Right Now There Are No World Beaters.

If we learned anything this weekend its that there isn't one dominant team this year in college basketball.  Oh sure, Ohio State is still undefeated but they ended up beating a very undermanned Northwestern team by 1 pt, 58-57 Saturday.  Connecticut ranked fifth in the nation over the weekend lost to Louisville, BYU lost and many other top 25 teams went down.  As a Duke fan you know that Duke lost big to Big East foe St John's.  It was one of the worst Duke games I have seen in a very, very long time.  Yet I am not worried my friends, there is good news about Kyrie Irving (http://mrdukesthoughts.blogspot.com/2011/01/cast-coming-off-of-kyrie-irvings-foot.html) and after this weekend there isn't one team in the nation that I think can beat Duke when Duke plays it's best game.

I understand Duke needs to grow, get better and more consistent before tournament time.  Defensively giving up 93 pts to St Johns is a serious indictment on Duke's defense.  Also, Duke shot 1-13 on threes in the first half, and hitting 4-13 in the second half wasn't enough to get them back in a game they lost by halftime.  Yes Duke is still relying too much on the three point shot.  Just like in the Florida State game they shot horribly from three and just like the Florida State game they lost the game.

If Irving is just teasing us and never comes back this year, then Duke needs a third option on offense.  Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler shot 36 of Duke's 62 shots and scored 52 of Duke's 78 pts.  Last year Duke had the big three of Singler, Smith and Scheyer, this year it was supposed to be Kyrie Irving filling the third scoring role.  Without Irving it is now up to either Dawkins, Curry or Kelly to fill that role.  When Duke plays well one of these three have scored well.  When Duke has lost, none of them have scored well.  Its time for one of the youngsters on this team to step it up.

Just like after the Florida State game, keep your heads up Duke fans.  This season feels a lot like last year because there is no dominant team.  I'd say Kentucky was last year was more physically and athletically dominant than any team is this year and they lost in the Elite 8 last year.  Duke again will have a great shot once the tournament starts, the thing to watch the rest of the year and in the ACC tournament is:

-Who steps up as the third scorer if Irving doesn't return?

-How is Irving rehabbing and will he return and re-acclimate himself to the team and be a factor in the tournament?

-Has any one team stepped up and shown that they are the team to beat?

The answers to those questions will determine a champion in April because the championship still goes through Durham.

Kyrie Irving's Toe: They said its time to get that toe in rehab and Kyrie said "YES YES YES"



The week is here, I posted about this a week or two ago that Kyrie Irving's cast would be coming off Feb. 4th and ESPN is now reporting the same thing.  This is just a quick update to that post but mainly I had to use that Winehouse line.  I laughed at myself at my little take on Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" song (I laugh at myself often by the way....not really a stand up comedian I guess).

This news couldn't come at a better time after Duke got worked over by St John's on Sunday.  It was the ugliest 1st half I have seen from Duke in a very, very long time.  I will blog about that game later today.  I had to focus on the good news first for Duke though.  So lets hope rehab for Kyrie's toe not only goes well but begins working quickly so that Kyrie can join Duke prior to the NCAA tournament.  That will allow him enough time to re-acclimate himself with the team before we begin the run for "one for the thumb" this March.

Netflix Movie Reviews Vol 3: Winter's Bone

I actually saw this movie a couple months ago during my blogging hiatus.  I normally will not be going back in the archives of movies I've Netflixed to review them but this movie is different.  Different because it was just nominated for Best Picture in the Academy Awards.  Now the other 9 movies nominated most people know, many people have seen, many people can name the lead actors, and many people even if they haven't seen it could give you a synopsis of the movies.  Winter's Bone though is different.  I listened to the radio and they were talking about Winter's Bone and how they had no clue what it was, there was the obvious joke about it being a porn title but in general they had no clue what the movie was and who was in it.

This is a great movie...period.  It deserves the nomination that it has received and I suggest that if you haven't seen it you should go and rent it the next time you are looking for a flick.  Now I must warn you, this isn't a movie that is going to make you feel warm and fuzzy about the world.  In fact it will do the opposite of that, it will make you say, "Wow, this world is a bit screwy and you know...my life is allllllllright."  Or at least that is what it did for me.

OK enough of the blah blah here is a quick synopsis of the movie and some ratings so you can go on with your day and hopefully you remember this movie the next time you are at the Red Box or adjusting your queue in Netflix.

