Why has Czyz not been playing all along? He has size at 6'7'' and 240 lbs. He has great hops as he finished as co-champion in the Blue Devil slam dunk contest. It seems like he could be a solid replacement to Singler. Does anybody else feel the same way or have any input on this? It just seems that going with a slightly smaller lineup with Smith, Scheyer, Singler, Thomas, plumlees/kelley with Czyz being the 6th man would be a lot better then watching Zoubek struggle.
Although Olek is 6'8" and can jump out of the gym, he looked like a deer in headlights last year in his few opportunities. It seems like he has improved by reading his stat line vs minutes played, but it's difficult to tell without seeing the tape. As far as Zoubek goes, he is very awkward and seems like he's nailed to the floor at times, but you can't teach a 6'8" guy to be 7 feet tall. Zoubek gets his limited minutes solely because he is 7 feet and he gets in the oppositions way on defense. Also, at 7 feet he is bound to get a few put backs from time to time. Not to mention, he can literally get a bunch of rebounds without even jumping...which is typically how it happens for Zoubek. I am not a Zoubek fan, but Olek has work to do before he starts stealing minutes from our lumbering giant.
That's basically my understanding of it too. He's a freak of an athlete, but his basketball IQ needs more development. He's getting better everyday and he'll get some minutes this year and contribute in a role-player type of way. I think he'll be an asset next year.
He's also had some injuries that have delayed his development a little too. Hopefully that's all behind him now.
I can definitely see your point, and Zoubek is an okay rebounder. When Zoubek holds onto the rebounds that he snags he is a valuable part of the team, but Zoubek also hurts us with careless turnovers, and stupid fouls. I dont see why Coach K dosent do everything he can to develop Czyz because with his hops he has potential to be just as good as Zoubek on rebounds and unlike Zoubek he can score by creating for himself, and he flows in the offense which is something awkward Zoubek. I think a possibility is Smith, Scheyer, Singler, Thomas, and Mason Plumlee, with Dawkins and Czyz getting a lot of minutes off the bench. Coach K does not need to stow away the talented freshman all year like he did last season. He needs to develop Czyz as well as the current freshman and let Zoubek ride the bench where he belongs with a minute here and there if foul trouble occurs. I just don't see why Coach K dosent launch an all out campaign to get Czyz developed into a solid backup for singler. Because face it, if singler gets hurt we are going to be screwed as it is.
I'm fairly certain Coach K did not get where he is today without knowing how to develop the talent that he recruits. Czyz, I'm sure, is getting his opportunities in practice on an almost daily basis. I'd love to see Olek become a viable option this year, but as it stands it looks like the Polish high wire show will likely wait until next year to see big minutes. I hope I'm wrong for Duke's sake.
Yes Olek has massive jumping ability but he doesnt play acc defense nor does he handle the ball well hes a decent shooter if left open. He is there to do what he is doing play the bench and pick up fouls. Sorry but i really dont understand why he plays for duke but thats another question.
I hear what you guys are saying. I know we all hate Zoubek, but I gotta say, I thought that Duke played well with him out there last year, especially at the start of the season. Sometimes it takes a lumbering 7 footer white guy to get his feet to react to this brain . You see these guys start to "get it" the senior year (think Kyle Visser's senior year at Wake). I actually expect to see a big improvement by Z. Plus, he finally has some size to practice against everyday in practice. This is will only help him. And with it being his senior year and the Plumlees looking for some minutes, Z may be more motivated to earn time.
As far as Olek, I watched a high school all american type game on some local channel when he was a senior. It was a game between an International team and the USA team. The game featured all of the top recruits from last year. Olek was the leading scorer in the game. I think he had 23. And I want to say he had 8-10 rebounds. The International team lost, but he was the MVP of the game. He attacked the rim with abandon and no one could stop him. I sat there thinking, "Man, Duke got a steal here." He moved to the States to learn the game better. That's all it is with him. WHo better to learn it from? It may not be this year, but I expect him to contribute mightly next year. It probably is a physical and defensive problem right now, but I think that once he gets that, he could be a real asset.
