Re: Never Happen

[jmc@ptc.com]

Joe Hironaka said:
> Ron Mercer has a higher and much softer dribble (like most of us), while
> Toine really pounds the ball down into the wood.  It could just be a
> question of confidence, but I'd like to see if Ron would improve his dribble
> penetration if he marginally increased the power of his dribble (pushed down
> a little harder basically). I think this fundamental skill is just as
> important as learning how and when to execute a cross-over.

Interesting reading, and some very good points! 

I've noticed that in the last few games, Ron Mercer has had an increasing 
number of turnovers caused by simply losing the dribble when trying to 
make a move.  It's like he's lost all thought of controlling the ball and 
is focussing ALL his attention, instead of most of it, and what move he's 
going to make.  Granted, to really excel, you have to be able to put most 
of your attention on what's going on around you, reading the defense, and 
opportunities for teammates, but you've got to at least maintain a little 
bit of attention on keeping a hold on the ball.  

Perhaps it's due to something Pitino said in the post-game press conference
last night.  He's been looking to get Mercer to pass more, and Mercer *has* 
been passing more.  In the last 3 games or so, he's often pulled up for 
jumpers then dumped down to Antoine instead of taking the shot.  Anderson 
did the same thing last night... maybe it's a new strategy for getting 
Antoine some good low post shots without double teams all over him.  Well, 
I'm sure you all remember the result when Ron made that exact pass on the 
second-to-last play against the Pacers.  Antoine got his shot immediately 
blocked, so instead of a tie game, the Pacers won.  I would have liked to 
see Ron take that shot, as it's very high percentage for him.  

Perhaps Ron's focussing more attention on where his teammates are, and less 
on where the ball is.  Whatever the case, it seems that some adjustments 
to Ron's dribble (or his awareness) to cut down on turnovers could be 
in order. 

Jon Mc