Fire Shaka Smart

[Braff Zacklin 13579]

6 minutes ago, Machinator said:

I don't find any conflict in supporting the team tomorrow. That said, I expect them to lose, so this won't matter.

I also find it almost absurd that this team making a Final Four (something that it has accomplished exactly once in the past half-century) could be a bad thing; I would gladly trade a few more years of mediocrity for a Final Four run. But, I don't think we'll have to worry about that.

All of this.

[Goo Punch 4275]

15 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Unfortunate reading this from you.

Barring a miracle (such as the team getting hot and making the Final Four), Shaka is gone. Beating KU and backing into the tournament won't save his job.

Doubtful his firing happens this weekend, and maybe not even next weekend, but it will happen, probably after next season.

So what does losing to KU do aside from giving you another reason to make 10 posts decrying how much Shaka sucks and how he needs to be gone? There's no one left to disagree with you. This season has been the nail in the coffin.

i'll answer your question with another question: why is me wanting this season to be over with unacceptable, yet the hordes of people who've checked in this year to let everyone know that they didn't watch/didn't even know there was a game/don't even follow the team anymore doesn't move the needle at all?

i mean it hurts me to watch this team, and i'm sick of tuning in every single game like the retarded addict that i am only to be let down time and again, and unable to even enjoy the wins because a)they're so ugly, and b)they're so frequent, and c)sometimes they're against final four caliber teams which only speaks to the indefensible levels of underachieving. i'm tired of being kicked in the nuts, and i've supported this team all season/all brutal shaka smart tenure. i just want it to end, and i could only get to that point if things had gone as unimaginably awful as they have.

 

[Braff Zacklin 13579]

I wouldn't say it's unacceptable. I understand where you're coming from. It just seems petty, especially since--in my opinion--winning tomorrow will have no impact on Shaka's long-term job security.

Unfortunate is the word I used. Unfortunate, not unacceptable.

[Goo Punch 4275]

9 minutes ago, Machinator said:

I maintain the following:

1) making the tournament won't save his job by itself

2) Shaka won't be fired. He will either find a "soft landing" or he will be the coach here next season. 

3) The powers that be had already set things in motion even before the regular season (meaning individual games won't change the decision to keep him or not), and barring a deep run this week and/or next, it's going to come down to another school being able to take him and sufficiently cushion the monetary blow.

Therefore, I don't find any conflict in supporting the team tomorrow. That said, I expect them to lose, so this won't matter.

I also find it almost absurd that this team making a Final Four (something that it has accomplished exactly once in the past half-century) could be a bad thing; I would gladly trade a few more years of mediocrity for a Final Four run. But, I don't think we'll have to worry about that.

i would not trade a final four run this year for three more yeats of shaka, and it's absolutely batshit, fitlump levels of crazy to think otherwise. yeah, let's sacrifice the next several years and who knows how much longer for four extra wins this march. HELL no. HELL fuckin no. 

[Goo Punch 4275]

Just now, Braff Zacklin said:

I wouldn't say it's unacceptable. I understand where you're coming from. It just seems petty, especially since--in my opinion--winning tomorrow will have no impact on Shaka's long-term job security.

Unfortunate is the word I used. Unfortunate, not unacceptable.

well, here's an undeniable fact that everyone here should marinate on: its 2019, shaka smart has been an abject failure at Texas, worse than anyone could have ever imagined, and the worst thing coming from a surly hoops supporter is one guy admitting that he's ready for the season to be over, and people are disappointed by that. my how far we've come.

Rick Barnes is the greatest coach in program history by a massive margin, who brought us more than a decade of unparalleled success at this school before falling off, and despite his final years being better than what Shaka has given us with far superior talent, the level of personal hatred, and animosity, and vitriol towards Barnes was shocking. much iof it still exists to this day. people went way, WAY overboard with the vitriol and ill will, and whether anyone cares to admit it or not, that ill will extended towards me, and there was an active and sizable witch hunt to get me to repent and admit my sins in front of the shaggy court as they publicly stoned me to death for not hating Rick Barnes. now i'm meekly stayting that i've had enough of this team and season, and *that* is deemed over the line. that's an interesting pill to swallow.

in fact, the only reason i sont call it a tough pill to swallow is because i get it; you can't hate shaka like you hated rick, because you once loved rick, while shaka was two weeks of great sex and then a quick flameout. it's still pretty interesting to note the stark difference in what's being deemed "acceptable UT hoops supporter behavior" compared to last time around. 

 

[Braff Zacklin 13579]

I've no idea what you're arguing at this point. I, for one, never hated Rick Barnes. But I've never been on the Shaka train, either.

Frankly, it seems like you hate Shaka more than you love Texas, and that's what I think is unfortunate.

