Is Alex Murphy Joining Duke A Good Thing? No.
Alex Murphy has decided to enroll at Duke a year early.
But is it the right move? I don’t think so.
Instead of becoming a Blue Devil for the 2012-13 season, he joins Austin Rivers, Michael Gbinije, Marshall Plumlee and Quinn Cook as part of the 2011-12 incoming class.
The 6-foot-8 small forward has been called a ‘clone’ of Kyle Singler and will look slide into starting rotation in his place, but will he be able to carve out enough minutes?
Murphy is going to have plenty of competition to get into the starting lineup as next years Duke’s team looks even deeper than this past year. Is his decision to join the team actually good for Duke? How much playing time is going to be available for him?
At the point, Quinn Cook and Tyler Thornton will split all the minutes, as the only two point guards on the roster.
The two and three positions will be filled by Austin Rivers, Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins, who should command about 70-75 minutes at the 2 and 3.
On the inside, Ryan Kelly, Mason & Miles Plumlee will each get 20-25 minutes, as Coach K prefers to play guys who know the system and their roles over younger, untested, undersized players.
That leaves about 20 minutes per game for everyone else on the team. Rising sophomore Josh Hairston should see an increase over his six minutes a game. Then, there are the other freshmen, Michael Gbinije and Marshall Plumlee, both of who should see some time on the floor because of their unique talents. Marshall as a true center and Gbinije as Duke’s only swing player.
I think Murphy would have done himself -and the Blue Devils- better by remaining part of the 2012-13 class, as, by then, the inside would be less crowded. Miles will graduate, Mason will probably leave after his junior season, that would leave Kelly and Marshall Plumlee inside. Murphy would have a better chance of getting bigger minutes next season, as opposed to this season.
With him entering Duke, its just going to clog things up in the rotation. Although the team could be 11 deep, Coach K has never played that many. By the end of the season he is usually down to 8 or 9. That will mean someone, maybe even two someones, will not see as much time as they expect, so don’t be surprised if someone transfers before the end of the season, say around mid-January after the first two weeks of ACC play.
As much as having another talented player on the team is a good thing, sometimes having too much talent can be a bad thing if it forces people onto the bench, or to another school.
Five Most Memorable Duke Games Of 2010-11
Top 5 Most Memorable Duke Blue Devil Games Of 2010-11
1. UNC Game 3 – ACC Championship Game
After losing the final game of the regular season to UNC, which gave the ACC Regular Season Championship to the Tar Heels, Duke responded by winning the ACC Tournament for the tenth time in 13 years. Heading into the ACC Tournament is was UNC that was playing the better basketball, they had won 7 straight and 12-of-13. Duke had lost 2-of-3 and had gone from a sure 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament to a 2 seed in their conference tournament. The teams that played the final regular season weren’t the same teams that played in the ACC Tournament. It was Carolina that came out flat, needing a pair of huge comebacks wins just to get to the ACC Finals, despite being the 1 seed. Duke rolled into the Finals with a pair of double-digit wins, including one over a Virginia Tech team that had defeated Duke two weeks previous. It had been almost a decade since the Blue Devils faced the Tar Heels in the ACC Finals and this one was over by the half. Duke jumped out to an 8-0 start and had the lead as high as 18 before the half ended. Carolina got as close a 9 in the second half, but Duke put any thoughts of a third comeback away with a 10-2 run. It was a complete reversal from the game just one week ago and gave Duke fans a much better feeling heading into the NCAAs.
2. 900 – 3rd Round Game v Michigan
It ended up being the biggest individual milestone for Coach K in the season. Yes, he also passed a pair of coaching legends this season (Dean Smith & Adolph Rupp), but 900 is a special number. Its a number only two coaches have reached. With the lose to Arizona in the next game it ensured that Coach K will break the record some time in mid- to late-November, at home, in front of a raucous crowd and really there is nothing better.
3. UNC Game 1
Down by 14 points at half, Duke outscored the Tar Heels 50 to 30 in the second half to win the first meeting of the season. It had been 10 days since the blow out by St. John’s and this game was heading in the same direction, but the Blue Devils had something in their favor. The Cameron Crazies. The crowd was into the game the entire time, even when Duke was getting blown off their own floor. The building was electric and you could sense the sway they held over the game, even through the television. I wasn’t the only one to feel it. ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt talked about the crowd and how he felt that the Crazies were worth 6-8 points that game and willed Duke back into the game in the second half. I couldn’t agree more. I have never heard, or seen, Cameron as alive and electric as I did that night. The Crazies won that game that night for Duke.
4. ACC/Big 10 Challenge v Michigan State
In what was supposed to be an early season match up between two Top 10 teams turned into Kyrie Irving’s coming out party. Although Michigan State would eventually fall by the wayside in the season, this was an big time matchup for Duke and the biggest threat to the Blue Devil’s non-conference home win streak, which would eventually be stretched to 86 games at the end of the season. He became the fourth Duke freshman to score 30 or more points in a game and showed the nation just why he was being talked about as a lottery pick and number one overall pick in the NBA draft. It was also his biggest splash as a Duke player in his short time.
