Criticism Is One Thing...

You know, there is always room to criticize anyone, and Duke basketball isn't remotely beyond it, nor is Coach K. He's as fallible as any other human being.

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Nonetheless, criciticism has some basic minimal standards like, say, rationality.

So is Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune irrational? At the very least, he has a blind spot. Essentially he's telling Jabari Parker to get out because Duke has lost its way and because Mike Krzyzewski is getting paid and Parker isn't. He also says that Duke has lost its way.

Quick, somebody call Jerry Colangelo. The reality is that the game has changed and keeping pace is harder than ever. This is a team which won 26 games. It's not a disgrace. Most teams would kill for 26 wins. The guy who leads the "lost" team is, by acclaim and experience, the best candidate to lead the national team.

It's really amazingly stupid. Read it yourself. As stupid as it is, though, it's a really good example of a writer assuming he knows stuff he doesn't and not knowing what is actually relevant.

This is a much more nuanced view of Parker's choice. It's his choice and his alone, and whatever he decides is going to be done with a lot of thought, because that's how the guy generally approaches things.