NBA Draft Profiles: Kyrie Irving, Duke

Bjorn Zetterberg of SwishScout.com will be helping us out with all of our NBA Draft Profiles this year. You can follow him on twitter @swishscout.

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Stats: 17.5 ppg, 4.3 apg, 3.4 rpg, 1.5 spg, 46.2% 3PT, 56.9% 2PT

Age: 19, freshman

Size:

• Listed: 6'3", 190 lb
• Official: 6'1.75" (no shoes), 6'3.5" (with shoes), 6'4" (wingspan), 8'3" (reach), 191 lb

Strengths: While he only played 11 games at the collegiate level, its safe to say in watching Irving that there is not much that he cannot do at the point guard position. For starters, he is a terrific shooter with NBA range. He is lights out when he is able to catch and shoot with his feet set while also being a serious threat off the dribble. That ability to shoot will force defenders to go over a screen in a pick-and-roll situation. He's also terrific at getting to the basket. He's not an overwhelming athlete like a Derrick Rose or a Chris Paul. Instead, he has a great understanding of how to use hesitation moves and crafty dribbling to get his defender off balance. Irving is able to penetrate with either hand thanks to his ability to change speeds. He is a very good passer, capable of throwing darts to the screener on a pick-and-roll or hitting a teammate cutting to the rim or open on the perimeter. He is excellent at pushing the ball in transition as well. But most importantly, Irving seems to have the demeanor to be a point guard. He runs a team well, he was able to be the focal point of the Duke offense early in the season while managing to keep two all-americans happy with their production, and he has the work ethic and leadership ability to back up his quiet on-court confidence.

Weaknesses: If there is a weakness in Irving's game, its that he lacks overpowering physical tools. He's 6'3" in shoes, but he does not have an overwhelming wingspan and could stand to put on some upper body muscle. He's quick, but he doesn't have blazing speed. He can jump, but he's not in the same league athletically as Russell Westbrook or Derrick Rose. Will he be able to get by defenders with his change-of-pace style attack in the NBA? Will he be able to defend the more athletic point guards at the next level?

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: Irving is a tough comparison. The recent point guards that have been drafted at the top of the lottery -- John Wall, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook -- have been freak athletes. He's not as quick as a Chris Paul and he's not as solidly built as Deron Williams. Williams may actually be the best comparison based on style of play, as Irving appears to be more of a scorer than the kind of distributor and facilitator that Paul is.


• Worst Case Scenario: Irving is as close to a sure thing as you will find in this draft. Swish Scout says that his worst case scenario is Kyle Lowry while Draft Express says a rich man's Eric Maynor. I don't love either of those comparisons. I'm going to go with Raymond Felton, a starter that averages somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 points and seven assists.

Outlook: Irving is going to be an interesting prospect to watch develop in the NBA. He probably doesn't have quite the upside of some of the more recent point guards that have gone No. 1, but that doesn't mean that he can't be a franchise-changing player in, what appears to be a given, Cleveland. Part of the reason that he doesn't have the same kind of upside as either John Wall or Derrick Rose is that he doesn't have the same kind of elite physical tools, but what makes him such an intriguing prospect is that he does have a very well-developed skill set. He is a deadly jumpshooter, he can handle the ball, he can get to the basket going either direction, and he understands when to attack the rim -- where he is terrific at getting to the foul line -- and when to give the ball up to an open teammate. Irving will make players around him better, but I also think he will get better as the talent in his supporting cast increases. Irving is the kind of point guard that you want leading your franchise, but I'm not sure that he is the kind of talent will carry a team by himself for an entire season.

Draft Range: No. 1

And the experts say...

• Chad Ford: "Irving announced that he will declare for the 2011 NBA Draft. Irving may have only played 11 games this season, but he enters the draft as the odds on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. Irving is one of the most complete prospects in the draft. He has speed, quickness and range on his jumper. He's excellent penetrating to the basket, sees the floor well and is a leader on the court. He's not particularly elite in any one category, but the overall package is pretty impressive."


• Draft Express: "Irving is already one of the best distributors in the NCAA, ranking highly in both PPR as assist to turnover ratio, but he's only really scratching the surface on how good of a point guard he can become in the half-court. Although he's clearly a willing passer, the ball tends to stick to his hands just a tad too much at times, and he has been responsible for a handful of sloppy possessions. His turnover rate (24%) is probably a little higher than Mike Krzyzewski would like, but considering his age, lack of experience and how dominant of a ball-handler he's been for Duke this season, it's more than understandable that there will be some growing pains."


• Swish Scout: "Classic point guard with an NBA skill set in terms of athleticism, passing, dribbling, and the rare ability to take over a game. Solid jump shooter and creator who looks like a 'top three Draft prospect,' but can needs to focus more consistently on being a pass-first type player where he excels."

Highlights:


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Kyrie Irving, Miss Hawaii, and a post I wish I never wrote

Twitter was abuzz on Monday night with people talking about Kyrie Irving, and not because he is about to be the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Because of what may happen the night before the draft.

