Duke Blue Devils: Grayson Allen Returns against Georgia Tech
The Duke Blue Devils have brought back suspended player Grayson Allen after one game.
The Duke Blue Devils are in the middle of giving the business to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. However the big story is the player who is on the court tonight. That would be Grayson Allen. Allen returns after his indefinite suspension of one game. Allen had been suspended for his third tripping incident in a year and stripped of his captaincy.
Duke looked bad in their one game without Allen, but that was not necessarily about Allen’s absence. Duke still had plenty of talent on the court without him. Virginia Tech revealed other problems in melding this roster.
Likely this move was a response to an impossible situation for Duke. This is Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last game before a month of absence when he has back surgery. If Coach K had not brought Allen back then he would have left the issue in the hands of interim coach Jeff Capel.
That would have made life difficult for Capel. On the one hand, Capel could have brought Duke’s best player back at any time he felt the situation warranted. On the other hand, Capel may have felt pressure to bench Allen for the entire length of Coach K’s absence in order to show the Duke higher ups that he had the integrity to be Coach K’s successor.
More from Duke Blue Devils
- Court alleges Zion’s Stepfather received $400k
- Four North Carolina players selected in first round of MLB Draft
- N.C. State at Duke: Staff Predictions
- N.C. State makes strong case for NCAA Tourney berth with win over Duke
- Duke vs North Carolina Staff Predictions
This takes the decision out of his hands. Allen is back, plain and simple. Capel does not have to answer for why he did or did not bring Allen back. Those questions are now reserved for Krzyzewski, who will be unable to answer them until he gets back (or the postgame press conference against Georgia Tech – where he will also try to put the issue to bed).
Next: Coach K Takes Leave of Absence
Regarding Allen’s suspension, it is hard to say what appropriate punishment would have been. Maybe one game was the right answer. Maybe it should have been five games, I don’t know. What we do know is that Allen better not trip anyone else.