Who starts? Hubbs or Josh?

#52
#52
I am of the opinion that Richardson will likely be the starter at the 3 for the beginning of the season, but that could change depending on how good Hubbs actually is. Truth is that we don't know how good he is, we will just have to wait and see, but I tend to err on the side of caution and think he will just be good, not great.

I do think that Josh will log a lot of minutes at the 4 this year in relief of Stokes and Maymon and that could factor into what the starting lineup looks like. Maymon may not be able to put up a ton of minutes depending on health and conditioning in relation to his injury. Stokes is not a guy you want to see play 40 minutes, he needs a break, and sometimes he gets himself into foul trouble. Josh is the best option to come in and relieve those guys, he is strong enough and plays with enough hustle to out rebound and defend guys much bigger than him.

TL:DR = Don't be surprised to see Josh to play a lot of 4 and it not matter who starts as both will get their minutes.
 
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#54
#54
whocaresgobobcats said:
16 ppg is not living up to hype? How many power six conference players average that many points?
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Sadly, he didn't live up to the hype and fan expectations.

Of course, fan expectations were for him to lead the SEC in scoring as a freshman, go #1 overall in the draft, eat Kobe's lunch while scoring 50 in his NBA debut, cure cancer, eliminate the national debt, and create entire meals in capsule form.
 
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#55
#55
cncchris33 said:
Sadly, he didn't live up to the hype and fan expectations.

Of course, fan expectations were for him to lead the SEC in scoring as a freshman, go #1 overall in the draft, eat Kobe's lunch while scoring 50 in his NBA debut, cure cancer, eliminate the national debt, and create entire meals in capsule form.
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And why..... because we as fans deserve it!!! :dry:
 
#56
#56
cncchris33 said:
Sadly, he didn't live up to the hype and fan expectations.

Of course, fan expectations were for him to lead the SEC in scoring as a freshman, go #1 overall in the draft, eat Kobe's lunch while scoring 50 in his NBA debut, cure cancer, eliminate the national debt, and create entire meals in capsule form.
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good stuff btw
 
#57
#57
cncchris33 said:
I wish discoving talent was as simple as who has more stars beside their name. The last 5* PG we had got benched in favor of Jordan Howell come tournament time. That alone blows a hole in the star theory.
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I think Jordan Howell got benched as well. Seems like we were resorting to JP running point by that time.

Ramar had the talent. Just go back to his freshman year and watch him play. Part of me wonders if his sophomore issues on the court had more to do with "off the court" troubles that bled into his performance.
 
#58
#58
No harm in Hubbs coming off the bench. Actually, I think it would be helpful to play McRae and Hubbs as exclusively as possible (meaning at least one is on the floor at all times) so there's always an elite scoring threat on the wing. Martin's offense would lag at times last season, and having Hubbs bring a spark off the bench may be what Martin needs.
 
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#61
#61
BigZiti09 said:
I think Jordan Howell got benched as well. Seems like we were resorting to JP running point by that time.

Ramar had the talent. Just go back to his freshman year and watch him play. Part of me wonders if his sophomore issues on the court had more to do with "off the court" troubles that bled into his performance.
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Exactly, Ramar was an absolute stud his freshman year. Drugs his Soph. year was the reason for his poor play and eventually led to his dismissal. Bringing up Ramar being replaced by Jordan is a clueless example.
 
#62
#62
TOP said:
People are crazy.

Go look at all the championship teams and check out the underclassmen they're starting. Even Butler started underclassmen. Pretty sure Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack were sophomores during the first championship they played in. Even teams like Duke and North Carolina start the most talented players regardless of seniority. Kyrie Irving and Harrison Barnes... but we have people here saying a team that can't even make the tournament the past two seasons shouldn't start 5* talent because we have a more experienced player. More experienced at what??? Being average in a conference that's terrible?
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Haha, calm down, man. Irving and Barnes were literally the top two freshmen in the nation. Just using Duke as an example, Zoubek and Lance Thomas certainly weren't more "talented" than Mason Plumlee on that championship team. Ryan Kelly was a 5* as well and played 6 minutes per game as a freshman. At UNC, Reggie Bullock was a 5* McDonald's All-American and played half as many minutes as Dexter Strickland his first year. Same for P.J. Hairston the next year.

If we don't start Hubbs, I wouldn't even entertain the idea of coming here in the future if I'm a 5* recruit when I know I could probably start at Duke under Coach K. Shouldn't early playing time(starting) be one of the benefits of coming to a mediocre team when you're a top recruit? If we're not even offering that then there is no reason to come here. It would be wiser to go play for Coach K. He's a better coach, has a better team and even he'll start you unless the team is a championship team that's stacked top to bottom. People are overvaluing this team and program at the moment for them to act like we can bring in 5* talent and not start them.
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Hubbs would 100% be coming off the bench after Sulaimon for Duke.