First, some back ground. Some of you may not remember this, but during the NCAA Tournament, the twitter account @dukelvr1989 (since deactivated) began tweeting some absolutely dreadful stuff to Irving about his family, specifically his sister and his deceased mother. It led to Irving getting off of twitter, but not before a woman known as Miss Hawaii received a tweet from Irving that made it evident she was the person behind the deactivated account.

From here, the story gets, well, strange. Duke blog Seth Curry Saves Duke ran a post on the background of the relationship between Irving and Miss Hawaii. (For what it is worth, the information is taken from an anonymous commenter on the blog and supported with tweets from the Miss Hawaii account. I have no idea if it is true.) According to SCSD, the two met online and began some sort of relationship, enough that it convinced Miss Hawaii to make the trip from New York to Charlotte for Duke's opening NCAA Tournament weekend. When the two met in person for the first time, Irving blew her off, upsetting Miss Hawaii enough that she filed a police report against Irving, accusing him of, amongst other things, harassment.


There's more. For starters, Black Sports Online published a post saying that Miss Hawaii was actually a Craigslist hooker with the ads and photo gallery to back it up. Reading through her twitter timeline, its not hard to make that assumption. When word got back to Miss Hawaii, she claimed that the listings on Craigslist were made by Devin Ebanks' girlfriend because she (the girlfriend) was jealous of Miss Hawaii, who claims she (Miss Hawaii) was "with" Ebanks. BSO also reported that there was a similar twitter-battle between Ebanks and Miss Hawaii late last year.

But wait. There's more.

You see, Miss Hawaii claims to have video of Irving masturbating, which she will apparently be "releasing" the day before the NBA Draft. Given this (NSFW) video posted by Miss Hawaii, there may be some validity behind those claims. She also posted three youtube videos -- here, here, and here -- discussing Irving. (The third of those videos is, well, quite ridiculous with some very, very NSFW language.)

Ugh.

I need a shower.

But before I do, there is a lesson to be learned here, one that you think people would have learned by now. Be it Brett Farve, Greg Oden, Anthony Weiner, Santonio Holmes, or any random Joe Schmoe with a camera phone, if you are going to make the decision to send a picture of yourself sans clothing, make sure you trust the person. We live in a digital age. Tweets, texts, pictures, emails, or anything else that is sent digitally gets recorded. Its will be saved by the person on the receiving end. And should you piss that person off enough, there is always the possibility that those images will make it online.

That possibility is only magnified when you are a person in the spotlight.

For the females out there, Miss Hawaii gives you a perfect example of how not to carry yourself. By posting 40 minutes worth of ranting about an 18 year old (she's 30) explaining how you aren't crazy -- for what its worth, I watched maybe 30 seconds of those videos -- only proves that you are, in fact, out of your mind. Being a minor internet sensation shouldn't be a lifetime goal.

To be clear, I have no idea what actually transpired between these two individuals. Honestly, I couldn't care less. If guys like Kyrie Irving want to make homemade movies and send them out on Skype, then by all means, send them. If women like Miss Hawaii want to chase pro ballers, then by all means, chase away.

But remember -- in this day and age, once its online, its online forever.
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Did Kyrie Irving scoop DeAndre Daniels to Duke?

Yesterday afternoon, Kyrie Irving surprised no one in the world except for Chris Cusack by declaring for the NBA Draft.

It was the right move. He's going to be a top five pick. Lockout or not, Irving wasn't staying in school.

Today, Irving was on a teleconference to discuss his decision to enter the NBA Draft and he may have let a bit of inside information slip. First, the back ground.


DeAndre Daniels is a top 35 recruit in the country and, at one point, was ranked as high as top ten. In July of 2009, Daniels, who was at Woodland Hills High in California at the time, committed to Texas, calling it his dream school. He backed off of that commitment in August of 2010, and has since been rumored to be headed to both Kentucky and Kansas.

Now a part of the IMG Academy program, Daniels has an official visit lined up with Duke the weekend of the 15th. This is where Irving comes into play. During the conference call, the point guard said:

I think that this year’s team was really special. And 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. (Ed. Note: Our emphasis added.)

Was Irving merely speculating that Duke could land Daniels? Does Irving know something that the rest of us don't?

Who knows. But as Dan Wiederer points out, the Blue Devils have all kinds of connections with IMG Academy:

The basketball director at IMG is Andy Borman, who played at Duke from 2000-04. The director of basketball operations meanwhile is Greg Spatola, who is the brother of Chris Spatola, who is both Duke’s director of basketball operations and Mike Krzyzewski’s son-in-law.

All signs seem to point to Duke.

He'd be an interesting addition to Duke's lineup. Daniels is a slender, 6'7" small forward known for his ability to score. With Duke's current front court consisting of Ryan Kelly, Josh Hairston, a trio of Plumlees, and another freshman wing in Michael Gbinje, Daniels would be shot of athleticism and scoring punch, similar to what DeShaun Thomas provided Ohio State this season.

His visit is next weekend.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
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Much more at play in Duke's loss than just the Kyrie Irving effect

After watching Arziona's second half destruction of the Duke Blue Devils, one of the prevailing themes on my twitter feed was that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski made a tactical error by bring back Kyrie Irving for the NCAA Tournament.