This is a dark thriller set in the Ozark Mountains, it follows Ree (played brilliantly by Jennifer Lawrence) a 17 year old who is attempting to keep her family together.  Her mother is mentally not there anymore, doesn't speak and is numb to the world entirely.  Her two younger siblings are coming to the age that Ree needs to start teaching them right and wrong and how to start taking care of themselves.  They live in a small run down home in a very poor rural area that is inundated with meth use and the manufacturing of meth.  On top of that she now has a bail man coming to her door saying the little semblance of a home that she has for her family is going to be taken away if she can't find her father who used the house as collateral for his bail.  Ree goes looking for her absent father dealing with the law, meth drug lords, and the corrupt intertwined families of the rural community.

This movie has a feeling to it, it has a feeling that jumps off the screen and fills the room you are watching it in.  That feeling starts from the first scene and never leaves.  There are some thrills, some creepy moments, and some heartfelt moments but don't expect any laughs. 

Even Mrs. Duke loved this movie!

Percent chance of Mrs. Duke falling asleep: 3%

3 1/2 out of 4 Duke Championships.

Duke 83 - Wake Forest 59: Is Ryan Kelly ever going to miss?

Just some quick hit highlights for you here as it was a sloppy and kind of ugly game against a bad team. 

- Ryan Kelly kept up his hot shooting from the NC State game, going 6-6 on fgs and 4-4 from 3.  Has made his last 10 shots from the field and 6 three point attempts.  He continues to be the player improving the most within the season so far for Duke.

- Miles Plumlee again had a good game. 8 pts 2 rbs, nothing too eye-popping but again a good confidence booster for a player who had been struggling mightily prior to the NC State game.

- Nolan Smith maybe getting tired.  He has played no less than 37 minutes since the Maryland game and his shot is suffering.  Nolan is still producing points at the end of the day but his efficiency has dropped off big time.  The schedule isn't going to get real easy from here on out so there may not be much time for Smith to rest.

- Tyler Thornton got extended run today.  22 minutes for Thornton tonight, the most he has played in his freshman year.  While it didn't translate into many points for Thornton, he played quality defense and didn't make mistakes.  Thornton is an option down to the stretch to hopefully give Nolan some rest, which it looks like he will definitely need.

- Boston College this Thursday at Cameron Indoor.  See you there, hopefully a bit more interesting game so I'll have more to say.

Duke 92 - NC State 78: Plumlees Step Up

NC State has athletic, quality big men that can score.  In the past this is the type of team that can give Duke a lot of trouble.  I thought Duke could be in significant trouble against this NC State team tonight in their house.  Duke, as we all know, is still trying to figure out their roles and how they will play without Kyrie Irving.  Recently they have been struggling with this, Maryland had Duke on the ropes in Durham, FSU beat them and Virginia had a lead on Duke at Cameron Indoor.  This was a game that if Duke didn't come out and get control of the game early and get contributions from everyone who hasn't been contributing in the previously mentioned games, Duke would lose.  The Plumlees had to step up, Ryan Kelly had to step up, in general there had to be scoring from somewhere other than Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler. 

So lets see how it went.

Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith shot a combined 15-37 FGs and 3-14 from 3.  This isn't a good sign right?  Well, Duke played a total of 9 players in the game and all of them that played, scored, not only in the entire game but all 9 scored in the first half!  If your a big Duke fan you'd probably assume that most of the points came from Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry.  You would be wrong.  After Singler and Smith, Miles Plumlee stepped up with 13 pts on 5-7 shooting while Ryan Kelly scored 11 pts on 4-4 shooting 2-2 from 3. 

Ok lets go back to Miles for a second, Miles Plumlee scored 13 pts in 21 minutes.  Miles has been struggling big time recently, to the tune of 10 minutes, 0 pts and 3 rbs in the last 2 games.  It almost looked like Miles was going to start seeing less minutes than freshman Josh Hairston.  Nobody, including me, would've predicted that Miles was going to break out against quality big men like NC State's, but we all would be wrong.  Miles played with purpose, hit the boards on both ends grabbing 5 offensive rbs, a total of 9 and he even made a POST MOVE AND FINISHED INSIDE!  Honestly it maybe was one of the first back to the basket post moves from a Plumlee since Mason's outburst against Marquette earlier this year.  It was great to see Miles step up and hopefully it is a sign of things to come from him.  Mason wasn't to be outdone tonight by his big brother though, his focus was on the boards and defense.  Mason ended the game with 9 rbs (4 offensive) and 6 blocks, 5 of the blocks were in the first half when NC State was trying very hard to pound the ball inside and establish their post game.  To finish of the trifecta of Duke big men playing well was Ryan Kelly, playing in his home town of Raleigh, NC, Kelly's hot shooting night started off the opening tip hitting a 3 to start the scoring for the game.  Kelly wouldn't miss after that and also grabbed 8 rbs and blocked 2 shots. 

I have asked for this from Duke's big men in previous blogs and they finally stepped up unexpectedly tonight against a good front line of NC State.  We have to hope that the three big men for Duke build off of this good performance and continue to gain confidence moving forward in the ACC season. 

Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler didn't shoot well, but still led the team in scoring, Smith dropped in 22 pts and Singler ended with 18.  Neither had a great game but even their below average games are All ACC worthy.  If Duke can play like it did tonight the rest of the way, getting contributions from more than just Smith and Singler, they will be very tough to beat. 

This was a good day to be a Duke fan, more good news about Kyrie Irving (don't let Mr Negative Jay Bilas get you down with his comment's during the game about Irving coming back being a pipe dream) and then win on the road where they controlled the entire game. 

Next up @ Wake Forest on Saturday, should be easier than tonight but never sleep on a road game in the ACC, even if it is this year's much less intimidating ACC.

More news on Kyrie Irving's Toe!

This comes to us from The Herald-Sun in Durham, NC.  Please take a look at the link, there are some quotes from Irving's father regarding the removal of the cast on Irving's foot and toe Feb. 4th.   The outlook continues to look positive for Irving returning this year.  Lets all hope that after Feb. 4th when the cast comes off and Irving's toe begins to be slowly introduced to more and more stressful movement it reacts well. 

http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/11054581/article-Irving-update--Cast-set-to-come-off-on-Feb--4-?instance=2_breaking_news

This story gives some backing to Dick Vitale's inside sources I posted about yesterday.  The more positive news on Irving the better, stay tuned.

Hope Dickie V's inside sources are correct!

Last night during the Syracuse vs Pittsburgh game on ESPN Dick Vitale gave some inside info that made Duke fans very, very, very happy.  Vitale announced while previewing ESPN's coverage of the Duke-NC State game Wednesday, "My inside sources are telling me that Duke could have Kyrie Irving back in early March..."  WHEW!  This is perfect timing for this news, I had always held out hope because even though Coach K had left the door open to the fact that Irving's season maybe over, they never said for sure.  I made that out to mean there was a better percentage chance Irving would return this year than sit out the rest of the year with the big toe injury.
I've stated it many times, not here, but in conversations about Duke that all that matters this year is what happens in March and early April.  The games up to that point are just prep for another run at the championship, Duke isn't on the bubble, more than likely isn't in jeapordy of losing the ACC, which means that all that matters is: Will Duke be playing it's best basketball in March and early April as it did last year?  The rumor that Vitale threw out to a national audience last night gave me a lot more hope that indeed Duke maybe at it's best come tournament time.  Stay tuned, if inside sources are leaking the outlook is bright for Irving there could be an announcement soon from Duke and Coach K stating a planned date of return to practice (limited) for Irving.

Bounce Back Game?

Duke "bounced" back Saturday afternoon at Cameron Indoor with a a win over Virginia 76-60.  Nolan Smith led the way with 29 points, Andre Dawkins had a huge second half with timely three pointers and quality defense.  Duke busted out of it's offensive slump that had carried over from the Florida State game, at the end of the first half Duke trailed 31-25 and looked sluggish.  They needed a confidence boost and it came in the second half from the sophomore, Andre Dawkins.  His runner plus the foul was the first step of the confidence boost.  After the shot fell and the whistle blew Dawkins, normally a reserved silent assassin, went to the Duke bench screaming and giving high fives to his teammates.  Then he sank the free throw, a possession or two later, he came up with a steal and hit Nolan Smith for a thunderous dunk.  After those two huge momentum plays Duke cruised and ended up winning the game by 16. 
All of this is great but I am left with many of the same issues I had after the loss to Florida State.  Some issues seemed to be addressed, others look like they still need some work.

NEGATIVE -

- Plumlees still offensive ghosts.
Someone call the wack jobs that go ghost hunting on the Discovery channel to find these two on the offensive end of the court please.  Mason Plumlee at least attempted to get going, but you can just see when he gets the ball there is no decisiveness in his offensive game.  When he goes to the rim or attempts a put back there is so much going on in his head he is missing easy shots.  Miles on the other hand  only played 4 minutes.

