The old saying, Duke doesn’t rebuild, they reload, is absolutely true. Despite losing five senior starters over the last two years, the Blue Devils will once again be locked in the top-10 in all 2011-2012 preseason polls.

Having said that, Duke’s roster is in flux. The coaching staff has a lot to learn over the summer before a five-man starting unit can be picked. Of course the one position that seems to be the most baffling is also the most important…point guard.

Who will run the point guard for Duke? 

Except for 11 games last year, it seems like this is a question we’ve been asking a lot over the years, at least since Jason Williams left school a decade ago (has it really been a decade?). Of course in the years prior to Kyrie Irving, the question was being asked because the Blue Devils simply didn’t have a great point guard.

While this year’s roster may not have a “great” point guard yet, this team does have plenty of good options. Let’s look at them.

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PLAYER:

2010-11 STATS: 1.6 ppg, 1.0 apg (.448/.839/.267)

DEEP THOUGHTS:
With Kyrie Irving headed to Cleveland, the most talked about position being talked about in Durham is the point guard spot. Who will run the show? There are four legit options.

Tyler Thornton and Quinn Cook are true point guards. Austin Rivers is mote of a shooting guard, but he also works best with the ball in his hands. Also, don’t count out Seth Curry. At 6-1, he’s going to need to be a point guard at the next level, so he could play some minutes running the show.

Ideally though, the competition will come down to Thornton and Cook. Obviously Thornton has the experience. Thanks to Irving’s injury last season, Thornton got a lot more playing time than expected

Now Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler think Tornton should get the start next year. However, since you’re seeing Thornton ranked 66th, you can probably guess who I think the better option at point guard is.

Thornton is a pass happy point guard, who always has his head up, looking for the open man. That’s exactly how I would describe North Carolina’s Kendall Marshall. However, Thornton is no Marshall.

Last year, Thornton showed that he can run the offense, but he never was one to create the offense. Yes, he brought the ball down, yes he was capable of hitting a three, but he never proved to be a threat. Sure he was able to help the ball club when he was on the floor, but did he ever make any of his teammates better? I’d argue no.

On the defensive end, he impressed his all with his desire and his motor. He took charges like a man under the basket. However, he also fouled…a lot. He averaged about eight fouls/per 40 minutes. That’s way too much for a guard.

I think Thornton has the heart to accomplish a lot, I just don’t thing the talent is there yet. I’ve always said Thornton is a long-term project, someone I suspect would never start until his senior year.

Looking ahead to just next year, I suspect Thornton will start at point guard from the get-go. However, once Coach K begins to tinker with that lineup, I suspect Cooks’ talent will eventually get him into the starting lineup.

TO SEE THE REST OF THE LIST (SO FAR), YOU ARE JUST ONE CLICK AWAY

No. 1 KYRIE IRVING, CLEVELAND

While Irving doesn’t get the same amount of props as other first-picked point guards like Derrick Rose and John Wall, it was clear that the Cavaliers had to take him. No offense to Derrick Williams who wanted desperately to be the top pick, but the NBA is a point guard league right now.

Kyrie is a great shooter, great ball handler and a finisher. He can drive to the rim with both his left and right hands. He will make his teammates better. As long as he stays healthy, in shape and off motorcycles, he’s going to be an elite PG in this league for a long time.

Looking to next season, Irving should start right away, although I’m not sure how Cleveland will work it out with Baron Davis. Maybe they move Davis to the 2-spot? I don’t know. I just know Baron is not the future and I suspect he’ll be gone before the 2012-2013 season starts.

Also, Irving will need to be patient. This is not going to be like joining Duke. The Cavaliers are a few years away from competing. Let’s face it, this team was NOT GOOD in the post-LeBron era. I would argue that they still have three starters (Anthony Parker, Ryan Hollins and Alonzo Gee) who shouldn’t be starters at this level.

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Here you will find my predictions for where Duke Blue Devils (Kyrie Irving, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith), along with other ACC players.

Enjoy.

UPDATE: 33rd DETROIT – Kyle Singler (Duke)
Sorry, but I would have never predicted this. Not in a million years. No one can question his heart, but he needs to be a better scorer.

END OF FIRST ROUND:

30th CHICAGO – Jimmy Butler (Marquette)
Great kid, but I don’t understand why he goes ahead of Singler. Am I starting to sound like a bitter Duke fan? He’s everything Kyle is, except he doesn’t shoot the three as well and he doesn’t rebound as well. At best, he’s a bit better at putting the ball on the floor and creating his own shot.

29th SAN ANTONIO – Cory Joseph (Texas)
Will back up Tony Parker for the Spurs. He should keep a close eye on any girlfriend he brings along with him.

28th CHICAGO/TRADED TO MINNESOTA/TRADED TO MIAMI – Norris Coles.
Minnesota really confuses me. Coles is a good player, solid scorer, but a litte small.

27th NEW JERSEY/TRADED TO BOSTON – JaJaun Johnson (Purdue)
Clearly Boston is regretting that Kendrick Perkins trade. Time to make up for it.

