The deadline for withdrawing from the NBA draft has passed and the college basketball world is a buzz with who is in and who will return to school so enjoy these dozen links, from newspapers, around the country, starting in Chapel Hill. Other notable players that have opted to stay in school include A.J. Abrams at Texas, Chase Budinger at Arizona, and Robert Dozier at Memphis.

Notable names staying in the draft include Mario Chalmers at Kansas, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute at UCLA, J.J. Hickson at N.C. State, and Ryan Anderson at California.

Mike DeCourcy says, "In one afternoon, with one press release, the entire nature of the 2008-09 season changed." Luke Winn weighs in with "Winners and Losers," while Adam Zagoria says, "Size Carolina up for rings." While Adam is stating that tongue-in-cheek, I will remind readers that every team is still going to lace up their Chuck Taylor's...uh...I mean their Air Jordan's next season.

Christian Laettner taught Grant Hill how play the keyboard!  This article was originally done in April, but I missed it.

Former Duke All American Elton Brand is considering leaving the Clippers.  The Sixers are said to be interested.  Elton is coming off the dreaded Achilles tendon injury.  I can relate for I am rehabbing the same misfortune.  Anyhow, wherever Elton ends up, I will pull for him and watch his progress with interest.

NEW YORK – Former Blue Devil great Grant Hill (Phoenix Suns) was recently named the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy presented to the 2007-08 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner. Hill becomes the first two-time winner of the 13-year old award. A former Duke player has now claimed the NBA Sportsmanship Award in each of the last four seasons.

Hill, a ...   more »

Hold that thought.  Trade rumors are in the air, but if Kobe Bryant has his way, he will play alongside Luol Deng.

Shavlik Back In Durham As 76ers Open Training Camp At Duke   Continue

The Blue Devil Nation wishes Elton a speedy recovery.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Forward Elton Brand of the Los Angeles Clippers underwent surgery Tuesday to repair his ruptured left Achilles tendon.

The operation was performed by orthopedic surgeon Craig Morgan in Wilmington, Del. Brand, 28, injured the tendon during his daily workout Friday.

Brand, who averaged 20.5 points and 9.3 ...   more »

AP - Shelden Williams scored 20 points for the third time in four games but the Atlanta Hawks fell to the Chicago Bulls 85-79 in the summer league Rocky Mountain Revue on Tuesday.

The Hawks fell to 2-2 in the tournament.

Williams, a second-year forward, leads the tournament in scoring. Solomon Jones and Terrance Thomas each had 11, and rookie ...   more »

JJ Redick is enjoying success in NBA Summer League play, holding to his off season promise.  Just after the Magics season eneded, JJ promised that the best is yet to come.

Redick sizzles

Josh McRoberts did sign a two year deal with the Portland Trailblazers for $525,000 a year.  He will play for their summer league team.  We'll let you know how he fares.  In the long run, I think the Blazers got a steal.

      

McRoberts out to prove those who passed on him wrong.

The BDN wishes Grant a happy new home!

Suns get Grant Hill Arizona Republic
Hill shifting to Suns Baltimore Sun
Hill bolts Magic to join Phoenix Boston Herald

Brownie Points: Hill won’t wilt on bench like Rose

Phoenix Fans Helped Grant Hill Choose the Suns?

Could Grant Hill play for the Phoenix Suns next season? Read about it here.  It seems the Suns may have some interest in the former Dukie.

Josh McRoberts has been drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft.  He was the overall #37th player selected.

Naturally, the big news in Portland is Greg Oden.  The Portland Tribune has an article up about the excitement surrounding the big man from Ohio State.  They also have a second article posted, which includes commentary on McRoberts.

Over at Oregon Live there is a blog and a recap of all Portland's picks.

IndyStar.com weighs in with this article about their native son.

Here is an article on the Duke Alumni and their sucess at the next level.  Luciana Cahvez has a nice piece on Duke versus UNC pros too.  

NBA success

 

Mike DeCourcy has written an article which discusses the Winners and Losers for early entry into the NBA draft.  He calls Virginia a winner due to the return of Sean Singletary, while Georgia Tech is a loser due to Javaris Crittenton not returning.

A BDN reader sent me this interesting link, where Greg Oden blogs about life as the NBA Draft approaches.  In Oden's latest excerpt, he talks about the skills Josh McRoberts possesses.

Josh McRoberts skills will benefit him in the NBA.  Rumors persist that the New Jersey Nets like him with the 15th pick.

It's the time of year when trade talks begin.  The Atlanta Hawks are tossing Shelden Williams name about.  Being traded to Denver might not be a bad thing for the Landlord.

Former Duke All American and POY, Danny Ferry is receiving props for building the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Here is another pretty good read on Ferry.

Elton Brand always loved film and he is taking advantage of his LA ties.  I recall his love for DVD's, which were relatively new at the time in a 1999 conversation.  Elton was a great kid and I am glad that he has been able to take care of his Mom, Elsie and of course, himself.

Former Duke and NBA star Elton Brand is a producer on the upcoming film “Rescue Dawn,” which tells the true story Dieter Dengler, the only American to ever break out of a POW camp in the Laotian jungle.  Brand, a 6 ft 8 in power forward for the Los Angeles Clippers, is co-founder of Gibraltar Films, which signed on to produce the movie.

Carlos Boozer, another former Duke power forward gives props to a former high school player in his Alaska.

Carlos Boozer denies Tim Duncan! 00:35 Carlos Boozer has a monster block on Tim Duncan's dunk attempt! Visit http://www.nba.com/video for more NBA Playoff action!

The block is cool, but the video below is must-see!

Carlos Boozer - NBA Life 07:00 Carlos Boozer in 'NBA Life' This documents his journey from his childhood growing up in Alaska, to playing for Duke, then entering the NBA.

