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2/26/08 Duke in the NBA

February 26, 2008

Posted by under NBA Devils

NBA.com Duke Stats

Click here to view live stats of Duke players in the NBA.

Top Performers
Coming off his second NBA All-Star game in as many seasons, Carlos Boozer has gotten right back to the habit of dominating the post in the powerful Western Conference. Carlos has posted 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in five of his last six games for the streaking Utah Jazz, including his first-ever triple-double on February 13th in a win over Seattle.
Sharing top performer honors with Boozer this week is Corey Maggette, who continues to light up the scoreboard in L.A., having scored 20+ points in eight straight games (including three 30+ point games) through February 24th. Corey is averaging 26.8 points per game over that span.
Corey Maggette elevates for a dunk against Memphis on February 20th…
Line of the Week
Mike Dunleavy, Jr. notched his second 30+ point game of the season Friday night, with 34 points on only 20 shots from the field to lead the Pacers to a win over the New Jersey Nets.  Dunleavy has had a breakout year this season, averaging career highs in points (17.5 per game) and assists (3.4 per game) for Indiana.

Injury Update
Luol Deng missed 16 games in the past two months with a sore Achilles tendon, but is finally back in the Bulls’ starting lineup and playing healthy for the first time in months.  Elton Brand is also progressing nicely in his rehab from an Achilles injury, participating in non-contact drills with the Clippers last week and hoping to progress to full-contact practices within the next two weeks.

Battier, Rockets on Winning Streak
The Houston Rockets are the hottest team in the NBA right now, having won 12 in a row and 16 of their last 17 games.  The Rockets have lost only four times in 2008, with their last loss on January 27th against Carlos Boozer and the Utah Jazz, who are also rolling in a big way.  Shane Battier continues to provide the Rockets with solid outside shooting and stellar defense from the small forward position, averaging 9.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in the month of February while shooting 45% from long range and helping Houston stay in the playoff mix in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.  Unfortunately, it was announced today that Houston’s starting center Yao Ming will likely miss the rest of the season due to a broken foot.

Grant Hitting the Boards
For four years at Duke, Grant Hill made a habit of filling whatever role his team needed, whether it was handling the point, defending all over the court, or making a game-winning full court pass to get to the Final Four.  This year in Phoenix, Grant is showing again that he can step up in a number of roles.  Since the trade that sent Shawn Marion to Miami in exchange for Shaquille O’Neal, Hill has stepped up his work on the boards dramatically, notching double-figure rebounds in three of his last five games and averaging almost ten per game in that stretch.

Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
The Blue Devils are slowly getting healthy again, now missing only Elton Brand from the full roster.  With his return only a few weeks away, look for some movement in the standings soon.

1.    Connecticut Huskies:  13,976.7
2.    North Carolina Tar Heels:  13,836.0
3.    Duke Blue Devils:  11,584.4
4.    Arizona Wildcats:  9362.6
5.    Florida Gators:  9346.8
6.    Kentucky Wildcats:  8252.2
7.    Kansas Jayhawks:  7481.4
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
“There won’t be any introductions necessary when the [USA National Team] coach meets his players.  Every NBA player, from star to scrub, knows who Coach K is.  Mike Krzyzewski is so thorough as a coach there couldn’t possibly be a pro who could have slipped below his radar.”
-Associated Press writer Jim O’Connell, after Coach K’s introduction as the first-ever U.S. National Head Coach

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2/17/08 Duke in the NBA

February 17, 2008

Posted by under NBA Devils

NBA.com Duke Stats

Click here to view live stats of Duke players in the NBA.
Top Performer
The NBA All-Star festivities are underway in New Orleans this weekend, and the Blue Devils have a representative on the team for the fourth consecutive year and eleventh time in the last 13 All-Star games as Carlos Boozer has made the Western Conference roster for the second straight year.  This will be Boozer’s first chance to compete in the game itself, since he was forced to sit out last year’s contest with an injury.

Carlos enters the game on a tear after posting three straight 20+ point, 10+ rebound games leading up to the All-Star break.  After making a habit out of posting double-doubles throughout his NBA career, Boozer hit a milestone Wednesday night with his first triple-double in a win over Seattle, finishing with an astounding 22 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists (against zero turnovers), and 5 steals!  Led by Boozer, the Jazz are the hottest team in the NBA, with an 18-3 record in their last 21 games.

Carlos Boozer powers to the rim for two of his 22 points February 13th as part of his first ever triple-double.

