Darlinstone???

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

He shot 40% from 3 the last 2 years at Hofstra. I’m guessing they were looking at him like Milicic in being a stretch 4. He hasn’t been good enough on defense or shooting the 3, so he’s not getting many minutes. There was also discussion about his height when he was recruited, but we had scholarships to give.

Milicic has just recently allowed for us to have any real success in the stretch 4.
First half of the conference games he was not hitting that 3 consistently to allow for it.
A difference between him and Dubar is he was afforded the time ( and misses) to develop into the role he has now carved out.
I'm not necessarily disagreeing with that being the case either. I'm fine with Milicic having that starting role and minutes. Just pointing out he's basically just now living up to what we envisioned for him.

 

[VolGee4]

Milicic has just recently allowed for us to have any real success in the stretch 4.
First half of the conference games he was not hitting that 3 consistently to allow for it.
A difference between him and Dubar is he was afforded the time ( and misses) to develop into the role he has now carved out.
I'm not necessarily disagreeing with that being the case either. I'm fine with Milicic having that starting role and minutes. Just pointing out he's basically just now living up to what we envisioned for him.

I’m not going to automatically blame things like this on coaching. I guess we can all speculate. But I’m guessing the coaches would love for him to give enough minutes to rest others. Milicic was a rebounding machine early in the season, and that takes effort. Milicic has also shown the ability to get to the basket. I’m just going to say that the jump from Hofstra to SEC basketball was alot, and Dubar hasn’t been able to adjust as much as they had hoped,

 

[TMvol10]

Dubar seems like he wants to play like he did when he was at Hofstra which was to be aggressive, score and basically do what he wants as the alpha on that team. But here he’s not that. He’s way down the line as far as SEC ability goes on our roster. If he could real it in and just go out there and be solid, he could help. Rebound. Defend decently. Swing the ball on offense, set screens, get put backs and occasionally put up an outside shot, then he could carve out a role. Instead he plays like he’s a one man wrecking crew. JMO

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

I’m not going to automatically blame things like this on coaching. I guess we can all speculate. But I’m guessing the coaches would love for him to give enough minutes to rest others. Milicic was a rebounding machine early in the season, and that takes effort. Milicic has also shown the ability to get to the basket. I’m just going to say that the jump from Hofstra to SEC basketball was alot, and Dubar hasn’t been able to adjust as much as they had hoped,

I agree for the most part. I said it is what it is. I'm not necessarily laying blame on anyone.
The guy made the thread with some curiosity in regards, and I was just giving him my perspective/ some more context.

As far as Igor, my comment was specifically in response to the comment on playing the stretch 4. Without the minutes and opportunities to miss, we don't have the Igor we have now. He had a very bumpy road from 3 for a long while there, and I saw him have problems on D as recent as the last Kentucky game.

For sure one thing that has been consistent with him is rebounding. Getting that done definitely kept him on the floor more. Kinda like Shack and his defense with Gainey.
Barnes will often play guys that are excelling in one area in the hopes the weaker areas come along/improve. Dubar has to accept some responsibility for not picking one thing and doing it consistently.

That all said, I still feel like ( no matter the reason) he might have a more meaningful role carved out at this point had he got more playing time. That's really all I was/am saying.

On a side note of this discussion, I still hope he stays ready and doesn't check out mentally come tournament time. I honest to God think there will be one game minimum we are going to have to count on him for something meaningful.
Hopefully when that time comes he rises to the occasion!

 

[VolGee4]

I agree for the most part. I said it is what it is. I'm not necessarily laying blame on anyone.
The guy made the thread with some curiosity in regards, and I was just giving him my perspective/ some more context.

As far as Igor, my comment was specifically in response to the comment on playing the stretch 4. Without the minutes and opportunities to miss, we don't have the Igor we have now. He had a very bumpy road from 3 for a long while there, and I saw him have problems on D as recent as the last Kentucky game.

For sure one thing that has been consistent with him is rebounding. Getting that done definitely kept him on the floor more. Kinda like Shack and his defense with Gainey.
Barnes will often play guys that are excelling in one area in the hopes the weaker areas come along/improve. Dubar has to accept some responsibility for not picking one thing and doing it consistently.

That all said, I still feel like ( no matter the reason) he might have a more meaningful role carved out at this point had he got more playing time. That's really all I was/am saying.

On a side note of this discussion, I still hope he stays ready and doesn't check out mentally come tournament time. I honest to God think there will be one game minimum we are going to have to count on him for something meaningful.
Hopefully when that time comes he rises to the occasion!

