It’s America’s house, and the last time I checked, Zelensky isn’t an American. He’s been treated more than fair, and Trump spoke to him EXACTLY how he needed to be treated. Zelensky is a weasel.

DukeDallas9192011015 said:

That's a great stat. However let's be honest, the ACC has been bad for a few years now overall. I don't think just the NCAA tournament is a fair way to measure how good/bad a conference is, though it is the most important time of the year. This year if you took away Duke/Clemson/UL than the ACC is a middle of the pack mid-major conference.

It's annoying because this Duke team truly is elite but this conference has only tested them a handful of times. The ACC in 2019 was an elite league still and got 3 #1 seeds that season, I think this 2025 Duke team would still go 17-3 or 18-2 in that super elite league.

We all know the reasons for the conference collapse...the football side just doesn't make as much $$$ as the other leagues have been, and we are slowly seeing the ripple effects. Combine that with every single legendary coach has left the ACC over the past 5 years, and this is the product we have.

Louisville getting back on track is nice for the league. We really need Syracuse to get good again, and 1 of the Florida schools can hopefully gain some steam as it seems like they have some NIL advantages due to football.

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None of that matters when the conference has overperformed in the NCAA Tournament against expected results

Mac9192 said:

I'm definitely no expert on this Ukraine/Russia war. I doubt you'll find any conservative though that doesn't have empathy towards the citizens of Ukraine. It's their leadership is the problem, the same as ours before 2025.

Zelensky is a hack, and libs all are silent on them literally grabbing young men off the streets? But you want to criticize Trump for how he talks in HIS HOUSE.

You can't make this up.

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It's not his house.

I saw with my own two eyes how our President spoke to President Zelensky. Saaaaaaaaaaaaw.
I have heard third-hand about Ukrainian men being abducted and forcibly enlisted. Hearrrrrrrrrrd.

The last time the US had conscription of that sort was during the Civil War, which was, of course, the last time a war was fought on US soil. Poland used 12-year-olds during WW2. A bunch of Central African countries are using child soldiers right now.

It's an awful thing, but in an occupied country where those same people may be just as likely to be killed by the invading military, there is important context and extenuating circumstances. It doesn't make it any less awful, but it does make it more understandable and regrettable.

I'm definitely no expert on this Ukraine/Russia war. I doubt you'll find any conservative though that doesn't have empathy towards the citizens of Ukraine. It's their leadership that's the problem, the same as ours before 2025. I'm not a Putin fan either.

Zelensky is a hack, and libs aren't as outraged as they need to be about them literally grabbing young men off the streets, but you're all over Trump for how he talks in HIS HOUSE.

Q, it would be interesting to keep track of how many Duke players play each night in the NBA. It kinda reminds me of that old factoid about how this continent used to be so full of trees that a squirrel used to be able to go from the Atlantic Coast all the way to the Mississippi River without touching the ground.

We should see if that squirrel has any eligibility left.

christophero said:

Cooper made almost 5 million and is the highest paid college player but would make 16 million next year? That doesn't seem plausible. NIL rates are rising that fast? That is scary. I forgot the BYU kid is getting 11 mil.

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Is this how all these parents can afford to go to every game, home and away?

That's a great stat. However let's be honest, the ACC has been bad for a few years now overall. I don't think just the NCAA tournament is a fair way to measure how good/bad a conference is, though it is the most important time of the year. This year if you took away Duke/Clemson/UL than the ACC is a middle of the pack mid-major conference.

It's annoying because this Duke team truly is elite but this conference has only tested them a handful of times. The ACC in 2019 was an elite league still and got 3 #1 seeds that season, I think this 2025 Duke team would still go 17-3 or 18-2 in that super elite league.

We all know the reasons for the conference collapse...the football side just doesn't make as much $$$ as the other leagues have been, and we are slowly seeing the ripple effects. Combine that with every single legendary coach has left the ACC over the past 5 years, and this is the product we have.

Louisville getting back on track is nice for the league. We really need Syracuse to get good again, and 1 of the Florida schools can hopefully gain some steam as it seems like they have some NIL advantages due to football.