He is no worse at those atributes then Zoubek. Zoubeck is not a match for greg paulus in the post without easily getting scored on, or picking up a foul. What Coach K could do is go with a smaller lineup that lends itself better for fast paced up tempo games. The lineup would be Smith, Scheyer, Czyz, Singler, and Thomas. This creates a miss match forcing power forwards to have to hustle to keep up with Singler's equally well rounded perimeter and post game, and Singler is tough enough to bang with players in the post. They could run this lineup, and alternate it with, Mason/miles/zoubek for a larger lineup. In my opinion Duke needs to have an offense that can run a quick offense to wear other teams bigs out. In the two scrimages Duke has beasted in the post, but when the real season starts Duke needs an answer to scoring when a layup is not an option. Does anybody else see the advantages of running this lineup?
Oh, more thing on Zoubs. The style that Duke will play this year is going to cater to size. It may suit him better. A more laid back defensive tone and not so much running up and down the court. With this, he may be out of position less and not pick up those cheap fouls. I just think that the speed that DUke normally plays didn't suit him well. I really believe that he will be a better player this year.
Dre20, the line up you suggested is the same one that Duke has been using, with a guy who doesn't play. Duke has size this year. That has to be the emphasis. I actually think it helps Scheyer to play slower. He is not a run alot type of guy. That line up would wear Singler out again, having to be the center. Plus, I think that Mason Plumlee is gonna be a beast. He has to play.
Yeah, now that you mention it that does make a lot of sense. A more realistic lineup would be Smith, Scheyer, Singler, Thomas, and Mason. I agree Mason looks great in the scrimages and I still dont think he is entirely confortable with his shots as he missed several easy shots at the rim following explosive moves to get to the hoop. Look for him to have a breakout game before conference starts and be a solid starter, capable of both offense and defense on a consistent basis. What I see in Czyz is a Singler sub, because he maintains the size, and his leaping ability will make him able to hang with others on the court. Who is Singler's backup right now? When he is playing the three position that is. What Coach K needs to do is use the UNCG and Coastal Carolina games to give Czyz some PT to allow him to get used to the offense so we'll have him ready to be a solid contributer to Duke by conference and tournament time. Dawkins needs PT too but he is assured it due to the Devils' lack of dept at the gaurd position. OC has a lot of potential and even if K dosent use him this year, he will be a major contributor next year. I hope K will get creative with the lineup so Zoo is not relied on for quality minutes that he has constantly failed to deliver.
hey dre20dukeblue i agree dawkins needs playin time he looked very nervous against findlay. they need to get him use to the level of comp thats out there so he will be an asset at the end of the season. if he shakes those butterlfies he will be better. As for Zoubek he will be fine this year and will abuse alot of other teams mark my words (Zoubek gets the job done this year)
Unfortunately I dont see that happening. Zoubek has been a bust, and thats just it. I have tried to have hope for him, and every once in a while he'll do something good, but then he'll run down the court and mess up bad again. The post for Duke will get the job done as we finally have dept to keep fresh legs, and maintain a uptempo game, that Duke will likely use. I am really hoping Mason will settle in. He had some great and explosive moves in the first scrimage where he was so close to the rim and pulled it at the last second. He should be great and his brother looks solid as well. Kelly shows a lot of potential, and Czyz is good enough to provide quality minutes if called upon. With Thomas having improved so much, Duke should have a solid front court this year, and when Dawkins settles in and becomes a capable sub for smith and scheyer Duke looks to be a very well rounded team, and one that is not completely out of the race if one player goes down to injury. That is the buety of Coach K's team. He dosent base his game on any one or two players, he spreads the ball around and allows everybody to have the chance to score. Though this is maddening sometimes like last year when it seemed Gerald Henderson could score on anybody and Duke kept running plays to get everybody else involved, it does do a lot to lessen the need of any one player, if they were to get injured. Duke will be solid this year and with the ACC down as a whole, 30 wins and the Elite 8 is very possible. I am really hoping K uses his freshman talent( plus Czyz, who simply never played much at all last year ) and not sit them on the bench all year while Zoo struggles and Singler and Thomas beat themselves up to make up for Zoo's dumb plays. If I was K, Zoo wouldnt dress out at all much less play. He anoys me almost as much as phycho T
Zoubek will be slightly better than last year. Not very much though. Both Plumlees are much better athletes and can get up and down the court. Zoubek just isn't that fast. I baelieve Olek will get playing time when he shows K something good in practice. He's obviously not playing for a reason. It has to be his understanding of the game or making the right play etc.