Definitely agree on the last paragraph. He needs to stay ready.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

To me, it said we threw NIL$ at someone who wasn’t ready to contribute to start the season which to me equals a swing and a miss. It’s like I’m fighting a war and the blackrock mercenaries I contracted to provide site security for the base don’t show up on the agreed to date. Doesn’t matter why, my contractors building the base don’t have security. Not understanding why this is confusing. These portal guys are mercenaries hired to play basketball. Show up and earn your money - no excuses.
JMO, TIFWIW

Dubar sort of bailed us out in Austin

Especially coming off a 30 pt drubbing in Gainesville. Beating Texas in Austin isn't normally a chest thumper. That week it was HUGE

 

[i2amavol]

I'm glad to see some more positive comments, because I was beginning to think that my thinking was way off. I enjoy watching him play, and agree that he could be vital to our chances in the big tourney. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he will be a star or anything. Just saying that his skills could come in handy in a pinch.

 

[jw0595]

1) Why come to UT if you don't want to play D. Barnes has said countless times that if you don't play D, you don't play. Do you think that decisions are being made by players based on NIL (& I don't mean Dubar, just in general).
2) I think that the statements are true about Milicic. He did get some PT when he wasn't playing well & that probably came at the expense of Dubar, but we don't know what goes on in practice. TBH, at this point, I'd like to see more plays ran for Milicic, both on the floor & shooting. That (IMHO) would just open things up for Lanier & Ziegler to exploit more.
3) This is OT, but how great has Gainey been in the 6th man role? He is a dependable ball handler & scorer & someone that I like to see with the ball in the last 4 minutes.

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

Dubar seems like he wants to play like he did when he was at Hofstra which was to be aggressive, score and basically do what he wants as the alpha on that team. But here he’s not that. He’s way down the line as far as SEC ability goes on our roster. If he could real it in and just go out there and be solid, he could help. Rebound. Defend decently. Swing the ball on offense, set screens, get put backs and occasionally put up an outside shot, then he could carve out a role. Instead he plays like he’s a one man wrecking crew. JMO

Like I said, I watch him rather closely and I've seen him do all those things, recently. He makes effort to set screens, I've seen him do that quite a bit lately. I've seen him get some put backs, and multiple times I've seen him make a serious effort to get the ball in the paint ( did both in last game back to back, except he missed the one shot where he drove in the paint) but he has missed some of those so I'd say his biggest problem on offense is final execution (aka consistently having the ball go in the hoop when it leaves his hands).

I agree on the occasional 3. He can hit that shot it just needs to be at the right time, and needs to be less than what he probably wants to attempt.

On defense, I think it's real hard for anyone to argue he hasn't been playing decently there.
I could make the case for this with examples probably more than I could anything else about him.

 

[livefaith]

The season isn’t over. Dubar and Boswell could still fill important roles down the homestretch. They need to understand what the roles are and be ready to step up when their numbers are called.

This all day and x2 on Sunday. We NEED development from DD. His ability can save us in a game down the NCAAT stretch. Same for BB. Keep raising em up staff. We need to get better and develop more depth for a run.

 

[jw0595]

To me, it said we threw NIL$ at someone who wasn’t ready to contribute to start the season which to me equals a swing and a miss. It’s like I’m fighting a war and the blackrock mercenaries I contracted to provide site security for the base don’t show up on the agreed to date. Doesn’t matter why, my contractors building the base don’t have security. Not understanding why this is confusing. These portal guys are mercenaries hired to play basketball. Show up and earn your money - no excuses.
JMO, TIFWIW

I don't disagree, but the biggest issue in your statement is that Blackrock gets most of their money AT THE END of the contract. When you give a 20 yo kid, who's never had much (or any) money to his name a whole bunch of it, he may make some bad decisions. I would have been thrilled to have the opportunity to make those bad decisions. I don't know if this is still true, but when I was growing up, a lot of our athletic activities were because we didn't have any money to do anything else.

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

This all day and x2 on Sunday. We NEED development from DD. His ability can save us in a game down the NCAAT stretch. Same for BB. Keep raising em up staff. We need to get better and develop more depth for a run.

For sure agree. You know how they call games in the NCAAT. It usually doesn't favor a very physical team like us. If we make a serious run we will have a game where we get into foul trouble. That's the main reason I wished we still had Carr, but that wussy bailed on us so we got to go with what we have.
I feel like Dubar can and will step up. For sure won't be as productive as he might have been if he'd been playing more minutes, but that is what it is, too.

