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The Daily Verdict

December 12, 2005

 

Well…I knew it was too good to last.  After sending out kudos on Friday to ESPN.com’s Pat Forde, it was less than forty-eight hours later that Forde (while providing Indiana’s Mike Davis with a big wet rump-kissing) would use his column for his favorite task, applying the whip to the University of Kentucky.  Look, I’m no Big Blue homer (as you shall see shortly), but can Forde ever mention UK without throwing in a barb?  I mean honestly, it’s fine if you want to credit Davis for Saturday’s big win against the border rival that had brought him nothing but losses and torment, but is it necessary to rub Kentucky’s face in it in the process?  Forde went out of his way to give UK a slap for the Randolph Morris situation (saying the school was scrambling ‘almost shamelessly’ to get Morris re-instated before the season is over), and he went to great lengths to post Marco Killingsworth’s soliloquy on how hated Kentucky is across the college basketball landscape.

 

And never mind that I don’t care for the focus of Forde’s column.  Anytime anybody wants to get out the hosannas for the terribly mistreated (and I mean that with utter sarcasm) Davis, I just want to wretch.  Davis supporters (and apologists) can never tell you enough what terrible circumstances he has had to work under (chiefly a lack of administrative support and constant questions about his job security) or remind you enough that he took IU to the national title game.  Davis might be better served if he remembered that only good fortune brought him the job in Bloomington (right place, right time after the Knight firing) and spent more time doing his job and less time worrying about whether or not he was going to keep it.  But back on topic, if Forde wants to throw a party for Davis because he was able to lift a considerable weight off his shoulders, fine…and if he wants to fire shots at Kentucky, fine.  But I think that’s a separate column.  Maybe he can break one of those anti-Cat specials out this week as his boy, Rick Pitino, brings his Louisville Cardinals to Rupp Arena…and maybe I can debut the long-awaited lyrics to my new hit song, Ricky! (sung to the tune of Toni Basil’s ‘80’s classic, Mickey!...)

 

More on those Mildcats…the appropriate slogan for the ’05-’06 Wildcats might cause one to think of a long-running soap opera.  The Soft and The Gutless.  Wow.  Kentucky’s performance on Saturday was an absolute embarrassment.  As the aforementioned Mr. Forde noted in his column, Kentucky’s beating was the worst taken in the Tubby Smith era, and the worst overall for the program since 1989.  It is difficult to determine which Kentucky lacks more, leadership or toughness.  The supremely talented Rajon Rondo has yet to show he is capable (or willing) of picking up the mantle of leadership, and the interior play for the Wildcats is simply appalling.  Kentucky misses Chuck Hayes in so many ways it is simply sad.  Along with his leadership, UK has been unable to replace his tenaciousness and toughness.  Signing JUCO transfer Rekalin Sims, who teased Kentucky fans with his early scoring output, has not been the answer.  Sims is a competent offensive player, but he prefers to station himself twenty feet from the basket while hoisting three-point attempts.  He is either unwilling or unable to either defend or rebound in the paint.  The Twin Towers of Shagari Alleyne and Lukasz Obrzut would be of greater use to the program if they were placed on local rooftops to help with cell phone reception in the greater Lexington area.  Obrzut gives a game effort, and Alleyne will probably continue to come up with the occasional encouraging performance (a la the Georgia State game), but neither is a reliable low-post scoring option.  And despite their height, neither of them is terribly competent as a low-post defender.  Indiana’s Killingsworth absolutely overpowered every Kentucky defender on the box, and the Hoosiers’ Ben Allen gave us a glimpse of what it might be like to have a skilled big on the floor.  I won’t pass judgment on the freshman, Jared Carter, just yet.  But I wonder if the ‘Cats will wish they had redshirted the young fella from Georgetown.  It seems a shame to waste his vast potential on token appearances this year…

 

