Does the national media understand why KY fans are tired of Tubby?

I will back the gentleman from the Commonwealth on this point. The first 10 minutes of yesterday's game were the worst I have ever seen a Kentucky team play, probation years included. They wouldn't have moved on offense if you had drawn a pistol on them. Good thing too, because Alabama looked none too skippy at the start of the game either. When the Cats finally thought to have a motion offense and press full court, the Tide got in serious trouble.

And if UK is serious about a change, they could do far worse than a run at Mike Anderson.

 

CJ, you've made interesting points, but it's time to back off just a little on the fanboy crap, please.

And your reference in the thread title to "the national media" basically means ESPN. Kentucky's struggles under Tubby have been documented and questioned in a number of places, not with the fanboy venom you display, but in rational, critical columns etc. in places outside of Kentucky.

We get your point. You want Tubby out. Good for you. Write it all you want in the school paper.
It is a topic worth discussing here but the more you rant about we, we, we, the more your stuff reads like it belongs on fanboy messaage boards, not here.

 

Hey, starman, at least they'll learn to play the game the right way. :

 

To answer the original question, no the national media doesn't understand. When he is let go you can expect much wailing and gnashing of teeth from Bill Rhoden & Co. regarding the fact that Tubby was fired simply because he's black and that a white coach would have been given more time.

 

No, you can expect the wailing and gnashing of teeth because it is a high-profile program. Or did I miss all the ink spilled up north when Ole Miss shitcanned Rod Barnes?

 

Yeah, how'd that turn out? Some of you never learn, do you?

 

You could promote your top assistant. After all, he has SEC experience.

 

It's fair to say that Tubby hasn't changed his approach, not just in the game, but it's long-running attitudes and players like Morris that seems to perpetuate the "venom" towards Tubby. Morris was lazy when he got there. Tubby had to light a fire under his ass to get him to play up to his potential. Morris apparently doesn't give two shits about playing well enough be to drafted in June. He's on the verge of being a bust.

I'll second Armchair and Dixiehack with the "race" issue. Fuck race in D-1 college basketball. This isn't D-1 football. If you can't coach yourself out of a papersack and bank on a little luck, expect to be looking for another gig. For every Dan Munson, Steve Lavin, and Quin Snyder, there is Rod Barnes, Melvin Watkins, and Rob Evans who can fuck up in a heartbeat.

Rhoden can't defend or say anything if and when Tubby leaves Lexington. He's been there for a decade. Tubby has dealt with the UK community better than Nolan Richardson at Arkansas. Tubby knows he's under the gun. If he doesn't want to make necessary changes, then he takes the risk of being on the hot seat.

Tubby needs to find someone who is a better scout to put on the staff. It's evident that whoever is on his staff have lost their touch to get kids to stay in-state and play for Big Blue. Loyalty among your coaching staff can either help you or harm you. Roy is a good example. His staff went from coaching in a physical Big 12 to running and pushing the ball up in the ACC like they did to BC last night.

And by the way, fuck that crazy-ass section of UK fans who think that it isn't enough. Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, and Tubby are not Adolph Rupp. They are not going to win 700+ games and they are not going to stay in Lexington forever either.

Alabama is a total nutcase to watch. Play shitty and lose badly, then play like Wonder Boys the next. Gottfried is a guy who needs to figure out why his teams continue to play like this year in and year out.

 

I don't cover basketball or UK regularly, and when I do, I have no problem being objective. I know what journalism is, and opinions don't belong in news journalism...

But I was asking that question with the idea that most people outside of Kentucky do not understand why UK fans want Smith out. I presented the points that UK fans cite, and it's pretty clear that most of you still think UK fans are idiots.

I, for one, don't really care right now. I may be one of the few who still thinks he CAN fix it if he does everything he can do. But I also don't know if he's willing to go that far.

Just my opinion.

 

Tubby won a national championship at Kentucky, fans hate him.

Roy didn't win a national championship at Kansas, fans would have still loved him had he stayed.

I know Kentucky fans are wondering what he's done for them lately, but man, but guy has done something right. You could be like UConn or Syracuse and miss the tournament this season. And both have coaches who, like Tubbs, have won the national title before.

 

Oz, we'll wait for next season to do that...LOL

UK has a very good chance of missing the tourney next season.

And with Roy, I think Kansas always thought you had a chance to win it all. Right? There weren't many years during his stint where Kansas was flat out bad.

Most UK fans haven't felt that confidence since 2003, and before that, it was 1999, and even then, it was a slim shot.

Like I said, some of this is my personal views, some is the general consensus of Kentucky fans.

I think Tubby stepped in at a shitty place for UK. Most fans are spoiled by the 1990s at UK, and Tubby couldn't have kept that up. But it was a such a rapid decline from 1999 (another Elite 8) to 2000-2001, when UK fell in the second round, that I think UK fans couldn't take it.

I don't know. It's a weird situation for anyone not close to this program to understand. I think, looking back, UK fans thought the program was heading into a big-time period of the program, and it went away so fast. It wasn't that UK fans expected to be in the Final Four every year, it was just that they didn't expect for it to be a decade or more before UK got back.

And that's not all Tubby's fault. If Nazr Mohammed does the smart thing and comes back for his senior year, there's a good chance that UK is in the Final Four or wins a title. If Bogans doesn't sprain his ankle in the Sweet 16 in 2003, UK probably doesn't lose to Marquette. If they grab one rebound against MSU in 2005, they're in the Final Four again.

But the past two seasons have been so bad, and I'm not sure whether to blame Tubby or just recruiting-gone-bad. But the general consensus is that UK is where it is because of mismanagement from the top, and I tend to agree with some of that.