Boswell is my biggest concern. Not only has he not been played many minutes, in those minutes I haven't even really seen any flashes of anything that would make me positive.
I for sure not trying to be too critical of the guy or anything. He hasn’t had much time, but come tourney time he will probably have to do something more at some point other than just give a guy a blow.
Just don't feel real good with him scoring, passing, or even playing D.
He's going to be forced to grow up ( play wise) real quick come March because he definitely is going to have a moment where it is needed.

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

I'm glad to see some more positive comments, because I was beginning to think that my thinking was way off. I enjoy watching him play, and agree that he could be vital to our chances in the big tourney. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he will be a star or anything. Just saying that his skills could come in handy in a pinch.

You could end up getting varrying opinions on this, but I think many have come around just a bit since that 2nd Kentucky game and that Flordia game. I mean, in so far as if we are forced to play him, it's not like we have no chance of him actually having a good game.

 

[hound dog hillbil]

He needs more time with game experience at this level,my opinion

 

[walkenvol]

So you think his personal reasons for being absent are that he just wasn't ready? If that was actually the case I doubt they would even offer him.

I apologize for communicating so poorly as I wasn’t trying to communicate a reason why he wasn’t participating, only that he was paid to do a job and for whatever reason (the reason isn’t my business nor concern) he wasn’t participating in preseason practices (not doing the job for which he was paid). To me, the portal and NIL have changed this from a kid chasing his dream to play big time SEC basketball into a business transaction. Who hasn’t worked at a company that brought in a new hire who ended up not working out? Dubar didn’t work out - it happens.

 

[therickbol]

His D has been good. He was a big reason Haugh went 1-6 and only had 6 points in that second Flordia game. Thomas Haugh is one of the better 4's in the league.
I've also seen Dubar guard other positions really well. Some nice steals and few good blocks.
He's had some good passes on offense, too.

Incorrect. He is completely lost a majority of every possession on defense. We run a very detailed and specific style of defense. He doesn't maintain focus as an off-ball defender. And there is no way you can fit into this defensive system if you are not completely locked in off the ball.

And then he makes a classic mistake when he gets opportunities. Instead of focusing all his energy on correcting his defensive liability, he gets into the game and thinks "I will earn more minutes by proving how much I can help us score the basketball!" So he doesn't correct his defense AND he forces everything on offense.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

Milicic has just recently allowed for us to have any real success in the stretch 4.
First half of the conference games he was not hitting that 3 consistently to allow for it.
A difference between him and Dubar is he was afforded the time ( and misses) to develop into the role he has now carved out.
I'm not necessarily disagreeing with that being the case either. I'm fine with Milicic having that starting role and minutes. Just pointing out he's basically just now living up to what we envisioned for him.

I think milicic being our best rebounder probably has a lot to do with his getting the bulk of the minutes. If dubar was 6” taller he’d probably have a similar impact given his hustle when he’s in there, but he’s a lot smaller.

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

I think milicic being our best rebounder probably has a lot to do with his getting the bulk of the minutes. If dubar was 6” taller he’d probably have a similar impact given his hustle when he’s in there, but he’s a lot smaller.

If Dubar was 6 inches taller he'd be close to 7' 2 (over 7 foot and taller than Felix for sure)
The guy is listed 6'8.
Igor is listed 6'10. Seems to have a great nose for the ball, tho. Both of them probably an inch or so less than what they are listed at.
Be curious to know their wingspan.
I agree Igor’s knack for getting boards is what earned him his minutes. Early in the season for sure.

 

[Dougie_D]

Who does he usually sub in for on the rotation? It’s quite possible that he’s suppose to play the 2-4 whenever and he gets confused on his role during those sets

 

[The Dog]

D-Stone will come up big, in another game to save the Vols, like he did at Texas, this year. I guarantee it. Maybe not what we hoped for, but still a potential weapon on any given night, imo. Just needs some minutes in the right situation, not every night, but there are plenty of times, he can give a scoring lift, some rebounds and blocks.

 

[tev.sm]

This all day and x2 on Sunday. We NEED development from DD. His ability can save us in a game down the NCAAT stretch. Same for BB. Keep raising em up staff. We need to get better and develop more depth for a run.

Not sure how much more development can happen in the next month that hasn’t happened in the last 3 months + offseason. He is what he is at this point. I’ll take his defense and rebounding ability in his limited minutes and call that a win. Anything extra is a bonus.

 

[CINCYVOL]

His defense is why he’s not getting minutes, he gets lost and blown by more than anyone else

And often looks lost, especially on D

 

[knox73]

It is nice to have an experienced veteran on the bench capable of winning a game. The fierceness of the SEC this season has limited comfortable games to give guys playing time. Dubar may earn his NIL yet at a critical game. I enjoy watching him and would not be surprised if he suddenly came alive and earned more playing time. He seems to be improving defensively.