It’s only December, of course, and I always put my faith in Tubby Smith’s ability to get his team playing their best basketball as they enter SEC play.  It was only a couple of years ago that the ‘Cats were scaring fans to death…just before they became a buzzsaw and ripped through an undefeated conference schedule.  But just in case Tubby starts reading the verdict and wants to know what I think…who am I to deny him?  I heard and read a lot about a couple of things in the run up to this season.  One was that Rajon Rondo had spent a lot of time honing his jumper.  That’s a noble sentiment, but I’m not sure repeating his poor mechanics was a good idea.  Rondo, for all of his marvelous talents, is still not a good perimeter shooter, and Indiana provided the blueprint for how to defend him until that weakness is shored up.  Simply back off of him and invite that suspect jumper.  If you can keep Rondo out of the lane, Kentucky becomes a contested three-point shooting team.  Not one other player on the roster can create their own shot, save Ramel Bradley, and Bradley seems interested in creating only his shot.  With no penetration from Rondo and no low-post scoring threat to attract a double-team (like Killingsworth did repeatedly for Indiana), the ‘Cats were left to chuck well-defended long-range bombs.  And that led to a gorgeous 2-27 effort (but hey, the Wildcats were optimistic…they kept firing after missing their first twenty) from behind the arc.  Now where was I?  Oh yes.  The second thing I heard often coming into the season was that Kentucky was going to run more to take advantage of Rondo’s talents in the open floor.  Hmm.  Still waiting on that.  You’ll find maple syrup flowing faster in the forests of Vermont than this Kentucky squad moves.  I’m not sure that unveiling a faster pace would be a good idea against the Cards, they of the 115 points against Akron on Saturday, but it seems to me that Coach Smith must go small and look to press and run on a full-time basis (and not just when they trail by 20).

 

Other than giving the Alleyne and Obrzut spot minutes on occasion, why not put Rondo, Sparks, and Moss on the floor (with aide from Bradley and Crawford) with a combination of the forwards (Perry, Sims, and the so-far disappointing Sheray Thomas).  The full-court pressure would allow the ball-hawking Rondo to utilize his defensive talents all over the floor, and the ability to create full-court havoc could potentially allow the ‘Cats to hide their interior defensive deficiencies.  Constant pressure would also help provide an increased offensive tempo…and that would also benefit Rondo’s game.  His ability to push the ball and finish in the paint are perfect for such a style, and playing at a quicker pace should yield more open three-point looks in transition for Patrick Sparks and the rest of the ‘Cat shooters.

 

And of course, none of that will matter if Kentucky cannot somehow find their inner Wildcat.  A lack of passion and toughness has been the ongoing theme running through both of their recent losses, to North Carolina and Indiana.  Rondo, with an assist from the feisty Sparks, must take control of their basketball team.  Rondo must not run from the moment in tight situations, as has been his wont early in the season.  Too often down the stretch of games we have seen the ball in the hands of Bradley or Sparks.  Each of them is quite capable; but neither of them is as good an option as Rondo with the ball in his hands.  Kentucky must find a way to return to defending and rebounding with reckless abandon, in the same manner that each of Tubby Smith’s teams has in the past.  And wouldn’t you be willing to bet Coach Smith will get that point across to his squad this week during practice at Memorial Coliseum?  That will not be a pleasant scene…

 

And to think, all of this might be different if either Randolph Morris or the NCAA had any sense at all…but then that’s another column altogether, isn’t it?

 

Two notes from the world of baseball as we wrap up this morning…on Friday I discussed the monster contracts the Toronto Blue Jays handed out to A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan earlier this month.  I was right on Burnett (5 years, $55 million), but I dropped the ball on Ryan.  His contract was also for five years, at $47 million (I had reported the length of the deal at four years).  I apologize for the error, and I am happy to report that the extra year on Ryan’s deal either makes it more or less ludicrous; I haven’t decided which yet…

 

And finally, reports are in that the Red Sox (or Sawx to us and Mike Wilbon) have contacted the agents for Roger Clemens about their potential interest in the legendary right-hander for the 2006 season.  That loud thud you just heard was the sound of my colleague, Darth Reagan, passing out and collapsing after reading that sentence.  Darth has become allergic to any mention of the Sawx, and rightfully so.  But I have to say, (and I also can’t stand any mention of the BoSox) the historian in me might just want to see the Rocket finish where he started.  Clemens had already pitched himself into the Hall of Fame during his thirteen years in Beantown, and his messy departure from Fenway was one of the uglier and more disappointing breakups in baseball history (thanks, Dan Duquette).  If I had to pick an evil empire, I would probably hope for Clemens to reunite with Joe Torre in the Bronx, but something just seems right about the Rocket finishing his amazing career wearing the same cap that will adorn his plaque in Cooperstown.  Sorry, Darth…

 

 

Contact The Chief Justice at chiefjustice@thehighcourtofsports.com.