We missed this the other day, but here's a note about David
Lee's commitment to Florida suggesting it's time to "move on,"
and that it's a "difficult pill to swallow."
Well, yes and no. It's always a drag losing a recruit who seems a good fit,
but a lot of times it opens up space for someone later who is also a great
fit. Things work out.
That works both ways, of course. Andre Barrett was very interested in
Duke until they signed Jason Williams, a class ahead. That was it for
Duke. Duke missed Uwe Blab one year and signed Mark Alarie and Jay Bilas the
next.
Lee would have been a good fit, but so would a lot of players. But
ultimately he felt it wasn't the place for him. That's cool. Maybe
Florida is his ideal. That's cool, too. Duke has a lot to offer, but
clearly not everyone is interested, and the fit has to be mutual. Though
Lee may have seemed the ideal replacement for Battier on the court, it's
hard to imagine that he'll ever have the same leadership qualities Battier
offers, and viewing him as a direct plug-in is probably unfair to Lee.
He's a great basketball player, and a good kid from all accounts, but taking
Battier's spot, and replacing Battier, are two very different things.