 

[pimo1]

Haven't been on here in a while. Clearly UT has some depth issues. One that I can't figure out is Dubar. How can a player go from the best player on a team to damned near insignificant? I realize the SEC is much tougher, but the goals are the same height. He just looks like he could bring so much more to the table. Is this a defense thing? There are some really astute BB fans on this forum, so I am hoping for some thoughts. IMO, for the Vols to have a deep run, he has to be the player they recruited. Come in, make good shot selections & drain them.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

Wait what? he played at Iowa State University..... Outside of what has went down at UT. Thinking he would just automatically go from bestp layer at Iowa State to decent player at UT is like saying Woody Harrelson should win a dunk contest because he was in that movie. Barnes runs a system. Buy in/time is a huge part of it. Especially for guards.

Let's be real. In the last 20 or so years, UT has started recruiting at a higher level more consistently for men's basketball. Even given that.. its mostly a buncha edge 3/4 stars and the random 5 star. Most one-and-done at UT have not been one-and-done. And that's before Barnes. We are recruiting midpack developmental guys and coaching them up. That is literally Barnes MO. Barnes has had 15 5 stars since 2002. 5 were one and done. 5 2 year guys. Of those he had as many 5 stars period that made names in the NBA as he had players at UT....KD, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tristan Thomas. Of those other 12 he had Avery Bradley, Myles Turner and a bunch of busts you won't remember. He has put more effective 3-4 year guys in the NBA than one and dones by far.

The point I'm making? The transfer portal is not the place for Barnes. he is a developer. He can top off a team in the portal (last year) but building one in it not a thing (this year). His system is about buy-in, loyalty, and brotherhood. Santi and ZZ are the outliers. Most of Barnes best players, especially at UT had 2 year warm-up periods. His first year Kyle and Admiral were bench players. Then came Grant. after that Fulky and Pons spent their time on the bench. Skip a couple years ahead and Santi/JJJ hit roster with ORN and Uros. Then we got our first 1 and downs in Keon and Jaden, Then KC and ZZ. JP was one year and the rest were portal. I personally think the portal got Barnes off schedule. He needs to bring on guys from HS.. he develops them. most of the guys that transferred out from UT in 1-2 years went on to do fairly well. Imagine if guys like ORN, Drew Pember, Aidoo, BHH, Awaka, BJ Edwards, Dillone and Carr had stayed... how do they turn out?

 

[knoxvol52]

Wait what? he played at Iowa State University..... Outside of what has went down at UT. Thinking he would just automatically go from bestp layer at Iowa State to decent player at UT is like saying Woody Harrelson should win a dunk contest because he was in that movie. Barnes runs a system. Buy in/time is a huge part of it. Especially for guards.

Let's be real. In the last 20 or so years, UT has started recruiting at a higher level more consistently for men's basketball. Even given that.. its mostly a buncha edge 3/4 stars and the random 5 star. Most one-and-done at UT have not been one-and-done. And that's before Barnes. We are recruiting midpack developmental guys and coaching them up. That is literally Barnes MO. Barnes has had 15 5 stars since 2002. 5 were one and done. 5 2 year guys. Of those he had as many 5 stars period that made names in the NBA as he had players at UT....KD, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tristan Thomas. Of those other 12 he had Avery Bradley, Myles Turner and a bunch of busts you won't remember. He has put more effective 3-4 year guys in the NBA than one and dones by far.

The point I'm making? The transfer portal is not the place for Barnes. he is a developer. He can top off a team in the portal (last year) but building one in it not a thing (this year). His system is about buy-in, loyalty, and brotherhood. Santi and ZZ are the outliers. Most of Barnes best players, especially at UT had 2 year warm-up periods. His first year Kyle and Admiral were bench players. Then came Grant. after that Fulky and Pons spent their time on the bench. Skip a couple years ahead and Santi/JJJ hit roster with ORN and Uros. Then we got our first 1 and downs in Keon and Jaden, Then KC and ZZ. JP was one year and the rest were portal. I personally think the portal got Barnes off schedule. He needs to bring on guys from HS.. he develops them. most of the guys that transferred out from UT in 1-2 years went on to do fairly well. Imagine if guys like ORN, Drew Pember, Aidoo, BHH, Awaka, BJ Edwards, Dillone and Carr had stayed... how do they turn out?

Dubar played 1 season at Iowa State played in 16 games and started 7 of them. Averaged 2.3 ppg don't think that's the best player at Iowa State numbers. Transferred to Hofstra probably because he was being recruited over after that big offensive output his Freshmen season.