Pitino on the 'Last Word'

["Jim Meyer" <jimmeyer@azstarnet.com>]

Jim Rome just had Pitino as his guest on his Fox sports 'Last Word' show (Pitino was on a satellite feed with one of the Boston summer league games in the background).  Some of the main things that seemed to jump out were:

 

1)  Mercer sounded really gone (no, he wasn't definite but it really sounded like something is in the works).

 

2)  Rick thinks it's VERY likely that Vin Baker will be with Seattle next season.  He put his chances at being a Celtic as remote.

 

3)  High praise for the extra work Pierce, Battie, Potapenko and McCarty are putting in.

 

4)  Mentioned he just spoke with the trainer that Kenny Anderson hired this summer (an unnamed olympic gold medal runner) and said that the trainer was disappointed at Anderson's work at the start of the summer but that "he's worked harder than anyone he's ever seen" over the past 3 weeks and is now making great conditioning progress.

 

Otherwise, just a few words on Antoine (old stuff, nothing bad), the rule changes, and the challenge in coaching an ever increasing predominance of "me before the team" players across the league.  Mentioned a dissatisfaction in coaching the college game due to the number of players leaving before their junior and senior years.  Said that other than March Madness he didn't really have the desire for the college game anymore (nothing left to prove).  On the pro level he still seems to feel that burning desire to lay it all on the line.  Mentioned Bill Russell's pre-game talk again.

 

Jimbo