26th DALLAS – Jordan Hamilton (Texas)
Amazing, the Longhorns get three players taken in the first round, yet where did they fall in the tournament. Is Rick Barnes the worst coach in basketball?

25th BOSTON/TRADED TO NEW JERSEY – Marshon Brooks (Providence)
Good pick. I can’t believe he fell this far. He’s a solid scorer. A shooting guard who can play like a point guard.

24th OKLAHOMA CITY – Reggie Jackson (Boston College)
He’s good. He’s quick. He’s long. Where does he fit on a team with Westbrook running the show and Maynor as well? We’ll see.

23rd MINNESOTA (FROM HOUSTON): Nikola Mirotic (Montenegro)
We’ll see you in four years.

22nd DENVER – Kenneth Faried (Morehead State)
Great rebounder, amazing motor. He will fit perfectly in Denver’s system. Great pick. Not a star, but an ultimate role player.

21st PORTLAND – NOLAN SMITH (DUKE)
A stunning pick. I never had Nolan going to Portland. We’ll take a wait and see attitude if he stays there. He’ll back up Andre Miller and Brandon Roy as a combo guard off the bench.

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For Thursday night’s draft, I’ll be live blogging it throughout the night on both twitter and on this site. You can find me on twitter @bigdukeballs. Obviously those updates will be short and sweet. On this site, I’ll live blog in more depth.

So please join BDB. At the very least you can make fun of my typos.

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Previously Daniels was committed to the Texas Longhorns, but then reopened his recruitment. After that he was linked to just about every school in existence, including the Duke Blue Devils.

For a brief moment, it even looked like the Blue Devils were one of the favorites (along with Kansas) thanks to Kyrie Irving. During a teleconference in April, Irving hinted that he knew that Daniels was headed to Durham.

Irving said:

I thought next year’s team would be really special if I were to return. I think we have five recruits coming in with the addition of DeAndre Daniels. So that would be really special. Because that would give me the chance to lead the team similar to what Kemba Walker has done at UConn. Just being that leader and being the go-to guy on the team. So I thought that, if I were to return, we would be a really special team.”

However, when Alex Murphy decided to head to Duke early, it gave the Blue Devils two incoming freshman small forwards (Michael Gbinije is the other) and it became clear that Daniels wasn’t coming.

Now it’s official.

KYRIE IRVING, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (1st PICK)
The Cavs are basically starting from scratch. Outside of J.J. Hickson, I don’t see a single player on their roster still playing in Cleveland in three years. Luckily for them, they got three first-round picks in this year’s draft, including two of the first four, to begin this post-LeBron rebuilding process.

Now the Cavs could get sneaky and go large with the first pick (D. Williams, E. Kanter?) and pray for Irving to fall to them with the 4th pick (he won’t) or just settle on someone like Brandon Knight, but that’s not going to happen. If Derrick Rose has taught us anything, this is a point guard league. If you’re going to start fresh, you grab your quarterback.

Irving played less than a dozen games at Duke, but he left an impression. He’s quick, with a dangerous first step. He’s not afraid to get dirty inside and he’ll launch it from deep. He’s everything a NBA GM craves for when he’s not thinking of his mistress.  If he has one issue, he could use some more muscle to survive the 82-game season in the NBA serves up.

CHRIS SINGLETON, GOLDEN STATE (11th PICK)
The Warriors are desperate for two things. A big, strong body at the PF spot and more importantly, someone, anyone who can play defense. That’s Chris Singleton’s specialty. He’s long and surprisingly athletic, capable of guarding multiple spots on the floor.

Of course the knock on Singleton is he’s not a scorer. While he certainly doesn’t need to be “the man” on a team that features Monte Ellis and Seth Curry, he will have to improve his offensive game. He simply can’t shoot low forties from the field at the next level. I will say this, prior to getting injured, he had made improvements in both his jump shot and his ability to get inside. (more…)

It’s an intriguing match up simply because Michigan runs both a not-often-used offense and defense. On offense they run a weave offense, while on defense they’ll thrown a 1-3-1 zone.

KEYS TO SUCCEED

SLOWING DOWN A WEAVE

Basically, the Michigan offense consists of three perimeter guys, with a fourth guy often standing above the free throw line. The idea is for the three perimeter guys to dribble around the three-point line, handing the ball off (or faking it). The key is the person handing the ball off will also be screening/picking off the defender trying to follow the person he’s handing the ball to.

As for the big men, like I said, one will live on top of the key. At anytime, he can step in and screen. The fifth big man will hang in the paint. While he can certainly post up at any time, typically this person will flow away from the ball, living on the weak side. If any of the perimeter guys are able to find a hole and drive, that post-player will be open for a pass (if his defender comes off him to help) or he’ll be in a good stop for a backside offensive rebound.

That’s the details, so how does Duke defend it.