That Kyrie Irving's presence on the court was the reason that the Blue Devils were run out of the gym by Arizona tonight.

Now, for the sake of this post and due to the fact that you will be reading it over and over at the other websites you use for college basketball and NCAA Tournament material, I'm going to limit what I say in regards to what Arizona did tonight. The Arizona team that played in the second half of this game would have beaten Duke in early December, back when Kyrie Irving was healthy. I truly believe that. Good teams that play great beat great teams that play good. (And yes, I'm aware that is terrible english. Blame the saying, don't blame me.)

We're talking Duke here.


And frankly, Duke has been heading in the wrong direction for about the past month.

In his first 27 games, Nolan Smith averaged 21.7 ppg. He shot 48% from the floor and 38% from three. His assist-to-turnover ratio was 1.77. Over the past 10 games, Smith has averaged 17.9 ppg while shooting 38% from the floor, 27% from three, and notching 4.5 apg to 3.7 t/o's. Three of his four single digit scoring games this season came in the past two weeks.

Smith was sliding before Kyrie Irving came back.

The same with Kyle Singler. He was 2-3 from three today. It was the first time he had made multiple threes in a game since February 13th, and the first time he shot better than 50% from deep in a single game since December. Over the last seven games, Singler is averaging 14.7 ppg while shooting 17.9% from three and committing four fouls in five of those seven games.

Mike Krzyzewski didn't have a choice.

His team was trending the wrong direction. It was a risk bringing Irving back, and while it looks like a dumb play the way things turned out, it was a risk Coach K had to take.

And for what its worth, while Smith struggled tonight -- he was 3-14 from the floor with just eight points and six turnovers -- he also carried Duke in the second half against Michigan, when he scored 17 of his 24 points.

There was more to this loss than just Smith's performance, like the fact that Derrick Williams was single-handedly able to keep Arizona in the game in the first half. Or the Wildcat's 25-9 rebounding advantage in the second half. Or the 54% that Arizona shot from the floor and the 60% the shot from three. Or the fact that Momo Jones -- yes, Momo Jones -- was the best point guard on the floor tonight.

Duke lost because they couldn't handle the punch when Arizona landed a couple haymakers in the second half. They lost because they folded when the Wildcats built a lead.

And while Irving's inclusion may played a part in Smith's horrid night, it was just one of many factors that caused the upset.

Give Arizona the credit they are due.

Duke didn't lose tonight.

Arizona won.
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Kyrie Irving's auspicious return

So Kyrie Irving is back.

But is he back?

Well, Irving led Duke with 14 points and added four boards, two steals, and 2-2 shooting from three in the 20 minutes. He also had a steal and coast-to-coast layup with an athletic finish where he switched hands. It was classic Kyrie Irving.

But Duke's star guard did most of his damage in garbage time and, for much of the first half, he looked rusty, a step slow, and a bit out shape. That said, he still looked like Kyrie Irving. And as he got his legs under him, he got better, even if it was against a No. 16 team that had already accepted defeat.

I don't see any reason why Irving can't work his way back to 100% by the Sweet 16.

And that is a scary thought for Duke's bracket.
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Kyrie Irving to come back? Kelsey Barlow suspended.

Don't think, not for a second, that since its the NCAA Tournament rosters are set.

Whether it be the preseason, the regular season, the postseason, or the offseason, kids get hurt. They get healthy. They do dumb stuff to get themselves suspended. Its just like college for the rest of us. Whether it is finals week spring break or summer vacation, you are probably still going to wake up Thursday through Sunday with a hangover. And when you throw a party with a DJ and six kegs and invite every freshmen girl, odds are pretty good that you'll end up with cops knocking on your door.

So keeping that, and the success of your bracket, in mind, here are a couple of important rosters moves that have taken place over the last two days:

Kyrie Irving: On Saturday, it was Irving, in uniform, heading out to the court to do some rehab drills.

This afternoon? Irving participated in some drills in practice while Mike Krzyzewski set twitter ablaze when he said "There is a chance Kyrie will play."

"He's not going to start if he does play," Coach K said. "And he wouldn't play for extended minutes at any one time."



Now, there are a couple of different things that could be going on here. Irving could very well be close to coming back from the injury. There was talk he would be back for the tournament earlier in the season. But that quote could also be for the benefit of the coaches currently preparing for the Dukies. If there are rumors that Irving will be back in uniform, then Duke's opponents must take time to prepare for him and what he would bring to the Duke attack. This could be nothing more than just gamesmenship, using Irving as a decoy.

If he does end up playing, there are some risks -- is he 100%? What does this do to the team's chemistry? How does Coach K handle having Seth Curry's and Andre Dawkins' minutes cut?

But those risks are far outweighed by the benefits of Irving potentially being Kyrie Irving. It wasn't that long ago that Irving was considered a favorite to win national player of the year.

A slowed-down, rusty version of that Irving is still a weapon.

And a Duke team with Kyrie Irving is better than a Duke team without Kyrie Irving.

UPDATE: Irving tweeted the following at 8:13 pm: "There's still no guarantee..."


