Rick Barnes discussion (merged)

[The Tall Gguy]

What about him makes you think he might have a health issue? What signs have you observed? He looks damn healthy to me for a guy 10 years younger than him

Nothing. I just was commenting on a previous post. I wanted to make sure everyone knows I am pro Barnes, but also feel that no job is worth sacrificing your health.

 

[JMSqb11]

We’ve never done that, so you are suggesting something that hasn’t been done.

You responded to someone saying UT has never paid a big salary upfront, and that is correct. Barnes was hired at roughly 2.5 million per year until he flirted with UCLA after year 4.

Danny White just hired a LV coach cheaper than the one he fired. He may or not with a new men’s basketball hire, but that it’s the pattern at UT.

Because Barnes got 1.75 million in his Texas buyout......

Math is hard for some here. And please quit using the Lady Vols hire as some bell weather.

We fired Harper and that resulted in needing to do a new hire..... the men's opening will be because Barnes chooses when he wants to leave/retire... Two very different scenarios.

 

[VolGee4]

Because Barnes got 1.75 million in his Texas buyout......

Math is hard for some here. And please quit using the Lady Vols hire as some bell weather.

We fired Harper and that resulted in needing to do a new hire..... the men's opening will be because Barnes chooses when he wants to leave/retire... Two very different scenarios.

I mean, I don’t care if you want to insult me. But a 1.75 million dollar buyout is peanuts and has no bearing on a new contract at a different school, especially for a coach that had made a FF and gone to the NCAAT 16 of 17 years. Your argument has no factual basis to it. UT has never done what you are suggesting.

For some reason, people still have this same mindset after years and years. We hired Buzz Peterson, Bruce Pearl, Cuonzo Martin, Donnie Tyndall, and a fired Rick Barnes that needed to rebound on a great deal. It’s been mid major or a recipient of circumstances. Just like Florida, LSU, Louisville, Alabama, Arizona, Syracuse, Duke, UNC, and even Hurley at UConn. All midmajor coaches or assistants being promoted.

Quit using the LV? Other the football, it is the biggest brand on campus. It’s the program that put WBB on the map. Yet, we hired an up and comer for $750k while a couple of schools are paying their coaches over $3 million.

Facts are the facts.

 

[wmcovol]

Let’s be honest, no established football coach was coming here with the NCAA balls deep into an investigation. The other coaching hires don’t count. It’s FB here. It’s the monster that feeds everything else

 

[JMSqb11]

I mean, I don’t care if you want to insult me. But a 1.75 million dollar buyout is peanuts and has no bearing on a new contract at a different school, especially for a coach that had made a FF and gone to the NCAAT 16 of 17 years. Your argument has no factual basis to it. UT has never done what you are suggesting.

For some reason, people still have this same mindset after years and years. We hired Buzz Peterson, Bruce Pearl, Cuonzo Martin, Donnie Tyndall, and a fired Rick Barnes that needed to rebound on a great deal. It’s been mid major or a recipient of circumstances. Just like Florida, LSU, Louisville, Alabama, Arizona, Syracuse, Duke, UNC, and even Hurley at UConn. All midmajor coaches or assistants being promoted.

Quit using the LV? Other the football, it is the biggest brand on campus. It’s the program that put WBB on the map. Yet, we hired an up and comer for $750k while a couple of schools are paying their coaches over $3 million.

Facts are the facts.

Women's hoops has mostly been irrelevant since Pat passed and Warlick flamed out..... All while Barnes and Men's Program took off and started a good ascent since 2018.

For the life of me, I don't understand why you can't comprehend that going cheap with an opening due to a firing is completely different than an opening due to a retirement.... But math is hard I guess.

 

[VolGee4]

Women's hoops has mostly been irrelevant since Pat passed and Warlick flamed out..... All while Barnes and Men's Program took off and started a good ascent since 2018.

For the life of me, I don't understand why you can't comprehend that going cheap with an opening due to a firing is completely different than an opening due to a retirement.... But math is hard I guess.

For the life of me, I have no idea how math has anything to do with it. Yet you are still suggesting something that UT has never done. Your opinion, nothing else. Not based in facts. Just keep insulting.

 

[JMSqb11]

For the life of me, I have no idea how math has anything to do with it. Yet you are still suggesting something that UT has never done. Your opinion, nothing else. Not based in facts. Just keep insulting.

Tennessee paid Barnes Top 5 money to stay here when he had one foot out the door...... Literally the definition of doing something that has never been done.

Struggle on though!

 

[qwik_kick]

I think Kentucky fans would love to have a coach to have made the sweet 16 and elite 8 last few years. Actually they would love to have made it to the 2nd round of the tourney. I'm happy with Coach Barnes and his style of play.