[VolenteHawk 495]

12 minutes ago, Goo Punch said:

i would not trade a final four run this year for three more yeats of shaka, and it's absolutely batshit, fitlump levels of crazy to think otherwise. yeah, let's sacrifice the next several years and who knows how much longer for four extra wins this march. HELL no. HELL fuckin no. 

You’ve been to 3 Final Fours in the school’s history, only once in the last 70 years. This take is not sane.

Final Fours are a huge deal.

[Machinator 32099]

1 minute ago, Goo Punch said:

i would not trade a final four run this year for three more yeats of shaka, and it's absolutely batshit, fitlump levels of crazy to think otherwise. yeah, let's sacrifice the next several years and who knows how much longer for four extra wins this march. HELL no. HELL fuckin no. 

It's fine that you disagree, and I'm not going to push this much further since it's almost certainly not going to happen. I would put hundreds of dollars on Texas not making it there even with terrible odds.

I take issue with it being batshit crazy. Making a Final Four is a huge achievement in college basketball; we hang banners for that here, and it's just plain hard to do. Hell, we could hire the best possible candidate for coach and there would still be no guarantee that we make it that far in a very long time.

The tournament is one of my favorite events in all of sports, and being able to not only enjoy the general action but celebrate my team going far would easily be the highlight of this wretched decade of Texas men's revenue sports, including the Sugar Bowl, the two runs to Omaha, and any Texas-OU game victory.

I also like to think that CDC is not the type of guy to give a coach lifetime tenure for one great postseason run (especially one that didn't end in a championship), and if Shaka really did just strike gold for two weekends, he'll fall back to earth pretty quickly and we'd be done with him without too much trouble (and at the very least, the resulting bump in recruiting would leave the team loaded for the next coach).

I think if you started a poll on this board, there would be a good number of people who take my side on this, even the venerable Wulaw Horn, wherever he is.

[Pancho 44808]

40 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

 

Barring a miracle (such as the team getting hot and making the Final Four), Shaka is gone. 

 

 

Uh, no, this isn’t a guarantee.  People shouldn’t be treating it as such either. (Not saying that’s what you’re doing)

[Machinator 32099]

Seen at the Rockets game:

[jimmyjazz 45960]

This Final Four discussion is a non-starter.  It's like asking me "would you trade a night with Kate Beckinsale for no further sex the rest of your life?"  Well, a night with Kate ain't ever happening, so why am I being asked to make a false choice?

The odds of the 'horns beating KU are almost nil.  The odds of us beating KU and then at least not getting embarrassed to such a degree in the next game that we actually make the tournament are even more slim.  The odds of us making the Final Four are zero.  

[Braff Zacklin 13579]

Just now, Pancho Negro said:

Uh, no, this isn’t a guarantee.  People shouldn’t be treating it as such either. (Not saying that’s what you’re doing)

I'm not saying he's gone this year, but I definitely think he's a lame duck at this point and will be gone after next season.

I've no inside information. Just my read based on attendance, general sentiment among the fans, and, oh yeah, job performance.

[VolenteHawk 495]

4 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

This Final Four discussion is a non-starter.  It's like asking me "would you trade a night with Kate Beckinsale for no further sex the rest of your life?"  Well, a night with Kate ain't ever happening, so why am I being asked to make a false choice?

The odds of the 'horns beating KU are almost nil.  The odds of us beating KU and then at least not getting embarrassed to such a degree in the next game that we actually make the tournament are even more slim.  The odds of us making the Final Four are zero.  

Baylor has made 2 different Elite 8s without beating a single digit seed. KU won the national championship after getting out of their region with their best (by seed) win being the 8/9 winner. Shaka Smart went to the Final Four with a team that shouldn’t have been in the tournament (I had a good view of the celebration in San Antonio). Texas is 27 on KenPom...they would not even be in the conversation for worst team to make the FF.

[jimmyjazz 45960]

2 minutes ago, VolenteHawk said:

Baylor has made 2 different Elite 8s without beating a single digit seed. KU won the national championship after getting out of their region with their best (by seed) win being the 8/9 winner. Shaka Smart went to the Final Four with a team that shouldn’t have been in the tournament (I had a good view of the celebration in San Antonio). Texas is 27 on KenPom...they would not even be in the conversation for worst team to make the FF.

This team hasn't had 3 consecutive wins in over 9 weeks.  There is zero chance they could put on that kind of run against tournament competition.  They are far too inconsistent.

I would so like to be proven wrong.

[HookEm 2467]

I hate this Texas team and I have given up on Shaka. But almost nothing would thrill me more than an improbable Final Four run.

[Goo Punch 4275]

24 minutes ago, VolenteHawk said:

You’ve been to 3 Final Fours in the school’s history, only once in the last 70 years. This take is not sane.

