An Enigma Wrapped In A Riddle

#1
cncchris33

cncchris33

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#1
It's hard to figure where to start describing this Tennessee basketball team. The best metaphor I can come up with to describe this bunch is like starting a 1000-piece puzzle that you're excited to assemble only to find out that the pieces in the box are from three different puzzles and they don't all fit together. Some of the pieces do and areas of the puzzle look really good together, but nothing ever all comes together to form a finished product.

In hindsight, this is maybe the worst constructed roster in Barnes's Tennessee tenure considering the era and available resources.
 
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#3
#3
cncchris33 said:
It's hard to figure where to start describing this Tennessee basketball team. The best metaphor I can come up with to describe this bunch is like starting a 1000-piece puzzle that you're excited to assemble only to find out that the pieces in the box are from three different puzzles and they don't all fit together. Some of the pieces do and areas of the puzzle look really good together, but nothing ever all comes together to form a finished product.

In hindsight, this is maybe the worst constructed roster in Barnes's Tennessee tenure considering the era and available resources.
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This team would look a lot better if not one of the worst FT shooting teams in the country. Not sure it's construction so much as honestly might the most mentally weak team Barnes has ever had. Don't know if he could have predicted they would crumble mentally like this.
 
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#4
#4
Barne’s biggest mistake was going all in on Ament.

I get why he did it because he saw the raw talent and think he could coach him into a Durant type player.

Unfortunately he’s not lived up to expectations and doesn’t seem to have the confidence nor the physicality for this level as of right now.

Barnes is pretty much stuck in a bad situation.
 
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#5
#5
VolFreakJosh said:
Barne’s biggest mistake was going all in on Ament.

I get why he did it because he saw the raw talent and think he could coach him into a Durant type player.

Unfortunately he’s not lived up to expectations and doesn’t seem to have the confidence nor the physicality for this level as of right now.

Barnes is pretty much stuck in a bad situation.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

But I've said this a few times now. Barnes is partly to blame for the criticism on Ament. If Barnes hadn't talked him up as to being the best freshman in the country, I don't think you have as many people being as critical.
 
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#6
#6
I could care less if Barnes talked him up or not. He was labeled a lottery pick and running for HS poy. Must not have been anybody else in his league over 6’4.
 
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#7
#7
VolFreakJosh said:
Barne’s biggest mistake was going all in on Ament.

I get why he did it because he saw the raw talent and think he could coach him into a Durant type player.

Unfortunately he’s not lived up to expectations and doesn’t seem to have the confidence nor the physicality for this level as of right now.

Barnes is pretty much stuck in a bad situation.
Click to expand...
Yep, but Barnes created this situation. Rice and any other player would have been a much wiser investment of the money being given to Ament. You always....ALWAYS go with the veteran/more mature player in the college game.
 
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#8
#8
Chaz-Vol said:
This team would look a lot better if not one of the worst FT shooting teams in the country. Not sure it's construction so much as honestly might the most mentally weak team Barnes has ever had. Don't know if he could have predicted they would crumble mentally like this.
Click to expand...
Having 1 PG (who is your best shooter no less) and then no SGs who can consistently shoot the ball isn't a great recipe, so I'll stand by the roster construction opinion. But I agree on the mentally weak comment, as well.

The pieces just don't fit. Lack of guard play means we have to play through the post so much. Your post players are typically your worst FT shooters, statistically. That is who is shooting our FTs. Gillespie has the 2nd most attempts, but the #1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 guys in FT attempts are post players including Ament. We miss a lot of FTs, no doubt, but we don't have a lot of guards shooting them, either, because we don't have guards shooting the ball. Additionally, we aren't really built to come back from a deficit because we cannot generate the extra points behind the arc. In this era of basketball, you have to have shooters and we don't have them.

There was so much more I could say in my original post, but I wanted to keep it short.
 
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#9
#9
volsarelife1 said:
Agreed.

But I've said this a few times now. Barnes is partly to blame for the criticism on Ament. If Barnes hadn't talked him up as to being the best freshman in the country, I don't think you have as many people being as critical.
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I don’t necessarily disagree.

It’s possible that Ament has done everything Barnes has told him to do in practice but the lights don’t turn on when it’s game time.

Let’s be honest, Ament had offers from Duke, Kentucky, Gonzaga, etc… Obviously opposing coaches liked his potential.

However, it could be a simple case where he’s not a gamer whenever a coach needs him the most.