1. PATIENCE MAKES PERFECT
Michigan is one of the top teams in the nation in turnover percentage (#16 in fact). Now I’m not saying the Wolverines are going to go into a stall offense, but the point is to just keep doing the same thing over and over until someone makes a mistake. They weave right, they weave left, they go back right…all while waiting for an opening. If a defender goes under the screen, they’ll launch a three. If the defender gets stuck behind a screen, they’ll penetrate in. If the defense has stayed into position, they’ll just do it again…weave right, weave left, weave back again.

2. ROTATE
In reality, Duke is a near-perfect team to defend the weave. Between Smith, Curry, Irving, Singler and even Dawkins, all five can simply rotate with the weave. This is idea because the weave is successful when a team loses patience and eventually makes a mistake dealing with one of the screens.

In Duke’s case, if Smith’s man hands the ball off to Curry’s man, Smith will just stay with the new ball handler, while Curry will stay put.

3. WEAK SIDE HELP
Inside, the trick will be weak side help if someone is able to drive inside. Both Plumlee’s will always look to help and block. This is why someone like Singler will be key, since he (and Curry) will have to slide down and disrupt any attempted pass to the #5 guy. (more…)

The more important story was the return of freshman Kyrie Irving.

The point guard came off the bench and totaled 20 minutes, much of it in the second half. He looked rusty at first, a bit hesitant. He turned it over early on a charge call and failed to hit a basket in the first half.

In the second half, Coach K made a decision to basically let him get his legs under him with the second team, subbing in a full-five. At first I was against this strategy. I thought it would be better if Irving was able to work with Smith and Singler. However, I’m a man and I can admit I was wrong.

The beauty of this strategy was it allowed the team (on the floor) to be his team, without stressing about whether Singler and Smith got their touches. Irving was able to really let loose. He scored on two great drives and nailed both his three pointers.

There is no doubt the toe is not effecting his speed. It did appear he was favoring his right foot a little, mostly when landing, but that’s a natural adjustment he has to make right now, then so be it. It clearly didn’t effect his shot and his ability to drive.

I would expect to have him play another 20 minutes against Michigan, but spend more time on the floor with the first team.

Of course, this game wasn’t all about Irving. Duke was successful in the ACC Tournament because so many other players stepped up their games. This continued in the NCAA first-round.

Hampton’s front court was no match for Duke’s size. The Blue Devils out-rebounded the Pirates 36-25. Miles Plumlee continues his imitation of Brian Zoubek. He grabbed 10 boards in the first half alone, finishing with 13. Mason and Miles also shot well, hitting 8-11 from the floor.

Now obvious when Duke is playing a 16-seed like Hampton, it isn’t easy to judge a team’s performance. I was happy with the way they came out. The Blue Devils looked motivated and were not going to let Hampton hang around, even for a minute.

The 42-point margin of victory was nice and important. I don’t have the exact stat, but top seeds who win by 35 or more in their first-round games end up going to the Final Four almost 70-percent of the time. For teams that don’t, that percentage drops below 40-percent.

FAVORITE HEADLINE (From ESPN):

Blue Devils end Pirates’ five-game win streak

Really, that’s the deadline? Did anyone in America even know Hampton was on a five-game winning streak?

Of course the “experts” have been more hesitant. The one major concern seems to be “team chemistry.”

Me, I’m not buying it.

Basketball is not football. It’s a simple game. While there are a variety of styles, it’s not like there is a phonebook-thick playbook each and every player has to learn. So when people talk about “team chemistry” they’re basically talking about how will each player respond with the new player in this lineup.

In Duke’s case, will players like Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler be able to relent some of the control (I.E. shots) to Irving? To me, the obvious answer is…this won’t be a problem.

Irving’s been on the sideline for every game. He’s been a cheerleader and a coach. He may not have played, but he’s been involved.

As for on the court, it’s not like Kyrie is going to walk on, play 35 minutes a game and take over a game. At the very least, he won’t be starting, he’ll probably play just 10-15 minutes against Howard and I’d be shocked if he ever sees 30 minutes on the floor. The reality is, as good as he is, not even he can be in perfect basketball shape after sitting in a boot for three months.

This will still be Singler and Smith’s team and they will still be asked to do most of the damage. However, Irving at the very least can be a shot in the arm off the bench. He’ll allow Smith to switch over to his more natural spot at shooting guard for stretches in the game(something that has happened throughout the past few months when either Curry or Thornton run the point).

When Irving is on the floor, this should push Singler back to more of a power forward, which is actually good news. Since his outside shot has not fallen lately, he’s become more of a pounder inside (averaging over eight rebounds per game over the last few weeks).

The big question the coaching staff will need to decide is, if Duke gets in a close game against either Michigan or Tennessee, is Irving on the floor? I don’t have an answer. Hopefully after the Hampton game I will.

Now in that game, there are two things I want to watch for.

First, can Irving run? Can he push the ball up the floor with the same lightening speed he did before?

Second, will his quickness on the penetration still be there? I’m talking about the ability to go one-on-one with his opponent at the top of the key and beat his man to the basket? This is what made Irving special.

Stuff like making baskets, shot selection, finding the open man, I’m not worried about these things. Those are god-given abilities, so I’m not stressed.

I want to see what happens when he pushes off that toe in a game time situation.