2024-2025 Tennessee Basketball Team Discussion

[Stoerner Fumbles]

To be fair, that’s not what you said. Saying we need to get someone prepared to play 10-15 minutes a game to give him a breather or support him is different than saying we need to get someone prepared for if he gets injured. If Zeigler gets injured, we’re going to have a lot bigger problems and will need more than 10-15 minutes a game covered.

I clearly heard him say the words “body cast”.

 

[pimo1]

To be fair, that’s not what you said. Saying we need to get someone prepared to play 10-15 minutes a game to give him a breather or support him is different than saying we need to get someone prepared for if he gets injured. If Zeigler gets injured, we’re going to have a lot bigger problems and will need more than 10-15 minutes a game covered.

Actually, I did. I said spell/support spell=him on the bench resting support=them on the floor with him. Which I tried to clarify in the post you quoted. J/S

Him getting hurt, as it stands now, is the end of it all defcon 7000. We need to have at least one of them in a position where if we lose him for a period of time they can at least guide the ship. Right now we have nothing proven behind him at PG.

 

[pimo1]

I would agree with that. Not every player needs 10-15 minutes of rest each game. Zeigler's play does not diminish significantly with heavy minutes. And our team is just completely different when he is on the floor. Who plays PG the 5 minutes that he is not on the floor is not what is going to determine the success of this team.

Reality is ZZ is 5'9" 170ish... the chances of him making it through an entire season playing 32+ minutes is not good, especially with his play style. he played those minutes because we had no choice. What if we did though? What if he could average 28 because we had a good backup? What if he got that extra rest to be that much fresher at the end of the season and avoid all that wear and tear? What if he could play full speed for 25-28 mins a game instead of having to pace himself? Having your top players averaging big minutes is not good in the case of overtime. There are many reasons you don't want a player averaging 30++ minutes. It means the dropoff is so bad you can afford to rest him.

 

[berryvol]

not sure about home run...DK was a 6 Powerball lottery win. Even Barnes admitted he did not expect what we got out of him. I am sure we will be a good team though. My worry is if we have the leadership with all these new faces. the only real proven returning leader is ZZ. The only real proven offensive weapon is ZZ. IF these guys don't bring some shooting we are in trouble because we only have 1.5 proven scorers coming back. ZZ is a great player but he has limitations as a scorer (size) if he is the focus he is easy to neutralize. He needs other shooters to operate at his best and his energy is best spent on the defensive end and distributing. Mashack is a good player JJJ lite. Gainey could be a threat, maybe? I feel like if Gainey is any higher than 6th man we have problems on offense. Our best lineup assuming all the transfers are who we (I) hope they are is

ZZ, Gainey/Boswell
Lanier, Gainey, Dubar?
Mashack, Dubar, Carr
Milicic, Dubar, Phillips
Okpara, Milicic, Estrella

I see Dubar/Gainey being the 6th man depending on matchups and how good a scorer Dubar can be. The big question is who spells ZZ? Who happens if ZZ goes down? From what Barnes hinted it sounds like it could be Milicic surprisingly. Not necessarily as a point guard but like a point forward (Lebron James extremely lite)

Gainey has shown an ability to play PG in a pinch. Not sure Boswell will be ready to play meaningful minutes this season, but I’ve read the staff loves his bulldog mentality and thinks he can play eventually - someone like that isn’t the worst guy to have if ZZ goes down.

All that to say, if any team in the nation loses their best player, they’re screwed. We are not immune to this, obviously. We need ZZ and Igor to stay healthy very badly. If they don’t, we’ll need a couple of our guards to step up in a big big way. Let’s hope we don’t need it tho!

 

[MinisterofDef#92]

I think that Gainey or Boswell will be the most important player to the teams success this year. If one of them can spell/support ZZ for 10-15 mins a game we becomes a very dangerous team. They don't have to be great one or both of them just has to be able to step in when ZZ is out or needs a breather.

Well...ZZ is clearly our MVP barring injury so not sure how you can say it's Gainey or Boswell as the most important player's for our success. Of the newcomers, most would argue it's Chaz or Igor. And there are other ways to spell ZZ outside of Gainey or Boswell. Now, I do think we need Gainey to improve his 3 pt %'age (he clearly has the ability to do so) but I would not say that's in the Top 5 of what this team needs to be uber successful.

 

[MinisterofDef#92]

Reality is ZZ is 5'9" 170ish... the chances of him making it through an entire season playing 32+ minutes is not good, especially with his play style. he played those minutes because we had no choice. What if we did though? What if he could average 28 because we had a good backup? What if he got that extra rest to be that much fresher at the end of the season and avoid all that wear and tear? What if he could play full speed for 25-28 mins a game instead of having to pace himself? Having your top players averaging big minutes is not good in the case of overtime. There are many reasons you don't want a player averaging 30++ minutes. It means the dropoff is so bad you can afford to rest him.

Seems to have worked pretty well for Connecticut last season. This has been debunked countless times (check some of BTO's prior posts).

