Questions that must be answered after Grayson Allen's latest trip
— -- Duke guard Grayson Allen tripped his third opponent in 10 months on Wednesday, in the Blue Devils' win over Elon. Duke then suspended Allen indefinitely on Thursday. What should "indefinitely" mean? How will it affect the No. 5 team in the country??Our experts have answers to those questions, and more.
1. What's the proper amount of time for Allen's suspension to last?
Jeff Borzello: Whether it's proper or not, I think it's going to last three games. Allen is obviously going to miss at least one game; Duke's next game is at Virginia Tech on Dec. 31.?Then the Blue Devils return home to face Georgia Tech and Boston College. Duke doesn't need Allen to beat those two teams, so it's an easy way for Mike Krzyzewski to prolong the suspension without hurting his team. After that, there are road games against Florida State and Louisville. I would guess that Allen will be back for that road trip. Is that enough? I think so.
C.L. Brown:?I may be in the minority, but I don't think it needs to be too heavy-handed. One game would be enough to me. After this incident, no player in America will be under more scrutiny than Allen.
John Gasaway:?If we can apply an analogy from another sport, this strikes me as a red-card situation for Allen. By that standard the junior would miss between one and three games, but when I'm named Duke athletic director I will additionally append a statement to the effect that another such incident will end Allen's season. Krzyzewski termed Allen's actions "unacceptable." The program should make it clear that it won't accept any recurrence of these actions. Four strikes, and you're out.
Myron Medcalf:?Oklahoma State suspended Marcus Smart for three games in February 2014 after he pushed a fan in a bizarre incident. Smart did not injure the fan. But the school had to send a message: This can never happen again. Duke must send the same message with a three-game suspension. The trip is not a basketball play. It's a UFC move. Google "judo trip" if you don't believe me. Just imagine if Elon's? Steven Santa Ana?and Allen's previous victims had fallen and broken their arms or injured their knees or hit their heads on the hardwood. Allen is guilty of a third dangerous offense. Krzyzewski's status as the game's kingpin should not cloud this conversation about appropriate punishment. Anything short of a three-game suspension would be a joke.
2. With Allen out of the Duke equation, which Blue Devil is under the most pressure?
Borzello: I don't think it's going to hurt Duke all that much for the next games. I do think some of the injured Duke guys, or those who have seen their roles take a hit lately, have a good opportunity to play more now: Marques Bolden, Harry Giles, Chase Jeter. Even though Allen is a guard, this means more minutes are opening up in the overall rotation.? Frank Jackson?probably sees the biggest increase in his role, and he's well-equipped to handle it.
Brown:? Luke Kennard has surprisingly emerged as the team's leading scorer; now he'll be even more of a focal point with Allen out. The thing about this Duke team, now that it's healthy, is it has enough talent to compensate for Allen's absence. Freshmen Jayson Tatum and Jackson could end up taking a big step forward because of the minutes that will now open up.
Gasaway:?Speaking purely of on-floor basketball considerations, no team in the country is better equipped to withstand Allen's absence than Duke. Tatum already looks like he'll be able to draw just as many fouls, Kennard can hit just as many 3s and Jackson can purportedly dish just as many assists. The Blue Devils will be fine performance-wise. That means the person under the most pressure is Coach K. He built the program, and for the time being he and it are tethered to Allen and the junior's future behavior.
Medcalf:?The pressure is on Amile Jefferson, the leader on this team. He's the veteran who has to keep this group together as Allen is sidelined for an undetermined amount of time. Duke has a bunch of talented young players who have dealt with a lot in their first seasons: injuries, the big spotlight ... now this. Jefferson has to bring the Blue Devils together and keep them together. It doesn't take much for a promising group to come undone.
3. Will this third tripping incident impact Duke's season? Will it be a major distraction?
Borzello: I think it will be a short-term distraction, unless it happens again. Duke is too talented to let this derail its entire season. Kennard's quotes after the game were interesting to me. He said, among other things, that Duke isn't an unselfish team right now. The Blue Devils are the most talented team in the country, and will be the national title favorites for the rest of the season -- but there are still a lot of moving parts for Krzyzewski. It could take time to mesh.
Brown: It will have minimal impact on the Blue Devils aside from getting road crowds even more riled up, which could end up making Duke rally around Allen. Frankly, the Blue Devils have bigger issues right now in trying to get their newly healthy freshmen --?Giles,?Bolden?and Tatum -- up to speed with ACC play coming.
Gasaway: Allen will quite rightly hear about this on the road from fans of Duke's ACC rivals, but otherwise this will soon be superseded by other news out of Durham: Giles being amazing or not amazing, Kennard making a case for national player of the year, Jefferson being the nation's most underrated player, etc. Actually, I should say this will quickly be brushed aside, assuming Allen gains control of himself.
Medcalf: The thing about the 2014-15 Kentucky team, the squad that won its first 38 games, is that its only drama involved what happened on the court. Would the platoon system work? Would the Harrison twins help or hurt the team? That's how it should be when you have a team with Duke's ceiling. Now that changes. For the duration of the season, the Blue Devils will face questions about this incident. Allen can say he's a changed man. It won't matter. People won't believe him. Now, his teammates must answer questions about his actions. This won't end. The other possible distraction? Allen's adjustment. Will he play with the same tenacity? Will he become a more timid player? He doesn't have any margin for error. The same guy who snapped on the bench after he picked up the technical against Elon could have to compete in ACC environments for the next two months. How will he handle that and the opponents who will taunt him and take advantage of his circumstances?
4. If you were an NBA general manager, would these issues impact whether or not you drafted him?
Borzello: Not really. Is it something to look into, in terms of his maturity or ability to handle adversity on the court? Sure. But would it prevent me drafting him at the same spot I would've without the tripping? Probably not. Look at Smart. He's doing fine. There are also plenty of NBA players who have had consistent outbursts on the court or racked up technical fouls. DeMarcus Cousins gets the headlines, but John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant all rank in the top 10 for technical fouls this season. Draymond Green kicks someone seemingly every other night. They're all infinitely more talented than Allen, but on-court outbursts don't necessarily make you an undraftable player. It could be a tiebreaker on a team's board, but it's not going to significantly drop him.
Brown: Absolutely zero impact for me. The NBA, to a certain extent, polices itself. If Allen tripped someone while playing professionally it would be handled on the court, in that moment during that game. If I were a GM, I'd be more concerned seeing his shooting percentages drop this season to 38 percent from the field (down from 47) and 33 percent behind the arc (down from 42). Ultimately I think that, coupled with a nagging toe injury, is the reason for Allen's frustration.
Gasaway:?Serial tripping has to be a factor in the "Should we draft this guy?" discussion, and how many players have we ever had to say that about? Nevertheless, players have behaved unacceptably in college games before and gone on to the NBA. Smart shoved a Texas Tech fan. Today he's a Boston Celtic.
Medcalf: The first thing I'd consider would be his ability to help my team. He can. He's still a legit prospect. And prospects have been asked to explain incidents far worse than Allen's actions. The challenge is whether he's a first-round prospect. That's where I'd have doubts. He's not a can't-miss star. So if interviews with Allen suggested a lack of remorse or a limited understanding of the severity of his actions, I'd have doubts about offering him guaranteed money. But it's the NBA. Talent always overcomes those doubts. Allen will play at the next level. This won't change that.
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