Will make the decision on ESPNU from the Peach Jam. I don't think UK is a serious player for him. I'll watch because I want to see if he goes to St. Louis. It would be very interesting to see play out.
Tatum announcing tommorow. Do you care?
- Thread starter coolcat9lives
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Yeah I care, since he and Giles continue to say they'll play together next year.
If our 2016 class pans out, will be some 40-0 talk for Duke a year from now.
If our 2016 class pans out, will be some 40-0 talk for Duke a year from now.
this is a good news bad news thing for us, bad news, the superstar NBA all-star types we usually get 1 or 2 of those guys if they're in a class and we aren't getting any of the 3 this year. Good news get their commitments out of the way so we can focus on the 2nd tier really good guys and land them and not get burned waiting out guys we were never going to get in the spring.
I'd like to think we'd have a good shot at him. Zona and Duke will be a tough out for him as well.
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Jerry Meyer is confident after speaking with St. Louis coaches that he'll commit to SLU. We'll find out soon enough.
I'm saying if he reclassifies we may still end up with the NBA All Star.
Or someone else could blossom late, a la AD.
Plenty of time to put the pieces together, but I kind of love that Duke fans are already talking 40-0 2 years out.
Man, if only we had the world's best recruiter and 7 or 8 former bigs starting in the NBA to sell Ayton on.
the scariest part of Giles and Tatum going to Duke is Dennis Smith Jr. Guy is the best PG prospect since John Wall or Kyrie Irving. He plays like Chris Paul with better size and the athleticism of Wall. Guy is scary good. I'd take him over anyone in the class except Giles.
Man if only we had the best recruiter in the world with 7 or 8 former bigs starting in the league to sell Giles, or any other players we ever wanted at any position, don't be a schmuck.
You see Thornton as a OAD? Only way Smith goes to Duke is if Thornton is gone. That's unlikely.
From what I've read, Duke is all-in on Frank Jackson, although still staying involved with Smith. I know Smith, Taytum and Giles still talk about playing together, though.
Have yet to read why UK hasn't offered Smith, if I recall a couple of months ago Dennis was wondering the same thing.
Smith has been viewed as a huge Duke lean for a long, long time, it's why we aren't even recruiting him. You think if Cal thought he was going to go to NC State, UL, Florida, he'd just throw in the towel like that?
You make it seem like the basketball apocalypse is upon us, when in reality UK has probably one of the best two or three teams in the nation coming up this season. What exactly do you want? Duke has two of the top 4 prospects in the '16 class sitting in their state, and UNC is down, so it is what it is.
Is Duke going to be loaded in '16-17? Yes. But we learned this previous season that loaded doesn't necessarily equal titles. Cal is putting the best possible team on the court every season. You can't ask for much more than that, and your implication that Ayton would share with Giles is baseless given the way Duke runs their offense.
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If it was well-known that he'd stay in-state regardless, yes. Again, how do you logically dispel the reality of Thornton already being at Duke and likely being a guy who stays at least two years? Put Smith at the two and you still have Kennard and possibly Allen. In other words, there won't be a combo spot waiting for Smith. It's either Thornton is gone or Smith's going elsewhere.
What are you talking about? Where did I say anything of the sort? Basketball apocalypse, get a grip man, the problem is you're one of those fans that can't handle any fan saying UK and John Calipari are not going to sign every player we desire and go 40-0 every year and could be the Golden State Warriors and you're going to win the Powerball tomorrow. I think Cal is King, and I think we have as good as shot as anyone to compete for and win the national title every year. I also think some years other teams are better than us and get players we'd like to have.
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I can't even imagine you're being serious with this drivel, I can't believe he recruited Kennard with Allen there, I can't believe we recruited Anthony Davis with Terrance Jones already on the team, you think for one second you turn away a guy like Smith because there's already another good guy at his position? Also do I think Thorton is one and done? Not necessarily, but he is rated the above Murrary and Briscoe in some rankings and in general they all fall right around each other and everyone just assumes they are one and done, so why wouldn't Thorton be 1 and done? Is he a better kid that values school more than our kids?
Read the above quote again, and then look at the number of times you openly worry about Duke landing a package of elite guys, and then tell me if you can understand the irony. In no way, shape or form have I implied that Cal has a real shot at Smith, Giles, or Tatum.
For the record, you still have a question in the bullpen that's been warming up for a few innings now. How do Thornton, Smith, Allen, and Kennard co-exist in the same backcourt, especially with Tatum and Jones playing the three spot?