The ACC underperforms in November and December but overperforms in March. It's interesting how the early months of the season tend to dictate the narrative around strength of conferences and March tends to be forgotten. Whereas with individual teams it's the opposite.

When all you have is a hammer...

It's wishful thinking, of course.

Cameron Boozer isn't a true center, but he's definitely a versatile post player. I'd like to see us pick up a post banger (s/o @roshanritter!) in the transfer portal, too.

Dattier said:

Definitely concerning that Foster didn't play at all.

We had 18 OR to their 21 DR, so we rebounded nearly half of our own misses for the second game in a row.

Good to see Mason play so well.

What if Mal came back? Hear me out... he'd go high on potential alone, but he could make really good NIL money here as a soph and go even higher next year after realizing some of that potential. It would delay his 2nd NBA contract by a year, but it would have him a year closer to earning a bigger 2nd contract, development-wise. He hasn't been playing basketball that long. If it takes his entire first NBA contract to start developing, that 2nd contract wouldn't be as big.

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Mal back would be awesome. But I would be more than happy with a front line next year of Maliq and Big Pat, and I think that has been the plan all along, as we haven't recruited a C for this recruiting class. I think we would lose Maliq or Big Pat if Mal comes back.

Definitely concerning that Foster didn't play at all.

We had 18 OR to their 21 DR, so we rebounded nearly half of our own misses for the second game in a row.

Good to see Mason play so well.

What if Mal came back? Hear me out... he'd go high on potential alone, but he could make really good NIL money here as a soph and go even higher next year after realizing some of that potential. It would delay his 2nd NBA contract by a year, but it would have him a year closer to earning a bigger 2nd contract, development-wise. He hasn't been playing basketball that long. If it takes his entire first NBA contract to start developing, that 2nd contract wouldn't be as big.

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Zelensky doesn't need empathy. He needs a realty check.

DukeDallas9192011015 said:

The problem is that he needs to begin his rookie NBA contract in order to be closer to the 2nd contract which in 2030 could be something like 5 years for $500 million.

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This!

Look, the entire landscape of collegiate sports is in a new world. ANYTHING could happen. But, it would be financially silly for him not to go to the NBA, stay healthy for a few years, and get that second giant contract. Plus endorsement deals. JMHO.

I think there is a 0.00001% chance of him returning. Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love for him to be back, we would be the biggest story in sports all of next season. Cooper will announce he is going pro well before the draft lottery, which is usually in mid May, so he won't know which team he is going to be stuck with, that doesn't matter.

The problem is that he needs to begin his rookie NBA contract in order to be closer to the 2nd contract which in 2030 could be something like 5 years for $500 million. So unless Duke can offer something like that, I just don't see it happening. I wish the NBA would change the rule on how quickly you can get to the 2nd contract, but this will be the way it is until that happens.

KDSTONE said:

I would have agreed with you.. three years ago. The Russians continue to slowly advance westward in the Donbas, a Russian speaking region that Putin has been eyeing for decades.
If Zalinskyy wants to keep the rest of his country, he needs to be willing to negotiate a peace deal. Surrender the Donbas in exchange for an end to the war. That’s the best deal he’s gonna get right now It’s not right, or fair, or just but it’s reality

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Sometimes I need to hear stuff 11 times. 🤣 These specifics help.

If I were in Zelensky's position, that last sentence would come across as empathetic and could get through to me. I know our President loves to play the tough guy and his supporters love that about him, but Zelensky is already suspicious of one bully. Some empathy could go a long ways with him.

The wife asked last night my opinion. I think the likelihood of him returning is good. I think the money is not as important but the team he would get drafted by. The Wizards?!?!? Stuck in DC for 4 years!?!?!? I mean yes the money would be good but lets be honest. Do they have a cast of players that would let him shine? Do they have players that would improve his game? Look at Zion...he left after 1 year and got stuck on the Pelicans. I am not saying it wont happen but I think that Duke's GM is gonna try like hell to get him back if that is an option.

What a fun and enjoyable game to experience, as it has been for most of the season. It was great to get Tyrese back out there and it allowed him to knock off some shooting rust before at UNCheat. Wake tried to hit us and be physical early, and we didn't back down, it was the only chance Wake had to make a game of it. This is the best passing Duke team I can remember, and I think that is why Caleb is completely out because he seems to be more of a dribbling 1on1 player. He did look engaged on the bench though when the walk-ons were in.

