[SpartanGloryParticipant]

 Anyone else think that Duke might be just a tad overrated now with the news the Bagley has reclassified and will suit up for the Blue Devils? Granted, Bagley is sick and so is Duval but this is a team full of go-to scorers that really are all just young kids. At a minimum I’d question Duke’s (because of their freshmen and youth) ability to play defense and rebound against more physical teams, as well as their possible chemistry or ball movement/offensive schemes. I have no doubt that most of their starting lineup can get theirs whenever they want, but let’s be real, that’s not what wins in the NCAA. 

Vegas now has Duke at 3/1 to win the ‘chip, and as a sports better, there’s multiple other teams I’d want to take at worse odds/higher payout over Duke.

Also, as an Michigan State fan, this team doesn’t exactly strike fear into my heart…

 

 

[HobbyOGParticipant]

 Chemistry is a concern and egos. All of these guys are use to being the man, they all won’t be the man at Duke. Will Bolden pout for sitting on the bench another year after being an McDonald’s all-american? And will he be a cancer for it? Can this front court play D? Carter and Bagley are great offensive players but thier defense is suspect. Duke defense has been suspect the last couple years. And who’s the leader? Grayson Allen? that’s laughable. I think they’ll do what Duke does, make it to the Elite 8. 

[GBeeParticipant]

 Bagley and Carter are actually good interior defenders for their age, so I’m not sure what you’re talking about. There will be an adjustment period as is the case for all freshmen, but their defense is certainly not weaknesses in their games.  That’s part of their appeal, they’re not just scorers. They’re 2 way players.

 

 

  

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

they just added a Top 5 Draft Pick, they also got a highly rated PG and PF before Bagley comitted to join the team, I can’t think of a better team on paper

[SpartanGloryParticipant]

 Not saying Duke won’t be good or that they aren’t the best team "on paper", but I don’t see this as an elite defensive team and I like to value age/development/size over raw talent. A good player that’s been in a system for 2-3 years I think is more valuable than most 1 and done athletes at the college level. I know NBA scouts want the raw talent and future potential, but that doesn’t always translate to winning now. I think this team could get rattled once the going gets tough, although they do have one of the best coaches in the history of the game. We’ll see…

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

I value experience and chemistry too, but sometimes you just want to have the most talented team as possible

wouldn’t Tom Izzo want the same problems Duke and Coach K are going to face this season? 

Id take Duke’s frontline over most in the NCAA, and they still have Duval and Grayson Allen, this team is stacked TBH

There is no denying this team has superior talent in The ACC, sure they need experience and to be tested by other Grat college teams, it’s a problem Coach Cal takes on every year, he’s had great success with the formula and even cut down Some nets in his tenure 

 

[SpartanGloryParticipant]

 Izzo doesn’t have Bagley obviously but MSU isn’t a team of scrubs either with 2 likely top ten picks in next years draft, with Nick Ward and Josh Langford as possible draftees as well. The size and depth of State’s frontline is superior to Duke’s, however  the talent level isn’t quite as high. My point is simply that Duke is overrated. They may kill it this year and make it to the final 4, but I’m betting that the size and experience of a team like MSU, Arizona, or Kansas wins out. 3/1 is too high for such a young team.

[ph90702]

Coach K is an offensive coach all the way.  They finish in the top 10 in offensive efficiency every year.

[SlickBouncePassParticipant]

Kentucky was the original questionable team that dind’t seem to care much about players’ graduating and their education at the behest of winning.

Now you have Duke a perennial top 10 ranked academic institution making it appear now as if they care about an athlete’s ability to make money as soon as possible, and putting them in winning situations and on television under team USA coach…

anyway its all hypocrisy, all actions taken for ego and the holy dollar.

I liked Kentucky because they were the originals, the pure "we don’t give a ef let’s just win"…

Now you got Duke following Calipari’s m.o., and it all just seems so fake because they care much more about academics, upbringing and maturity, the reason they’d go after a Grant Hill and not Chris Webber or Jalen Rose…

Anyway its all hypocrisy.  Hate Duke.  Prefer Kentucky’s unabashed ways.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[GBeeParticipant]

 WTF are you talking about? Duke always went after bluechippers. Did they always get them? No, but they still recruited them. Their approach didn’t change, the (one and done) landscape did.