(tie) 5. Kyrie’s First Out & Kyrie’s First Back – Bradley Dec 8 & 2nd Round Game v Hampton
The first game after Kyrie Irving went out might not be the most memorable game of the season, but it may end up being one of the most important games. For next season. Had Irving not been injured for the majority of the season, then Duke would be heading into next season with a pair of point guards who never played a minute of ACC ball. As it stands, the toe injury is the only reason that Tyler Thornton didn’t spend the season sitting at the end of the bench. The game against Bradley displayed the look that Duke would use for the rest of the season. Nolan Smith handling the ball and running the offense. With Irving in the lineup, Smith probably wouldn’t have been a Player of the Year Candidate or ACC Player of the Year.
Irving’s first game back was nothing more than a chance to get his feet wet against Hampton. He came off the bench and led the team with 14 points in just 20 minutes. It wasn’t his play that made this game memorable, it was his appearance. Duke fans held out hope that Irving would return, but it was always with guarded optimism. It all happened so quick, on the court Sunday in street clothes, announcement was made on Tuesday, off the bench on Friday. In the end his return didn’t bring the results that Duke fans wanted, but we were able to see him in a Duke uniform three last times before he moved on to the next level.
Duke Plays A Perfect Game
The Duke Blue Devils may have played the perfect game against the Hampton Pirates.
To be sure, it wasn’t perfect in the conventional sense, but it was perfect in the sense that it was the game that Duke needed to play.
Any #1 seed in the NCAA wants to use their opening round game as a warm up, a place to work on their game, to get their younger players over their NCAA jitters and keep everyone healthy. Finally, no #1 seed wants to be involved in a close game, where the starters need to play hard for 30-35 minutes.
Duke did all of that, and, most importantly, got Kyrie Irving re-intergrated into the offense.
It was clear from the outset of the game that Duke wanted to continue to get their big men involved. Ever since Miles Plumlee was reinserted into the starting lineup, Duke has made it a point of emphasis to get the ball inside early and often.
They responded Friday like they have since the ACC Tournament started, with strong play inside and accurate shooting. The Plumlees were 8-of-11 (20 points) and 18 rebounds in limited minutes.
Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler played just long enough to keep the rust from forming, as did the other starters. As a team, they were more interested in getting the others involved. They had 17 assists on 32 made field goals, with Smith leading the way with seven. They only had 9 turnovers, while forcing 17 from the Pirates.
Coach K also got his freshmen involved, with Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston seeing what was probably the majority of their time during this tournament.
The biggest concern coming into the game was Kyrie Irving and how he would handle playing again.
People were worried that putting Irving back into the line up would disrupt the balance, throw off what Duke had worked three months to perfect. During Irving’s first minutes on the court, it appeared that those people were right. He was pressing too much, trying to throw it into overdrive right away. He committed some silly offensive fouls and took crazy shots.
Then, in the second half, Irving looked more like the player from December, culminating with the two 3-pointers he hit late in the game. He ended up leading all Duke scorers with 14 points.
It was the exact kind of game that Duke needed. Everyone was involved, Irving was comfortable with his teammates and no one played too many minutes. It was the perfect game.
Duke Adds Another Big Recruit, Future Looks Very Bright
With Duke adding another big time recruit for the 2012-13 class (SG Rasheed Sulaimon) my mind wandered to what Duke would look like two years from now and how that team might be better than this years team and next years team.
So, I looked into my crystal ball and amidst the smoke I saw this:
How’s this for a starting lineup?
Mason Plumlee (Sr.) – Ryan Kelly (Sr.) – Alex Murphy (Fr.) – Seth Curry (Sr.) – Tyler Thornton (Jr.)
And a bench containing: Andre Dawkins (Sr.), Rasheed Sulaimon (Fr.), Josh Hairston (Jr.), Michael Gbinije (So.), Marshall Plumlee (So.), Quinn Cook (So.)
That looks good to me, it also doesn’t include anyone else that Duke might add to the 2012-13 class. So, we will take a look at at what I saw for the Duke Blue Devils circa February 2013.
Point Guard:
Tyler Thornton would be coming into his own late in his junior season. As a sophomore (and starting point guard) his role is going to be distribute the ball and guide the offense. (Read: get the ball to Austin Rivers.) As a junior, when he’s truly leading the offense (instead of just getting the ball to Rivers), he is going to turn the corner, like Nolan Smith did two years ago between his sophomore and junior season. He won’t go from 8 points to 17 points a game, but he will start scoring more. He is going to be much more comfortable in his second season as starting point guard, look for some 12-15 assist games throughout the season.
Quinn Cook, will be a good backup, especially since he received a good amount of minutes as a freshmen as one of two point guards on the team.
There will be times when Thornton -as a junior- will be the youngest player on the court for Duke (Plumlee-Kelly-Dawkins-Curry-Thornton). That’s always a nice thing to have and even rarer on a team from a Big 6 conference.
Shooting Guard:
First of all, Austin Rivers is one-and-done, lets not kid ourselves. Unless there is some change in the NBA collective bargaining agreement, Rivers will be playing in the NBA in 2013.