 

[The Tall Gguy]

I think Kentucky fans would love to have a coach to have made the sweet 16 and elite 8 last few years. Actually they would love to have made it to the 2nd round of the tourney. I'm happy with Coach Barnes and his style of play.

I'm more than happy with Barnes.

Maybe he will get us a true big for next year!

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

Women's hoops has mostly been irrelevant since Pat passed and Warlick flamed out..... All while Barnes and Men's Program took off and started a good ascent since 2018.

For the life of me, I don't understand why you can't comprehend that going cheap with an opening due to a firing is completely different than an opening due to a retirement.... But math is hard I guess.

Cheap COULD be the best available option. Big risk paying big money and getting a past their prime NAME $ Coach.

The committee went this direction and SPECULATION of short and long term has zero value add, so please quit repackaging your thoughts on the subject.

Get back to us after roster is set and we play a few games. Would expect a transitional year due to roster absorption. DW bought in and his record with up and comers is what it is TOO.

 

[VolGee4]

Tennessee paid Barnes Top 5 money to stay here when he had one foot out the door...... Literally the definition of doing something that has never been done.

Struggle on though!

lol…because that doesn’t prove your point. Talk about struggling with an argument.

 

[therickbol]

lol…because that doesn’t prove your point. Talk about struggling with an argument.

There is some merit to that specific point that he made. You are correct that they have never spent big money to go out and hire a big name, established coach. But if the current administration is willing to go all-in and pay big money to keep a coach that they feel is a good fit and is being successful then I don't think it is a stretch to think they are willing to do that to hire a big name, established coach IF they think it is the right fit. They won't do it just to get a "name" or to win the press conference though. At the same time, I think this administration is also very confident in their ability to find value by hiring a coach that is on the ascent and can provide more wins per dollar on the contract.

 

[JMSqb11]

Cheap COULD be the best available option. Big risk paying big money and getting a past their prime NAME $ Coach.

The committee went this direction and SPECULATION of short and long term has zero value add, so please quit repackaging your thoughts on the subject.

Get back to us after roster is set and we play a few games. Would expect a transitional year due to roster absorption. DW bought in and his record with up and comers is what it is TOO.

The committee went the cheap and up and comer route because they have to also pay a buyout to Harper in addition to major names that would cost significant money not being available.

To sit here and say we are going to go after the cheapest name after Barnes, who is making Top 5-7 money in the country, retires first and foremost is moronic..... Could we settle with cheap mid major coach? Sure. But are we going to target them first and foremost? Of course not.

It is a bit stupid to sit here and say that Tennessee is going to go the cheap route because of history when we broke the historical trend in terms of what we pay our men's hoops coach.

No reason to sit here and be a clown and compare the women's opening that was caused by a firing (and subsequently a buyout) to the eventual men's opening caused by a retirement by a coach we won't be paying to NOT coach here any longer.

I swear offseason makes some fans delusional and negaVols.

Good God people.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

The committee went the cheap and up and comer route because they have to also pay a buyout to Harper in addition to major names that would cost significant money not being available.

To sit here and say we are going to go after the cheapest name after Barnes, who is making Top 5-7 money in the country, retires first and foremost is moronic..... Could we settle with cheap mid major coach? Sure. But are we going to target them first and foremost? Of course not.

It is a bit stupid to sit here and say that Tennessee is going to go the cheap route because of history when we broke the historical trend in terms of what we pay our men's hoops coach.

No reason to sit here and be a clown and compare the women's opening that was caused by a firing (and subsequently a buyout) to the eventual men's opening caused by a retirement by a coach we won't be paying to NOT coach here any longer.

I swear offseason makes some fans delusional and negaVols.

Good God people.

I don’t think anyone is being delusional or a clown in this thread. No one is denying that Tennessee has the resources and funds to make a high dollar offer to an established coach. Maybe we can land an established coach. I think the point being made is that in 2024 in the era of college athletics where just about every program in a Power 5 conference is flushed with cash, it’s no longer as easy as waving your checkbook and throwing around Top 5 money to get a Top 5 coach.

There are many factors as to why a coach does or does not take a job. Money used to be the driving factor. Few schools could pay top dollar to get a good coach, so when a big boy came calling they would rarely say no.

Now, you have mid majors programs like Saint Louis paying $2 - $3 million for their coach. Hell, Ole Miss is not a historically strong basketball program, and they are set to pay Beard close to $4 million next year I think after the contracts extension.

Lots of great coaches are choosing to stay put where they are because they can make millions of dollars at a location they like and with the transfer portal basically any school can get players and win now.