Boozer to Beijing this Summer?
While proving to be one of the most dominant low-post players in the NBA over the past two seasons, Carlos has earned attention from Team USA as well.  Unable to participate in the FIBA Americas Championship last summer while his son, Carmani, was preparing for a bone marrow transplant for sickle cell anemia, Boozer is a strong candidate to participate in the Olympic Games this summer in China, according to the team director, Jerry Colangelo.  Check out this article for more.  Boozer has experience in the Olympics, having played for Team USA in Athens, Greece in 2004, but this trip would be doubly special, since it would reunite Carlos with Coach K, in an attempt to follow up their 2001 NCAA Championship with an Olympic gold medal.
Line of the Week
Grant Hill is about to get some awfully big company in Phoenix with Shaquille O’Neal getting ready to join Suns in their quest for an NBA Championship.  Shaq is reportedly set to make his Suns debut on Wednesday against the Lakers, but in the meantime, Phoenix needed someone to step up and provide some of the scoring and rebounding Shawn Marion took with him to Miami in the trade.  Last Wednesday night, Grant more than filled the void, with 26 points on 11-of-18 (.611) from the field, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal.  The addition of a healthy Grant Hill has pushed Phoenix to the top of the Western Conference standings so far this season, and if both Grant and Shaq can stay injury-free through the playoffs, the Suns have a great chance to be the last ones standing after the NBA Finals.
Landlord Moved to Sacramento
Shelden Williams was traded on Saturday as part of a five-player deal between the Atlanta Hawks and the Sacramento Kings.  The move should be a positive one for Shelden as he will have a greater opportunity to contribute in the Kings frontcourt.

Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
Luol Deng is recovering from his Achilles tendon injury but still has no definite return date.  He may be back for the Bulls’ February 20th matchup with New Jersey.  Elton Brand is also on schedule as he rehabs from his ruptured Achilles tendon, but likely will not be back in the Clippers lineup until March.  In the meantime, Carlos Boozer, Corey Maggette, Mike Dunleavy, Jr., and Grant Hill continue to post big numbers to keep the Blue Devils competitive and poised to make a run once Deng and Brand return.

1.    Connecticut Huskies:  12,969.2
2.    North Carolina Tar Heels:  12,795.4
3.     Duke Blue Devils:  10,837.0
4.    Florida Gators:  8901.5
5.    Arizona Wildcats:  8596.4
6.    Kentucky Wildcats:  7757.5
7.    Kansas Jayhawks:  6923.8
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
“[Carlos Boozer’s] game is something we don’t have much on [the Team USA] roster – you know, a power forward with an inside post-up game.  We really wanted him last summer.  It would have been a great addition.  And he just couldn’t do it.”
-Jerry Colangelo, Managing Director of USA Basketball’s senior men’s national team (February 16, 2008)

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2/10/08 Duke in the NBA

February 10, 2008

Posted by under NBA Devils

NBA.com Duke Stats
Click here to view live stats of Duke players in the NBA.

Line of the Week
Chris Duhon always had a knack for stepping up big when his team needed him at Duke, and on Thursday in Oakland, he showed he could still raise his game to another level when necessary.  Former Duke teammate Luol Deng has been sitting out in Chicago for a couple of weeks with a sore Achilles tendon, and with both Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon also on the sidelines against Golden State, the Bulls needed someone to carry the scoring burden.  Duhon stepped in with a career-high 34 points on 11-of-16 (.688) from the field and 4-of-6 from long range, 9 assists, and 3 steals to lead the Bulls to a road upset over last season’s Cinderella team, the Golden State Warriors.  It was the Bulls’ first win in Oakland since 1998 and moved Chicago into a tie for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with New Jersey.
Former Duke teammates Carlos Boozer and Chris Duhon at the February 9th Bulls-Jazz game