Kelsey Barlow: Barlow, a key cog in the Purdue attack, was suspended for the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday for conduct detrimental to the team. Barlow was a bit of a poor man's Chris Kramer. He could score getting to the rim and he's a solid defender. Without him, expect guys like Terone Johnson and Ryne Smith to have to step up their games.

Chris Wright: Georgetown's starting point guard should be back in action. If he is back to 100%, that is huge for the Hoyas, who lost every game in which he sat out with a broken hand. Wright gives Georgetown some offensive creativity that they were severely lacking.

Chris Singleton: Singleton is arguably the best defender in the country, and after breaking his foot late in January, he has been back practicing with the Seminoles this week.
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Toes are the talk of Greensboro

Duke has already lost one star point guard to a toe injury. Now, they may have lost their national player of the year candidate.

Nolan Smith suffered a toe when he landed awkwardly on a jump pass to Kyle Singler midway through the Blue Devils 87-71 ACC quarterfinal victory over Maryland.


"I'm not sure of Nolan's status for tomorrow," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We won't know that probably until tomorrow morning. But he wasn’t able to come back into the ballgame, so we're concerned about that."

Smith needed quite a bit of help to walk off the court after the injury, which puts his status for tomorrow's semifinal matchup with Virginia Tech in doubt. He's scheduled to get x-rays tomorrow morning. If he cannot go, Seth Curry -- the Liberty transfer -- will be running the point. Without Smith in the lineup, Curry did an admirable job leading the Blue Devils as they turned a five point lead into a 16 point victory.

Perhaps this was karma for Duke.

Prior to the game, Kyrie Irving -- who was Duke's original toe injury sufferer -- was on the court, in uniform, working out. It sent a buzz across the arena -- and twitter -- and the possibility that Irving could play. Turns out, he was just doing some rehab workouts:

Irving has done some dribbling drills with Potter holding a resistance band around his waist. Irving was also doing some side-to-side shuffling drills and has taken a handful of jump shots.

There is still no timetable for Irving's return.

We do know one thing, however.

If Smith's injury turns out to be serious, two toes will be what did in their season.
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Update on Kyrie Irving's toe

According to Jeff Goodman, who spoke to Kyrie Irving's father on Tuesday afternoon, the Duke freshman will not be having surgery on his injured toe.

In fact, the cast on Kyrie's right foot will be coming off on Feb. 4th. Once he gets the cast off, he will begin the rehab process. That said, it still sounds like a long shot that the star point guard will be returning to the court this season.

"That's the most important thing," Irving's father, Drederick, told FOXSports.com on Tuesday afternoon, "that he gets completely healthy."

"We're still in a holding pattern. Right now it's about Kyrie's recovery. We'd all like him to come back, but right now we don't know."

Duke is 8-1 without Irving, but they haven't looked as dominant as they did with Irving in the lineup. They've been settling for too many contested threes, something that Irving likely would have been able to help with using his ability to penetrate. The fact that he is capable of driving, drawing defenders, and dishing to the open man makes him a valuable asset to the Blue Devils.

He was averaging 17.4 ppg and 5.1 apg when he got hurt against Butler on Dec. 4th.
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Does Duke really need Kyrie Irving back?

Kyrie Irving's toe injury has no doubt been a frustration for both Irving and the Duke program.

Irving has had to spend the last month sitting on the bench, while the Duke coaching staff gets the honor of seeing him in street clothes every time they go to make a substitution. I'm sure that is anything but pleasant.

Its also been frustrating for Duke fans. Not because it has hurt their team -- Duke is winning every game by 30 without Irving, they are doing just fine -- but because there is no timetable. There are no answers. It sucks as a fan if a player suffers a season-ending injury, but you know that player is done. You hope for a full recovery and proceed to cheer on the team that's still on the floor. If he's out for a month, you can circle that date on your calender and figure out who you will be shorthanded against.


With Irving, there have been no dates or timetables. Just speculation.

Thanks to Dan Wiederer of the Fayetteville Observer, at least we now know why we have no answers -- because there aren't any (get ready for a massive blockquote):

"It's a combination of things," Collins said. "There's a ligament and some bone in there that have been damaged. And from what we’ve seen, it’s a very unique injury. It’s a form of turf toe but it’s a little more severe than that. It’s been hard to explain in layman's terms. But because it’s in the ball of his foot, that’s a really dicey area. That’s where you do all your cutting and your jumping. And that’s where you do all of your pushing off from. That’s what’s made this all the more delicate. I don’t know that the injury has an exact label. If it has a name, I don’t know what it is. But it’s something that we need to make sure gets healed correctly before Kyrie even thinks about playing. Because otherwise he could have more problems down the road.”

As for the timetable for Irving’s return? If surgery were ever deemed necessary, the freshman point guard’s season would be over. No ifs, ands or buts about it. But since Irving has shown progress with his healing without surgery and has been doing well with his right foot in a cast for the past four weeks, the Duke coaches feel good about continuing treatment as is.

So what’s the best-case scenario for Irving?

