02-13-2006, 04:54 PM
Ramel Bradley never stops talking on the court, and is the second-best player on the team, after Rajon Rondo, at creating his own shot. Which takes effort and confidence.
But there's a difference between Rondo and Bradley.
Passion.
Playing with discipline and playing like a robot are two different things. You can be disciplined and still have a burning desire to win.
Bradley said he was chomping at the bit to get in Tuesday's loss to Tennessee, but didn't for a mysterious rule violation. He missed bringing what he brings to the table.
"Fire," he said, describing his best attribute.
Sometimes it's OK to have a little more passion at the expense of a little discipline - especially if the former is what your team is lacking.
It may be the sword for this Gordian knot. Nothing else has worked.
Tubby Smith seemed to be turning over his bag of tricks and smacking the bottom of it like an empty Heinz bottle Saturday.
He made a conscious effort to be more positive, to be more encouraging. Less yelling, more clapping.
After earlier in the season resolving to be himself, to trust his 30 years of experience, and be as aggressive as he feels necessary.
He seemed perplexed, and kept going back to the rules.
"Today, I tried to be calmer," Smith said. "It still didn't work."
What he really doesn't get, as a defensive-minded coach, is why SEC teams keep shooting over 50 percent against his team.
"Defense is all about second effort, having the discipline and heart to do it," Smith said.
"We're lacking communication," Bradley said. "And heart."
Rondo is part of that problem.
Sure, he's clutch. Yeah, he can dribble like a Globetrotter.
But his shots aren't falling.
And it doesn't seem like he cares.
"You win some, you lose some," Rondo said flippantly, when asked if he was upset about not making two free throws after being intentionally fouled at what was to be the end of an almost-historic comeback.
Lately, they've been losing some.
And now, firmly planted on the slippery slope that is the NCAA Tournament bubble, with six games left the 15-9 Cats have three future opponents who are in the top 25 or have beaten them earlier this season.
They're staring a sub-.500 SEC season full in the face.
Right now, only a back-against-the-wall sense of urgency is keeping UK out of the National Invitational Tournament in New York.
The Cats showed that urgency Saturday - in just over a minute of play, UK forced three straight turnovers to trim a 10-point deficit to three.
Then Rondo missed two free throws and an open 3-pointer, and Bradley missed a much tougher look on the final play.
The two reacted quite differently after the game.
"You can't let somebody dunk or get a layup," Bradley said of UK's lack of heart on defense. "You gotta foul them, knock them on their butt."
"I'm just not making (foul shots) ⦠but I'm not going to get my head down about it," Rondo said.
The difference between good players and great players is that the better ones don't take losses with a shrug. Defeat is a personal affront to them.
With its post-season hopes against the wall, will the Cats come out fighting or have a "You win some, you lose some" mindset?
If they do, it's going to be a short month of March. In New York.
Pretty interesting article here...Maybe Rondo really is the problem after all, I mean why doesn't he care about winning or losing? Hopefully he either starts caring or hits the NBA trail next season because that is exactly what UK doesn't need on their team...
But there's a difference between Rondo and Bradley.
Passion.
Playing with discipline and playing like a robot are two different things. You can be disciplined and still have a burning desire to win.
Bradley said he was chomping at the bit to get in Tuesday's loss to Tennessee, but didn't for a mysterious rule violation. He missed bringing what he brings to the table.
"Fire," he said, describing his best attribute.
Sometimes it's OK to have a little more passion at the expense of a little discipline - especially if the former is what your team is lacking.
It may be the sword for this Gordian knot. Nothing else has worked.
Tubby Smith seemed to be turning over his bag of tricks and smacking the bottom of it like an empty Heinz bottle Saturday.
He made a conscious effort to be more positive, to be more encouraging. Less yelling, more clapping.
After earlier in the season resolving to be himself, to trust his 30 years of experience, and be as aggressive as he feels necessary.
He seemed perplexed, and kept going back to the rules.
"Today, I tried to be calmer," Smith said. "It still didn't work."
What he really doesn't get, as a defensive-minded coach, is why SEC teams keep shooting over 50 percent against his team.
"Defense is all about second effort, having the discipline and heart to do it," Smith said.
"We're lacking communication," Bradley said. "And heart."
Rondo is part of that problem.
Sure, he's clutch. Yeah, he can dribble like a Globetrotter.
But his shots aren't falling.
And it doesn't seem like he cares.
"You win some, you lose some," Rondo said flippantly, when asked if he was upset about not making two free throws after being intentionally fouled at what was to be the end of an almost-historic comeback.
Lately, they've been losing some.
And now, firmly planted on the slippery slope that is the NCAA Tournament bubble, with six games left the 15-9 Cats have three future opponents who are in the top 25 or have beaten them earlier this season.
They're staring a sub-.500 SEC season full in the face.
Right now, only a back-against-the-wall sense of urgency is keeping UK out of the National Invitational Tournament in New York.
The Cats showed that urgency Saturday - in just over a minute of play, UK forced three straight turnovers to trim a 10-point deficit to three.
Then Rondo missed two free throws and an open 3-pointer, and Bradley missed a much tougher look on the final play.
The two reacted quite differently after the game.
"You can't let somebody dunk or get a layup," Bradley said of UK's lack of heart on defense. "You gotta foul them, knock them on their butt."
"I'm just not making (foul shots) ⦠but I'm not going to get my head down about it," Rondo said.
The difference between good players and great players is that the better ones don't take losses with a shrug. Defeat is a personal affront to them.
With its post-season hopes against the wall, will the Cats come out fighting or have a "You win some, you lose some" mindset?
If they do, it's going to be a short month of March. In New York.
Pretty interesting article here...Maybe Rondo really is the problem after all, I mean why doesn't he care about winning or losing? Hopefully he either starts caring or hits the NBA trail next season because that is exactly what UK doesn't need on their team...