- Smith, Singler and......
The two headed monster of Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler is a great option that every college basketball team would kill to have.  Yet the two of them since Kyrie Irving hurt his toe have each been averaging 20+ points a game and it looks like the other players are struggling to find their role outside of waiting for the kick out for a three.  There is no doubt that Kyrie was the glue to the offense for Duke early on this year.  He got everyone involved and kept everyone engaged on the offensive end of the court.  Duke needs Smith or possibly Tyler Thornton to step into the distributor role and get the rest of the team involved.  Without this Duke is a 1-1 team with Nolan Smith or Kyle Singler working 1-1 or off a ball screen looking to either drive for a score or a kick out for a three.   The ACC is bad enough that Duke will probably still win the ACC with this offense, maybe not as dominantly as predicted here and other places, but they still would probably win it.  The issue would come in the NCAA tournament when they run into a defensive minded team, for example Wisconsin.  You run into a team that can take away Singler (as FSU did for most of that game) and limit Smith with great help defense, you will struggle mightily without other options getting involved.  If Irving comes back prior to the tournament this point maybe mute, but if indeed Irving is out for the rest of the year Duke will have to find a way to get others involved prior to the tournament or the National Championship goal will not be met.

POSITIVES-

-The Lid Came Off
Finally in the second half, thanks to Andre Dawkins, the lid came off the basket for Duke and shots began falling.  Thank you Jesus.

- Ryan Kelly...this years Zoubek?
Ryan Kelly was assertive in this game, he got the message that I can only assume the Duke coaches stressed in practice after the FSU debacle. "We need inside scoring!"  Ryan Kelly has spent most of this year outside the three point line spreading out the defense and allowing one of the Plumlees to roam the blocks posting up and setting ball screens.  Against Virginia though Kelly was cutting into the lane with purpose, posting up and attacking the basket once he got the ball.  The result? 8 pts on 4-7 shooting 0-0 from 3.  This coming from a guy who 50% of his offensive shots have been 3's this year.  This is a good sign.  Kelly is 6-10 and has a nice touch around the rim, maybe the best on the team outside of Kyle Singler.  Kelly needs to prove he isn't a liability on defense and the boards and he will start stealing more of whichever Plumlee seems to be in a funk that week, like he did in this game with Miles only getting 4 minutes.

- K adjusted
Coach K obviously stressed focusing on going inside more and shooting the three less.  Duke still attempted 20 threes in this game but it was the focus that you could see by the players to take the ball to the rim that proved this point.  Against FSU I can't remember a single post entry, against Virginia there were many to Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly and those players actually focused on attacking the rim, Kelly effectively and Plumlee not so much.  Duke needs to continue this focus throughout the rest of the ACC and build the confidence of its inside player's.  Duke was a different team last year once their inside players Zoubek and Thomas got their confidence and K needs to focus on aiding this same boost in confidence this year for the big fellas if Duke is going to reach its maximum potential with or without Irving.

That's all for now, up next @ NC State Wednesday.  This isn't going to be a cake walk, NC State is a team that came in with high hope's this year, hope's that they haven't lived up to so far and will be hungry for a win.  This could turn into a FSU type game quick if Duke doesn't take away the crowd and NC State's confidence early.  Have a great Sunday.

Netflix Movie Reviews Vol 2: Dinner for Schmucks

Its been a while since the last (first) used movie review but alas my follower....(s?)....there is another.

Dinner for Schmucks, came via Netflix the other day and finally I've gotten around to watching it.  Lets start with what happened 45 minutes into the movie. I asked myself, "Hmm....the wife has been pretty quiet here..." take a look to my right and out cold is my wife.  So...not a ringing endorsement for the movie from her. 

