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Duke Blue Devils: Marshall Plumlee to Knicks

By John Woodcock

March 24, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Marshall Plumlee (40) plays for position against Oregon Ducks forward Elgin Cook (23) during the second half of the semifinal game in the West regional of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
March 24, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Marshall Plumlee (40) plays for position against Oregon Ducks forward Elgin Cook (23) during the second half of the semifinal game in the West regional of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /
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Duke  Blue Devils alum and commissioned Army officer Marshall Plumlee will beginning his NBA career with the New York Knicks.

Lost track of all the Duke Blue Devils free agents yet? I have, because there was a big one that slipped under my radar a few days ago. The number of Plumlees in the NBA grew to three. So now we have Miles Plumlee with the Milwaukee Bucks, Mason Plumlee with the Portland Trail Blazers, and now Marshall Plumlee is in the NBA too.

It was a little weird when the youngest Plumlee was at the Charlotte Hornets predraft workout. I thought he had an Army commitment. It wasn’t weird for Plumlee. Plumlee joined the Army last year, yes, but only the Army Reserve. That means his commitment right now is a limited one and he needs a job for some spending money. Looks like that is basketball.

So there should not have been any real shock when Plumlee signed a three year deal with the New York Knicks. After all, Plumlee always had agreed with the Army that his active duty would be delayed. So no conflicts there.

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So what does Plumlee going to the Knicks mean? It means there will be some good public relations fodder for both the team and the Army. Get ready to hear ‘patriotic’ repeated many many times in Knicks telecasts.

It also is a basketball fit. Plumlee made his reputation as a big man who will do whatever he’s asked. For the Knicks that will likely be rebounding and rim protection. He will be a sub behind Joakim Noah and probably another guy. He can also come out on screens to help out Knicks shooters like Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee, or even Kristaps Porzingis.

Next: Lance Thomas to Knicks

So the story of Duke rookies in the league does not start and end with whatever Brandon Ingram does in the country’s second biggest city. Now the story will also be about what happens to Plumlee in the country’s biggest city.

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