Kgreg, I never bought into that experiment with Rip. I remember the Indiana first half last year where we scored 28 points and Rip drove and drove and drove-- for nothing into the teeth of the defense. Rip is the best mid-range shooter in the game. But he is not good at one on one and his passes near the hoop often lead to turnovers in the playoffs where defenses are tighter. Rip needs to pull up and take that J more--that is his thing. Teams now try and stop Rip's first look on the curl but the shot is still there a moment later. But Rip goes too far in or all the way in. Look at his recent shooting percentages. We don't run the curl enough for Rip--I agree--it is a weapon. But it is high percentage only when Rip takes the j more than the drive.

Tay should get the ball just inside the arc and let him survey the floor. They do not want him to back down one on one so that puts pressure on their defense. If Tay has the ball dribbling past mid-court, they are also pressured because they are afraid of Tay's open drives to the hoop. They are not afraid of Rip or Chauncey driving to the hoop as they are of Tay. Riley himself said he would rather see Chauncey drive than pull up--he worries when he pulls up.