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12/29/07 Duke in the NBA

December 29, 2007

Posted by Dave McSwain under In Their Shoes, NBA Devils

NBA.com Duke Stats/Player Widgets
Click here to view live stats of Duke players in the NBA.
Top Performer
Mike Dunleavy continues to demonstrate that last year’s trade to Indiana was a great move for both the Pacers and his career.  The former Blue Devil had two games over the span of five days last week that earned him top-performer honors.  On December 17th, Dunleavy notched a career-high 36 points on 13-of-18 (.722) shooting to go along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists in a 27-point smashing of the New York Knicks. After recording only 19 points two days later in a victory over the Sixers, Dunleavy again broke the 30-point barrier on December 21st against the Timberwolves, with 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. It marked the third time this season that Dunleavy, who leads the Pacers in scoring, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, and three-point percentage, has notched 30 or more points. Thanks to Dunleavy’s breakout performance this season, Indiana is one of the surprise teams in the Eastern Conference, currently second in the Central Division standings at 15-14.
Line of the Week
It happened more than a week ago, but some performances just have to be recognized. On December 17th, Carlos Boozer simply dominated the Atlanta Hawks’ frontline to the tune of 39 points on 15-of-24 (.625) shooting, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. The point total is two points shy of his career high.
Former Duke stars Carlos Boozer and Shelden Williams battle in the paint
Grant Hill and Family
It’s becoming difficult to keep up with all the articles documenting the success of Grant Hill’s move to Phoenix, but here is another great one that takes a look at his family life and his wife (and recording star) Tamia.  Despite choosing to become just one of many stars on the high-powered Suns roster this summer, Grant is having is best statistical season since 2004-05, averaging 15.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.  Here is an article on just how much of a bargain Grant has been for Phoenix.

Blue Devils Strong among Western Conference Forwards
The latest returns for the All-Star balloting are in, and several Duke alumni make an appearance.  Among Western Conference forwards, Carlos Boozer is #4 in the voting, followed by Shane Battier at #7 and Grant Hill at #10.  Those three are joined on the ballot by Corey Maggette in the West and Mike Dunleavy and Luol Deng in the East.  You can cast your vote for the All-Star Team here.

New Coach for the Bulls
Chris Duhon, Luol Deng and the rest of the Bulls have not had the kind of season they’d hoped for so far in Chicago.  On Monday, Coach Scott Skiles paid the price for that slow start.  Former assistant coach Jim Boylan was promoted to the interim head coach position to replace Skiles as the Bulls look for a fresh start.  Chicago has made the playoffs each season since adding Deng and Duhon to the roster in 2004, but that streak is currently in jeopardy.  Hopefully the change in leadership will help the team turn its once-promising season around.

Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
Corey Maggette has been limited by a sore right knee for the past several games, scoring a season-low nine points last week against Dallas, and sitting out a December 22nd matchup with the Spurs.  Elton Brand remains sidelined while Dahntay Jones has found a spot in Sacramento’s rotation.  Overall, the Blue Devils remain firmly in the top three of the league.

1.    North Carolina Tar Heels:  6762.3
2.    Connecticut Huskies:  6679.2
3.    Duke Blue Devils:  6233.8
4.    Florida Gators:  5012.3
5.    Arizona Wildcats:  4835.1
6.    Kentucky Wildcats:  4380.7
7.    Kansas Jayhawks:  3798.8
Scoring summary:  one point for each point scored, 1.5 point for each rebound, two points for each assist, steal or block, 0.5 points for each 3-pointer made, and -1.2 points for each turnover.  Field-goal percentage is included by subtracting 0.2 points for each field goal attempt and adding 0.5 points for each field goal made, which would mean you break even by shooting 40% from the field.

Quote of the Week

“The thing people don’t realize is he played at that level for about five or six years in this league.  It’s not anything new.  You see what he adds to our team and everything he does.  I don’t see how anybody could possibly be even close (to a better bargain).  It’s great, because as good of a player as he is, he’s the most professional human being.  He’s solid character-wise.  I was hurting for him (in the Orlando years).  To see him where he is now is extremely satisfying.”
-Phoenix Suns Assistant Coach Alvin Gentry, on Grant Hill, in the December 19th Arizona Republic (Gentry coached Hill in Detroit as well)
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