It is true that Tennessee has the ability to court a strong coach with a big checkbook, but I think all people are saying is don’t be shocked if we have to go the mid major route and look for a rising star because our top targets say no because they like where they are at. Thats a very, very real possibility.

 

[VolGee4]

The committee went the cheap and up and comer route because they have to also pay a buyout to Harper in addition to major names that would cost significant money not being available.

To sit here and say we are going to go after the cheapest name after Barnes, who is making Top 5-7 money in the country, retires first and foremost is moronic..... Could we settle with cheap mid major coach? Sure. But are we going to target them first and foremost? Of course not.

It is a bit stupid to sit here and say that Tennessee is going to go the cheap route because of history when we broke the historical trend in terms of what we pay our men's hoops coach.

No reason to sit here and be a clown and compare the women's opening that was caused by a firing (and subsequently a buyout) to the eventual men's opening caused by a retirement by a coach we won't be paying to NOT coach here any longer.

I swear offseason makes some fans delusional and negaVols.

Good God people.

You love insults.

And…I never said the “cheap route.” I just said they most likely won’t pay Barnes money with a starting salary based on history. There is some in-between. What’s dumb is people not understanding the economic situation when Barnes got his raise. He was selling out the arena and had gone to the SS. There was no evidence that he was slowing down. When you pay him his raise, he pays for himself by continuing to sell tickets, sell apparel, bring awareness, and raise revenue for the program. It’s a lot different to pay that amount up front when you haven’t seen the new hire succeed at your school yet, even if you can persuade a sitting P5 coach. Life is about timing, and Barnes benefitted from it. It’s not rocket science.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

TN has had 9 single digit loss seasons in the last 25 years. Barnes was the coach for 5 of them.

BTW, the thread title doesn’t fit since it was previously the Barnes Discussion thread.

 

[TnScooby]

Well what would folks think if UT was heading into next season with Mark Pope as HC ?!?

 

[SGMVols]

Well what would folks think if UT was heading into next season with Mark Pope as HC ?!?

I honestly think he’s a good coach. Kentucky fans were just delusional to think that “we’re Kentucky” was going to be enough to convince Dan Hurley to dump a place where he has the world on a string.

 

[livefaith]

This was the best Barnes could ever realistically expect to get out of this team late in the season to win the SEC and make this run.
I'm not sure if the program is capable of winning it all. Even a FF run probably requires a luck of the draw like Bama got.

We had that in 19' vs the Saint and 22' v FAU ... the skids were greased both times and we blew it. Now, I hope CRB stays a s long as he wants, but we can't complain @ not having the road paved for us.

 

[livefaith]

Well what would folks think if UT was heading into next season with Mark Pope as HC ?!?

Brutal man.

 

[livefaith]

Barnes defenders will NEVER blame it on the one constant in all of Barne's losses in the NCAA tournament. The one constant is Barnes. I'm sorry but thru the hundreds of players in his coaching tenure from Durant to now DK you can't believe that Barnes is not the center for his lack of success reaching the final four. I heard a stat that he is 1-12 in the NCAA vs teams seeded higher than him.

He definitely sucks ... he has choked for us waaay more times in the NCAAT than either Wade Houston or Buzz Peterson!

 

[livefaith]

So what happened when Barnes and the Vols beat that “hell of a coach” twice this year?

It was a beautiful sight on both occasions. Unfortunately the tournament has cheapened the season making those games irrelevant in many minds.

 

[livefaith]

I think Rick is analogous to Kellie in that he's reached his ceiling as far as the Big Dance is concerned.
He's not personally responsible for the missed shots, failure to make free throws, low 3-point percentage, excessive fouling, referee malfeasance, et. al. that have plagued his UT teams over the years. But he is the common denominator in all the Vol teams that have failed to make it past the E8 on his watch. Hopefully, he'll begin to read the writing on the wall, unlike Kellie, and decide to retire before the administration makes the decision for him.

Ed, you entertain me. But comparing Rick Barnes and Kellie Harper is like comparing apples to aircraft carriers. No, he's not White's guy, but the AD ain't an idiot.

 

[livefaith]

I guess you never heard of CM Newton or Adolph Rupp or Roy Skinner or Johnny Neumann.

or Wimp Sanderson. Dude, now that gruff ole guy was classic SEC hoops.

 

[livefaith]

For all the Barnes haters that say fire Old man Rick, you should take a look at the Kentucky situation.

It's easy to fire a winning coach, hard to find someone on their level

Kentucky might be in some trouble here

That is a perfect place to look. Unfortunately many can't see such things due to ncaa tourney myopia. Add up a list of all the more accomplished current coaches than CRB. There's a handful and none of them are coming here. So, where does that leave an AD when he needs a replacement?