The first round of the NBA playoffs are coming to a close, but let’s take a look at the former Duke men’s basketball players who were not lucky to participate in the playoffs.

The worst team in the NBA was Orlando (20-62) and Josh McRoberts began the season with the Magic, but finished it with Charlotte (the second worst team at 21-61). He averaged just 3.9 points in 16.7 minutes with the Magic, but received more playing time with the Bobcats. McRoberts averaged 9.3 points and 7.2 rebounds in 30.8 minutes.

His teammate was Gerald Henderson, who averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game with Charlotte. In the Bobcats second to last game (a win over the Knicks), Henderson scored 27 points and dished out five assists.

Kyrie drives against KSU via DukeBluePlanet

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a tough season (24-58), but it wasn’t because of Kyrie Irving. He averaged 22.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.7 rebounds, as he started all 59 games that he played. However, he committed 3.2 turnovers a game. Irving scored 30+ points 13 times this season.

New Orleans changed from the Hornets to the Pelicans, but the results were the same, another losing season (27-55). It was a rough rookie season for Austin Rivers, who did not play after March 6th due to a fractured right hand. In the games he did play, he averaged 6.2 points. He dished out 2.1 assists, but committed 1.2 turnovers. Rivers finally seemed to adjust to the professional level over his final month.

Lance Thomas was a Pelicans teammate and averaged 2.5 points in 59 games. His best game came in a March 12th loss. He scored 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting and hauled in five rebounds. Thomas was also cleared in an NCAA investigation where he spent nearly $100,000 on jewelry while he was still at Duke.

The Detroit Pistons finished their season at 29-53 and Kyle Singler had a solid rookie season. He averaged 8.8 points and four rebounds over 28 minutes a game. His best game came in a March 22nd loss, when he scored 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He also hauled in eight rebounds, five on the offensive side.

Nolan Smith drives against Michigan in NCAA Tournament. Courtesy of DukeBluePlanet

Corey Maggette played in just 18 games with the Pistons and the team is expected to part ways with him. He struggled with staying healthy and finding a spot in the lineup (he was the oldest player on a team trying to go younger).

Nolan Smith played in just 40 games for the 33-49 Portland Trailblazers. He averaged 2.8 points per game. His lone double-digit scoring game in the second half came in a February 2nd win versus Utah (13 points on 5-of-7 shooting).

Elton Brand mostly came off the bench for the 41-41 Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 7.2 points and six rebounds. Brand only scored in double-digits twice over his final 19 games.

My next update will be of the former Blue Devils who were playing in the NBA playoffs. How many will still be playing on teams that are still alive? We shall see.

Former Duke Blue Devil Kyrie Irving once again had a successful NBA All-Star Weekend.

In Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge, Irving scored 32 points, hauled in six rebounds and dished out six assists as a member of Team Chuck (along with three of his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates). He was 14-of-20 from the field and 4-for-8 from three point land. Somehow, he did not win another MVP award, but his team did lose. Click HERE to see video of some of his moves.

On Saturday, Irving won the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest. He considered himself to be the long-shot in the event because he is a better off-the-dribble shooter. However, he beat the best three-point shooters in the game.

Irving out-lasted Golden State’s Stephen Curry, New Orleans’ Ryan Anderson, and New York’s Steve Novak in the first round. He then beat San Antonio’s Matt Bonner in the final round. He made seven in a row to start the final round and only missed five shots total (out of 25). Click HERE to watch his final round.

In Sunday’s big event, the actual game, Irving came off the bench to score 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He made 3-of-6 three pointers, dished out four assists, and hauled in three rebounds. All of that came in 24:46 minutes.

Also in the game, the Chicago Bulls Luol Deng scored ten points on 4-of-10 shooting over 17 minutes. He also hauled in two rebounds.

The NBA All-Star Game will not be held until February 17th in Houston, but the All-Star teams were announced last week. TNT will televise the event.

None of the former Duke players in the NBA were selected by the fans to start, but a few will be making the trip to Houston as reserves. Well actually, two are reserves for the Eastern Conference.

Super sophomore Kyrie Irving was selected to represent the Cleveland Cavaliers. He may be bumped to start with the season-ending injury to starter Rajan Rondo. Irving is a first-time All-Star, though he shined in last year’s Rising Stars Challenge (34 points). He currently is averaging 24.2 points per game and 5.6 assists per game. Irving is shooting 47.5% from the field. In his last three games, he has scored 40 points, 35 points, and 32 points (all wins for the Cavs).

Luol Deng is one of two Chicago Bulls on the reserve roster for the Eastern Conference. He is averaging close to 40 minutes a game and 17.3 PPG. Deng also averages 6.3 rebounds per game and three assists. 2013 is his second consecutive trip to the All-Star Game.

