Comments on Scrapper Nation: The Debate that Rages: Paulus or Smith?

Exactly V, exactly...

2007-07-25T08:24:00.000-04:00

Exactly V, exactly...

when that other guy said that nolan's riding the b...

2007-07-24T19:14:00.000-04:00

when that other guy said that nolan's riding the bench, i think he was talking about the fact that Coach K will not start him over paulus at point guard. He also would never switch paulus to the 2 and let nolan play point. of course nolan is too talented for the bench, but Coach K is too conservative to make such a "drastic" change. In his mind, paulus has already earned his spot as a starting point guard and i don't think for one second that the starting spot is up for the taking. if you do, little foot, you need to take a hard look at Coach K's history of rewarding seniority.

Well Honestly... Greg Can't handle any kind of pre...

2007-07-24T19:00:00.000-04:00

Well Honestly... Greg Can't handle any kind of pressure. Greg is cracking like an egg. He sees someone capable of taking his spot...so he needs to step it up! Yeah he has a great shot but that just will not get it done! Nolan riding the bench all season you got to be kidding me with that remark! He is to good of a player to sit. Be serious the coach might love Greg, but he isn't promised time. Who ever bust each other in practice is going to start! So let's see next season who can really get it done!

We suck the last five minutes

2007-07-24T13:25:00.000-04:00

We suck the last five minutes

Scrapper, I dont think you were defending K but ex...

2007-07-24T10:22:00.000-04:00

Scrapper, I dont think you were defending K but explaining history. AND I think we all agree with that logic of pitiful stallball [ eg Terps ACC win - despite duhon's injury]

I cant help thinking part of that stallball is due to using fewer players. You are right: we are proud of scrapping defense but miss our relentless offense.

The biggest difference bet Duke and Roy's UNC arent players [hell we recruit the same guys often]. Its Roy runs all the time and we used to mix it up bet half court and full court press. I prefer the later, bc its more sophisticated - IF both are incorporated. And our players have BEEN ready to due both.

Remember when K was the best guy for the last 5 minutes??? I'm anxiously looking.

Sorry also felt like venting.

That has really been the story of Duke basketball ...

2007-07-23T21:26:00.000-04:00

That has really been the story of Duke basketball the last couple of years: blowing games in the last five minutes.

I hate that logic, that since Coach K has won 800 ...

2007-07-23T18:51:00.000-04:00

I hate that logic, that since Coach K has won 800 something games and has won three championships, he is infallible and indisputable. Yes, he has been the main reason for raising Duke to the storied and successful college basketball program that it most certainly is; he deserves a lot of credit and is absolutely a Hall of Famer.

However, watching tapes of our three championships doesn't make me feel better about the last 3 years of offense in the last 5 minutes when up by 8 or more. For those who didn't watch games, it was dribble out the clock and in the last 6 seconds, make a haphazard one-on-one move and take a terrible shot. We let teams get back into way too many games and absolutely lost several because of this strategy alone. I remember the good old days when Duke mercilessly pounded teams into the ground; thats how it should be. You continue to play your game and finish teams off; that killer instinct has been lacking of late, and I think that attitude shift spills over to the players, noting the lack of a without-a-doubt clutch player in the past few years.

The slow-the-game-down-to-a-complete-standstill strategy completely disrupts the rhythm of the offense, and if (usually when) the opponent comes roaring back, we are caught on our heels and can't execute the way we did all game. This effectively negates the success we have for the majority of the game. Yes, Coach K is a brilliant coach. Yes, for 35 minutes of games I would want no one other than him. But if he doesn't realize his mistakes and shortcomings in those last 5 minutes, we will never be able to advance past Sweet 16 or Elite 8 rounds of the tournament.

I don't think Coach K is going to have us run and ...

2007-07-23T13:31:00.000-04:00

I don't think Coach K is going to have us run and gun and play a deep bench because of what he's shown us in the past. Duke has always had an immense amount of talent yet it's been a rare occurence when our rotation has featured more than 7 players. Let's take a look back:

Last year (2006-2007): We had Paulus, Scheyer, Gerald, Demarcus, McRoberts, Lance, and Dave play the majority of the minutes. Odd men out were Pocius and Zoubek

2005-2006: Paulus, J.J., Doc, McRoberts, Sheldon, Demarcus, and Lee. Odd men out were Pocius, Dave, Boykin, and Boateng (I think he was RIDICULOUSLY underplayed. Boateng was very effective whenever he was in the game but he didn't get much PT).

