Happy f'in 2009

by Mike Rutherford on Jan 1, 2009 10:58 AM EST in Basketball Comment 12 comments

Well, it's officially 2009, which means that Louisville didn't just lose to an average team playing without its best player. Because that's how it works, right? If it's not then don't let me know, or the fact that I woke up pantsless in Albuquerque is going to be that much more difficult to deal with.

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Rant time

Hopefully, the new year will force people to realize Terrance Williams is an overrated player. He bricks his way through every game, but because he can dunk and provides good comments he is loved. To paraphrase a classic Jime Rome style comment, “Everick Sullivan thinks this guy is overrated.”

Pitino has coached the life out of this team. It seems he would rather coach defenseball than basketball. Where’s the improvement in the offense? During his eight years, we have been a terrible shooting team. It’s accerelated since Twill started cracking the backboard glass. Go back and count how many halves Louisville has shot less than 30% since Twill showed up. Is it that hard to find a shooter? Too bad Loften couldn’t play defense.

The stupid mind games with the players have blown up in Ricky’s face. He’s successfully destroyed Sosa. I think he’s actually a pretty good player, but he’ll never be even a decent one at Louisville now. Benching E5 didn’t do any good either. Now, Samardo’s so crossed up, he probably wishes he had gone to UNC. By the way, is Terrance Jennings the next Brandon Bender?

Where’s the joy with this team. Every time I see them on the court, they look constipated. They never smile and they never appear to be having fun. While other teams are rounding into form, Louisville looks like it’s been practicing for no more than a week. Other top teams settled on their best players early on and have gone with it. Because of that, they have been steadily improving. Louisville’s not because Rick still thinks he can screw with the players’ minds.

Finally, what the hell does Pitino do during timeouts? When was the last time Rick called a play from a timeout that worked? Raise your hand if you knew nothing good was going to come from those last two timeouts. My hand’s in the air. Sometimes I wonder if Rick uses the whiteboard in the timeout to tell his players where they can buy his newest book. After $16 million, I think it’s time to start producing, or at least beat WKU and UNLV.

by Whacker77 on Jan 1, 2009 2:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Lots of Good Observations

…the team has seemed flat, overripe, jaded, and catatonic (and those are its good points). The team started the season with unearned privledge, a fine study of their own press clippings, and have played as though they could flip a switch at any time and rectify their earlier daliance.
This just in——They ain’t that good.
As far as making a play after a timeout that worked, I offer you, again, Grant Hill.
Oh yeah, that worked for the other team.

Can he ever design one play other than having the entire decapitated team, banshee-like, run around in some bifurcated five man weave? Probably not.

And yet, there are those fabulous suits he wears.

Seriously, though, it is sooooooo early. We will get better. How better? Who knows? But, as always, it will be fun, exciting, heartbreaking, and joyous.

You are right, of course, about TWILL. But I’ll take him warts and all, just because of his unbridled enthusiasm, sense of purpose, and the way he effects ME!! It’s always good to see him. And who knows, one day some of those clangers will start to go in.

Lets see where we sit in a month or so.

Roz

by Roz on Jan 1, 2009 5:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

it all boils down to one thing:

fire spintino!

those of us tired of all this garbage – embarrassing losses, pitino caring more about mind games with the players than the game itself, the joy robbed from these players – should let TJ know that Rick needs to be let go. he’s clearly lost his touch – just look at the eff-up job he’s done on samuels in 6 weeks.

by davidson07 on Jan 3, 2009 1:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

dont know what you mean

about the F’d up job he’s dong on samuels in 6 weeks. I dont know if you have noticed, but samuels is not a complete player right now. He came in never having been tested in high school. No double team was enough to stop him, never needed to play defense and rebounds just fell in his lap. Now, his scoring has gone down, but from my point of view, he is a much better player than when the season started. he has started passing out of double teams much better, is actually making things a little more difficult on opposing teams to score inside, and is getting double doubles because he is blocking out. Scoring will come back because he is that talented, but it will come back to a better, more rounded player.

by Ben Go CARDS on Jan 3, 2009 6:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ditto

What he said. Me, 5 minutes into the game I would have put Swop in for Smith, Jennings and Goode in for Samardo and TWill.

And yes, the refs owed money in Vegas.

by 97E3LPL on Jan 1, 2009 2:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Those refs sucked!

I’m not as down on the team as you but I’m a little nervous about Sundays game. I’m kind of with you on T-Will. He is a great player and will probably do well in the NBA but he can’t shoot. I’ve said this in a previous post that if you count T-Will’s bad shots as turnovers he would average 8-10 TO’s a game. That’s Big. You can’t be a consistent basketball team with that many turnovers a game from your main guy. He thinks he can shoot like Jerry Smith the way he pulls up for those three point shots. I don’t know if he realizes that he’s taking all those bad shots. He has one good shooting game (example UAB) and he’ll have 3 straight bad shooting nights.

