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Paulus should've stuck to football. He was a highly rated QB prospect. That was his best shot at playing a sport for money someday.

Duke's achilles heel is...Strippers

Duke's achilles heel is ... Greg Freakin' Paulus! How can someone get so much mileage out of so little production? He's lucky he didn't play football. Over-hyped bust along the lines of his name sake, Ron Powlus!

Duke's achilles heel is that they are a mediocre team outside of Singler and Henderson.

Duke has no presence in the lane, except for when Henderson and Singler get good position on rebounds. Still trying to figure out what Coach K was thinking when he recruited Zoubek; he really doesn't do anything for them but take up space....why not try working the ball inside to Lance Thomas instead? As for Paulus, there was a reason he got benched earlier this year and now it's starting to show again. The ACC tourney is gonna be real interesting this year.

QUOTE(#1):

Originally posted 09:17 AM ET  02.16 by bigdog1002

Paulus should've stuck to football. He was a highly rated QB prospect. That was his best shot at playing a sport for money someday.

You have got to be joking. QBs now a days have to be big guys, at least 6-3 to 6-4 clearing 200lbs. At 6-1 and 180lbs he is too small. He may have done okay at an avg D1 school for football but he would have never gotten drafted. He made a wise decision to try his luck at basket ball to play ball in the pros.

Dukes problem is that they are a good team with average playing talent. What gets them so highly rated is the superior coaching and facilities they have. Duke cannot keep up with some of the stud athletes on other high profile teams.

Paulus may have had accolades as a football player but he played in upstate New York where the competition isn't that great. Also, when he played in the U.S. All-American game, all of the other players there said he didn't belong and made a good decision to stick with hoops.

Duke's Achilles heel is their lack of a post presence in crucial situations. If the 3's don't fall, Duke loses every time. They need a post scoring and defensive presence.

Great Duke teams have had a lottery-level talent playing the point. Hurley, Avery, Jason Williams all got their teams to the Final Four because they were able to make things happen out of nothing. With Paulus and Smith, Duke is working too hard to get good shots, and they get none of the easy penetrate-and-dish-for-the-dunk type shots that can also get you to the foul line. Yes, Coach K whiffed on Paulus and it's cost them 4 years... perhaps Coach K was expecting Livingston to be around for 2 of them. What if Paulus had instead accepted UNC's offer? Hopefully, this reemphasizes the need for an athletic, penetrating point guard to Coach K. Maybe Smith can be that with a little more confidence.

Duke's achilles heel is...they suck. Shocking isn't it.

QUOTE(#10):

Originally posted 02:28 PM ET  02.16 by Lightyoshi

Duke's achilles heel is...they suck. Shocking isn't it.

why do idiots insist on posting about things they obviously know nothing about?

I agree that Duke has zero inside game. It's tough to win games when you shoot 30 three's every game.

Also, can someone explain to me why the fans in Cameron Indoor Stadium are still jumping up and down like a bunch of idiots with a 2 minutes left in the game and down 13 pts to North Carolina? Seriously.

paulus should have stuck with football

Achilles Heel... or Heel's

-Live by the 3, Die by the 3
-Backcourt consists of no real athletes. Scheyer and Paulus are practice heroes, who idolize WoJo.
-No post Presence. Zoubek, seriously, he wouldn't be a good center at a mid-major.
-UNC. It doesn't make the Blue Devils look any better when they've got their arch-rival 8 miles down the road putting up 30 win season like its nothing, or getting top recruiting classes year in and year out.

QUOTE(#14):

Originally posted 03:28 PM ET  02.16 by Bourbon:TheAnswer

Achilles Heel... -UNC. It doesn't make the Blue Devils look any better when they've got their arch-rival 8 miles down the road putting up 30 win season like its nothing, or getting top recruiting classes year in and year out.

really? cause Duke doesn't recruit well in basketball? seriously? no one apparently wants to play for Coach K?

Duke's problem is themselves. It's not the confrence, it's the players they have not being able to play the positions the way they need to be done. Only the best teams every year have that clicking. Duke was bound to trip up pretty bad sooner or later. You can't be amazing all the time, ask the Yankees.

QUOTE(#15):

Originally posted 03:34 PM ET  02.16 by gigi_iv

really? cause Duke doesn't recruit well in basketball? seriously? no one apparently wants to play for Coach K? Duke's problem is themselves. It's not the confrence, it's the players they have not being able to play the positions the way they need to be done. Only the best teams every year have that clicking. Duke was bound to trip up pretty bad sooner or later. You can't be amazing all the time, ask the Yankees.

So if Duke is getting in Top Talent, which is what I think you're saying. It must be coaching. K recruits well, just not well enough.

If a player can't play the position well enough, is that the players fault, or the coaches fault for putting that said player in that position.

Only the best teams? So clearly you agree that Duke is no longer one of the Best Teams?

I know what I said. The reason I said it is cause it's true. A lot of things factor into it. It starts with recruiting and not having the personel to be able to win a championship.

I'm sick of Duke's name keeping them in the top 10.

QUOTE(#12):

Originally posted 02:54 PM ET  02.16 by Eddie Vedder

I agree that Duke has zero inside game. It's tough to win games when you shoot 30 three's every game.Also, can someone explain to me why the fans in Cameron Indoor Stadium are still jumping up and down like a bunch of idiots with a 2 minutes left in the game and down 13 pts to North Carolina? Seriously.

Because maybe they're true fans. Or on something. Either way, you gotta love their dedication.

I am LOVING all this Duke hating....

objectively speaking-
they are SMALL- singler is 6-9ish
their other forward/guards that play are 6-4 & under....
they are not a STRONG team- I can't say they;re unathletic- that's just not fair. All their players are SKIN & BONES.

as someone said above- live by the 3's die by the 3's...they are FIGURED OUT. lets see how good of a coaching job coach K does with them....when they don't get a #1 or 2 seed

Ok im sure im sounding redundant when its been mentioned that they have no post presence or legit pt guard but its the truth. They can't win in the ACC - or any league - without a legit pt guard, period. Duke's offense has always been perimiter oriented for over the last decade so its not the 3 issue. They just dont have any guards who can penetrate defenses enough to kick out to their wings like a Jon Scheyer or Singler. The UNC game showed how easliy it is for a team who's perimiter oriented to lose their legs when they're constantly running up & down the court for 40 mins. Coack K needs more athletes & Gerald Henderson cant cut it alone. For the record I cant stand Duke & i'm glad they're losing these games but they've always made the ACC & the Tar Heels better because of the program they have. I would be real surprised to see them go deep in the NCAA tourney because teams will exploit their weaknesses right out the gate

Here is the real reason Duke, suffers. A little of everything. Coach K, doesn't want 1 and done players, or players that might be one and done. So he goes after players that wil stick around for four years. Those players aren't super players. After Brand and Avery left early who was the next possible leave early player they took. None. Livingston never made it to the court.

Most Good big men, won't go to DUke, because the entire offense is running wheel routes on around the 3 pnt. line. Who wants to go to Duke, and get all you points off of rebounds when you can go to any other school and have plays ran for you. ( Note Clemson game).

And the most important reason, Coach K, love of only playing 7 players. When he stop getting top talent, then his approach got explosed. After Battier, Willams, Boozer. He couldn't form a team that was able to run the entire game or hold it together for long periods, when one or more players are in foul trouble. Note China this summer. Without Lebron, playing PF, they wouldn't been able to win it all. He never let Boozer off the bench. And Boozer's game is better than Bosh.

Duke got away with two great players and several good players. Now they can only get two good players, and several okay players.

This is from a DUKE fan before Billy King.