Rick Barnes discussion [merged]

[JCP201]

You’ll be much more appreciative of Barnes when he’s gone. I can promise you that. I can promise all the idiot Barnes haters that.

Yeah, we see what this kind of crap did to our football program.

 

[volbound1700]

Not every NBA player is Anthony or Durant. You’ll see both those guys in the league for many years

The cameras will be on them next week. If they don't show up strong, I think the scouts will start to shy away.

 

[SGMVols]

Yeah, we see what this kind of crap did to our football program.

I supported the Fulmer firing at the time, but I can’t look at the last 12 years of UT football and conclude that firing him a year after winning the East was still the right decision. Plus he had Tajh Boyd AND Bryce Petty coming here...

 

[Zues1]

The thing I wonder most about with Coach Barnes and the staff is - if Tennessee can't win the big ones with two NBA lottery picks and some other really talented players on its roster ... well, how often will Tennessee have a better chance than it did this season?

Barnes is the coach, I think he's made Tennessee a credible name, so it's not anything about making a change. I'm not about that. I just wonder what it will take roster-wise to break through - or if Tenneseee ever will.

A true PG and a dominant big would be a good start.

 

[Vol49er]

That is the problem. I watch them out there and they are good but I don't see future NBA players. They don't take over the game like some of the superstars that I have seen in the past. I will say that Keon Johnson impressed me today but the others just don't look like NBA talent. When I think of NBA talent, I think of players like Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Durant who took over games in college to help get their teams to FF and win at the highest level. We don't have that.

I mean nobody is claiming they’ll be Melo or Kd

And I’m hesitant to say this cause I know it’ll add to the Barnes fire, but Durant didn’t sniff the final four

 

[1985Vols]

I mean nobody is claiming they’ll be Melo or Kd

And I’m hesitant to say this cause I know it’ll add to the Barnes fire, but Durant didn’t sniff the final four

 

[Vol49er]

Haha see? Don’t worry I’ll do it for you

“Ridiculous, he couldn’t even make a FF with Durant. One tourney championship in 40 years. And we’re paying him 5 million!”

 

[VolArmy74]

It's a post season sport and today was a strike. No way around that. We won't often have two lottery picks and a defensive force like Pons on the same team. Sucks that no matter who the coach is our best teams universally disappoint in the SEC T.

As for Barnes, his ceiling is likely below elite level at this point in his career. I don't think he's currently a top 4 SEC coach. But high level recruiting leads to high level expectations and it would be nice to live up to them.

Just hope we maintain and build on the recruiting of talent in the state and south in general the rest of Barnes' time here. Eventually Barnes will decide to either retire or move on. With luck the job is finally attractive to a high level mid major guy at that point due to stability, and a good roster in place.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

I supported the Fulmer firing at the time, but I can’t look at the last 12 years of UT football and conclude that firing him a year after winning the East was still the right decision. Plus he had Tajh Boyd AND Bryce Petty coming here...

Fulmer deserved at least 1 more season to turn it around. If in 2009 we struggled to make a bowl, ok maybe then you decide it's time. I think he probably would have lasted 2-3 more seasons but I don't think he would have gotten back to winning the SEC and that would have eventually gotten him pushed out. Especially when the mindset then was that we should be competing for a national title every few years at least.

 

[VolArmy74]

I mean nobody is claiming they’ll be Melo or Kd

And I’m hesitant to say this cause I know it’ll add to the Barnes fire, but Durant didn’t sniff the final four

That was Barnes' worst coaching job in his career. That team had Durant and 3 other guys who went to the NBA, plus AJ Abrams who averaged 16 a game that year. The Big 12 was rated 5th in conference power rankings that year so not overly strong. They lost 10 games and didn't win either Big 12 championship then got smoked by 20 by an average USC team in the second round.

 

[zjcvols]

If it doesn’t happen with Barnes, it’ll never happen for UT

Honestly, this is a dumb take. It never happened for Texas Tech under Bobby Knight but it did for Chris Beard.

 

[SGMVols]

Honestly, this is a dumb take. It never happened for Texas Tech under Bobby Knight but it did for Chris Beard.

What’s dumb was your take that Primo being out for Bama was an even trade-off for Fulky being out. They aren’t remotely equivalent.

 

[zjcvols]

What’s dumb was your take that Primo being out for Bama was an even trade-off for Fulky being out. They aren’t remotely equivalent.

I didn’t say that at all. I was just saying both teams were missing a key player today.

But I’ve forgotten you have gone to complete coach worship with Barnes and are blinded with rage when he is criticized so I probably shouldn’t have even responded to you.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

I didn’t say that at all. I was just saying both teams were missing a key player today.

