The bell has rung and the Blue Zone stock exchange is back in business. Each week The Blue Zone will look at whose stock is on the rise and whose stock has taken a hit from the week in the Duke basketball world.
Bull Market—Trending Up
- Rodney Hood: When we last left Hood at the stock exchange he was coming off of an 11-point, 38-minute dud against Kansas. After the Duke loss Hood realized that he needed to be more aggressive for the rest of the season if the Blue Devils were to be successful. So all he did over his next three games was average 25.3 points per game on 75.9 percent shooting from the field, 71.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 93.1 percent from the charity stripe. The efficient offensive explosion was accompanied by increased hype in NBA circles, as draft experts now expect to see Hood's name get called in the lottery of the 2014 NBA Draft.
- Andre Dawkins: In case the Duke faithful forgot the type of player Dawkins was before his redshirt season, he reminded fans in a big way this week. The sweet-shooting guard shot 8-of-15 from 3-point land in the team's last three games, playing an average of 16 minutes per game after playing just two in the season opener and not playing at all against Kansas. Dawkins had been slowed by a back injury, but that seems to be firmly behind him now. What's been most promising about Dawkins' resurgence has been his defense. A lax defender in the past, Dawkins has been one of the best perimeter defenders on the roster this season, forcing steals, deflecting passes and even drawing five-second violations. The wide smile that breaks out over Dawkins' face after a strong defensive play is more of a joy to see than his grin after nailing a corner 3-pointer.
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Elliot Williams: Elliot Williams played at Duke for one season before transferring to Memphis to be closer to his ill mother. Since coming to the NBA, Williams has been plagued by knee and leg issues, missing the entirety of his rookie season and last season. This week, Williams was signed off the street by the Philadelphia 76ers, giving him another shot at the NBA. Williams made his Sixers debut Wednesday night, playing four minutes off the bench.
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Alex Murphy and Marshall Plumlee: The redshirt sophomores have been less than impressive to open the season. Murphy is averaging 0.8 points per game on 20.0 percent shooting. Plumlee has 0.5 points and 0.5 rebounds in 5.3 minutes per game. With neither player succeeding on the court, both did not leave the bench in Duke's 83-74 victory over East Carolina. It seems as if freshmen Semi Ojeleye and Matt Jones are ahead of the veterans in the rotation—at least for the time being.
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North Carolina and N.C. State: The Tar Heels have had a turbulent start to the season, struggling at home against Holy Cross and then two days later falling to Belmont in Chapel Hill. Not to be outdone, the Wolfpack fell to North Carolina Central at home this week. Last season all three Triangle Area teams were threats and mainstays in the AP top 25. This season it appears as if Duke may be the only one of the trio to make any noise.
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UNC-Asheville Mascot: The Bulldogs' mascot is just creepy looking. It's mouth is wide open in a sort of snarl and it looks awkward. UNC-Asheville should stick to the actual bulldog, because the giant mascot version is just not a crowd pleaser. Could be worse though, it could look like Pierre the Pelican.
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Phoenix Suns Announcers: Seriously. Stop calling Miles Plumlee Pum-dog. It's a terrible nickname. It means nothing. Suns broadcaster Eddie Johnson likes the "Plum" part because it's his favorite fruit and the "dog" part because Plumlee plays defense like a dog. There must, must be something better. And Plumlee agrees, as he's retweeted numerous fans who have complained about the lackluster nickname. Duke players need better nicknames, sort of like Rodney Hood's "Silent Assassin"—which we would love your help in making stick. Have suggestions for a better Plumlee nickname? Send it over to us using @dukebasketball. The more the merrier, because it's only a matter of time before the Nets broadcasters come up with a bad nickname for Mason.
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