By the time they are seniors, Dawkins and Curry will have acquired more nicknames (‘Dynamic Duo’, ‘Baby Faced Assassins’, etc) than strands of facial hair. Curry will most likely be the starter at the 2 in the future, but Dawkins will be the first person off the bench. They are going to drive defenses crazy with their range, their knowledge of each others games and their uncanny ability to find each other on the floor at all times.
Pushing them to make them better will be freshman Rasheed Sulaimon. A high energy guy, his playing time is going to be determined his defense.
Small Forward:
Alex Murphy will probably start the season as the starter, but he will suffer from Harrisonitis, a disease that affects over-touted freshmen from playing up to expectation, and will end up coming off the bench until he cures himself some time around January or February.
Unlike the previous top stars of the past two Duke recruiting classes (Irving & Rivers), Murphy isn’t as adapt at creating his own shot, therefore he is going to have trouble finding his way in the Duke offense with guys who have played together for 2 or 3 seasons.
Eventually he will figure it out and turn himself into a contender for ACC Rookie of the Year and a 2nd or 3rd team All-ACC calibre player.
Backing up Murphy will be junior Josh Hairston, who has turned into a David McClure-like player, a glue guy and a fan favorite. Hairston will be able to backup both the three and four and will see a good amount of playing time. Sophomore Michael Gbinije will be the last man off the very deep bench, but not forgotten on a team that lacks a true All-American threat.
Power Forward:
Ryan Kelly, a two-year starter, will be showing off his rebounding skills, as well as continuing to shoot 40% from 3-point range. He will finally be comfortable playing with his back to the basket as a senior and -as co-captain- will be one of the floor leaders.
As a senior there will be talk of Kelly playing at the next level, not as a starter, but a solid contributor off someone’s bench.
Center:
Mason Plumlee, yes he stuck around for his senior season because he was still being schooled by UNC and Maryland big men as a junior. As a senior he finally added that final 15 pounds he needed to become a force inside. The first true double-double Blue Devil since Shelden Williams, he gets tagged with the “like Brian Zoubek, but with an offensive game” line and makes a run at ACC Player of the Year.
His younger brother, Marshall has shaken off the freshman jitters, grows to a true 7′ footer and adds some weight. This will also be the last season of multiple Plumlees on the floor for Duke, a streak that ends at 5, but Marshall will continue the Plumlee streak and eventually ends at 7 straight Duke teams with a Plumlee.
With four seniors, a junior point guard, a stud freshman on the wing and a deep bench, the 2012-13 Duke team is a near lock to make it back to the Final Four after falling short the season before. Rivers was only able to carry the team to the Elite 8 before their lack of an emotional leader finally caught up with them.
So, my crystal ball says the Duke future looks bright for the next couple of seasons. Its back to the way it should be, reloading, not rebuilding.
Duke v UNC Preview
First place in the ACC is on the line tonight when the #5 Duke Blue Devils (20-2) take on the #21 North Carolina Tar Heels (17-5) at Cameron Indoor at 9 pm. Duke sits atop the ACC with an 8-1 conference record, Carolina is a half game back at 7-1.
Duke is 7-2 over the past month and Carolina is 7-1. Both teams have a bad loss in that stretch, Duke got blown out at St Johns and Carolina was crushed at Georgia Tech.
Carolina is playing better right now. They have solved many of their problems from the early part of the season. Kendall Marshall has taken over at the point and fueled the offense, Harrison Barnes seems to have found his shooting touch and their big men, Tyler Zeller and John Henson, might be the best big man duo in the ACC.
Duke on the other hand is just two games removed from its worst lost in three years and has played two good -but not great- games. Against Maryland, Duke never really put the Terps away and allowed them to hang around for most of the game. Then, last Saturday against NC State the Blue Devils played their best half of the season and had a 29 point half time lead. But in the second half Duke shot just 19 percent and were outscored by the Wolfpack.
The keys for a Duke victory start with stopping Zeller and Henson inside. The Tar Heel duo average 25 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks a game. The Plumlees will need to step up big and keep the Carolina big men out of the scoring column and off the boards. Look for Carolina to try to get the ball inside often as this is where they have a big advantage over Duke.
Next, Duke will have to contend with Marshall running the show. He is coming off a 16-assist game against Florida State and has the Tar Heel offense clicking on all cylinders. Part of that offense includes Barnes who is looking like the ACC Rookie of the Year. He has both of his 20-point games in his last three.
On the offensive end, look for Duke to attack the Carolina guards whose depth was weakened by the loss of Larry Drew II when he decided to transfer last week. Expect Tyler Thornton to be all over Marshall, pressuring the freshman who is going to be playing in the most hostile environment he’s ever seen.
Also, expect the Crazies to be in top form tonight, only Zeller has seen any success at Cameron. The rest of the starters were part of last years team that got blown out or they are freshmen, never a good combination for a team entering Cameron. Expect an extra special welcome and chants for Harrison Barnes.
Outlook: Duke by 12, but it will be closer than that for most of the game as the Blue Devils pull away at the free throw line at the end.
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