Top Performer
It’s starting to look as if Elton Brand may have some company as the go-to guy for the Clippers when he comes back from his Achilles tendon injury next month. Corey Maggette has been featured here multiple times in recent weeks thanks to his impressive performances over the course of the season, but more recently he has become unstoppable on the court. The only thing that can slow him down these days, it seems, is the flu. Maggette missed four games this month with the illness, but his performances both before and after sitting out have been remarkable. Corey has scored over 30 points in three of his last four games, including 35 points on 5-of-5 from long range, nine rebounds, and two assists Friday night to lead the Clips to a win over Toronto. That performance was a followup to his 33-point, 8-rebound, 3-assist, 5-steal game two nights earlier against Boston.
McRoberts Plays Well for Portland
Josh McRoberts returned from his brief stint in the NBA Developmental League to play his first extended minutes of the season on Friday and responded very well, recording 6 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist in just over 11 minutes of action.
Redick in a Tough Situation
Orlando Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy admits that J.J. Redick can be a very productive NBA player. The ACC’s all-time leading scorer has shown in practice and in his brief appearances in games this season that he can still fill it up from all over the court. However, scoring is not Orlando’s problem, and Van Gundy feels that his other options at the shooting guard position can fill necessary defensive and rebounding roles. With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, this has led to several articles about J.J.’s future in Orlando, and here’s the latest. According to Van Gundy and Magic General Manager Otis Smith, Redick shouldn’t expect to be packing his bags anytime soon. They’ve seen his talent in practice, and with several of their guards testing free agency this summer, Smith would much rather keep Redick around for next season than risk seeing him scoring in bunches for other teams this year.
Hill and Shaq Team Up in Phoenix
The Phoenix Suns know that their chance to win an NBA Championship is now. That’s why they acquired Grant Hill in the off-season, a move which has been called “a dream” by Phoenix Coach Mike D’Antoni. This week the Suns made another move that they hope will bring Grant and his teammates a ring, trading Shawn Marion to the Miami Heat for Shaquille O’Neal. The move puts more responsibility on Hill’s shoulders to take over Marion’s scoring and defensive duties, but after three Final Fours in four seasons at Duke, Grant is no stranger to pressure situations.

Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
Slowly but surely, the Blue Devils are getting healthy again. Corey Maggette, Grant Hill, and Chris Duhon have all recently recovered from illness or injury, and Luol Deng and Elton Brand appear to be a few weeks away from returning to the court. Once everyone is healthy for this first time all season, expect to see Duke making up ground on the leaders quickly. For now, they continue to hold their ground in the third position.
1.    Connecticut Huskies:  12,306.7
2.    North Carolina Tar Heels:  12,025.4
3.    Duke Blue Devils:  10,305.5
4.    Florida Gators:  8475.7
5.    Arizona Wildcats:  8038.5
6.    Kentucky Wildcats:  7335.4
7.    Kansas Jayhawks:  6587.2
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

“You would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the greater Phoenix area who isn’t happy having Hill as part of the first-place Suns. ‘Everything you heard about him is true,’ D’Antoni said. Teammates have taken to tapping Hill’s high basketball IQ. During a recent practice, Stoudemire grilled Hill about helping him become a better ball-handler. ‘He’s a smart guy,’ Stoudemire said. ‘Who wouldn’t want his advice?’”

-Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix (January 29, 2008)

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1/28/08 Duke in the NBA

January 28, 2008

Posted by under NBA Devils

NBA.com Duke Stats
Click here to view live stats of Duke players in the NBA.
Line of the Week
For the first two months of this NBA season, Carlos Boozer played at an MVP level, scoring 30 or more points seven times and averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds per game. Through the first half of January, Carlos’ numbers have taken a slight dip, but Friday against the Kings Boozer asserted himself once again as one of the premier forwards in the NBA. Carlos made his first 13 shots and finished 15-of-19 (.789) for 33 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. Utah has now won nine of their last eleven games and sit only a game and a half out of the Northwest division lead.
The coaches’ selections for the NBA All-Star game will be announced on Thursday, and Boozer is a virtual lock for his second straight All-Star selection. Expect to see plenty of articles about Carlos this week, but here’s one that examines not only how well he has battled on the court this season, but also at the battle his family has faced off the court, as his son recovered from a bone marrow transplant for sickle cell anemia.
Carlos Boozer powers to the hoop against the Clippers, January 21st.
Top Performer
Corey Maggette has been remarkably consistent this NBA season, filling in admirably for his former Duke and current Clipper teammate Elton Brand as the team’s leading scorer and go-to guy.  Corey has taken his game to another level this month, averaging 23.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 11 games.  Saturday night was his best game of the season, with an incredible 35 points on only 14 shots!  He also tallied nine rebounds and two assists in that game and shot an impressive 16-of-18 from the foul line.  This is the second time in eight days that Maggette has scored over 30 points in a game.

Injury Update
There’s both good and bad news on the injury front for Duke fans this week.  The good news is that Elton Brand was evaluated by his doctor last week and was cleared for increased activity, including running full speed and jumping off both feet.  There is no target date as of right now for a return, but Elton appears to be on track for a possible return in late February or early March.

Chris Duhon has also returned from his knee injury to play in Chicago’s last two games (Friday and Sunday).  The bad news is that Luol Deng’s sore Achilles tendon is going to keep him out of action longer than originally thought.  Luol is out “indefinitely” while recovering from the nagging injury.  Deng had put together some of his strongest performances of the season prior to the injury, and should be able to recover fully with a little extra rest.

Grant Hill’s recovery from surgery to remove his appendix was uneventful, but after returning to play on schedule last week, Grant was out of action again this week with back spasms.  Hill’s Suns are currently leading the competitive Western Conference with 32 wins.

Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
Despite the terrific performances this week by Carlos Boozer and Corey Maggette, not to mention Mike Dunleavy’s continued excellence in Indiana (18.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in January), all the injuries have kept the Blue Devils from making a move on the top spot.  Duke will need healthy returns from Brand, Deng and Hill to have a shot at winning this year’s fantasy league.


1.    Connecticut Huskies:  10,910.0
2.    North Carolina Tar Heels:  10,497.1
3.    Duke Blue Devils:  9178.2
4.    Florida Gators:  7518.4
5.    Arizona Wildcats:  7023.6
6.    Kentucky Wildcats:  6513.8
7.    Kansas Jayhawks:  5815.8
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
“Even after four years, four surgeries and hundreds of missed games, Hill remains the most cherished player on the planet.  He is as close as we have in sports to a national treasure.  Unlike practically every other NBA superstar, we became infatuated with Hill in college at Duke University.  Other basketball players may be just as known, but they aren’t nearly as loved.”
-Orlando Sentinel’s Mike Bianchi

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1/22/08 Duke in the NBA

January 22, 2008

Posted by under NBA Devils

NBA.com Duke Stats

Click here to view live stats of Duke players in the NBA.

Top Performer
Corey Maggette has been a star player for the Clippers all season long while Elton Brand recovers from his Achilles tendon injury, but in the past couple of weeks, he has raised his game to a new level.  Corey has scored 20+ points in each of the past six games, including a monstrous game on January 19th, when he led the Clippers to a win over the New Jersey Nets with 31 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals.  He followed that up two days later with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in loss to Carlos Boozer’s Utah Jazz.  For the month, Maggette is averaging 22.0 points per game and shooting 55% from the field.

Line of the Week
Last week we mentioned Mike Dunleavy‘s terrific performance is his first trip back to Golden State since last year’s trade.  The Pacers weren’t able to pull out the victory in that game, but Dunleavy delivered another dominating performance the next night back in Indiana, powering the Pacers to a victory over the Warriors with 24 points (including 11-of-11 from the line), 9 rebounds, and 2 assists.  Mike is averaging 20.8 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 48% from the field in his last five games.

Mike Dunleavy had a pair of nice outings against his former team, Golden State
Injury Update
Unfortunately for Blue Devil fans, most of the news this week is about players who haven’t been able to play.  Elton Brand has been sidelined all season by an Achilles Tendon injury but is progressing nicely in his rehab.  He will be examined at the end of January to determine whether he is ready to progress to the next stage, which includes running at full speed and jumping off both feet.  If things continue to go well, we can hope to see Elton back on the court by the end of February or early March.

In Chicago, both of the Bulls’ Blue Devils are experiencing injury problems.  Luol Deng has been bothered on-and-off for weeks with a sore Achilles tendon, and last week was no exception.  He has now missed four games in January and been significantly limited in at least two others.  There is no word on how long Luol can expect to be affected by the injury.  Chris Duhon is also out for 7-10 days with a bruised knee.  Duhon, well-known for playing through pain at many times during his career, both in the NBA and at Duke, had started the last 13 games for Chicago, helping them to a 7-6 record in that span, before sitting out Monday’s game against Memphis.  An MRI that day revealed no structural damage to the knee.

Grant Hill is recovering nicely from surgery to remove his appendix on January 9th, having practiced at full speed on Monday and ready to play in Tuesday’s game against the Bucks.  “I had to get back because I was running out of suits,” joked Hill Monday.

Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
All the injuries are taking their toll on Duke’s standing in the Fantasy League.  While still easily in third place and well over 1000 points ahead of fourth-place Florida, the hobbled Blue Devils have fallen further behind the leaders thanks to missing three of their top five fantasy players for a significant portion of the past month.

1.    Connecticut Huskies:  10,224.6
2.    North Carolina Tar Heels:  9965.1
3.    Duke Blue Devils:  8762.9
4.    Florida Gators:  7094.6
5.    Arizona Wildcats:  6586.3
6.    Kentucky Wildcats:  6207.9
7.    Kansas Jayhawks:  5502.1
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
“[Mike] Dunleavy is having his most productive and enjoyable season under Jim O’Brien, who understands how to utilize his skills and appreciates them.  He’s averaging a team high 17.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and is shooting 49 percent from the floor and 85 percent from the line.”
-New York Post columnist Peter Vecsey (January 20, 2008)

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