What Im saying is Dunleavy Jr. hasnt played any better than Walton , Of course Dunleavy is better , Why would he be at Duke if he wasnt .
Just because you play at Duke, it doesn't mean your great. It may simply mean you are overrated, as evidenced by the fact so many of their players haven't panned out relative to where they were drafted (Ferry, Hurley, Thomas Hill, Parks, Avery, Laettner, etc., atc.,). Also, I could be wrong, but I'll bet UA is right with Duke or maybe ahead in producing NBA players. I suspect both are behind UNC, and maybe Michigan or Kentucky over the last 15 years. I can also assure you Mike K would find minutes for Walton if he were on Duke's squad, and that he can handle the ball very well.
Fantastic post, BK. Dunleavy Jr. is NOWHERE NEAR Bird even when Bird was at Indiana St. Actually, I don't know if he's as good as Van Horn was at Utah.
The Duke players ARE NOT overrated when they are in college. The fact is that Coach K doesn't recruit them based on NBA potential, but rather on what they can add to Duke. Obviously the Duke players don't really suck if they are perennially top 5 and top 10. Do they get overhyped? Yes, very much so. However, I'd like to consider myself objective (don't really have a favorite college bball team), and I muist say that Dunleavy has impressed me the most this year. He's not a #1 overall pick by any means, but he'd be a solid top 10 pick.
OK, enough is enough. Gotta say it: Duhon is better than any of the players mentioned here. He plays ferocious D, shoots the NBA 3-pointer. He's a true point guard, too. Trust me on this one: I saw what he did to my Iowa Hawkeyes...well, the whole Duke team came out against the Hawks, but the point is, watch for Duhon. He's damned good.
I agree about Duhon. He is the best pro prospect IMO. Williams basically outmuscles skinny college PGs. He does have nice range on his 3, but he's not consistent enough for my liking, nor does he pass enough for a "PG". Duhon is the prototype PG. Can put a lot of pressure on the ball, can dish, can drive, can shoot. I get the feeling Duhon will wait until 2003 or 2004 to go to the NBA. He will be a Top 5 pick.
I think too many people here are evaluating Dunleavy based on last year. This year, it looks like he's added some weight and is much less tentative on the dribble. If I had any one player to compare him too, it'd be Pau Gasol. Better ball-skills, but not quite as physical. Has a better shot as well. But still, watching one reminds me of the other. Dunleavy has a complete game. If he could bulk up just a *little* bit more and play in the post... I think he'd be worth a top 5 pick. Incidentally, I don't buy the hype about Chris Duhon. He's a good player, but he needs a *much* better shot. And he needs to prove he can do something on his own, without Williams, Boozer, and Dunleavy.
My point was that Duke players are overated as pro prospects, which is hard to despute when you look at draft position and ultimate NBA production (or lack there of). Also, Jason Williams is by far their player and pro prospect, and has been for 2 years now even though Duke had another great college player and very good pro prospect (Battier) last year as well. If you saw the times Duke was in trouble, JW was the catalyst to get them out of it. I also still say Duke's ultimate success this year will be dependent on JW, and 2ndly, Boozer. If I see them a few times and Dunvleavy shows a consistent dominant inside game Duke goes to it in time of need I could very well change my mind about #2 point. But I'll have to see it to believe it.
Obviously, Williams is the man at Duke. However, I think he is highly overrated as an NBA prospect. Mainly because he has a SG mentality at PG. I really don't like those types, and I might go as far as saying he'd make a better SG. I think Dunleavy is more of a sure thing, while his potential isn't as high as Williams'.
Any doubt JWill is the heart of that team should be done with. JWill will be a fine pro. Has the strength close to Andre Miller and the shooting of Jason Terry--pretty tough combination. However, if you said would I trade JWill next year for Francis, I would say NO WAY. Williams does not have that degree of athleticism, and I honestely don't think he will become quite the force Stevie is in the pros (maybe close, but not quite). Also, I have nothing wrong the PGs with outstanding offensive abilities like Francis, Marbury or Isiah, Williams will serve as a fine PG. Iverson is the only guy like that (around 6' 1") that has made a good transition from PG to SG, and I do not think JWill has Iverson's complete repeture of offensive skills. Iverson has the best mid-range game I have seen for a guy his sizem, it that makes him almost unstoppable with his quickness and other skills. People act like JWill is more talented than Francis, Iverson or Marbury, and well, he might be in their company (especially Marbury) but I wouldn't say he has MORE potential or any more of a SURE thing than any of them. MORE DUKE THOUGHTS. Duhan is so OVERRATED it is silly. 2nd rounder at best. Do you know how many outstanding college PGs-- who can play some defense, handle the ball OK, and shoot well when open-- never play a minute in the NBA? I don't understand the interest in this player (watched him for 2 years), other than he plays pretty well in a college role. Dunleavy is no doubt BETTER than last year. He is an excellent college roll player, maybe even better than that. But I definetely don't see him as an early lotto pick. He is not the college player other 6' 9"ish shooting forwards are like say Van Horn or Walt Williams. The latter two have just as good range, are more athletic (Walt used to be quite the force before his injuries), block more shots, and can create their shots better. You could see Dunleavy couldn't keep up with Prince when Prince really wanted to score down the stretch (he didn't decide often enough throughout the game to help his team win, but that is another story), there is no way he can keep up with even more talented NBA opponents (I assume mainly 3s he will face). In sum, from what I see I see him more of a bit player in the NBA than a quality starter in the NBA because he will be weak defensively and certainly more of a complimentary offensive player than dominant one. Boozer is still Duke's second most valuable player. When Duke is in trouble Duke's #1 offensive option is JW, 2nd is Boozer--and he really opens it up for other players like Dunleavy. Down the stretch they did not go to Dunleavy except through the natural flow of the offense, they never started the plays through him. However, while Boozer will be in the NBA and will score in the NBA, I am not sure how his defense will hold up. He might end up to be a slightly better Othela or Robert Traylor.
Great post, Desert Scar. Duhon, as well as the whole team, obviously defers to Williams so I'll reserve judgment on him until Williams is gone. I would sure like to see Williams develop his mid-distance game, though. He could be special if he does when you consider his build, quickness, and touch. BTW, Desert Scar, you hit the mark on Dunleavy. Great college player, but looks like an NBA role player.