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Reality is ZZ is 5'9" 170ish... the chances of him making it through an entire season playing 32+ minutes is not good, especially with his play style. he played those minutes because we had no choice. What if we did though? What if he could average 28 because we had a good backup? What if he got that extra rest to be that much fresher at the end of the season and avoid all that wear and tear? What if he could play full speed for 25-28 mins a game instead of having to pace himself? Having your top players averaging big minutes is not good in the case of overtime. There are many reasons you don't want a player averaging 30++ minutes. It means the dropoff is so bad you can afford to rest him.

You’re supplying both the balloon and the hot air to lift it. Where is your data on the correlation between height and injuries? What kind of temporary injury might he experience that requires “spelling” him— A tarantula bite? Sorry, but Barnes’ plan will be to play ZZ 32-34 minutes a game and “spell” him when we’re up twenty. You don’t sit your starting QB or your senior PG who is one of the best in the country. ZZ isn’t injury prone. He’s the opposite. He isn’t fragile. If we lose him, it will be insurmountable, but that doesn’t amount to an argument to sit him. He has exactly the same value on the bench as he does sitting in a knee brace. If we want to win, we want him on the court. ZZ agrees. So does Barnes. Take a nap.

 

[chuckiepoo]

You’re supplying both the balloon and the hot air to lift it. Where is your data on the correlation between height and injuries? What kind of temporary injury might he experience that requires “spelling” him— A tarantula bite? Sorry, but Barnes’ plan will be to play ZZ 32-34 minutes a game and “spell” him when we’re up twenty. You don’t sit your starting QB or your senior PG who is one of the best in the country. ZZ isn’t injury prone. He’s the opposite. He isn’t fragile. If we lose him, it will be insurmountable, but that doesn’t amount to an argument to sit him. He has exactly the same value on the bench as he does sitting in a knee brace. If we want to win, we want him on the court. ZZ agrees. So does Barnes. Take a nap.

I hate it when an otherwise generally centered poster gets stuck in behind a bad take, and just keeps digging…

 

[VolsNetClippers2025]

Ziegler, Milicic 30+ minutes, Lanier, Okpara 25-30, Mashack 20-25 sounds about right. Gainey, Dubar, Carr as wings off the bench, with Estrella and Cade backing up the bigs. Not crazy to think there's a world where ZZ, Igor, Lanier, Okpara all average 10+, with Mashack and the subs contributing 5-10 on any given night with a chance to blow up. Screams UConn scoring from last year, no?

 

[pimo1]

You’re supplying both the balloon and the hot air to lift it. Where is your data on the correlation between height and injuries? What kind of temporary injury might he experience that requires “spelling” him— A tarantula bite? Sorry, but Barnes’ plan will be to play ZZ 32-34 minutes a game and “spell” him when we’re up twenty. You don’t sit your starting QB or your senior PG who is one of the best in the country. ZZ isn’t injury prone. He’s the opposite. He isn’t fragile. If we lose him, it will be insurmountable, but that doesn’t amount to an argument to sit him. He has exactly the same value on the bench as he does sitting in a knee brace. If we want to win, we want him on the court. ZZ agrees. So does Barnes. Take a nap.

The laws of physics and human anatomy? There is no rocket science here. If you engage in activities that involve bumping, cutting and running you are at a high risk of injury. If you engage in those activities at the point of exhaustion you are at a higher chance of injury. Because of the laws of mass when 2 bodies collide the smaller less dense one is gonna be affected more negatively.

It is almost beyond common sense that a smaller person engaging in physical activities with larger beings is more at risk of injury. If that same person is working at the point of exhaustion they are even more likely. Any arguments to that?

The point is you don't take those chances if you don't have to. Hence why I said those guys are the most important guys to this team's success because they are the thing that can protect the most irreplaceable. ZZ is a known quantity protecting him is very important because if he goes down whatever charts and graphs and theories go out the window. Anyone wanna argue that?????

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

The laws of physics and human anatomy? There is no rocket science here. If you engage in activities that involve bumping, cutting and running you are at a high risk of injury. If you engage in those activities at the point of exhaustion you are at a higher chance of injury. Because of the laws of mass when 2 bodies collide the smaller less dense one is gonna be affected more negatively.

It is almost beyond common sense that a smaller person engaging in physical activities with larger beings is more at risk of injury. If that same person is working at the point of exhaustion they are even more likely. Any arguments to that?

The point is you don't take those chances if you don't have to. Hence why I said those guys are the most important guys to this team's success because they are the thing that can protect the most irreplaceable. ZZ is a known quantity protecting him is very important because if he goes down whatever charts and graphs and theories go out the window. Anyone wanna argue that?????

Your argument hasn’t improved any since you started, and it may have gotten weaker as you’ve tried to apply lazy physics and incorrect data. Taller players are actually injured more often and miss more time than shorter players. Feel free to apply your search engine for verification of that oft cited fact. Again, he’s going to play 34+ minutes, he won’t sit often, and Bishop isn’t the key to our success. There’s a Kenny Rogers song playing now in the background with some good advice.

