longer they go without that full squad evolving together again. I'm not being a downer, I am just voicing some concerns I have.
I agree with everything you are saying. Something has happened with this group and I cannot put my finger on it.
Those are all valid, rational concerns. We all share them, one way or the other.
After it was apparent that Zion would be back at some point. I completely changed my mindset and accepted the fact that this team was going to have some struggles. But as long as he is back for the tournament, the ultimate goal will still be achievable. Not that I am not frustrated by poor performances, just that I understand that they won't get in the way of the big picture.Zion?
It’s depressing when almost every year you expect one of your top guns to get hurt. It’s inevitable. Besides the marshall injury I can’t really recall an important UNC player going down.
There's a joke there that I won't make.Didnt Lawson go down for a while?
Something has happened with this group and I cannot put my finger on it.