“If we can avoid surgery, that’s the best-case scenario,” Collins said. “But what that means as far as a timetable for his return is hard to say. It’s such a delicate thing and it’s not an injury that’s very common and that we’ve seen before. It’s not like where if you break your foot, you can say ‘OK, we know in six-to-eight weeks, he’ll be back.’ This is truly a unique case where you have to go by feel. And that’s made it hard to say, ‘Hey, if all goes perfectly, he’s back in a month or six weeks.’ We just don’t know. That’s why we’re always talking about having the toe reevaluated. Every week we’re checking it out, seeing what the progress is. And the main thing right now is that we’re on a course that’s non-surgical. And as long as we see good progression, we’ll stay with that.”

So it looks like Irving won't need surgery, but it also doesn't look like he will be back anytime soon.

If I'm a Duke fan, I write him off. If I'm Coach K, I strongly consider ending Irving's season right now. Even without surgery, it doesn't sound like Irving will be coming back any time soon. And even if he is able to return for, say the last four ACC regular season games (which seems like a longshot), the ACC Tournament, and the NCAA Tournament, are you really expecting him to be in game shape? And do you really want to risk the chemistry that this group will surely develop for a player that has been on the shelf for three months?

Duke's issue isn't in the back court.

Nolan Smith has shot up Player of the Year rankings since Irving's injury. Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry have both lived up to their hype. Throw Kyle Singler into the perimeter mix, and the Blue Devils are in good shape on their perimeter.

Duke's issue is that they don't have Brian Zoubek anymore. They don't have a bruiser in the paint. That likely won't be a problem in ACC play (with or without Irving, I think Duke has a very good shot of going undefeated in the ACC), but if Duke runs into a team with a quality big man and good supporting cast (i.e. an Ohio State), they will run into trouble.

To be completely honest, I think that Josh Harrellson would be more valuable to this Duke team than Kyrie Irving.

I can't believe I said it, either. But I think its true.
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Be afraid ACC fans, be very afraid

Austin Rivers is the No. 1 recruit in the country.

He's also committed to Duke.

And judging by this video, which is a compilation of highlights for a 42 point performance he had at the City of Palms high school event this week, its not difficult to see why:



Most believed coming into the season that Kyrie Irving would only be spending one season in Durham. His performance through the first month of the season only backed up that sentiment.

But let's say for argument's sake that this toe injury keeps Irving out for the rest of the season. Is he still a lottery pick? Probably. But maybe it lowers his stock enough the he comes back next season.

Imagine that Duke back court with Rivers and Irving. Yuk. Ikes.
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Kyrie Irving could miss the rest of the season

All the Kyrie Irving talk during the day on Wednesday was hopeful. It was optimistic. It involved how he could be back before the ACC season started and whether or not he could still be in contention for things like first team all-american or national player of the year.

That tone will likely change once some of Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski's comments from the postgame of the Blue Devil's win over Bradley make the rounds.

"Kyrie's injury is a serious one," Krzyzewski said after the game. "It's being evaluated by our medical team here at Duke and with medical people from different parts of the country who are experts in foot injuries. Some type of analysis should be done hopefully by a week to 10 days and a course of action will be taken based on that analysis.

"It's a serious injury. I can't say anything more because we are learning information but it is serious and whatever final decision is made will obviously what's in his best interest and his career. Not to save him for any period of time or whatever, but he could be out for a long time."

This is where Duke fans get nervous. When Coach K was asked whether or not Irving could be out the rest of the season, he responded: "He could be, he could be."


There are a lot of questions still to be answered regarding Irving's health, but what we do know is that his toe is not broken. He's got ligament damage, and anyone that has any experience with toe injuries -- either as an athlete or as a fan or an injured athlete -- can attest, toes are not easy to heel and they are even more difficult to predict.

The hope is that Irving will be back in 3-4 weeks. If that is the case, there is not much of an issue. This injury could not come at a more perfect time. Duke only plays three games between tonight and January 2nd, when they kick off ACC play with a home game against Miami FL. They don't really get tested in league play until Maryland visits on January 9th, and they don't have to travel for a league game until their trip to Florida State on January 12th.

Irving, who is currently in a walking boot, has a lot of time to get healthy.

And if he is able to return to the lineup by the start of conference play, there's no reason that he can't be in the running to win Player of the Year.

The question that becomes much more relevant after Coach K's comments is what happens to Duke if Irving is out for the year.

It goes without saying that the loss would be huge. Nolan Smith is capable of playing the point, as is Seth Curry, but neither of them are as athletic or as quick with the ball as Irving is. In terms of being a dynamic playmaker at the point guard position, there aren't many players in the country on Irving's level.

Having Smith and Curry -- as well as Andre Dawkins, who hit eight threes against Bradley -- means that Duke is about as well equipped as you can be to handle this kind of loss, but it changes their team's makeup. The Blue Devils won't play as fast and will likely rely more heavily on perimeter jumpers.

Without Irving, this team is still one of the best in the country and quite possibly still the favorite to win it all.

But the gap will be significantly smaller between the Blue Devils and the rest of the field.
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How good can Kyrie Irving be?

Adulation of a star recruit is far from an uncommon occurrence. In fact, I'd go as far as to say its an anomaly when a coach doesn't turn up the hype machine for an incoming freshman, especially one that is a consensus top five recruit.

That's why it should come as no surprise that Kyrie Irving, seemingly the next great Duke guard, is getting shown quite a bit of love from those around the Duke program.

