WSU is a very balanced team

[asiseeit]

Okay, this might be somewhat controversial, but isn't that what this forum is all about? I've been
a huge fan of Bakers from the very start of his career and still am. Just love his competitive nature
on both ends of the court. I made the comment early in the season that I thought his losing ten pounds
hadn't worked to his advantage and I still think that. He just doesn't look as physically strong as he
did last season. I guess I'd like some opinions from others on whether or not his weight loss has
impacted his level of play? He just doesn't appear to be playing to his potential to me and I can't help
but wonder if the weight loss might have something to do with it. Anyone else believe the same as me?

[im4wsu]

Okay, this might be somewhat controversial, but isn't that what this forum is all about? I've been
a huge fan of Bakers from the very start of his career and still am. Just love his competitive nature
on both ends of the court. I made the comment early in the season that I thought his losing ten pounds
hadn't worked to his advantage and I still think that. He just doesn't look as physically strong as he
did last season. I guess I'd like some opinions from others on whether or not his weight loss has
impacted his level of play? He just doesn't appear to be playing to his potential to me and I can't help
but wonder if the weight loss might have something to do with it. Anyone else believe the same as me?

Don't know if I agree about the weight or not, but he seems less intent n driving the lane to the hoop. I wonder if there is something wrong with his hands -- or was. At home games I notice several times in games that he is massaging or shaking or flesing his hands -- left one particularly. When I do that, it is arthritis, hope that is not the cas with Ron. In any event, we know that a hand injury, even to the non-dominant hand, can affect the level of play. Something seems amiss when he shoots airballs when not being closely guarded. The off-hand getting the ball up in position could explain that, perhaps.

[proshox]

Okay, this might be somewhat controversial, but isn't that what this forum is all about? I've been
a huge fan of Bakers from the very start of his career and still am. Just love his competitive nature
on both ends of the court. I made the comment early in the season that I thought his losing ten pounds
hadn't worked to his advantage and I still think that. He just doesn't look as physically strong as he
did last season. I guess I'd like some opinions from others on whether or not his weight loss has
impacted his level of play? He just doesn't appear to be playing to his potential to me and I can't help
but wonder if the weight loss might have something to do with it. Anyone else believe the same as me?

Three games ago he took a 15' jumper, when he rose up something went wrong. The shot went in, but he stumbled back as if he had a dead leg.

Anyhow, I have seen very little lift in his lay ups or jumpers since. He is a JUMP shooter - so if there is an underlying strength issue he is going to struggle.

[WSUwatcher]

I don't know what the cause is, or even if I'm right, but to my eye Baker just doesn't seem to be himself at this point, and he hasn't for awhile. I've speculated that he's run down from that Pan Am Games activity during the summer followed by an exceptionally heavy workload early in the season as a result of LeFred's injury, which may or may not the case. But to me he just doesn't seem like THE Baker we know.

[asiseeit]

My other thought was that Ron plays so hard on defense he is so tired it is affecting his offense.
I know whenever I got tired it affected my shooting. His defense and rebounding remain very
very good.

[Bluzrover]

I've noticed something amiss with Ron as well. He's made some very questionable, lazy passes this season, but I've seen that with several of our players, not just Ron. I think there may be something to the amount of games he's had to play and the minutes therein. He seems to have stepped up his defense and that certainly could effect his offense. Lot of games to play, so I hope he gets back on track soon.

[shockmonster]

The main reason that we lost to ISU is that our team didn't attack the zone and was 1-14 from 3 in the second half. Ron and Fred had bad games but it wasn't Rons fault.

[im4wsu]

The main reason that we lost to ISU is that our team didn't attack the zone and was 1-14 from 3 in the second half. Ron and Fred had bad games but it wasn't Rons fault.

I don't read anybody's post as relating the loss to Ron or Fred. It is simply that more than one of us have noticed that Ron has not been looking like the Ron of old or the Ron we expect, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. I wouldn't trade Ron for anybody in the country, even if less than 100%

[molly jabali]

Next Season we will have 2 Seniors we hope. Both walk-ons. Not sure we have ever seen that before either.

Well...we "hope" unless a 5th year big drops in our lap...

[60Shock]

There were numerous times during the ISU game that both Fred and Ron attempted to dribble through the zone, but there was simply no place to go.

Ron does look somewhat off in his shooting and passing. Could be a number of things to include fatigue, a minor injury, or even a cumulation of the times he has taken shots to his body and head, which seem to happen nearly every blasted game.