And get your facts straight, they did go after Webber, but not Rose.

 

[SlickBouncePassParticipant]

why not Rose you clown?  

Because he is too "hood" for them, and they are an upstanding university right?  Upstanding to the point that it doesn’t affect their reputation as winners and allow them to make as much money as possible off these players.

They SCOFFED at 1 and done before they realized it was their best chance to win so might as well get with the times.  

Before they were all about "good young men with good upbringings", failing to take chances on players with checkered pasts because they might RUIN Duke’s tidy reputation.  The best part is that its Grayson Allen that is the biggest punk on that team (hate his game too btw).

Now, recently, they’ve given it all up to bring in anyone that can help them win.  The best part is Coach K hasn’t had much success with melding all the 1-and-done superteam talent and Teams with Chemistry still win.

Hate the superteam concept, and hate the fraud Dukies.   

I just like Calipari because he was the original to do it and he’s had success doing it and he doesn’t hide behind some smug reputation.  

  

[mtpandolfiParticipant]

 Why not Rose?  Simple, because they had Grant Hill.

[GBeeParticipant]

 Too hood? Lol. Sounds like someone watched that Fab 5 doc and just rehashed whatever Jalen said in it, which he also attributed to thoughts of a rebellious teenager. 

They already had Grant Hill, already had Thomas Hill, Brian Davis and also Hurley to run the point. But keep spouting nonsense.  You act as if Duke only recruited "privileged" kids, but if you look at those Dukies who played on those teams around the time Jalen was in college, Brian Davis, Hurley, Laettner, Thomas Hill, Grant, Lang, etc… the ONLY privileged kid was Grant.

Fact is that, as long as they’ve been a blue blood college basketball school, they have ALWAYS recruited bluechippers. Blue chip prospects who in this era would be considered 1 and done prospects.  They never changed their approach. Since you think that they’re compromising their approach to recruiting answer me this, who are these kids with "checkered pasts" that they’re recruiting now that they would not have recruited in the past?  You can go ahead and start with their current class.

And um, wasn’t their last championship team lead by 1 and done talent in Tyus, Jahlil and Justise? Try again. Actually don’t, you suck at this.

 

 

[SlickBouncePassParticipant]

Is nothing like the teams they’ve had the past two years.  

I dont’ care about Duke basketball.  I’ve stated what I’ve stated.  They go after the clean cut players and then try to reshape their images if they aren’t clean-cut as if Duke is really "prepping" these kids well for the future.

See Chase Jeter and the absolute Bum Frank Jackson.  These two guys SUCK.

Frank Jackson’s dad was an aerospace lobbyist, he was being touted as a top guard in college, better than Fultz during the HS AS games.  

Frank Jackson sucks.  He is your prototypical Dukie.  The clean-cut kid going ot play for coach K, natural winner etc.

Hate Duke.  I respect Webber more now that he didn’t go.   

When Kentucky does the 1 and done thing its a question on Calipari’s credibility and whether he cares for these kids.

Coach K does it and its all the rave and there is zero questioning of his credibility.  

  

[Taylor Gang MikeParticipant]

 Duval

Allen

Tucker

Marvin

PJ

Then you got Gary Trent, Bolden, Alex O and etc coming off the bench. That is solid. Look out for Tucker, dude is a stud. Can score from wherever. He may lead them in scoring

 

 

 

 

 

[A Lil EnglishParticipant]

I don’t think chemistry and winning attitude will be a problem even with selfish kids.. If Coach K can help get the USA team back to winning ways he should be able to do with a pretty simple question. "I coached Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Lebron James and Russell Westbrook back to the top of world basketball. Who the hell are you?"

[SpartanGloryParticipant]

 It’s not necessarily chemistry IMO, but team fit. They don’t really have a true PG and most of these guys are elite scorers. They won’t be bad, but national title favorites? Also, these guys have all been destroying 5’10 kids in high school. Things will change drastically for them in college. I think there are known commodities in the college game already with more size, strength, and at least a year of college experience under their belts that will be better.

[I.C.Y.U.NV.MEParticipant]

1. Sorry Taylor Gang Mike, but Tucker won’t start over Gary Trent Jr., and he most certainly won’t be their leading scorer. That’s honestly one of the more ridiculous assertions I’ve seen on this site. Tucker was ranked anywhere from the 50’s to the 80’s by major recruiting services, GTJ was a top 10 recruit and Burger Boy. You seriously think he’ll start and lead the team in scoring over guys like Grayson, Bagley, and Carter? No way fam.

2. @spartanglory No true PG? You’re thinking of last year. They have Trevon Duval, one of the most athletic and pure pg’s in the nation. He’ll thrive with all the athletic big men he’ll have to dump the ball off to/throw oops to, as he can get to the lane at will. And I get what you’re saying about them being freshman, it will take some time to adjust. However, Duvall, GTJ, and Carter are all physically mature for their age. Duval is a 6’3 190lb PG, GTJ is a 6’6 215lb wing player, and Carter is 6’10 260lb. Physicality won’t be an issue for them, they will however need to adjust to the speed of the college game but that will come with time. This was a team that was already a top 5-7 team before adding the once in a generation talent that is Marvin Bagley. He’s an Anthony Davis type of player who instantly takes a team to the next level. He’s been playing with NBA guys for a large part of his summer, and was MORE than holding his own. Freshman or not, this group has butt loads of talent that by March should be geared to make a deep run.

 

 

 

[SpartanGloryParticipant]

 So you think Duval is the pass first floor general that’s going to be setting people up and run the offense? Maybe but I’ve seen more comparisons to Westbrook than anyone else, which is ridiculous, but imo he’s a score first guard with supreme athleticism, which brings me back to my point about the team being mostly score first players.

Bagley IS NOT Anthony Davis. AD’s reach and wingspan was unreal at the college level, and defensive impact second to none. That is absolutely not Bagley. I see Amare Stoudamire with a better shot and ball handling. He’s pretty darn good but I’m not buying into the "once in a generation talent" just yet.

Like I said Duke is really good, but overrated when compared to the other top teams with size and experience.

[SpaceghostParticipant]

AS a Tarheels Fan  ,Im happy we got our CHIP last year because this year its not going to be pretty.

 

I think they are rated about correct, but they do have some issues .

1) Egos are very import.. How would you feel if you were Marques Bolden pretty much assured of starting along side Wendell Carter and now your going to the bench. Make no mistake Wendell and Bagley will be starting. Grayson Allen has been groomed for a while to be the GOOD face of DUKE basketball, how does he handle a guy that is simply going to takeover the go to guy role from him again. (Kennard and Tatum did it last year)

2) Duval, I watch and am around alottttttt of AAU basketball and I heard some not so nice things about Duval. His talent is there but is he really the pass first PG to lead a team full of kids who can score. I think Duval is more in the mold of Westbrook in that he thinks he can beat his guy everytime im going to get mines. im sure Coach K will get into his ear, but thats something to look at

3) Defense – No Amile Jefferson to anchor the back of the defense. but thats me just being a hater of DUKE.  Hell if this Duke team was going to the NBA there would be concerns but Wendall and Marvin are so big and athletic even if they arent good interior defenders theres noone in College hoops this year thats going to be able to expose them anyway

HOPE DUKE LOSES EVERY GAME.. BOUT I Doubt it..

 

They look scary on PAPER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[I.C.Y.U.NV.MEParticipant]

He gets Westbrook and Rose comparing because of his athleticism and body control. He’s still a pure pg. Check ANY scouting report. They will tell you he needs to get less flashy and has turn over issues, as is the case with almost every athletic pg, but he certainly can run a team. He excels at drive and kick/dump off which is perfect with the current personnel.

[Author]

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