Successful Playoff Run for J.J.

This postseason, J.J. Redick enjoyed the best stretch of what has been an up-and-down tenure with the Orlando Magic.  The dynamic scoring guard started eight games during the playoff run, highlighted by a 15 point (5-of-7 from three point range), 4 assist, zero turnover performance during a pivotal Game 6 win against Philadelphia.  The victory sent the Magic to the Eastern Conference semifinals despite the absence of superstar Team USA center Dwight Howard.

Redick shot well during the run to the Finals, hitting 40.4% of his long-range shots for the playoffs, but it was his impressive all-around skills during the playoffs that kept him on the floor, particularly his passing and defense.   Through 24 playoff games, Redick recorded 31 assists against only seven turnovers, for a very solid 4.4-to-1 assist:turnover ratio.  His best game as a playmaker came in Game 4 against Boston, where he finished with a game-high seven assists and zero turnovers in 23 minutes.

Defensively, J.J. showed a remarkable ability to keep up with athletic wing players like Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant.  During the Boston series, Redick kept his spot in the starting lineup by hounding the Celtics’ Allen into some miserable shooting nights.  In the Celtics’ previous seven-game series against Chicago, Allen averaged 23.4 points on 45% shooting from the field.  Against Orlando, when guarded primarily by Redick, those averages dropped to 13.1 points per game on 34% field goal shooting.  The performance left no doubt that J.J. is more than a one-dimensional NBA player and may have earned him a major bump in playing time next season.  Also, the Magic dealt guards Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston before the draft, potentially opening up more minutes for the Duke jersey retiree.

So Close

Duke fans were one game away from getting to see two former Duke teammates square off against each other for an NBA Championship.  Unfortunately, Dahntay Jones and the Denver Nuggets came up just short of joining J.J. and the Magic in the Finals.  Jones made a name for himself in these playoffs with his stellar defense against some of the NBA’s top scorers, including Team USA stars Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant, but Dahntay also provided quite a few Sportscenter highlights with his acrobatic plays around the rim.  The rugged swing man certainly seems to have found a home in Denver, starting every game during the playoffs and shooting 48.1% from the floor.

Gerald Makes the Leap

Thursday night was a big night for Blue Devil All-American Gerald Henderson.  The explosive shooting guard fulfilled a lifetime dream when he was drafted #12 by the Charlotte Bobcats, becoming Duke’s 15^th lottery pick (a record among all college programs) and the 21^st first round pick produced by Coach K (also a record among active college coaches).  The Bobcats have been in need of an athletic shooting guard since trading Jason Richardson to Pheonix this past season, and Henderson stood out in his workouts as exactly the kind of player Coach Larry Brown was looking for.   As an added bonus, Henderson gets to start his professional career just down the road from his college home at Duke.

Capel Developing Some Impressive Talent

Another Blue Devil shooting guard made news at the draft, but this time it was for his work on the sidelines.  Jeff Capel has a ways to go to catch Coach K’s record number of draft picks, but at this early stage in the young Oklahoma head coach’s career, he’s off to an amazing start.  Not only can Coach Capel claim the top player in the draft in power forward Blake Griffin, but Blake’s brother Taylor Griffin also went #48 to the Suns, while his former point guard at VCU, Eric Maynor, was a steal for the Sixers at #20.  Next year’s draft is looking good for Coach Capel too as early mock drafts are listing Sooners guard Willie Warren as a probable top 5 pick.

Off-Season Report

This off-season promises to less hectic than last summer when Luol Deng (new contract), Elton Brand (new team), Chris Duhon (new team) and Corey Maggette (new team) headlined a busy June, July and August.  However, some big decisions are on the table this summer as well.  Over in Utah, Carlos Boozer has to decide if he wants to accept the $12.7 million player option he has for next season.  Should he opt out of the contract, Detroit and New Jersey have been rumored as possible destinations for C-Booz.  Grant Hill is a free agent likely hoping to sign on with a contender with Phoenix potentially in re-building mode.  Other Blue Devil free agents looking for deals with their contracts are Shavlik Randolph, DeMarcus Nelson, Josh McRoberts and Dahntay Jones.  Shelden Williams has a $4.3 million team option with Minnesota.  Each of the other Devils in the league are under contract for next year.

The Charlotte Bobcats used the 12th pick of the 2009 NBA Draft to select Gerald Henderson, fulfilling the hoop dreams of the Duke All-American and keeping him only a few hours away from campus.  G is the 40th NBA draft selection under Coach K and the all-time record 15th lottery pick under the Duke Head Coach.

“I am excited about being drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats,” said G.  “Charlotte is a great city and the Bobcats have outstanding fan support.  I am looking forward to getting in to training camp and summer league to work with my new teammates and the coaching staff.  The Bobcats have a bright future and I am grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of it.”

Back in Durham, our players and coaching staff gathered in Scharf Hall to watch the draft together.  When David Stern announced Gerald’s name, the room erupted in cheers and everyone was excited to have G playing nearby.

“I am probably happier for him than he is,” said senior Lance Thomas.  “Once they called his name, I lost it.  It feels so good for him to accomplish that.  Being with him for three years, I know how bad he wants it and I know how hard he has worked to get where he is.  I am overwhelmed with joy for him.”  He added, “And his suit, that was a smooth look, he was the best dressed one up there by far.”

Nolan Smith was quick to suggest frequent team road trips to Charlotte to watch Bobcat home games.  “We’re definitely going to go up there and watch some games.  We will need about 14 tickets.”

G’s next stop will be in Charlotte to meet with his new team and the media tomorrow.  The Pennsylvania native is guaranteed $3.38 million over the next two seasons with team options after that for two seasons.  The Bobcats stated they intend to use Raja Bell and G at the shooting guard spot next season.

