College Spun @CollegeSpun 7m7 minutes ago
Phil Jackson: Duke Players Fail To Live Up To Expectations In The NBA
- Thread starter Smashcat
- Start date
Duke hype. It's also the reason their rank/seeds are better than their results and they have so many more NPOYs than other schools.
Honest question: If so many Duke players fail to live up to expectations, why was Duke tied with Kentucky as the schools with the most players on an opening day roster at the start of the 2014-15 season? If Duke players are not going to live up to the hype, wouldn't it make sense for teams to stop drafting them?
What would be considered the expectations? If people were expecting them to be superstars then ok. But guys like Brand, Deng, Battier, Boozer, Dunleavey, Redick, and Irving have proven to be good to very good NBA players.
Accurate depiction of Duke player's nd their NBA success. Can't name any superstars who played at Duke minus Grant Hill (even that's debatable because of his injury). Kyrie Irving and Jabari Parker have a chance to be the next Duke superstars though. Duke has guys that go on to have respectable careers though. (e.g. Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Elton Brand and JJ Redick)
If we're being honest, no school can currently claim that it is consistently producing superstars at the next level. UK would be the closest, though Anthony Davis, John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins will still need a few more years in my opinion. Hell, UNC hasn't produced anyone worthy of attention since Vince Carter, and before that Michael Jordan.
I think that's what Phil is implying. None of the former Duke guys lived up to the hype/expectations (Kyrie will get there IMO). Brand (#1 overall), Dunleavy (#3 Overall), Deng (#6th overall), Battier (#6 overall), and Redick (#11th overall) never really blossomed into bonafide stars or even consistent all-stars. I think if you are drafting in the lottery you are expecting to get an top player in the league for years to come. Duke players haven't delivered that and all of the guys I mentioned have been considered role players for quite some time.
Out of those guys listed, only Brand was thought to be a franchise type of player. And at his peak he was that for the Clippers. Regardless of draft position, no one thought Battier or Redick had superstar potential.
As a bulls fan I can speak first hand that former duke players are good but never great. (Deng) Or often have an attitude as well ( Carlos boozer, jay Williams, etc.)
Can't stand how the bulls front office loves to pick those guys up, especially when hey are past their prime a la dunleavy. Because no one else in the entire nba can hit wide open threes.
Can't stand how the bulls front office loves to pick those guys up, especially when hey are past their prime a la dunleavy. Because no one else in the entire nba can hit wide open threes.
Look at the NBA draft results for the players you listed.
1999 (Brand) - No real superstars, Ginobli was the best player from this class, and Baron Davis, Richard Hamilton, Andre Miller, Jason Terry, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest were all productive
2001 (Battier) - Pau Gasol, Tony Parker Zach Randolph are the best picks that year, with Tyson Chandler and Joe Johnson also having productive careers.
2002 (Dunleavy) - Yao Ming could be considered a superstar, with Amar'e Stoudemire and Tayshaun Prince enjoying nice careers
2004 (Deng) - Dwight Howard is a superstar, Andre Iguodala has had a great career, and Josh Smith, Al Jefferson and Tony Allen have had productive careers
2006 (Redick) - No superstarts, though Lamarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, and Paul Millsap have all had nice careers
Bottom line, outside of Dwight Howard, Yao Ming, and maybe Gasol/Parker/Ginobli, there have been no superstars to come from any of those drafts. Lots of schools produced kids drafted those years (with many players drafted ahead of the Duke guys), but apparently Duke is the only one where you can say the players didn't live up to expectations
Phil has a solid point that has a lot more to do than just not wanting no defense Okafor. Duke players are not taught defensive skills that translate to the league.
Yeah the flop does not translate well to the NBA.
I have been wanting flopping to get T'd up in college now for about 20 years. I hate that crap. Any Kentucky player flops or floor slaps then they should be taken out of the game immediately and benched. I am so happy that Kentucky has never taught that crap like Duke pulls. I cannot stand to watch it.
Lol yeah they need to do something about it in college. Especially in Duke games when officials are intiminated by Coach K.
Anyone that thinks Kristaps Porzingis is going to be the next Darko doesn't know what they are talking about and is probably making an assumption on race. Porzingis is going to be a star. Much better comparison to a more athletic Dirk thank Darko.
Notice the bold. You stepped over this part of the statement. All the players listed in bold have had at least two all-star appearances. All players in bold have had more or equal the amount of nods their Duke draft counterparts received. Hell some of these guys like Ginobili, Parker, Rondo and Millsap were drafted WAY lower than their Duke counterparts. Duke is a great college program and has been for the better part of 30 years but you guys don't produce superstars or even all stars for that matter.
Who has UNC produced since Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison? And before that since Michael Jordan?
Before Anthony Davis and John Wall jumped to the league, who had UK produced in the way of a superstar, much less a consistent all star? Closest I can remember would be Jamal Mashburn.
Yet he was drafted before Carmelo, Bosh, and Dwayne Wade. While the Milicic comparison was a bit rough, Porzingis is FAR from a sure thing.
DAVIS , Wall, and Cousins are not already superstars?
![[pfftt]](https://ct.yimg.com/mr/uploads/891/1682173.gif "Pfffttt [pfftt]")
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You lost credibility there Scooter.
I think AD would be the top pick around the league if GMs were building a team right now. Everybody knows AD is next.
You could make the case for Davis, though he would benefit more from playing with more talent around him. Jury is still out on Wall, and Cousins' needs to be on a better team.DAVIS , Wall, and Cousins are not already superstars?
You lost credibility there Scooter.
DAVIS , Wall, and Cousins are not already superstars?
You lost credibility there Scooter.
Davis, yes. Wall and Cousins, I would say not yet.
And they didn't because that move would make no sense. George Karl is an excellent coach. It's in the Kings' best interest for the two of them to coexist.
If push came to shove Karl was out the door and everybody knows it... except maybe folks that don't think AD is a superstar.
Mostly agree, but Rondo was extremely close. He's a World Champion that was on a streak of 4 All Star games before his injury.
Few things ...
- Totally agree with Aike. Phil never had the opportunity to pick Okafor, so maybe he is trying to say he got a better player with a higher pick. Marketing of sorts.
- That reads almost like Phil just bitch-slapped K. I like it. Would be awesome if K responded.
- I don't buy it. Duke produces plenty of excellent players, and UK has recruited half of them, so the shoe could easily fit on the other foot here. One thing I can agree with is Chad's comment about the constant over-hyping, giving them a better rank/seed than they truly deserve.