The one snub that everyone is talking about is Golden State’s Stephen Curry, the older brother of current Blue Devil Seth. I would have liked to see Steph make the team, but he has battled injuries again this season so I can see leaving him out. However, he is the only player averaging at least 20 PPG to not be selected. Maybe he will be an injury replacement?

You could see more former Blue Devils headed to the All-Star Weekend for the Rising Stars Challenge (rosters will be announced on January 30th).

The NBA season is in full swing, as All-Star starters were recently announced. This is a great time to take a look at how the former Duke men’s basketball players are doing in the NBA.

Three players are rookies in the NBA, two of which were members of last season’s Duke team that was upset in the NCAA Tournament by Lehigh.

Kyle Singler is not one of them. After spending last season in Europe, he has returned to the Detroit Pistons, who drafted him in 2011. He has started 31 of the Pistons 39 games in his first season. The Pistons are just 14-25 (fourth in the Eastern Division’s Central Division). Singler is averaging 8.4 points per game and 3.8 rebounds a game in 27.6 minutes. In his last game, he scored 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting (3-of-6 from beyond the arc). He also had four assists.

Austin Rivers has been hampered by injuries in his rookie season with the New Orleans Hornets. Overall, he has started 22 of the 38 games for the 13-26 Hornets (last place in the Western Conference’s Southwest Division). His shooting percentages are low (33% overall and just 56% from the free throw line), as he is averaging just 6.2 PPG. In his last game, against his father’s Boston Celtics, he scored eight points.

Miles Plumlee

Miles Plumlee has been shuttled back and forth between the Indiana Pacers and the D-League Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He is averaging 12.6 PPG and 11.1 RPG in ten D-League games (eight starts). Plumlee is coming off a ten point, 12 rebound performance on Friday night. He last played with the Pacers on December 21st (six total games).

Lance Thomas is in his second season in the NBA and has stuck with the Hornets. He has started nine of the 32 games he has played. He is averaging 2.8 PPG and 2.5 RPG, while shooting 45.8% from the field.

Kyrie Irving is having a great second season in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the Cavs are in last place in the Central Division (10-31). Irving has started all 30 games he has played and is averaging 23.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 5.6 assists per game over 35.7 minutes. His is shooting 46.3% overall, 40.5% from three point land, and 83.2% from the free throw line. In his last game, he scored 31 points on 13-of-24 shooting.

Nolan Smith has played in 19 of the Portland Trailblazers 39 games. The Trailblazers are 20-19, fourth place in the Western Conference’s Northwest Division. Smith is averaging 2.5 PPG over 8.4 minutes. In his last game (January 16th after not playing for two weeks), he scored three points and hauled in four rebounds.

Now to the former Blue Devils who have been in the league for awhile.

» Continue reading “Duke in the NBA Update”

The NBA Summer League is a place where players can start to make a name for themselves and position themselves for a roster spot for the upcoming NBA season (or at least training camp). There are currently seven former Duke players on NBA summer league rosters.

Austin Rivers is coming off his freshman year at Duke and being a first round draft pick this past draft. He has started two games for New Orleans and is averaging ten points in 32 minutes. His shooting percentage has been awful. Rivers is shooting just 21% from the field (about 2-for-10 a game). He is averaging 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and two steals a game though.

Rivers‘ best game of the two came on July 15th versus Portland: he scored 14 points, hauled in three rebounds, and had three steals. He was 7-for-10 from the free throw line (but just 3-of-13 from the field).

Joining Rivers with New Orleans is Lance Thomas. He has started four games and is averaging 14 points in 33 minutes. He is shooting 43.6% from the field. Thomas is also averaging seven rebounds a game.

Thomas‘ best game so far came on July 16th against Milwaukee. He scored 22 points and hauled in 11 rebounds. He shot 6-for-11 from the field and made all ten of his free throw attempts.

Fellow 2012 draft pick Miles Plumlee has been showcasing his talents so far in the summer league for Indiana. In five starts, he is averaging 13 points in 30.6 minutes. He is also hauling in 6.6 rebounds a game while shooting 46% from the field.

Miles had a stretch (July 10-12) when he scored double-figures in all three games.

» Continue reading “Duke in the NBA Summer League”

Kyrie Irving playing defense. Courtesy of DukeBluePlanet

Less than a year after being the number one pick in the NBA draft, Cleveland Cavaliers guard and former Duke player Kyrie Irving was named the Kia Rookie of the Year in the NBA.

He received 117 first place votes from a panel of 120 sportwriters and broadcasters.

Among NBA rookies, Irving ranked first in scoring (18.5 points per game), field goal percentage (46.9%), and free throw percentage (87.2%). He was second in assists (5.4 assists per game) and three point field goal percentage (39.9%).

Among all NBA players, Irving was fourth in fourth quarter scoring (6.4 points).