Oh, and don't compare this to Harden coming off the bench because we don't have the second best player in college basketball, another top 15 player and a third max contract player. We're not a championship runner up, we're a first round NIT exit. In our case, talent trumps experience. It does on quality teams too and we're not even a quality team. Where did everyone get this view that we're above Duke and Coach K? UNC and Roy? Kansas and Self?(started Selby). Ohio State and Matta?(started Craft). UCLA and Howland(started Mclemore). And we here at Tennessee, with a coach that's never made the tournament, are talking about benching a 5* recruit because we have an experienced but mediocre player in front of them lol.
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People are comparing this to Harden (or, mainly, Sefolosha) because Richardson fills an essential role--especially on defense--for this team. We have plenty of scorers that can fill it up, but no one else that can play the role he does. That takes nothing away from Hubbs--I think he's absolutely good enough to start, especially on most Tennessee teams--but if I'm Martin, Richardson is a guy I'm not benching under any circumstances.
 
#63
#63
In other words, I agree that class shouldn't matter, but starting Richardson isn't a question of seniority as much as a question of who else can fill his role.
 
#64
#64
cncchris33 said:
He's not a better shooter than McRae. You're a little star struck with him if you believe that.
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Did i say he was the best shooter on the team? I said 3 pt shooter. McRae's carreer 3 pt %age is nothing that I would call great. Losing your "sharp shooter" McBee last year leaves us screaming for help around the perimeter. Richardson's 21% .... please.
 
#65
#65
johnnybravo said:
Did i say he was the best shooter on the team? I said 3 pt shooter. McRae's carreer 3 pt %age is nothing that I would call great. Losing your "sharp shooter" McBee last year leaves us screaming for help around the perimeter. Richardson's 21% .... please.
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See "areas of improvement."
Scout.com: Robert Hubbs Profile

McRae is a much better shooter than Hubbs. If he starts, it'll likely be because we can't get to the rim.
 
#66
#66
johnnybravo said:
Did i say he was the best shooter on the team? I said 3 pt shooter. McRae's carreer 3 pt %age is nothing that I would call great. Losing your "sharp shooter" McBee last year leaves us screaming for help around the perimeter. Richardson's 21% .... please.
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LOL. Not something you hear every day.
 
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#67
#67
BigZiti09 said:
I think Jordan Howell got benched as well. Seems like we were resorting to JP running point by that time.

Ramar had the talent. Just go back to his freshman year and watch him play. Part of me wonders if his sophomore issues on the court had more to do with "off the court" troubles that bled into his performance.
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JP, another 5* who played like a 3*. I'm not saying Ramar wasn't talented. But was he 5* good? No, and neither was JP. Neither could shoot a lick and their ranking was based solely on athleticism and potential. They just didn't pan out because of developmental issues, off-court problems, injuries, illness, etc.

Point being, five stars next to your name doesn't guarantee success, nor does it entitle you to a starting spot. That will be earned and if he comes in and outplays Josh, he'll earn it.
 
#70
#70
johnnybravo said:
Did i say he was the best shooter on the team? I said 3 pt shooter. McRae's carreer 3 pt %age is nothing that I would call great. Losing your "sharp shooter" McBee last year leaves us screaming for help around the perimeter. Richardson's 21% .... please.
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I do like the "sharp shooter" reference though. lol good stuff.

In Richardson's 21% defense, at least he knows his role, for the most part. He went from takin 38 3's his first yr playing only 16 min. per game to only taking 42 his second, averaging 30 min. per game. Even if you cant really shoot the 3, you still have to attempt some just to keep the defense honest out there.

I am more impresses by the 47% FG% than the 21% 3pt%. But I wear sunglasses.
 
#71
#71
johnnybravo said:
Did i say he was the best shooter on the team? I said 3 pt shooter. McRae's carreer 3 pt %age is nothing that I would call great. Losing your "sharp shooter" McBee last year leaves us screaming for help around the perimeter. Richardson's 21% .... please.
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If your contention is that Hubbs is a better perimeter shooter than McRae, we'll get nowhere, and it's probably best if you just disagree with me and move on.

And as for McBee vs McRae. McRae shot 36% from 3 compared to Skylar's 33% last year. One percentage point separates their career percentages. You tell me who the "sharpshooter" is?
 
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#72
#72
cncchris33 said:
JP, another 5* who played like a 3*. I'm not saying Ramar wasn't talented. But was he 5* good? No, and neither was JP. Neither could shoot a lick and their ranking was based solely on athleticism and potential. They just didn't pan out because of developmental issues, off-court problems, injuries, illness, etc.

Point being, five stars next to your name doesn't guarantee success, nor does it entitle you to a starting spot. That will be earned and if he comes in and outplays Josh, he'll earn it.
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Ramar was definitely 5* good his freshman year.
 
#73
#73
cncchris33 said:
If your contention is that Hubbs is a better perimeter shooter than McRae, we'll get nowhere, and it's probably best if you just disagree with me and move on.

And as for McBee vs McRae. McRae shot 36% from 3 compared to Skylar's 33% last year. One percentage point separates their career percentages. You tell me who the "sharpshooter" is?
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McRae could also walk and chew gum at the same time, so there's that too.
 
#74
#74
johnnybravo said:
Did i say he was the best shooter on the team? I said 3 pt shooter. McRae's carreer 3 pt %age is nothing that I would call great. Losing your "sharp shooter" McBee last year leaves us screaming for help around the perimeter. Richardson's 21% .... please.
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McBee as our "sharp shooter" may help explain why this team didn't make the tournament. He was good for about one three per game, if he got enough shot attempts. Fact is we had no real "sharp shooter" last season, but touting McBee as one is laughable.:loco:
 
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