Monday links: Will Duke bench Paulus?

Posted: Monday, October 20, 2008 11:50 AM
Filed Under: Links roundups

Some Monday links to open your work week. Remember, only three weeks until tip-off!

Interesting tidbit from Duke’s annual Blue-White Scrimmage. The Devils used a three-guard lineup (sometimes four-guard) last season to take advantage of their three-point shooting and myriad ball-handlers. Among all those guards, Greg Paulus usually ran the show.

This year, maybe not.

Sophomore Nolan Smith was far more effective than Paulus during the scrimmage, and Mike Krzyzewski acknowledged afterward that Smith, who’s a little bigger and quicker than Paulus, was making a push for the starting spot.

That would be a small surprise in Durham, though Duke fans have been debating most of the summer about who would be best at the point. Paulus has started since he was a freshman, but his streaky shooting inconsistent play has never endeared him to fans.

• I missed this heading into Friday, but Seth Davis offers up 20 questions for the season. Nice catch-all.
• Last year, Memphis advertised around town like crazy in effort to drive season-ticket sales. This season, people will be encouraged to get on a waiting list for season tickets. Whoa. A waiting list? In one year, you can’t snap up season tickets anymore? Curse you, Derrick Rose!
• OK, you’re a 7-foot-2 Kentucky native. You’re a senior on a Wildcats team that could desperately use another big man to take some pressure off Patrick Patterson. Jared Carter, are you ready to be that man? Billy Gillispie sure hopes so. “I'd be very surprised if he doesn't really impact our team.”
• Ben Howland’s trademark defense is already gassing one of his prized freshmen, J’Mison Morgan. But if you’re senior point guard Darren Collison, that’s a good thing. Collison, one of the game’s better on-ball defenders, was worried the Bruins wouldn’t be as physical this season. After a few practices, he says that’s no longer a big concern.
• Democrats are to basketball as republicans are to football? Yeah, that’s probably right.

• Good point-counterpoint about Gary Williams and the prospects of Maryland basketball. The Terps have missed the NCAA tournament three of the last four season, which seems strange given they were one of the game’s premier programs in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s.
• Finally, I’m with the rest of the hoops world on this one: Good luck to Kenny George. We’ll miss ya, big fella.

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