The Crazies chanting "1 more year" at the end of the game to Cooper, Kon, and Mal was amazing. However, none of them will be back.
Sure, more money could be made at Duke next year with an insane NIL package compared to a rookie NBA contract. But that is pennies compared to the $500 million contract sitting for Cooper once he completes his rookie contract in 4 years, that is why guys leave, it makes them that much closer to the pot of gold.

youngman42 said:

That was brutal. There is no guarantee. Auburn will also have been a lot more battle tested. We will go against at least a few teams that are really physical and play strong D like Clemson but also may have real fire power. That will be a tough run.

That said, this team is a joy to watch with depth as well. Most enjoyable Duke team for me since 2001. We need Malik back for sure and need to stay healthy to have a chance. Touch wood.

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Great post!

OFC

christophero said:

I was. This team is really good. The only reason I am not saying we will cut the nets down is that 99 was the biggest disappointment of my sports life. That was brutal. Thank God we won 2 years later. It was also after a time (the mid 90's) when North Carolina was kicking our *** on a regular basis. It's us and Auburn right now.

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That was brutal. There is no guarantee. Auburn will also have been a lot more battle tested. We will go against at least a few teams that are really physical and play strong D like Clemson but also may have real fire power. That will be a tough run.

That said, this team is a joy to watch with depth as well. Most enjoyable Duke team for me since 2001. We need Malik back for sure and need to stay healthy to have a chance. Touch wood.

pisgah101 said:

Actually wrong. He would make more money next year at Duke then the nba

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This year his NIL was $4.8 million and that included deals with Gatorade and Fanatics and a shoe deal with New Balance. Even if that doubled that would be $9.6 million.

The max salary for last year’s number one pick was 4 yrs $57 million (14.25 per). This year it’s probably in the range of 4 / $60 million. $15 million per. His first year (based on next year estimates) would be just above $13 million.

But one then also has to factor in that he will still have the endorsement deals with potentially even bigger contracts on shoe and endorsement deals. So that in itself could be a wash on the NIL.

He would probably have to make $16 million plus on an NIL to equal turning pro.

Finally, the sooner he goes to the NBA the sooner he gets to his second contract 4 years from now - which if it’s with his drafting team could be a max deal this year would start out around $35 million. If it’s a 5 year deal it’s worth around $200 million. By the time Flagg gets to his max deal in 4 seasons —assuming he balls out at the NBA level — that number will probably be 5/$250 million or in the range of 4/$180-200 million. Though tv ratings are down and contracts are dependent on ratings. Still he would be 22 when he signed and he could go with a 3 year deal to get to year 7, where after year 7 a player can swing a SuperMax deal like Brown did with the Celtics and got $304 million for 5 seasons. The benefit of that it that Flagg could get to each of those deals a year sooner. So the future earnings potential is higher as well as the first year numbers.

From a financial standpoint it is clearly better to go to the NBA.

Now, for guys who won’t be drafted in round 1, the contracts are not guaranteed and you have to make the team. It could probably benefit Evans and Proctor to stay. If they perform well they could get in the first round. Evans, if he gets stronger could be a real force and be a lottery pick a year from now with his shooting ability vs struggling to make a team.

Going in round 2 does not earn a guaranteed deal. You have to make the team. If a team really believes in you as a second rounder you could get a 3 or 4 year deal at $2 million per. Max.

So it’s conceivable they could make as much or more at Duke in NIL. Maybe a bit less. However they could improve their draft stock. On the other hand a player like Proctor - it’s possible being a 2nd round pick in the 40s as he’s predicted to be this year could be the best he is going to get. Another crop of freshmen are entering CBB who will be draft eligible and will Proctor improve his draft stock?

But I’d love it if both stayed and if we retained—a must — Malik Brown. He and Slim are crucial to contending next year. If we had Proctor, Brown, and Evans with the incoming freshmen, we should be really good.

sheyduke said:

Big Pat has really came on . Evans shot is just quick and unreal .

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Evans could get his shot off in a phone booth(if they still existed).

OFC