I hope that coach k will give players like czyz actual playing time in these upcoming games with uncg and coastal carolina if duke can put them away early. This would be helpful to work some of the nerves out of him as his high school vids show he has talent and also understanding of the game. Just like with dawkins and kelly and the plumlees, playing time is the answer but it seems that duke would push to have czyz developed as soon as possible, because if singler were to get injured we have no small forward as it is now. We'd be forced to either go small or big as far as lineups go. And coach k could develop czyz enough to step up and replace singler at the three. For once duke is deeper at the 4 and 5 positions then the gaurds and three position. I mean, I hear what you all are saying but does anybody else see the urgency of the situation? We have to keep a gaurd on the bench to serve as fresh legs to the starters and none of the post players aside from singler can run the three slot. Duke needs to realize this and get this polish high flyer tuned up to add dept to the bench and to create a way for singler to stay fresh down the stretch in close games.
Dre20, look dude, Ryan Kelly is going to be the guy to spell Singler for minutes. He is 6'9/6'10 but is more of a perimeter player like Singler, in the Dunleavy mold. He is far more skilled and ready to play than Olek. Plus, Duke can jsut go real big to give Singler a break if need be too. I don't think that Singler's backup or whatever is the biggest concern for this team. First and foremost, Nolan has to play great this year. If he really plays well, this team has the potential to do some great things. Then if one of the Plumlees makes a splash, Mason I have a feeling, that would be a huge help. But to be honest, Singler is going to play 35 minutes or more regardless if he has a backup or not.
That is true, I see what you are saying. If kelly can run the three then that solves the problem. Kelly is really talented and he will also represent great shotblocking capability. He is quick as far as post players go. He hasn't really been looking for his shot in the scrimage though, and I'm not sure how he will be if he has to create oppritunities for himself, but like you said, singler will play a lot and he proved he can do that last year. I had written kelly off as strictly a 4 or 5 player but I can see where your coming from especially with the dunleavy comparrison. That is a releif as I know kelly will be ready to go by conference and having the plumlees backing him, along with thomas duke should have a solid front court this year. I think a lot of people are sleeping on us but we are not bad. Just wish coach k could get OC involved to let him see what he can do. I'd play OC before zoo anyday and expect good results. Good point
I hope Olek won't slip through the cracks at Duke, but he's definately the type of player that does. Just ask Pocius. Somebody has to sit on the bench.
............So the question is not "Why doesn't Coach K play Olek Czyz?", but who does Coach K have to sit on the bench in order for Olek to get playing time?
Unfortunately, you are right on. Pocious was a great example. Before he was hurt he was very explosive and had a great shot. He never got any playing time due to nelson, henderson, smith, paulus, and scheyer infront of him. Unfortunately czyz will probably have a similar career and only get in when the game has already been decided. OC is a great athelete but I don't see him jumping above thomas. The plumlees, and singler, along with zoo. Its ashamed but at least we have him for games where foul trouble is a problem and/or injurys are a factor. Great point! I can't really think of anybody that needs to sit so OC can play. When thomas graduates his PT will likely improve next year.
He'll play a more when Thomas graduates unless Singler stays and Duke signs Barnes. If Duke signs Barnes and Singler stays at Duke then Olek will suffer the pine yet again...unless he gets much better in game situations. Basically, Olek has practice and the next 2 games to prove himself for this year. If he lays an egg, he'll end up with a really good seat to watch his team play. I hope he comes on strong, but I don't foresee that happening.
