Bradley plays point by pointing blame at himself

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Posted 6:16PM on Monday, December 4, 2006

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Ramel Bradley had two turnovers against North Carolina. His teammates had 20 others, but the Kentucky point guard is taking the blame for all of them. Bradley didn't even touch the ball on some of the turnovers careless plays where a Wildcat stepped on the sideline, palmed the ball or bowled over a defender while going for a layup. Still, Bradley's message to his team is: My bad. ``As a point guard, it's my job to get them in the offense, my job to make sure everybody's in the right spot,'' Bradley said. The junior, an outside shooting specialist, has only been on the job for seven games as Kentucky's new point guard, taking over the reins from the lightning-quick Rajon Rondo, who now plays for the NBA's Boston Celtics. Ever vocal about his own strengths and weaknesses, Bradley says he has run the offense well but lost some of the aggressiveness that made him a force from 3-point range last year. Part of the reason, he acknowledges, is the need to reduce careless errors and turnovers important for any player, but particularly the one called on to quarterback the offense. He got off to a rough start with six turnovers in the opener against Miami of Ohio, and his late turnover against UCLA may have cost the Wildcats a shot at knocking off what is now the top team in the nation. The unranked Wildcats (4-3) look to rebound Tuesday against Chattanooga in their first of two games at Freedom Hall in Louisville. Bradley's teammates say the turnover against UCLA started to get to him, before they stepped in to reassure Bradley that it was just one bad play in a long season. ``When you feel like you had an opportunity to make a big play and it falls through, I think it's only natural it's human nature to get down on yourself a little bit,'' forward Bobby Perry said. ``That's why we have to have teammates that can pick each other up.'' Coach Tubby Smith said that one play might have actually helped sharpen Bradley's play. He has been far more cautious with the basketball since, even though some teammates, including fellow backcourt mate Joe Crawford, have struggled more. ``I'm sure he was embarrassed,'' Smith said. ``I'm sure he was disappointed that he didn't catch the ball cleanly and then he took his eye off of it ... I think he understands now, 'I've got to take care of the basketball.''' Perry says Bradley is ``sacrificing a lot'' in playing point guard. In the last four games, he has made only seven shots from the field, in part because he has had to concentrate on running the offense. Having lost three of their last four games albeit against NCAA powers UCLA, Memphis and North Carolina, the Wildcats are looking at turnovers as the prime culprit. Bradley has improved in that area, although his turnovers (23) still outnumber his assists (22). Good point guards aim for a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and Bradley says he's ``aiming for the stars'' by targeting a 3-to-1 ratio. Although Smith says he has been pleased with Bradley's play, he hasn't ruled out lineup changes even one that might move Bradley to shooting guard and replace him at the point with freshman Derrick Jasper. But center Lukasz Obrzut says Bradley's game is about far more than just a shot. He can also handle the ball and make crisp passes, Obrzut said. ``He made an amazing pass to me during the DePaul game in Maui that just shocked everybody that was there,'' Obrzut said. ``Everybody was asking me about it and I was like, 'Yeah, he can do it. He's doing it all the time in practice.''' Regardless of what position Bradley plays, he'll likely never lose his role as vocal leader. When asked what record he expected for Kentucky after seven games, Bradley was adamant: 7-0. ``We don't turn the ball over, we make the right plays, we win those games and we're easily the No. 1 team in the country,'' Bradley said. ``We feel like we're the best team in the country, and we're going to get out there and show it.''