Mr. Duke's Wife's % chance of falling asleep: 100%

I will not be quite as hard on this movie as she was, but I'll be honest it didn't live up to the expectations brought upon it by having some funny people in it.  Steve Carell is a funny dude, Paul Rudd can be funny in spurts, Zach Galifan....Galefean.....Galirfirn....(Googling)......Galifianakis(!!!!!) there it is...yeah....he is funny too.  Here is the problem with these three trying to carry this movie, all three of them seem to me to be "one trick ponies".  Steve Carell is a dumb guy that doesn't seem to have any common sense! Whaaa?  We haven't seen that before!  Paul Rudd is a successful quirky guy who even though from the outside looks like he has it all figured out really is frustrated and struggling.  In his attempts to vanquish his struggles he gets in goofy situations!  "HEY EVERYONE THE SUN!  ITS RISING IN THE EAST!!"  Then we come to Zach G. he is a homicidal zombie that is going to attempt to kill everyone...naaaahhhhh.  He is a weird outcast with a beard that does and says things at inappropriate times! "HEY EVERYONE I CALLED OVER BEFORE, LOOK THAT SUN THING ITS BEEN SOMETHING LIKE 10+ HOURS AND IT IS NOW SETTING IN THE WEST!!"
My long winded and mockery filled point here is that although the its not the same story as other movies and some makeup and teeth tricks may make the stars look slightly different than we are used to, the characters that they play are exactly the same as they play in every role.  Is this an issue that will turn everyone off of this movie? No, in fact these three are successful because people like these characters.  The thing that really turned me off of this movie more than the predictable characters was the slow, predictable, and unrealistic story.  Over and over you are left saying to yourself , "Nobody would do that."  After I had said this to myself about 7 times in the first hour and my wife stated "This is dumb" and then went to bed, it was obvious what the tone of this review would be.

In conclusion its a dumb comedy with predictable characters, acting out a predictable, slow and unrealistic story.  Are there some laughs?  Oh sure there are a few.  You cannot have these three (predictable) characters in a movie and not have some laughs but unfortunately there are not enough of them to make up for its faults. 

1/2 out of 4 Duke Championships.

Immediate reactions to the first loss...

Its been 4 months...I have to admit I pretty much forgot this was here....

Maybe I got too comfortable?   Reigning National Champs.  Kyrie Irving running the point.  Blowing out K-State, controlling Michigan State and in the process also blowing almost everyone else out.  Ranked #1 in the country...still. 

Well that comfort level was disrupted tonight after Duke fell 66-61 to Florida State.  Kyrie wasn't running the point, Duke didn't blow them out, Duke didn't control FSU, and will no longer be ranked #1 on Monday.  Lets go over what I think led to the loss and what Duke needs to do in my mind to get better from this loss.

1. Relying on 3 too much
- I am a fan of the 3 pt shot probably more than most but this has been an achilles heal of Duke's for the past....well a real long time.  Tonight Duke started 0-10 on threes, and instead of adjusting and trying to establish an inside game or attacking the rim with the perimeter players, they continued jacking up contested threes.  Kyrie Irving for the foreseeable future isn't walking through that door to drive and kick and create his own scoring on the inside and help open up lanes for others on the inside.  Irving opened things up for players like Mason Plumlee who is in the depths of his biggest slump since coming to Durham last year.  Without Irving, the Plumlees will have to start creating some of their own offense inside and take some of the pressure off of Duke's three point shooting.

2. Plumlees need to step up
- Both Mason and Miles have immeasurable talent.  Its undeniable.  Yet both have still underachieved for the majority of their respective careers at Duke.  For Duke to repeat as National Champions, the Plumlees will have to find their games like Brian Zoubek found his game last year midway through the season.

3. Coach K needs to prove he is the best coach in the world
- Has he already done enough to prove himself?  Yes...yes he has.  Tonight though, Coach K never seemed to adjust his team's offensive attack.  The 3 point shot just kept going up and the inside game continued to be ignored even though it was obvious to everyone that it wasn't working.  Coach K obviously knows what he is doing, and I am not claiming to know more than him but tonight I am not sure if he was going with the theory of "we got good shooters, keep shooting they'll start falling".  To some extent that worked, they did start falling for Singler but not enough to get over the hump late in the game.  As stated in the #1 point, Duke needs inside points to open up their unmatched perimeter game, Coach K needs to make this adjustment in practice but also catch it mid-game and make the in game adjustments.

Duke is ok, they will bounce back and probably still not fall out of the top 5 the rest of the regular season.   Florida State though played tonight like many tournament games are played.  Very intense, tough defensive game and if Duke doesn't respond in the right way and adjust to this type of game they will lose in the tournament.  The posts need a leader, Smith and Singler have the leadership taken care of on the perimeter, a Plumlee, Kelly or Hairston need to step into the leadership role of the posts like Zoubek last year to make the most talented team in the country,  which they are right now, also the most well rounded, which they are not right now.

Keep those heads up Duke fans! The road the to National Championship still goes through Durham, but the undefeated season talk will be put on ice until next year.