Steve Wojciechowski, the former Duke point guard and current Duke assistant coach, compared Irving to Bobby Hurley and Jay Williams. That's pretty good company to share a sentence with.

Is Kyrie Irving the next great Duke guard?
(photo credit: NJ High School Hoops)

Williams himself weighed in, saying that he thought that Irving was better than John Wall. Yes, that John Wall, the soon-to-be No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft.

Howard Garfinkel, the legendary recruiting guru, did both of them one better. "He can pass the ball with either hand brilliantly," Garfinkel told Adam Zagoria. "He's got great moves to the basket. He's very unselfish. He's an outstanding 3-point shooter. And he's lightning quick. What's left? Irving could make them back-to-back champions, he's that good."

Not just one national title, but back-to-back?

That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call the hype machine.

Having said that, isn't it possible that Irving is actually this good? Could it be that Irving isn't just on the receiving end of the typical Duke recruit love-fest (Josh McRoberts, Shavlik Randolph, DeMarcus Nelson, Ryan Kelly, need I go on?), that he may end up being the best point guard in the country next season?

Before you answer that, digest this quote from Coach K, pulled from the same Zagoria article:

"We'll change our whole offense, the way we play because of Kyrie. Just like we did when we had Jason Williams. He'll make a big impact right away. He's going to be very, very good."

Jay Williams had a big impact as a freshman. I'm talking 14.5 ppg, 6.2 apg, and the national freshman of the year award.

But Irving is walking into a much different situation than Williams.

You see, Williams' freshman season was the 1999-2000 campaign. That team had to replace their top four scorers -- Elton Brand, Trajon Langdon, Corey Maggette, and William Avery -- all of who ended up in the lottery in the 1999 draft.

Duke is the reigning national champion. They bring back all-american and reigning Final Four MOP Kyle Singler. They still have the Plumlees anchoring what should be a big, athletic, and versatile front line. Lest we forget that their back court already consists of Nolan Smith (who will make an appearance on quite a few all-american lists), Seth Curry (Steph's little brother that spent a year working on his game after averaging 20 at Liberty as a freshman), and Andre Dawkins.

Jay Williams joined a team that was looking to retool and that needed a star.

Kyrie Irving is joining a team that would be a Final Four and national title favorite if he had gone elsewhere.

And Coach K is still going to build his offense around Irving.

Maybe it isn't just 'hype' after all.

(Just because I love youtube videos, here are some clips of Irving for your viewing pleasure. Make your own decision on Irving.)






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Kyrie Irving is multi-talented

Kyrie Irving seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulders.

As we mentioned back in August, Kyrie Irving is not only an aspiring point guard - he is an aspring journalist as well. He had his pick of schools to go to, and he ended up electing Duke, which doesn't have the greatest reputation for getting kids to the pros (although, to be fair, they do have the most alums in the NBA right now).

Today, courtesy of the Star Ledger, we find out that Irving may also be an aspiring actor?

Duke basketball recruit Kyrie Irving stars in high school play

Irving seems to have the right attitude. He is just a regular kid looking to have fun. But I don't think he'll be featured on any http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11SvDtPBhA anytime soon.
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Does Kyrie Irving owe Adam Zagoria an apology?

That is the question that The Dagger is asking today.

You see, last week, Adam Zagoria, a reporter for SNY.tv that also runs the website ZagsBlog, broke the news that Kyrie Irving had made the decision to attend Duke. Irving denied that story via his Twitter, but two days later he committed to Duke live on ESPN U.

Kyrie Irving has drawn some criticism for his reaction to Adam Zagoria's scoop last week.
(photo credit: Rise)

The problem is that it seems that Irving had made a commitment, and thus Zagoria had an accurate scoop. (If you believe Seth Davis, Irving committed during his official visit to Duke, but he wanted to visit Texas A&M as a favor to his father's coach and go to Big Blue Madness because, well, its Big Blue Madness and he's Kyrie Irving.) Irving just wanted as large of an audience as possible during his live announcement, which he even admitted to ESPN U's Lowell Galindo, saying "I had to keep everybody in suspense. Somebody wrote that prematurely, but it didn't really have a hindrance on my decision at all. I really enjoyed ESPN doing this for me and it's just been great that I could announce it here."

This prompted two very well-known college basketball writers to call for an apology from Irving:

• Seth Davis via Hoop Thoughts:

  Make no mistake: Kyrie Irving is worth the hype. He is the best guard Duke has recruited since Jay Williams, and he is a terrific student to boot. But since he has been playing the media game so deftly, he should do what a real media organization is supposed to do when it publishes something that's wrong: He should issue a correction. At the very least, he should apologize to Adam Zagoria. Unlike Kyrie, he got the story right.

• Gary Parrish via The Thoughts:

  Credit SNY's Adam Zagoria with the scoop. He had this nailed two days ago, wrote it and had to deal with Irving refuting his story publicly. As a journalist, I can tell you there's nothing more frustrating than having an accurate story refuted. So it was nice to see Zagoria vindicated, and Irving probably owes him an apology via Twitter, at least.

Personally, I don't think Irving owes Zagoria an apology.

