Post by Bornthrilla on May 20, 2009 8:31:34 GMT -5
Duke junior decides NBA is where he wants to be
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
By Jeff Mills
Staff Writer
"G" is for Gerald. "G" is for Gifted, Good and Guard.
"G" is for Gone.
Gerald Henderson, the All-ACC guard-forward known simply as "G" to his teammates and coaches, has given up his final year of eligibility at Duke to enter the NBA draft.
The Los Angeles Clippers won the NBA's draft lottery Tuesday night and will likely take Oklahoma underclassman Blake Griffin with the top pick when the two-round draft is held June 25.
Henderson's name will likely be called shortly thereafter: He's projected as a lottery pick by some draft analysts, and others list him in the middle of the first round.
Henderson quietly announced he would test the NBA waters when he put his name into the draft the day after Duke's awards banquet in April.
Apparently, the water was just fine: Henderson hired agent Arn Tellem on Monday, eliminating the possibility of a return to Duke for his senior season.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound swingman averaged 16.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a junior, helping Duke to a 30-7 record, an ACC tournament championship and a place among the NCAA's Sweet Sixteen.
A 3-point shooter also capable of driving for acrobatic dunks, Henderson was Duke's leading scorer (by one point over forward Kyle Singler). He ranked second on the team in rebounds (behind Singler) and second in assists (behind guard Jon Scheyer).
Henderson, Singler and Scheyer — who shared team MVP honors — combined to score 62 percent of Duke's points.
Even with Henderson gone and key senior reserves Greg Paulus and David McClure lost to graduation, Duke has nine letter-winners back from last season. Four were starters: Scheyer (14.9 ppg, 2.9 apg), Singler (16.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg), athletic guard Elliot Williams (4.2 ppg) and post player Lance Thomas (5.3 ppg).
Coach Mike Krzyzewski has a number of lineup options:
* He could go small, starting Nolan Smith at the point in a three-guard offense. Smith was Duke's starting point guard for most of last season — until the 19-2 Blue Devils got clobbered 74-47 at Clemson, prompting a significant lineup adjustment.
* He could go big, adding 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek or 6-10 Miles Plumlee to the starting lineup as a true center.
* Or he could find a starter among freshman recruits led by McDonald's All-Americans Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee. Kelly is a 6-10 forward from Raleigh Ravenscroft with 3-point range on his jump shot, and Plumlee — Miles' younger brother — is a 6-11 low-post player from Asheville's Christ School.
However Duke moves forward, the Blue Devils will do so without Henderson, who ranks 39th on the school's all-time scoring list.
Read more:
www.news-record.com/content/2009/05/20/article/duke_junior_decides_nba_is_where_he_wants_to_be
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
By Jeff Mills
Staff Writer
"G" is for Gerald. "G" is for Gifted, Good and Guard.
"G" is for Gone.
Gerald Henderson, the All-ACC guard-forward known simply as "G" to his teammates and coaches, has given up his final year of eligibility at Duke to enter the NBA draft.
The Los Angeles Clippers won the NBA's draft lottery Tuesday night and will likely take Oklahoma underclassman Blake Griffin with the top pick when the two-round draft is held June 25.
Henderson's name will likely be called shortly thereafter: He's projected as a lottery pick by some draft analysts, and others list him in the middle of the first round.
Henderson quietly announced he would test the NBA waters when he put his name into the draft the day after Duke's awards banquet in April.
Apparently, the water was just fine: Henderson hired agent Arn Tellem on Monday, eliminating the possibility of a return to Duke for his senior season.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound swingman averaged 16.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a junior, helping Duke to a 30-7 record, an ACC tournament championship and a place among the NCAA's Sweet Sixteen.
A 3-point shooter also capable of driving for acrobatic dunks, Henderson was Duke's leading scorer (by one point over forward Kyle Singler). He ranked second on the team in rebounds (behind Singler) and second in assists (behind guard Jon Scheyer).
Henderson, Singler and Scheyer — who shared team MVP honors — combined to score 62 percent of Duke's points.
Even with Henderson gone and key senior reserves Greg Paulus and David McClure lost to graduation, Duke has nine letter-winners back from last season. Four were starters: Scheyer (14.9 ppg, 2.9 apg), Singler (16.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg), athletic guard Elliot Williams (4.2 ppg) and post player Lance Thomas (5.3 ppg).
Coach Mike Krzyzewski has a number of lineup options:
* He could go small, starting Nolan Smith at the point in a three-guard offense. Smith was Duke's starting point guard for most of last season — until the 19-2 Blue Devils got clobbered 74-47 at Clemson, prompting a significant lineup adjustment.
* He could go big, adding 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek or 6-10 Miles Plumlee to the starting lineup as a true center.
* Or he could find a starter among freshman recruits led by McDonald's All-Americans Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee. Kelly is a 6-10 forward from Raleigh Ravenscroft with 3-point range on his jump shot, and Plumlee — Miles' younger brother — is a 6-11 low-post player from Asheville's Christ School.
However Duke moves forward, the Blue Devils will do so without Henderson, who ranks 39th on the school's all-time scoring list.
Read more:
www.news-record.com/content/2009/05/20/article/duke_junior_decides_nba_is_where_he_wants_to_be