 

[pimo1]

Your argument hasn’t improved any since you started, and it may have gotten weaker as you’ve tried to apply lazy physics and incorrect data. Taller players are actually injured more often and miss more time than shorter players. Feel free to apply your search engine for verification of that oft cited fact. Again, he’s going to play 34+ minutes, he won’t sit often, and Bishop isn’t the key to our success. There’s a Kenny Rogers song playing now in the background with some good advice.

I never said taller. I said larger. I even threw in the word mass as an extra clue.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

I never said taller. I said larger. I even threw in the word mass as an extra clue.

You can throw in anything you want. You’ve been splashing around in the shallow end for hours. You’re just wrong.

 

[THEONLYTENISEE]

For those looking for basketball tickets. Due to road conditions in Western NC it appears I’ll have several games available to start the season. Upper deck but very reasonable price.

 

[MinisterofDef#92]

The laws of physics and human anatomy? There is no rocket science here. If you engage in activities that involve bumping, cutting and running you are at a high risk of injury. If you engage in those activities at the point of exhaustion you are at a higher chance of injury. Because of the laws of mass when 2 bodies collide the smaller less dense one is gonna be affected more negatively.

It is almost beyond common sense that a smaller person engaging in physical activities with larger beings is more at risk of injury. If that same person is working at the point of exhaustion they are even more likely. Any arguments to that?

The point is you don't take those chances if you don't have to. Hence why I said those guys are the most important guys to this team's success because they are the thing that can protect the most irreplaceable. ZZ is a known quantity protecting him is very important because if he goes down whatever charts and graphs and theories go out the window. Anyone wanna argue that?????

Holy pseudo science and flawed logic Batman!

Based on this take, we shouldn't play anyone for longer than 3 minutes at a time and only up to 20 min total per game. Oh, and we should also consider wrapping all of our players in bubble wrap to lessen all the forces due to the masses and acceleration going on. LMAO

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I never said taller. I said larger. I even threw in the word mass as an extra clue.

So now you call in’ ZZ fat?

 

[chuckiepoo]

So now you call in’ ZZ fat?

Fizicks. Damn near as hard as maffs…

 

[therickbol]

I never said taller. I said larger. I even threw in the word mass as an extra clue.

You are suggesting that ZZ is small in terms of mass/frame? Lol, seriously? Dude is built like a brick.

 

[pimo1]

You are suggesting that ZZ is small in terms of mass/frame? Lol, seriously? Dude is built like a brick.

that is literally not how mass works. 6'2 170 vs 5'9 170, 5'9 wins because mass is the same but density is higher. 5'9 170 vs whatever 200+ 170 comes out worse for wear.

 

[chuckiepoo]

that is literally not how mass works. 6'2 170 vs 5'9 170, 5'9 wins because mass is the same but density is higher. 5'9 170 vs whatever 200+ 170 comes out worse for wear.

Here. A special gift for Breast Cancer Awareness month:

 

[therickbol]

that is literally not how mass works. 6'2 170 vs 5'9 170, 5'9 wins because mass is the same but density is higher. 5'9 170 vs whatever 200+ 170 comes out worse for wear.

Yep I think that officially means this discussion is a complete waste of time.

 

[pimo1]

Yep I think that officially means this discussion is a complete waste of time.

because of your density?

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

because of your density?

I feel like you owe the forum, basketball fans, physicists, physicians, and Newton an apology.

 

[pimo1]

I feel like you owe the forum, basketball fans, physicists, physicians, and Newton an apology.

Based on? I love how zero facts are used you just all randomly say nuh-uh..just to help you all out

Mass – Measurement of the amount of matter in an object or substance. Density – How much space an object or substance takes up (its volume) in relation to the amount of matter in that object or substance (its mass). The amount of mass per unit of volume. lot of space, it has low density.

Now applying that please point out the holes in my logic and your drop your thesis?... I'll wait.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Based on? I love how zero facts are used you just all randomly say nuh-uh..just to help you all out

Mass – Measurement of the amount of matter in an object or substance. Density – How much space an object or substance takes up (its volume) in relation to the amount of matter in that object or substance (its mass). The amount of mass per unit of volume. lot of space, it has low density.

Now applying that please point out the holes in my logic and your drop your thesis?... I'll wait.

Look bozo, your lightweight faux intellectualism is wasting everyone’s day. No one is refuting your elementary school definition of mass and density. We all question the absurdity of the argument that either of those variables apply to ZZ in relation to his injury risk. Where’s your data showing the relationship between a very well built, well constructed, well conditioned player of his weight and height has a higher likelihood of injury? It doesn’t exist. You whining about “common sense” application of certain core principles of physics just ignores others. Should we contemplate his center of gravity? It’s very low? His compact musculature? His exceptional conditioning? His agility and ability to avoid contact? According to you he exist on the same logical axis as a cannonball being fired at a brick wall. Applying a single nonsense variable doesn’t make you a scientist. It makes you an idiot. You’re the guy who can’t comprehend that a 1978 pickup isn’t safer than a small modern sedan. “The truck is bigger”. Shut up. You’re tiring. You’re wrong. The stupidity of your rambling clown show is obvious to everyone but you. Please just stop.