NBA TNT Fundamentals with Shane Battier on TAKING THE CHARGE

Check out this article from the New York Times which tells of Carlos Boozer reaching out to Karl Malone for advice on his Game 1 struggles in the conference finals.  Carlos is now facing a lot of double teams and hopes to help the Jazz pull even with the veteran San Antonio Spurs this evening.

Some Utah Jazz fans were up in arms when Carlos Boozer was injured and missed most of his first season with the club.  Of course, Cav's fans wonder why management didn't take care of Carlos too.  In this link, Utah fans are treating Los and the team like family.  Carlos is accustomed to that having played his college ball in Cameron.

Carlos Boozer caught a lot of grief when he left the Cavaliers for greener pastures.  Then he had to put up with the ghost of Karl Malone.  If that weren't enough, an injury put him out for a year and Jazz fans were up in arms.

Last evening, Boozer showed that he is a marquee player to Cleveland fans.  Utah fans can't get enough of him now.  Why?  Boozer has had an All Star season, leading the Jazz resurgence.

He went off with a 37 point, 14 rebound effort in his teams win over the Houston Rockets 103-99.  Boozer was the key to victory in an entertaining series, providing enough punch for the Jazz to win on the road.

Carlos grabbed a huge rebound and was fouled with just a few seconds left in the game.  He drained two free throws in a hostile environment, simply refusing to let his team lose.

Charles Barkley had nothing but praise for Carlos, who dominated the much hyped Yao Ming.  Interestingly, many claim Duke chains players to the middle.  Well, look what it has done for Boozer and Brand ... not to mention Shelden Williams in due time.  As an aside, Shelden is getting married to Candace Parker.  More on that later.

The Blue Devil Nation congratulates Carlos Boozer

Article Update - Trajan Langdon hit some big threes to spur a furious comeback, but CSKA Moscow fell just short of a second straight  European Championship.  Panathinaikos Greece won by the score of 93-91.  Link 

Former Duke star,Trajan Langdon is on the verge of leading his CSKA team to a second straight European title in Athens.  It will not be easy, for Panathinaikos is playing in their home country.

The Alaskan Assassin has been on fire of late, leaving several games to standing ovations.   It's hard to believe he is now 30 years old.  If you enjoyed past interviews on the Blue Devil Nation has, be sure to check back later this summer.  I am indeed scheduled to talk with Trajan about his experiences since wearing the Duke uniform.

The Alaskan Assassin has his team going for a second straight European Championship in Athens, Greece

The skinny on the European Final -

Panathinaikos, Greece

Team history: Playing at home, the three-time Euroleague champion.

Coach: Zeljko Obradovic, 47, from Serbia. He has won a record five European titles with four teams

Star players: Michael Battiste, United States, forward. The team's leading scorer with 12.8 points per game, Battiste also averages 5.8 rebounds per game. Also, Dimitris Diamantidis, Greece, guard, three-time winner of Euroleague best defensive player, and Ramunas Siskauskas, Lithuania.

CSKA Moscow, Russia

Team history: The defending champion is playing in its record-breaking fifth straight Final Four.

Coach: Ettore Messina, 48, from Italy. Messina has taken three different teams to six Final Fours in the past decade.

Star players: Trajan Langdon, United States, guard. The former Cleveland Cavaliers player is the team's leading scorer with 13.4 points per game. Also, Theo Papaloukas, Greece, guard, who averaged 9.2 points and a league-leading 5.7 assists during the season, and was last year's Final Four MVP.

You probably know that Luol Deng won the NBA Sportsmanship Award, but did you know that Shane Battier and Elton Brand were in the top four?  That's right Duke had three out of the top four which is an amazing accomplishment and a testament to Duke class.

Former teammates Shane Battier and Carlos Boozer are locked in a 3-3 tie with their teams.  I am glad to say that one Dukie will move on in this hard fought series.  The Jazz won with the help of Boozers 22 points and 9 boards.

Carlos Boozer and the Utah Jazz, hope to shake off their frustration this evening.  Meanwhile, they hope to slow the consummate role player, Shane Battier who has been a key part in the Rockets success.

Bulls forward Luol Deng has broken out averaging  26.3 and 9 rebounds per contest in the NBA playoffs.  He averaged 18.8 ppg and 7.1 rpg during the regular season.

Luol Deng has been a vital part in the Chicago Bulls emergence.  After a slow start to the season, the Bulls straightened out chemestry issues and had a great second half of the season. The Bulls swept the Miami Heat 4-0.  Here is a link where Luol Deng was selected to play for the Great Britain National Team.

Meanwhile, this writer sees touble for the Pistons, wondering if they can stop Deng.

 

Carlos Boozer learned how to guard bigger players at Duke.  These skills are obviously helping his NBA carreer.  The Jazz evened the series at 2-2 behind physical play.  I have enjoyed watching Boozer and Battier play and plan to tune in for game five.

The Chicago Bulls went up on the Miami Heat 3-0 behind former Dukies Luol Deng and Chris Duhon.  For those of you who make a big deal out of seven man rotations, check out the box score.  There is a bit more significance possibly involved here too.  I haven't seen where Billy Donovan has signed an extension with Florida and the rumors have been thick that he might be interested in the Maimi job.  This could have an effect on Patrick Patterson and should Donovan go, one would think Duke, Kentucky and Virginia would benefit.  Donovan's has made no secret of his interest in the NBA.

Deng score 24 points, grabbed 11 boards to go along with 3 assists and a block.  He is part of Duke NBA alumni which makes more greenbacks than any other school.

 

That is a mean sword Boozer yields;)  This was the headline on google from the Shanghai Daily in China on Utah's victory over the Yao led Houston Rockets.

Beware of my sword!!!!!!!!!!!!!