I never said Duke would turn him away. I simply don't think Smith will come if he sees a rising sophomore like Thornton coming back. Duke will recruit him and gladly welcome him - with or without DT - but I maintain my contention that Smith and Thornton will never share a backcourt unless Allen or Kennard bolt this year; and your Jones/Davis comparison is hollow considering they didn't even play the same position in college.
Also, just so I'm clear on what you're saying, is your position that Smith is Duke-bound regardless, with or without Thornton at Duke? I mean, the reality is that Duke is going to be loaded with a sop Thornton or a frosh Smith. It makes no difference.
For the record, you still have a question in the bullpen that's been warming up for a few innings now. How do Thornton, Smith, Allen, and Kennard co-exist in the same backcourt, especially with Tatum and Jones playing the three spot?[/QUOTE]
Platoon?
Platoon?
You could ask the same question and replace Smith with Jackson. Both top 10 recruits who play PG.
I think K plays the best guys he has, one of the reasons we have more than our share of transfers of guys in the 20 - 30 range. In that lineup, assuming everyone comes back, Thorton is PG, Smith/Jackson are SG / backup PG, Allen is SG and Kennard is backup SG / backup SF assuming Tatum picks Duke. I suspect at least 1 is gone to the draft next year, possibly 2, with Allen & Thorton being most likely. I also won't be shocked if we have another transfer, and if Matt Jones doesn't see a ton of court his senior year.
The platoon will never happen intentionally. It was a freak of nature last season and had Lyles and company known of the returns, I doubt at least two of the freshmen would have joined the party.
A sophomore Kennard and junior Allen both playing as backups? Unlikely.
I edited my comment after your response. From what I've seen, K goes with his best players. If Kennard/Allen aren't as good as the new guys, they'll come off the bench. I hope for Allen's sake he has a really solid year and gets drafted in the first round. It's interesting how we Duke fans are having to come to grips with the same thing UK fans have had to the past few years. Getting good talent is great, but it's tough to lose guys after 1-2 years who might not want to come off the bench...
Seeing as how a few other people responded for me in similar fashion, I'll say I'd expect K to play his best guys and have the others come off the bench. I'd also say that top guys think they are better than whoever would be in front of them and it doesn't scare them away, maybe it scares their handlers but not them. Also K is in charge of USA basketball and can sell kids through that and on the fact that he's the winningest coach ever and produces NBA players like Cal does, and he is doing it better and more frequently now than he has since the early 90's.
Further, you show me one time anywhere in the thread "I'm openly worried about Duke's package of guys." That goes back to my point of you not being able to understand that people can say things like other teams and coaches besides UK and Calipari can be good and that doesn't mean I'm worried or whatever. Trust me as a UK fan like I said we are right in the mix every year and I'm just fine with it. Hell, if the team with the most talent won every year Cal would have won 4 titles already. It doesn't work like that, like you said it doesn't really matter who they have Duke will be loaded in 16-17 but we could be too. I'll take my chances with Johnny Vincent.
Further, you show me one time anywhere in the thread "I'm openly worried about Duke's package of guys." That goes back to my point of you not being able to understand that people can say things like other teams and coaches besides UK and Calipari can be good and that doesn't mean I'm worried or whatever. Trust me as a UK fan like I said we are right in the mix every year and I'm just fine with it. Hell, if the team with the most talent won every year Cal would have won 4 titles already. It doesn't work like that, like you said it doesn't really matter who they have Duke will be loaded in 16-17 but we could be too. I'll take my chances with Johnny Vincent.
I think you are praising Smith Jr just a tad bit too much.
"the scariest part of Giles and Tatum going to Duke is Dennis Smith Jr. Guy is the best PG prospect since John Wall or Kyrie Irving. He plays like Chris Paul with better size and the athleticism of Wall. Guy is scary good. I'd take him over anyone in the class except Giles."
Typically, when a fan calls an opponent scary, they're concerned about that opponent. After all, you posted multiple times, in the middle of the night, about Tatum and Duke and then spent another post beefing up Smith. Should I take that as concern?
So you basically imply that Duke is going to be loaded, declaring them scary, but then expect the outside onlooker to reconsider your words as merely an objective observation, one with no concern and completely removed from any emotional position whatsoever.
Most fans aren't able to do that, but maybe you are. That's cool. If you're actually able to do that, I envy you, sir.
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You make a good point here and I completely agree. K is thriving off USA hoops. The good news is that he turns 69 next winter. Age is the great equalizer, and as of yet, Duke is Coach K. I doubt they maintain even 80% of what he's been doing when he steps down. Capel,is good, but he's not magician.
We got shafted by the little engine that could last year. Hopefully, it's Duke's turn today.