2004-2005: Ewing, J.J., Sheldon, Doc, Shav, Demarcus, Lee

2003-2004: J.J., Luol, Ewing, Sheldon, Duhon, Shav, Dockery

And the trend continues, the only real outliers were 1996-97 and 1997-98, when we had around 8 players in the rotation.

I can't say having a tight rotation has neccessarily been a bad thing for us in the past. We did win the national title in 2001 with basically a rotation of 6 players in Jay Will, Shane (oh the good old years), Boozer, Dunleavy, Nate James, and Duhon.

But if you look at the rest of that championship roster, there was a HUGE drop off in the next line of players in Reggie Love, Andre Sweet, Horvath, and Casey Sanders as options off the bench.

I was shocked that Marty and Zoubek didn't get more playing time last year and I was furious that we didn't play Boateng enough. I think Coach K has been handicapped in the past to play a tight rotation because of talent but it feels like in the last couple years he's made that his preferred playing style. We'll see what Coach decides but in the end I just don't think he will play an 11 man rotation (I'd say it's going to be capped at 8).

I hope D'Antoni talks him into playing fast because I think our best chance of winning is running and gunning with a full court press and coming in waves with our talent.

But then again, who is The Scrapper to second guess a hall of famer?

Nolan's better attribute is also a criticism: he b...

2007-07-23T12:41:00.000-04:00

Nolan's better attribute is also a criticism: he blends in. He makes others excel but at times doesnt take over. IOW, he defers too much. We had that prob w teammates of JJ.
Now, IMO if K can push him offensively (bc defense wont be an issue) Nolan could break a lot of PGs down to drive the lane.
? Scrapper: why do you think K wont go fastball? All of us would like the half AND full court versions, but you sound very confident that he wont. Love to hear.

Come on, sure we want Nolan to start. But do you R...

2007-07-23T12:39:00.000-04:00

Come on, sure we want Nolan to start. But do you REALLY think there is ANY chance Paulus and Scheyer don't start together? I'd be shocked if Coach K tried changing things up (something he really NEEDS to do this season).

Thanks Michael, I really appreciate it.

2007-07-23T11:40:00.000-04:00

Thanks Michael, I really appreciate it.

I agree that Gerald's a better dunker but I bet N...

2007-07-23T11:07:00.000-04:00

I agree that Gerald's a better dunker but I bet Nolan has a greater vertical leap.

Excellent article Scrapper, truly well done!

2007-07-23T10:15:00.000-04:00
Excellent article Scrapper, truly well done!

I agree Greg will get the nod, bc of experience, but also agree he's a better fit at the 2 spot. I've watched Nolan on TV in high school and he is a great combo point. He is NOT better than G at dunking. :)

Here's what I love fans, we're debating on having too many good players!!! Hopefully Coach is reading this :)

I didn't know Nolan was THAT good.

2007-07-23T09:34:00.000-04:00

I didn't know Nolan was THAT good.

START POCIUS

2007-07-22T22:06:00.000-04:00

START POCIUS

Totally agree with that last comment! McClure shou...

2007-07-22T21:02:00.000-04:00

Totally agree with that last comment! McClure shouldn't play AT ALL next season.

Well put, Scrapper. I think for Duke to be succes...

2007-07-22T20:29:00.000-04:00

Well put, Scrapper. I think for Duke to be successful this year, it is necessary that Nolan is in the starting lineup alongside Paulus. I feel like the Duke team is almost too deep for its own good. We have young guys like smith, henderson and thomas that deserve some time but we've already invested our interest and preference in players like demarcus and scheyer. I think it's unlikely Coach K sits Scheyer, and near impossible that he sits Demarcus. That means Smith and Henderson come off the bench. Furthermore, Dave McClure is going to eat up all of Taylor King's minutes at the 3/4 position, which is a crime.

Ideal starting lineup: Smith, Paulus, Nelson, Lance, Singler

Realistic/Coach K lineup: Paulus, Scheyer, Nelson, Singler, Zoubek

Would you rather have Paulus and Scheyer or Nolan ...

2007-07-22T15:00:00.000-04:00

Would you rather have Paulus and Scheyer or Nolan and Gerald in the backcourt? It's a no-brainer for me, I'd want Nolan and Gerald.

Nolan's going to be riding the bench all season. P...

2007-07-22T12:26:00.000-04:00

Nolan's going to be riding the bench all season. Paulus and Scheyer=Starting backcourt.

After watching that mixtape, I think the idea of s...

2007-07-21T19:55:00.000-04:00

After watching that mixtape, I think the idea of starting Nolan and Greg together isn't half bad.