Zagoria has a job to do. He heard a rumor, talked to some credible sources, got the information he needed, and wrote about it. That's his job, and he did it to perfection in this case.

But Irving is a 17 year old kid who is enjoying his time in the spotlight. Clearly, he was excited about the opportunity to announce his college choice on ESPN U. When an article from a very good and reliable journalist stole his thunder, how did you think he was going to react?

Zagoria clearly took no offense, so why should the rest of us?
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UPDATE: Finally, Kyrie Irving will tell us where he is going to college

UPDATE: I'm moving this up to the top as Kyrie Irving, as expected, announced that he would be attending Duke.


Kyrie Irving will announce tomorrow on ESPN U where he is going to school. He will be choosing between Duke, Kentucky, and Texas A&M, the three schools at which he has taken official visits.

Barring a major surprise, Irving will be announcing his intentions to attend Duke and play for Coach K and the Blue Devils.

To be completely honest, I'm glad that this process is over. Maybe it is because Duke is the team that has been courting him, but I feel like Irving's name has constantly been in the news for the last month.

Want proof?

This is the second time that we've heard the Irving definitely will maybe commit to possibly being a Dukie.

Nothing against the kid, because he genuinely seems like he has a good head on his shoulders (a rarity these days). But the 2009-2010 season hasn't even started, and I have already spent way to much time worrying about what will happen in 2010-2011 should Irving go to Duke.

Irving is sick of it too. From his Twitter:

People are so funny when stuff actually hits the fan...have your fun commenting on my Twitter...thanks to all the REAL fans for being patient

So Kyrie, if you happen to read this, my apologies for not being patient.
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UPDATE: Kyrie Irving has(n't) committed to Duke

UPDATE: According to Kyrie Irving (via his Twitter), he actually has not yet committed to Duke.


Kyrie Irving's recruitment is over, at least according to Adam Zagoria, who spoke to three different assistant coaches that recruited Irving.

Apparently, the Rivals ninth ranked player will officially announce his commitment this week, maybe even as early as tomorrow morning.

The Cameron Crazies rolled out the red carpet for Kyrie Irving during his official visit back in September.
(photo credit: The Chronicle's Sports Blog)

If Irving does commit to Duke this time (he has been considered almost a lock to be a Blue Devil since he dropped Indiana, and this isn't the first time we've heard he's on the verge of officially committing), his signing is huge get for Coach K and the Dookies. The Devils are thin in the back court this season and lose Jon Scheyer to graduation.

But they will return Nolan Smith and Andre Dawkins, as well as add Seth Curry and Tyler Thornton to the mix. With Irving, Coach K will have a pure point guard with the ability to take over a game as a scorer or as a passer.

The addition of Irving makes that back court one of the best in the country. If the Devils catch a break and get Kyle Singler, both of the Plumlees, and Ryan Kelly to stay for another year, this team will be a preseason Final Four favorite come October 2010.
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Kyrie Irving interview with High School Hoops

Earlier this week, we wrote about the possibility of Coach K landing one of the best recruiting classes in 2010. In that post, we mentioned that many sources believed Kyrie Irving was really close to committing to the Blue Devils.

Well, Irving confirmed many of those rumors in an interview with High School Hoops:

Well, I’ve got that feeling with Duke, but I want to go on a few more visits to compare it all. I’m not ready to commit yet. I just want to make sure everything is right. Duke and Indiana were my top two schools, and Duke is up there, but I like the other schools too.

I guess you could say that I’m leaning toward Duke. I’m just not ready to commit. It was my first visit and of course I’m really high on them and like I said I have that feeling, but I think it’s only smart to compare it to something.

That's not all, Duke fans. Irving also talked about the fact that he and Austin Rivers, one of the best players in the class of 2011 who is committed to Florida but made a recent visit to Durham, have established a strong relationship:

We talk like every other day. We developed a relationship over the summer. It would just be real cool to play with another great point guard. It would make the transition to college a lot easier. Especially a guy like him, he can shoot the crap out of the ball. It would be really cool to play with him in college.

It seems like Kyrie Irving has his head screwed on pretty straight. If he does end up at Duke, he will be their most talented guard since Jay Williams.

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Coach K is hitting the recruiting trail hard

I don't think anyone will argue with me if I say Duke has one of the best basketball programs in the country.

But over the last few seasons, Coach K's bunch has not been as dominant as they were in the 90's. Since 2001, the Blue Devils have made it past the Sweet Sixteen just once, a 2004 run to the Final Four. They have reached the tournament every season with a smattering of ACC regular season and conference championships thrown in there, which would be a great run for just about any program in the country.

But we are talking about Duke.

Expectations are high down in Durham.

The reason why the Blue Devils haven't been the same Blue Devils is a tough question to answer. Have they had a dominant play maker in their back court since Jason Williams left? Are their stars too soft to handle the pressure of playing in March? Do they rely too much on the three? Does the team break down by the end of the season?

This image has been a common one for recent Duke teams.
(photo credit: photobucket)

The bottom line is that Duke just hasn't been getting the same caliber of talent into their program of late. Instead of landing a Christian Laettner, they get a Josh McRoberts. Instead of Jason Williams, its Jon Scheyer. Elton Brand is now Lance Thomas.