Irving became just the fifth player ever to be drafted number one in the NBA draft and average at least 18 PPG and 5 APG. He joins Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, and LeBron James.

KIA Motors America will donate a new Kia Sorento CUV to the New Jersey Roadrunners, Irving’s former AAU team. They will also present a brand new Sorento to the charity of choice of each of five 2011-12 year-end award winners as part of the “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.”

Click HERE for video.

NBA All-Star Weekend was kicked off first by the Celebrity Game and then by the Rising Stars Game. For the first time, it was a blend of rookies and sophomores, drafted by head coaches Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal.

In the Rising Stars Game, Cleveland Cavaliers guard and former Duke Blue Devil, Kyrie Irving, was named the game’s MVP. He scored 34 points and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the three point line. He helped Team Chuck beat team Shaq, 146-133. As you can tell by the score, there isn’t a whole lot of defense being played in these games.

You can check out a recap of the game HERE.

Check out a video recap of Irving’s big night HERE.

Saturday started the day off with the D-League All-Star Game. Lance Thomas was originally named to the team, but because he is now playing for the New Orleans Hornets, he was replaced. That game extended the shot clock to 26 seconds to drive awareness of the fact that a student drops out of high school every 26 seconds.

In the Shooting Stars Challenge, Team NY took the control as the threesome of Landry Fields, Cappie Pondexter, and Allan Houston recorded the two best times in the competition. They made three of their five shots in the first try in the first round, and four of their five shots on the first try in the finals.

» Continue reading “Blue Devils at NBA All-Star Weekend Recap”

The NBA All-Star Game is on Sunday, but the festivities begin tonight with the Celebrity Game and the Rising Stars Game.

The Rising Stars Game is a bit different this year, as the rookies and sophomores are mixed among the two teams. Shaq and Charles Barkley are the two coaches and they even had a “draft”. Former Duke guard Kyrie Irving, a rookie with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is a member of Team Chuck.

You can catch Irving and all the other rising stars in the NBA live tonight on TNT at 9pm ET.

Saturday has a full day of activities, beginning with the Development League (D-League) All-Star Game. Former Blue Devil Lance Thomas, who is now a member of the New Orleans Hornets, will be representing the Austin Toros. The game is set for 2pm ET and will be broadcast on NBA TV.

TNT’s coverage of All-Star Saturday begins at 8:30pm ET, beginning with the Shooting Stars Competition. This consists of teams of three (one current NBA player, one current WNBA player, and a NBA legend). Representing Team Atlanta is former Duke guard Lindsey Harding of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. She was supposed to join Atlanta Hawks All-Star Joe Johnson and NBA analyst Steve Smith, but Johnson is hurt and will not be attending.

Following this is the Skills Challenge, where guards work against the clock to complete an obstacle course of passes, free throws, layups, and agility drills. Seth Curry’s older brother Stephen was looking to defend his title, but a recent foot injury has caused him to back out. Irving will also be participating in the skills competition.

The night will be rounded out by the Three-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk Contest.

TNT will be airing the NBA All-Star Game beginning at 7pm ET on Sunday night (direct competition with the Oscars). Current Chicago Bull and former Blue Devil Luol Deng will be representing the East squad in the All-Star Game.

The NBA All-Star Game is Sunday night with the festivities set to begin Friday night. I figured now was a good time to put together another former Duke players in the NBA update.

Dunleavy & Battier via Duke Blue Planet

Mike Dunleavy returned to the Milwaukee Bucks on January 20th and has played in 19 games since. He has played off the bench for the 13-19 Bucks. Dunleavy is averaging 10.6 points and 2.5 rebounds a game. He is shooting 45.8% from the field.

The worst team in the NBA, the Charlotte Bobcats had two former Blue Devils in their starting lineup. Their head coach believes that once they can get their entire lineup healthy and playing together, they will be a better team.

Corey Maggette returned to the Bobcats on February 10th and has played in six games since. His best game since returning came in a loss to the Philadelphia Sixers on February 13th. He scored 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, hauled in two rebounds, and had three steals. Overall, Maggette is averaging 12.9 points and 4.8 rebounds for the 4-27 Bobcats.

Now that Maggette is back, Gerald Henderson has been out since February 1st due to a hamstring strain. He hopes to be back after the All-Star break. He was averaging 15 points and 4.4 rebounds a game.

» Continue reading “Blue Devils in the NBA Update”

It was a big weekend for NBA rookie Kyrie Irving, the former Duke star.

Two days after scoring a career-high 32 points against the NJ Nets (in January 27th), the Cleveland Cavaliers guard scored 23 points in a road win over the Boston Celtics.

What was so great about him scoring 23 points?

Well, two of those points came on this game-winning layup with 2.6 seconds left, as the Cavs won 88-87: