Moore or less correct
Let's just get it out of the way now-anyone who thinks the Blue Devils will be better off without Josh McRoberts is crazy. Will they be better than they were last year? Probably. But that's because of a year of experience and development, not to mention a Sean May-sized chip on the team's collective shoulder. With McRoberts, this team would be a Final Four contender from the get-go. Far too much of the team's struggles last year were blamed on McRoberts inability to dominate. That blame may have been the deciding factor in him deciding to try for a fresh start at the next level. But there used to be a time in college basketball when players weren't expected to lead teams until their junior or senior year. The game hasn't changed. The physical and emotional maturity of teenagers hasn't changed. Only the expectations have changed. The special players have become the rule and the guys who need time to adapt their game to this level have suddenly become flops. As a freshman, McRoberts did very well complimenting J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams. Consider that even when he was in high school, Josh played on an AAU team with Greg Oden, Mike Conley and Dequan Cook, three first rounders in this year's draft. It seems that just maybe McRoberts was only starting to get used to being the leading man against good competition. Here's McRoberts' line from last season: 13 points, 8 boards, 3.5 assists and 2.5 blocks a game. Here are two stat lines, (same stats), from two other Duke sophomore seasons. 16, 9.5, 2.2, 1.1. And 9.1, 4.9, 1.5, 1. The first one was put up by Christian Laettner, the second by Shane Battier. Both of those guys made it to the title game their sophomore years, not because they were dominant, but because they had better talent around them (not to mention senior leaders-Phil Henderson and Trajan Langdon). And then, both were National Players of the Year and won titles when they were true upperclassmen and true leaders. Isn't it possible that McRoberts was progressing just fine?
And all that talk about McRoberts' teammates not particularly liking him? That just happened to come at the end of the most frustrating Duke season in a decade. A 3-0 start in the ACC this season, and everyone would have been best friends. With McRoberts, this team would have had a talented post presence with improved parts around him. Now it has a gaping hole in the middle trying to be filled by players who, like Josh was last year, just aren't ready to be "the man." -Micheal Moore
Can you say Detlef Schrempf? At the end of Josh McRoberts' freshman campaign, I wrote a letter on these very pages asking-nay, begging-the versatile big man to return to campus for just one more season. Thanks to eyewitness testimony, I know he read it. Does crow come on food points? The season McRoberts turned in last year was, at best, uninspiring. Duke fans expect and respect constant hustle and burning desire, but it never seemed like McRoberts had the requisite fire. He was the most talented player on the team, but the Cameron Crazies showed him nowhere near the love most of his fellow players got. I'm not a huge believer in schadenfreude, but how could any Duke fan who suffered through a 4-8 finish to last season not chuckle when he heard McRoberts-a one-time candidate for the top pick in the 2005 NBA Draft-get his name called 37th, well after the likes of Morris Almond and Petteri Koponen. "He's not in a mood to talk right now," his mother, Jennifer, told the Indianapolis Star the night of the draft. Boo hoo, Josh. You know when I wasn't in the mood to talk? At Carolina, when you threw down a meager nine points or against the Tar Heels at home, where you managed to net three field goals. Don't get me wrong, McRoberts has a ton of talent. He can throw down dunks like Kenny "Sky" Walker and Harold Miner. Unfortunately, the rest of his game, at times, looks like theirs too. He's 6'11," but he never showed any effective moves in the post. He displayed no prowess at facing the basket, either, unable to beat fellow big men off the dribble. Where exactly does he plan on fitting in at the next level? As Greg Oden's hat rack? He's Detlef Schrempf without a jumper. Without McRoberts grabbing the ball 22 feet from the rim and jabbing seven times, the Blue Devils will be able to do what they to best-play in transition, run motion and improvise. Look at the talent on this squad. It is not built to be an effective half-court team. Gerald Henderson is at his best slashing to the rim, and we've seen three seasons of DeMarcus Nelson's struggles beating people off the dribble. We'll have to see what Kyle Singler can offer, but there are some great YouTube videos of him throwing down fast-break dunks. Sure, Nelson is now Duke's best option to guard Tyler Hansbrough, but how much more damage could the Sinead O'Connor look-alike do than 21 and 10 a game? Good luck to Josh in his NBA endeavors, but the Blue Devils and all their fans should be happy he finally took the plunge.
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