that place was classic when i started ecu in 1993....10 cent wings was a marvelous thing!!!
Bolden trending for Duke
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that place was classic when i started ecu in 1993....10 cent wings was a marvelous thing!!!
Yes! I was planning to mention Livingston as I started reading your post. The double-whammy of not having either of them after being so close in '04 and how it set us back a step for '05 while UNC was winning their _____ has turned Luol into a scapegoat for some who hold it against him to this day. In hindsight, it also represented a time where K appeared to shy away from the one-or-none-and-done recruits, and a dip in oncourt performance. JJ's development and Shelden's defense covered it up through '06, but '07-'09 were some challenging years for Duke fans.
No one is holding it against him. The guy gave us all he could, but that pro deal was a must for him. My original point is that guys like Luol or Ingram carry us for a year but don't exactly play like their life depends on it like Grayson, Tyus or Battier, etc. Guys like Rivers or Jabari do their best without risking too much, which is very smart and nothing to be sour about. Going back to Bolden, my other point was that the extent of his value to our program depends on how much he's thinking about his draft position. Maybe DT would've approached the game differently had he not been thinking about his draft stock. I don't fault the players for thinking that way, I would too.
I like Bolden but as many others have said he probably won't even start. My guess is he will be behind Chase if he were to come to Duke. Chase is going to surprise some people. Maybe not on here but Chase was definitely starting to figure it out and slow the game down towards the end of the year. So if we get Bolden, cool. If not, meh.
Not even mentioning Amile and Harry. GG.
Edit: not suggesting Chase would start either. I'm speaking depth wise.
Not even mentioning Amile and Harry. GG.
Edit: not suggesting Chase would start either. I'm speaking depth wise.
Just a note, but I read an article a few days ago (don't even remember the sports writers name), that said the longer Bolden delays his decision, the better it is in favor of Kentucky. Really saying that his mother still wants him to come to Duke, but he prefers Kentucky, and if he holds out long enough, she may finally give in.
Now guys, don't get me wrong, I would like to see him come to Duke, but personally, if he wants to go to Kentucky, please pick Kentucky, if that's what makes you happy. I, for one, don't want you here if your heart is in Kentucky. Please do us all a favor and select the school that you will be happy at. This will be the last post on this kid for me, because I really don't care where he goes!
Duke is going to be loaded next year, and I will gladly take my chances with Amile & Chase down low! Fret not over Duke or getting this kid, cause it's gonna be OK.
Go Duke!!
JC-OFC
Now guys, don't get me wrong, I would like to see him come to Duke, but personally, if he wants to go to Kentucky, please pick Kentucky, if that's what makes you happy. I, for one, don't want you here if your heart is in Kentucky. Please do us all a favor and select the school that you will be happy at. This will be the last post on this kid for me, because I really don't care where he goes!
Duke is going to be loaded next year, and I will gladly take my chances with Amile & Chase down low! Fret not over Duke or getting this kid, cause it's gonna be OK.
Go Duke!!
JC-OFC
No worries either way. Best of luck to the kid no matter where he chooses.
Did anyone say when and how it would be announce (via Twitter, ESPN, etc)?
Did anyone say when and how it would be announce (via Twitter, ESPN, etc)?
I believe everyone around him wants Duke except his AAU coach who they have pushed out of the recruitment process. I believe his high school basketball coach even wants to see him at Duke! I think the delay is in Dukes favor in my opinion. He has said numerous times that coming to Duke would allow him to just come in and play so that tells me he knows he can start at Duke.
I just couldn't disagree with you more when it pertains to your take on guys like Luol, AR, Jabari etc, and it is beyond ironic that you lump tyus in with the guys like Grayson and Shane.
The Bolden saga is turning into somewhat of a joke. If he's holding out yet again, me thinks it's because of waiting to see what happens when Kal forces someone out.
Nah sounds like he just wants to announce at his school.
I wish people would leave this kid alone. He doesn't owe us anything. He can take all the time he wants. I know it sucks for us fans but he is just a teen.
Look at it this way. You have a group of friends, REALLY close friends, going to two different colleges and each set is trying to get you to come with them. On top of that, you're expected to "hate" the other school tour other set of friends go to when you finally decide. To top it off, you have to tell either K or Cal you don't want to play for them... That's stress I don't wish on anybody. It sounds petty in the grand scheme of life, but as a teenager it's all you really know in life. I'm sure the kid is completely torn and doesn't want to disappoint anybody or "slight" any of his good friends on either team. Just my $.02.