But I’ve forgotten you have gone to complete coach worship with Barnes and are blinded with rage when he is criticized so I probably shouldn’t have even responded to you.

I just think the whole idea of Barnes being easily “replaceable” is blown out of proportion.

What expectations are you guys wanting? Final Fours? Elite 8s?

How many better coaches out there are realistically going to come here?

 

[zjcvols]

I just think the whole idea of Barnes being easily “replaceable” is blown out of proportion.

What expectations are you guys wanting? Final Fours? Elite 8s?

How many better coaches out there are realistically going to come here?

Well Josh, as we have had this discussion I’d say around 10 times now, I don’t want Barnes fired. He’s doing fine here. I am frustrated that Barnes and his teams are showing a yearly propensity to fade in March and I believe that some of the fan base is beginning to show that as well after he got a significant pay increase.

 

[Volhoops]

That

A true PG and a dominant big would be a good start.

That's all on Barnes and his refusal to recruit over the years here. He wants the money but not the work.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

I just think the whole idea of Barnes being easily “replaceable” is blown out of proportion.

What expectations are you guys wanting? Final Fours? Elite 8s?

How many better coaches out there are realistically going to come here?

Danny White Hired Nate Oats when he was AD at Buffalo. CRB is safe but I Almost guarantee you White Will have Oats as the primary target when UT is looking for their next coach after Rick.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

Danny White Hired Nate Oats when he was AD at Buffalo. CRB is safe but I Almost guarantee you White Will have Oats as the primary target when UT is looking for their next coach after Rick.

Oats won’t leave Bama unless it’s for a blue blood school.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

Oats won’t leave Bama unless it’s for a blue blood school.

We pay Rick Barnes five million a year. Oats makes a little over three million with Bama. He already has a good relationship with our AD. It makes a lot of sense. If he tells you no then oh well.

 

[SGMVols]

We pay Rick Barnes five million a year. Oats makes a little over three million with Bama. He already has a good relationship with our AD. It makes a lot of sense. If he tells you no then oh well.

Just because Oats used to work for White doesn’t mean he’ll automatically jump at another opportunity to do so. He’s beloved in Bama. He isn’t going to pariah himself by leaving for a rival.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

Just because Oats used to work for White doesn’t mean he’ll automatically jump at another opportunity to do so. He’s beloved in Bama. He isn’t going to pariah himself by leaving for a rival.

If he did it would be sweet though.

 

[VolGee4]

That was Barnes' worst coaching job in his career. That team had Durant and 3 other guys who went to the NBA, plus AJ Abrams who averaged 16 a game that year. The Big 12 was rated 5th in conference power rankings that year so not overly strong. They lost 10 games and didn't win either Big 12 championship then got smoked by 20 by an average USC team in the second round.

Oh really? Their top 7 players were freshmen and sophomores with 5 being freshmen. Durant was the only one and done. They lost to Kansas in OT in the Big 12 Championship game. Kansas had 4 NBA players. They lost 5 games by 4 or less.

Barnes went 31-7 the next year. But, Barnes sucks.

 

[rockytophigh]

I don't really have an opinion on Barnes other than...for the love of all that is good....coach your players to stop picking up their dribble and leaving their feet with no idea where you're going with the ball. You know, junior pro stuff.....

 

[EZE]

Oh really? Their top 7 players were freshmen and sophomores with 5 being freshmen. Durant was the only one and done. They lost to Kansas in OT in the Big 12 Championship game. Kansas had 4 NBA players. They lost 5 games by 4 or less.

Barnes went 31-7 the next year. But, Barnes sucks.

Those pesky, pesky facts.

 

[VolArmy74]

Oh really? Their top 7 players were freshmen and sophomores with 5 being freshmen. Durant was the only one and done. They lost to Kansas in OT in the Big 12 Championship game. Kansas had 4 NBA players. They lost 5 games by 4 or less.

Barnes went 31-7 the next year. But, Barnes sucks.

Yes really. Durant was a generational player. Boeheim took Syracuse to the national championship with Anthony who wasn't as good as Durant. That Texas team lost in the 2nd round with a damn stacked team with 4 Parade All-Americans, another guy who averaged 16 a game. That Syracuse team started 3 freshmen and a sophomore and went 30-5. A second round loss with Durant is a choke job for the ages. The only remotely comparable one and done players to him are Anthony and Anthony Davis and Durant was better than both. Both won national titles.

That said, I didn't say Barnes sucked, I said it was the worst coaching job in his career. Hell, we rip Calipari for only making the final four with that kind of talent.