I don't mean to be speaking ill of the current Dukies, because these are still kids that are playing for a team that wins 25-plus games a year in the ACC. That is very impressive. But Thomas, Scheyer, and McRoberts are not going to be making NBA all-star teams. And as we have said time and time again, that NBA ready talent is what you need to win titles in college.

So is the issue recruiting?

It seems to be a fair argument, as Coach K has just missed on quite a few big time recruits over the last couple of summers. Patrick Patterson, Greg Monroe, John Wall, and Kenny Boynton are just a few of the big names that flirted heavily with the idea of playing for Coach K.

Imagine a starting line-up of those four and Kyle Singler.

Scary, right?

But things may be looking up for the Blue Devils.

Kyrie Irving is a consensus top 10 recruit in the class of 2010 (9th by Rivals, 6th by ESPN, 5th by Scout). For most of the summer, it was believed that Indiana and Duke were the two leaders to land his services. But last week, Irving announced that he would not be taking an official visit in Bloomington, putting the Blue Devils squarely in the drivers seat according to most media outlets.

Is Kyrie Irving headed to Durham?
(photo credit: Herald Times)

Irving's official visit to Duke over the weekend only added fuel to the fire. Adam Zagoria reported yesterday that the trip was an overwhelming success as the Crazies were out in full force. Irving raved about his trip on Twitter, and if Justin Young or Jeff Goodman is to be believed, a commitment is imminent.

But there's more.

Most believe that Harrison Barnes, who is arguably the best player in the class of 2010 (1st by Scout, 1st by ESPN, 2nd by Rivals), has favored Duke for a while (he takes his official visit there on October 23rd), but that may have changed after his trip to see the UNC alumni game.

Austin Rivers, Doc's son and Jeremiah's brother, is a top ten recruit in the class of 2011 and has long been committed to Florida. But he recently took a trip to the Duke campus, and some believe he may now be choosing between the two schools.

And do I need to mention that Irving's teammate at St. Patrick's in Michael Gilchrist, a 2011 recruit that may actually be the best player in the country.

While it may be all speculation right now, if Coach K can finally land two or three of these kids, would any be surprised to see the Devils celebrating in Houston in 2011?

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UPDATE: Kyrie Irving will not be a Hoosier

Just a few weeks after listing Indiana as one of his co-leaders (along with Duke), Kyrie Irving, a top 10 recruit in the class '10, eliminated IU from contention.

The decision comes just weeks before Irving was scheduled to take an official visit to the Bloomington campus.

Each recruit gets five official visits. Right now, Irving is heading to Kentucky, Duke, Georgia Tech, and Texas A&M. He is trying to decide between Seton Hall and UConn for his fifth official. UPDATE: Irving will take his fifth official visit to Seton Hall.

Kyrie Irving has eliminated Indiana from his list.
(photo credit: ESPN)

I don't want to speculate as to why Irving backed out on his official visit. (If you read some of the quotes from the people around him, it simply seems like he just didn't want to go there.) Kids make decisions like that all the time.

But if you're Tom Crean, you have to be pretty disappointed. For a program in the rebuilding phase, Irving is the kind of talent that not only can carry a team, but will make the players around him better and possibly attract more top tier talent. Remember, his high school teammate is Michael Gilchrist. Yes, that Michael Gilchrist.

Now that they are out of the running for Irving, the Indy Star is reporting that Tom Crean's staff is currently chasing after former Tennessee commit Josh Selby, another five star point guard.

Anyway, here's a quick mixtape of Kyrie Irving highlights from the Nike Global Challenge:



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Kyrie Irving does not want to be a back-up

No matter the sport, the politically correct thing to say is that winning is all that matters. As long as your team comes out on top, we as athletes are not supposed to care about personal matters like stats, playing time, or who makes the game-winner.

As the saying goes, there is no "I" in "team".

But is that really true?

No.

As anyone that has ever played a sport can attest, the truth is that we all want to win AND be the star. No one actually wants to come off the bench. No one actually wants to be a role player. Whether it is your neighborhood men's league or the NBA, you want to be the star; the hero.

In a world full of anti-Kanye's worried about their public image and perception in the media, sometimes it is refreshing to here someone speak the truth.

Kyrie Irving, a top five point guard recruit playing at St. Patrick's in New Jersey, did just that. In an interview with Scout.com's Dave Telep, Irving said that a factor in his college choice will be his "role in the offense". As Gary Parrish tells us, this can easily be read as "I have no desire to be a role player".

Kyrie Irving wants to start when he gets to college.
(photo credit: photos.nj)

Irving's recruitment seems to be coming down to six schools - Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, UConn, Georgia Tech, and Texas A&M. Of those six, three already have big time points guards on their roster - UConn's Kemba Walker, Kentucky's Eric Bledsoe (John Wall's a one-and-done), and Georgia Tech's Iman Shumpert.

So if Irving doesn't want to have to wait a year or two to start, wouldn't it made sense that he would avoid a school with a star already filling his position?

Is it any wonder now why most believe the Blue Devils and the Hoosiers are his top two?

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