Look at it this way. You have a group of friends, REALLY close friends, going to two different colleges and each set is trying to get you to come with them. On top of that, you're expected to "hate" the other school tour other set of friends go to when you finally decide. To top it off, you have to tell either K or Cal you don't want to play for them... That's stress I don't wish on anybody. It sounds petty in the grand scheme of life, but as a teenager it's all you really know in life. I'm sure the kid is completely torn and doesn't want to disappoint anybody or "slight" any of his good friends on either team. Just my $.02.
I rely heavily on two fellas who keep me pretty damn informed. The only one both of them EVER have gotten wrong was HB. Now a couple times they told me were a lock or had already landed someone and I didn't believe them because of all the BS stirring on the boards, but turned out they were dead on anyway. I'm confident, hell I'm REAL confident we get him.
This. He seems like a great kid. We don't need to create potential narratives to explain away his actions (read: He wants UK; his family wants Duke). That's ridiculous. He and those with whom he confides, are the only ones who know what's up. Let's relax, and respect his decision, which is not an easy one.
Those guys definitely exist. I don't agree with your categorization of Luol or Brandon whatsoever.
Yes, I think you seem to be under the misimpression that having longterm career goals somehow causes a guy to not try as hard in the moment. I just don't buy that at all. I can't even fathom what you mean when you say "Rivers or Jabari do their best without risking too much . . . " And, interestingly, somehow Tyus gets excluded from that list even though he was actually a far more egregious one and done in the sense that he elected to leave even though his draft stock wasn't all that great. IMO, all these guys were great competitors who did their best to win while they were here. The fact that they wanted to play in the NBA really didn't change anything. If anything, it probably got them to play harder than they otherwise would in the NCAAs b/c they wanted to impress. I just don't think there's really much of a correlation between playing hard and injury risk in basketball.
And, I'd add that if guys like Grayson or Battier were scrappier players than some of these other guys, I think that's just b/c they're scrappier players in general. Someone like Battier became a star player that Duke wanted b/c he was a hard-working, high-motor, smart player who did all the little things well. Someone like Jahlil was attractive to Duke b/c he had great size, incredible skill level, and good athleticism. The fact that someone like Battier may be a scrappier player than Jahlil in college has nothing to do with the fact that they have differing mindsets about college; but b/c Battier was always a higher-motor player than Jahlil throughout his entire life. In fact, anything you're noting now about how these guys play in college likely held just as true in high school and in the NBA. When you have the talent level of a Jahlil, Luol, BI, etc., you don't have to be the hardest working player on earth to get to a place like Duke -- whereas, if Grayson didn't have the motor that he does, he'd be playing at Florida Gulf Coast right now and none of us would have ever heard of him.
I was with you until this last bit, where it sounds like you're conceding that they weren't trying as hard, which is contrary to what I thought you were saying.
Let's all take a deep breath. Relax, be optimistic and don't kill each other before it happens, LOL.
Well, yes and no. I think all our OADs have generally played as hard as they know how to play -- and I don't think for a second that they gave us anything less than their 100% b/c they were more concerned about the NBA. The point I was just making there is to say that even if you believe someone like Grayson plays harder than Jahlil, I don't think that has anything to do with one of those kids having their mind on the NBA. I think it's just b/c some guys have a higher motor than others. IMO, there are always going to be certain guys (Lance, Grayson, Wojo, etc.) who are noteworthy for how hard they play and have partly reached the levels they have b/c of their work ethic / tenacity. But, frankly, I think that has nothing to do with the NBA. I just think that's b/c there are some guys who have better motors than others.
Datt and Aah, I can just be wrong, and you guys right if you want. I think very highly of all the players we have discussed. They were all more mature than myself at that age.
I understand people are frustrated with this, but let the kid be. Let him have his moment in the sun. It happens once in a lifetime and if he has put in the work and effort to become the player that has this opprotunity let him be! I believe the insiders
What drama? Bolden has been anything but a drama queen. Can't some of you see that it can be a sincerely gut wrenching decision for some of these kids? I know I can't possibly be the #1 Duke historian on this board and or the only guy who reads/watches Duke related stuff. Jay Williams wanted to go to UNC or stay close to home until his mother made him visit Duke. Good God, I think he was even considering Rutgers! Lance Thomas dragged his decision out forever and said he was still flip flopping on the way up to the mic to announce. Bobby Friggin Hurley wanted to go to Seton Hall with Dehere and Walker, who he played at St. Anthony's with, until his mother made him go visit Duke. When he got back, he couldn't look his friends in the eye because he flipped to Duke. Has anyone here questioned Hurley's passion for Duke?
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No way in hades do we get to the Final Four in 04 without Deng. He had a monster game against Xavier in the elite 8; it wasn't just that game though, he was consistently the best player on a very talented Duke team.
No way we win in Chapel Hill without Rivers. All of our players are natural competitors and winners.
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