Duke Draft Notes

*G is the 15th Blue Devil lottery pick, an all-time draft record among schools.

*G is Coach K’s 21st first-round draft pick (tops among all active coaches) and the 13th Duke first-rounder in the past 12 years.

*Former Duke player Jeff Capel, now the head coach at Oklahoma, enjoyed an impressive day in New York.  Capel mentored the #1 pick (Blake Griffin), the #20 pick (Eric Maynor) and the #48 pick (Taylor Griffin).

*Former Blue Devil Jay Bilas was on the call as usual providing great draft analyst for ESPN.

Grant Hill was in town twice in the past two weeks for a presentation and then fantasy camp.  Any visit by the three-time All-American brings back great memories of high-flying dunks, big shots and all kinds of championships…

First all, tell us about your off-season and what you have been doing since school ended?  After the season, I went home for about two weeks, and I used that time to see my family since I am not home as much.  Also I have some good people I can work out with at home, so it is just a good change of scenery.  Then I came back to Duke and I’ve been working out with some of the guys and it has been great being here.

Now that you are here for the summer, what is a typical day for you?  Every morning Monday through Friday we start the day either lifting or doing agility work.  So I’ll get up, have breakfast, and then 8:30 we’ll have a lift.  Eating and trying to gain weight this summer is really big for me so I try to plan my meals throughout the day.  After eating and lifting, I’ll have a couple hours to get food and relax.  Then, I’ll have class from about 1-3:15.  After that, I’ll get another workout in and we’ll play pickup.  Then I have a tutor at night for about one hour.  After that, I’ll get back and have some dinner, maybe watch some games if there are any on TV and do a little studying.  That’s my day.

When the season ended, did you set any specific goals for the summer?  You mentioned adding some weight.  Anything else you hope to get done this summer?  I wrote down some goals for myself.  It is one thing to have goals but to write them down is another thing because it lets you visualize.  You see them everyday and hold yourself accountable.  That is something I did after the year – I set goals for myself individually for the summer and for the entire year.  I asked myself where I wanted to be 365 days from now and that is how I planned it after talking to my coaches and thinking to myself.

You do have more free time than during the season although it sounds like you are keeping pretty busy.  Do you have any video games you’ve been playing or maybe a season going in a sports game?  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve played less video games.  I would still hope that if you were to ask any of my teammates who the best video game player is in any game, they would say me.  I know they would think me, I don’t know if they would say it!  My friends and I once in awhile will play Rock Band, NBA Live or NHL.  I can mix it up with any game, and all my teammates know that.

You and G became close friends over these past three years and obviously he will be drafted in a few weeks.  What will you miss most without him around?  As much as G and I would banter back and forth, he was a guy who was really hungry to play.  So, in the morning sometimes, like on a Saturday, I would wake up at 8:30 or 9 and he is already out of the house and going to work on his game.  It keeps you motivated when you see how hungry your roommate and best friend is to go do that stuff.  He is one of the most competitive guys I’ve known, so it was great going up against him in practice or pickup games.  I’ll miss all that and all of the times he was there for me off the court too.

It seems like the newcomers, Ryan and Mason, have been around a lot.  How have they been doing so far?  They’re doing great.  Mason is actually staying with me for a few weeks before he moves in to his dorm, so I’ve had the chance to get to know him really well.  Both he and Ryan are going to be great players.  Both of them can really mix it up, go inside and outside, and they can really score the ball.   Now, obviously there are things you have to learn as a freshman, but both of those guys are way ahead and they are going to have big years.

We just wrapped up the K Academy and over 30 former players were around.  I know you got the chance to interact with them and hoop with them.  What was that like for you?  It was fun.  First of all, it is pretty crazy when we’re playing pickup and you are on the court with three guys in the NBA and three retired jerseys.  There are so many amazing players, from Christian Laettner, to Grant Hill, to Chris Duhon to Jay Williams.  It is great going up against those guys because you can get comfortable playing against the same people every day, even though we are all great players.  All of a sudden I am bringing the ball up the court and getting pressured by Duhon.  That is just a different level and it was great for me.  It was awesome for them to come back.  Grant Hill, he really impressed me.  He’s still got it, he is a big-time player.

Did those guys give you any tips?  What were they saying when you were around the gym?  Well, during the games some guys would say some things.  I remember there was one pass I was going to throw behind my back.  I kind of looked at the pass before I made it and Daniel Ewing read the pass.  He said, “You looked at it too long.  You can’t look at it that long.”  They would give us little things like that during the games.  There are some things you can’t get away with at their level now that they did in college too, so they can relate and know what your thinking.

You took over the primary point guard duties for us towards the end of last season.  Is that something you are planning and hoping to continue?  Yeah I am hoping to continue that and I’m definitely working on that.  Regardless of who starts or any of that, I know I will play there a lot but I will also need to score off the ball.  One thing I’ve really tried to do this off-season is work on my ball-handling.  That has always been a strength of mine and it comes naturally to me, but I really want to be just as good as I can be.  That is something I am working on a lot because I know it can only help me down the road.

We’ve got Blue Planet on Twitter and our fans are wondering… What happened to Jon Scheyer on Twitter?  Are you more of a Facebook fan?  Where are you are going for your online social networking these days?  I got away from it but I am getting back on.  Actually, yesterday I went on for the first time in awhile and all of a sudden I saw I had 600 followers.  I have to give them something so I am going to start updating again!

During the K Academy, Christian Laettner worked with our big men on campus in the K Center.  The 1992 National Player of the Year and Duke jersey retiree gave Brian Zoubek, Mason Plumlee and Miles Plumlee some tips while putting the group through drills.  You can view photos of the workout HERE.