I think that’s what we’re seeing now with Barnes.
 
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#11
#11
cncchris33 said:
It's hard to figure where to start describing this Tennessee basketball team. The best metaphor I can come up with to describe this bunch is like starting a 1000-piece puzzle that you're excited to assemble only to find out that the pieces in the box are from three different puzzles and they don't all fit together. Some of the pieces do and areas of the puzzle look really good together, but nothing ever all comes together to form a finished product.

In hindsight, this is maybe the worst constructed roster in Barnes's Tennessee tenure considering the era and available resources.
Click to expand...
IT's young. We just had probably the biggest turnover in players in the last 10 years. Cohesiveness is what they don't have. That takes time. Also need to hit the FT's.
 
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#12
#12
VolFreakJosh said:
Barne’s biggest mistake was going all in on Ament.

I get why he did it because he saw the raw talent and think he could coach him into a Durant type player.

Unfortunately he’s not lived up to expectations and doesn’t seem to have the confidence nor the physicality for this level as of right now.

Barnes is pretty much stuck in a bad situation.
Click to expand...
The plan for Ament was always gonna be a one and done. I also believe Barnes was gonna use that as a selling point for future players. There is no more development of players because of the portal and NIL and that works against what Barnes built his career around. He's great at developing players but that's out the window now.

This is not Barnes fault. He may very well get these guys playing together but I think it's gonna be an uphill battle this year.
 
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#13
#13
cncchris33 said:
It's hard to figure where to start describing this Tennessee basketball team. The best metaphor I can come up with to describe this bunch is like starting a 1000-piece puzzle that you're excited to assemble only to find out that the pieces in the box are from three different puzzles and they don't all fit together. Some of the pieces do and areas of the puzzle look really good together, but nothing ever all comes together to form a finished product.

In hindsight, this is maybe the worst constructed roster in Barnes's Tennessee tenure considering the era and available resources.
Click to expand...
The miss at 2G spot in the portal was significant for this group. Gillespie needs a partner in the backcourt which isn’t a snub to Boswell who has improved a lot, but he is a role player. We need a wing perimeter scorer in the worst way.

This game did show us that Evans merits minutes at both wing positions. He was fearless against the Hawgs.
 
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#14
#14
VolFreakJosh said:
Barne’s biggest mistake was going all in on Ament.

I get why he did it because he saw the raw talent and think he could coach him into a Durant type player.

Unfortunately he’s not lived up to expectations and doesn’t seem to have the confidence nor the physicality for this level as of right now.

Barnes is pretty much stuck in a bad situation.
Click to expand...
I’m still under the impression Ament was never a serious part of the puzzle till we whiffed in the portal. Barnes scrambled and met Ament at the NIL he needed to come here over Duke.
 
#15
#15
This team will struggle all year. It seems to have regressed after beating Houston, for whatever reason. Making the tourney will be the ceiling. Its hard to believe we are as soft around the rim as we are. Makes no sense.
 
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#18
#18
cncchris33 said:
It's hard to figure where to start describing this Tennessee basketball team. The best metaphor I can come up with to describe this bunch is like starting a 1000-piece puzzle that you're excited to assemble only to find out that the pieces in the box are from three different puzzles and they don't all fit together. Some of the pieces do and areas of the puzzle look really good together, but nothing ever all comes together to form a finished product.

In hindsight, this is maybe the worst constructed roster in Barnes's Tennessee tenure considering the era and available resources.
Click to expand...
I don’t see how he can continue playing 9 or 10 guys in tight games. The 1000 piece puzzle fits my impression. No consistent lineups with consistent scorers, although scorers are in short supply on this team. No Burg and no Abram unless necessary. Play 8 deep until you can’t. Build chemistry with those guys.
 
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#19
#19
bleedingTNorange said:
If this team doesn’t improve from the FT line it might be what finally does Barnes in, I have a hard time seeing that happening
Click to expand...

Weirdly, assuming Barnes’ lasts another year, I feel much better about next year’s team than this year’s given how good the freshman have looked early on and another year of growth from Estrella/Carey/Boswell.
 
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#21
#21
Someone said it earlier the miss on a 2 guard in the portal for this group was big. This team is missing a 2nd good guard! Since we don't have that then basically Ament has to be great or we're very limited.
 
#25
#25
I don't know which teams will make the Sweet Sixteen this time around, but I know which team WON'T!
 
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