Sosa has never been that good. He can’t stop turning the ball over and he takes as many bad shots as T-Will in just about half the time. He doesn’t have a point guard mentality. It may take him the entire year or longer before he comes out of his shell.

As for the refs…. I watched the game again last night and that was the worst officiated game I’ve ever seen. UNLV was allowed to man handle Samardo. Not to mention the number of times UNLV was allowed to bump our guards up the floor. I remember seeing one time when Andree was bringing the ball up the floor on a fast break and a UNLV guard literally tackled him at mid court. No foul was called. I think the way the officials called the game made if very tough for us. I was thinking these are the worst officials I’ve ever seen, and then I realized that they are probably Big East refs and we’ll probably see them again.

Rick is no Denny. We’ll just have to get use to it. Meaning, great plays out of time outs are nothing but a distant memory. I still think Rick is the best man for the job. I wouldn’t criticize him until the season is over. He has a way of making people eat crow.

by DANCARD on Jan 2, 2009 8:49 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

You mentioned Jerry Smiths shooting........

….and I have some questions about him. What happened to his confidence? Has anyone else noticed how many times someone in the paint kicks the ball out to Jerry and he does a shot fake instead of shooting even when he has plenty of time to shoot? It seems like this happens more often than is necessary. Here is what happens at some point during a game. I’m watching the game when the ball goes in to the high post to Earl. One of the other teams guards comes down to double team him. Earl sees Jerry open for three and passes out to him ………… all I’m thinking is “finally a good shooter with an open look for three” and then I watch with anticipation as Jerry catches the ball and ………………. “what?! A shot fake? but he was wide open. Why did he pass up that shot?”

Well you see what I mean. Maybe I’m the only person to notice this and it’s just my imagination but it seems to me like this happens at least 3 times game. All I’m saying is that Jerry Smith with an open set shot for 3 use to be a sure thing and now he just seemed to stop shooting.

GO CARDS

by flattire on Jan 2, 2009 9:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I see it too.

I think he’s a bit over weight. Maybe that’s why his confidence is off. That’s the only thing I can think of.

by DANCARD on Jan 2, 2009 9:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

First Prize

Three days in Albuquerque. Second prize…six days in Albuquerque. Hurry back, Mike. If life must be led, it should be in the Eastern Time Zone.

Jerry and his waning confidence? Hey, if you miss more than two shots in a row you are asked to take a seat. The next day you hear whisperings that maybe you’ve been spending a little too much real time in the shotgun seat of those Sonic commercials and might be getting a little pudgy.

Didn’t the UCONN champion team that beat Duke have a rolly, portly, jolly, pleasingly fat point guard named Muhammed something or other a while back?

And back to TWILL. All of the shortcomings mentioned are true. Plus he carries the ball four times a game. But I love him, just as I loved the shooting challenged, but Denny loved, Nate Johnson. Nate couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn on a sunny day, and yet somehow, he was a winner.

OK Jerry, off we go to the drive up window, but you’re restricted to the dollar menu.

Roz

by Roz on Jan 2, 2009 10:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Jerry is an undersized

two guard. He needs to be in top shape.

by DANCARD on Jan 2, 2009 10:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

T-Will, Jerry and the Cards

I can’t yell at T-Will, he is finally taking it to the hoop. I can’t count how many games I have yelled and screamed for him to stop taking jumpers and penetrate. Hey, he finally started to go to the foul line too. I agree that the 1 handed floaters aren’t the best bet, but all I can say to T-Will is “drive baby drive.” We are also best when he brings the ball up the court.
We need to play Marquette soon so Jerry gets his touch back. Jerry has flown under the radar for the past 2 years. He has really been uncontested for his 2 guard spot. He hasn’t responded well to Preston (our best jump shooter?) pushing for his time. Where as in past years he has had to stay on the court, and has had more time to work his shot out and get in the flow of the game. I really miss his once a game steal on the inbounds pass for a easy lay-up.
Earl Wake-up.
This just in Samardo is going to be a sophmore. Especially if he doesn’t learn to keep elbows out and go straight up with the ball. He doesn’t create space like he used too.

by Pitino's Pal on Jan 2, 2009 10:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

You know what's got to be frustrating?

Samardo is always being told not to bring the ball down off a rebound. Don’t bring it to your waist, grab it high, play “above the rim,” and put it right back up. And yet, he did that Tuesday with a wide open shot under the basket, grabbed the rebound, didn’t bring it down… and bricked. Jay Bilas said it best… everybody tells Samardo to be an “above the rim” player, but he’s not an “above the rim” player, and he may never be.

It’s got to be frustrating for not only the fans and Pitino, but for Samuels as well. It’s a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t scenario. The fact of the matter is that we need better guard play to help Samardo out so he doesn’t get continually double-teamed anytime he’s within four feet of the basket. And as other’s have mentioned, Jerry Smith losing his recent lack of confidence is going to be a big part of that.

by CARD_G6 on Jan 2, 2009 12:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs