[SportsFan80]

Who in their right mind would call Perry a great player. He waits till tourney time to start playing and u call him great. . Super De, you're right when u say Tubby cant run out there and make the players hit the shots, he shouldnt have to, but he should at least learn how to recruit so he wont have to do things like that. We know UK has only won 3 championships since 67, but also no other team has been dominate either, its not like we expect them to win it every damn year, thats impossible. Its hard enough to win back to back championships as it is. The last team to do that was Duke, and I honestly believe it will stay that way and no other team will win back to back titles. We just want UK to be the historic team it was before, winning the SEC on an annual basis and making a deep run in the NCAA tournament, thats all we want, is that too much to ask. I think not. But it wont happen as long as Tubby is at UK.

[FBALL]

Why is it when someone doesn't agree with you that you
immediately say they don't know what they are talking
about? True enough, Yankee fans and Kentucky
fans expect excellence, as do North Carolina fans,
where Matt Dougherty was shown the door to bring
in Roy Williams. Of course, North Carolina fans
are spoiled too...and when powers that be sensed
Dougherty was letting the program slip, they did
not wait. Now look at North Carolina's talent
pool. Yes, yes...ignore reality, stick your head
in the sand...stick in your thumb and pull out a
plumb and say, "What a good boy am I."

Actually I was agreeing with "Braves_fan_10" in the previous post. I never disagreed with anybody specifically. Just made a generalization that I feel is completely accurate.

Dougherty never was given a chance. The spoiled Tar Heel following never accepted him either. By the way. Wasn't it Dougherty's players that won the championship. Good ole Roy just took over a bunch that anybody could have won with. At least that is the argument you would get from UK fans. It all sounds pretty irrational to me.

[Armchair QB]

Since all these Tubby haters are out here. Since duke lost double digit games this season, if Duke lost double digit games next year wouldnt you all say to fire Coach k? Since its the same way with Tubby, Tubby has had 2 bad years and yet you people think he's the worst coach you've seen.

When Tubby can match resumes with Coach K then maybe this thread would be valid. Until then Tubby's got some work to do.

[thecavemaster]

I just don't see a lot of UK players improving much over their careers anymore. Crawford & Bradley have regressed from their freshmen years. Stevenson has raw talent but he still looked lost at the end of the season & didn't play much. Who has any idea if Carter will ever pan out, we've seen so little of him. Las year Sims looked impressive in some games before SEC play, got in the doghouse, & was never seen again. The days of watching guys like Fitch & Daniels improve to become really good college players seem to be over at UK.

"Stevenson has raw talent..." Four of Tennessee's
top eight are freshmen. They are not "raw." They
are in the Sweet 16...when recruited, they were ready
to go for top notch competition. At elite programs,
this is the case across the country. Top level
recruits improve to become All Americans, All Conference
performers, not successful role players. If a
Fortune 500 company has a lot invested in a CEO, but
the Board of Directors notices a pattern of decline,
and hears from a lot of shareholders, they speak with
the CEO. Then, if things don't improve, they take
action. Tubby Smith was given the voluntary opportunity
last year to make changes. He hired a strength and
conditioning coach. That was it. It's time for
a change. Period.

[rallo316]

not the same Duke is not the winniest program in the country.

[thecavemaster]

Actually I was agreeing with "Braves_fan_10" in the previous post. I never disagreed with anybody specifically. Just made a generalization that I feel is completely accurate.

Dougherty never was given a chance. The spoiled Tar Heel following never accepted him either. By the way. Wasn't it Dougherty's players that won the championship. Good ole Roy just took over a bunch that anybody could have won with. At least that is the argument you would get from UK fans. It all sounds pretty irrational to me.

Roy Williams, as long as he is at North Carolina,
will put a team on the floor with tremendous
athleticism; they will NOT win a championship
every year; they will NOT be in the final four
every year; they will NOT win the ACC every
year. BUT, they will be in the hunt for all
of those things nine out of ten years. I think
that the term "Tubby hater" is unfair for a lot
of loyal UK fans who like Tubby as a man...but
who think the UK program has sort of tidal waved
his overall competence to CEO an elite program.
That's not being a "Tubby hater." It is looking
at the evidence, the direction, the recruiting pool,
the stiffening competition and concluding that UK
needs new leadership.

[FBALL]

Roy Williams, as long as he is at North Carolina,
will put a team on the floor with tremendous
athleticism; they will NOT win a championship
every year; they will NOT be in the final four
every year; they will NOT win the ACC every
year. BUT, they will be in the hunt for all
of those things nine out of ten years. I think
that the term "Tubby hater" is unfair for a lot
of loyal UK fans who like Tubby as a man...but
who think the UK program has sort of tidal waved
his overall competence to CEO an elite program.
That's not being a "Tubby hater." It is looking
at the evidence, the direction, the recruiting pool,
the stiffening competition and concluding that UK
needs new leadership.

Roy Williams record in big games and NCAA tournaments is not that good. Outside of one season his teams have underachieved. Tubby Smith has had two sub par years by UK standards. But in his career Tubby's teams have been much better at competing for Championships than Roy's. One good recruiting class can change things in a hurry. And for the record I never used the term "Tubby hater".

[Phoenix]

[quote=jammin' jamey]I not disagreeing with you over weak recruiting classes but what makes Stevenson or Harris any better than anyone else Tubby has recruited recently? Would you have played Harris over Crawford/Bradley/Meeks? Would you have played Stevenson over Perry/Thomas in crucial situations?[/quote]

Maybe not Perry, but definately Thomas. He had no business being in a Kentucky uniform, much less in the game, especially in a close one with the game on the line. I'll never understand Tubby's thinking on the playing time Thomas got.

[jammin' jamey]

Maybe not Perry, but definately Thomas. He had no business being in a Kentucky uniform, much less in the game, especially in a close one with the game on the line. I'll never understand Tubby's thinking on the playing time Thomas got.

Thomas did a lot of little things that don't show up in the scoreboard like using his toughness to be aggressive inside. I would agree with you though and add that Thomas was one of those middle-of-the-road projects that didn't turn out like you had hoped. Thomas missed most of his sophomore year because of a life threatening injury, so keep that in mind too. I don't think Thomas ever played to his potential and again was one of those projects that never materialized.

[Super_de]

Thomas did a lot of little things that don't show up in the scoreboard like using his toughness to be aggressive inside. I would agree with you though and add that Thomas was one of those middle-of-the-road projects that didn't turn out like you had hoped. Thomas missed most of his sophomore year because of a life threatening injury, so keep that in mind too. I don't think Thomas ever played to his potential and again was one of those projects that never materialized.

Great post, Thomas did do alot of little things that helped Uk win this year, and of course he did some bad things to, but for the most part everyone makes mistakes. Yes thomas did have a life-threating injury.