Kyrie Irving: Duke's Next One-and-Done

Duke star Chris Duhon once said that every other ACC team plays for second place.  His comments were in reference to the annual ACC Tournament which the Devils have owned for the past decade.

Duke's dominance is the result of hard work and a multitude of many other variables.  None more important than the actual playmakers on the hardwood.

The NBA tears the college basketball game apart and takes the game's best players every year.  Duke is the one team in the nation that has avoided this bug, or that is the perception.

Players such as Loul Deng have said goodbye to the Crazies way too early time and time again.  I am here to tell you that Duke is not immune to the one-and-done rule. (MY THOUGHTS ) 

The next on the list of possible one-and-dones is my pick for the 2010-2011 ACC Freshman of the Year, Kyrie Irving.

Irving will be vastly different than his freshman team mate Carrick Felix (HERE IS HIS STORY)

Irving is said to be the closest thing that Duke has had to an elite point guard since Jay Williams.  Williams was Chris Paul before Chris Paul.  If Irving is half the player of Williams then Duke will have a true superstar in their midst.

Kyrie is without a doubt an elite level guard.  He is the New Jersey Player of the Year, and he has the skills to make an NBA team now.

Duke's backcourt is instantly one of the nation's best with the addition of Irving.  The combination of Nolan Smith and Irving gives Duke a one-two punch not seen since the early 2000s dominated by Jay Williams and Chris Duhon .

Kyrie is not a perfect player.  He does have flaws, but these weaknesses actually play into some of Duke's strengths.  The largest complaint you hear about his game is his jumper.

Irving will not be close to the best shooter on this team.  He won't be considered top three, but that is not a problem.  Next year Duke will be more of a running team.  They will allow Nolan and Kyrie to drive and dish allowing pure shooters such as Dawkins and Curry to have space to shoot.

His addition will also allow the big guys to bang down low.  The Plumlees will be able to run wild on the boards and score plenty as the result of double teams.

Although the addition of Irving is huge for the champs, it is almost certain that he will be gone in a year.  He is without a doubt a future pro star, and to expect him to be around for a while would just be silly.