Final Fours are a huge deal.

yes they are. and i'd like to have a shot to at least believe that Texas could get there with even semi-regularity. we do not have that with shaka smart. we can't even finish in the top half of the conference with regularity. y'all are absolutely insane to want to sacrifice years of your program for a few good weeks this March. That is insane. Totally insane. Unless one of you wants to make the argument that several more years of Shaka could be a good thing? 

Edited March 14, 2019 by Goo Punch

[Catdaddyhorn 3444]

51 minutes ago, Machinator said:

I maintain the following:

1) making the tournament won't save his job by itself

2) Shaka won't be fired. He will either find a "soft landing" or he will be the coach here next season. 

3) The powers that be had already set things in motion even before the regular season (meaning individual games won't change the decision to keep him or not), and barring a deep run this week and/or next, it's going to come down to another school being able to take him and sufficiently cushion the monetary blow.

Therefore, I don't find any conflict in supporting the team tomorrow. That said, I expect them to lose, so this won't matter.

I also find it almost absurd that this team making a Final Four (something that it has accomplished exactly once in the past half-century) could be a bad thing; I would gladly trade a few more years of mediocrity for a Final Four run. But, I don't think we'll have to worry about that.

But what about being right on the internet? I mean that's gotta mean something. 

[NowThis 931]

i think they beat Kansas then lose the next game. 

[VolenteHawk 495]

5 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

This team hasn't had 3 consecutive wins in over 9 weeks.  There is zero chance they could put on that kind of run against tournament competition.  They are far too inconsistent.

I would so like to be proven wrong.

Shaka’s VCU run was after they ended the season losing 5 of 8 and hadn’t won 3 straight since January.

I’m not saying it’s likely, I’m saying you take more Shaka if he delivers a FF...mostly related to Goo, of course.

[Satchel 6938]

Why is Scott Drew never in the mix when it comes to available coaches?

[VolenteHawk 495]

Because he’s a weirdo. Same reason Gregg Marshall is still at Wichita State.

[dcar00 14210]

43 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Seen at the Rockets game:

Its not a banner over the stadium but I give an A for effort.

[Goo Punch 4275]

28 minutes ago, Catdaddyhorn said:

But what about being right on the internet? I mean that's gotta mean something. 

bro it means everything.

[Goo Punch 4275]

29 minutes ago, NowThis said:

i think they beat Kansas then lose the next game. 

wouldn't surprise me at all. we've played them close twice, and if we get Good Febres then I have very little doubt that we'll win. It's an upset if we lose with Good Febres.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Goo Punch

[dcar00 14210]

21 minutes ago, VolenteHawk said:

Shaka’s VCU run was after they ended the season losing 5 of 8 and hadn’t won 3 straight since January.

I’m not saying it’s likely, I’m saying you take more Shaka if he delivers a FF...mostly related to Goo, of course.

why in the wide wide world of sports are we discussing a final four? please, this team and it's "coach" aren't getting past the first weekend(if they even make the tournament).  they aren't a mid major trying to shock the world, feeling disrespected.  they are a bunch of highly ranked recruits in a highly ranked major conf who are getting dick punched on the reg. 2 of them can shoot. 

[Braff Zacklin 13579]

3 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

why in the wide wide world of sports are we discussing a final four?

 

[LTtxfan 49196]

59 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Seen at the Rockets game:

Hope CDC sees this ^^^^

[texasstrong12 4668]

24 minutes ago, Goo Punch said:

wouldn't surprise me at all. we've played them close twice, and if we get Good Febres then I have very little doubt that we'll win. It's an upset if we lose with Good Febres.

Also, Kansas had Vick in both those games. No chance Kansas beats Texas at home without Vick dropping 21 points. 

Texas won't beat anyone if the team that shows up is the one from the TCU game but there's a reason Texas was only getting 2.5 points last time I looked at the spread. Maybe it's shifted since then. 

Edited March 14, 2019 by texasstrong12

[ztejas 43454]

1 hour ago, VolenteHawk said:

they would not even be in the conversation for worst team to make the FF.

Not in the conversation? They lost 15 games.

[ztejas 43454]

11 minutes ago, texasstrong12 said:

but there's a reason Texas was only getting 2.5 points last time I looked at the spread.

Yeah because this is the worst KU team in what, 15 years? 

They are almost as hilariously inconsistent as Texas. 

[Tired Horn 738]

1 hour ago, ztejas said:

Yeah because this is the worst KU team in what, 15 years? 

They are almost as hilariously inconsistent as Texas. 

There's nothing hilarious about our inconsistency. It's trite and dull, yet still intensely nauseating, which I suppose is a kind of accomplishment. 

Thanks, Shaka.

 

[Girdwood 118]

13 hours ago, Dirk X West said:

I'm not naive about anything.  I understand that UT is an insanely wealthy athletic dept. that has some individual programs that have been historically very successful, among the very best in college sports.  Men's basketball is not one of them.  I got two graduate degrees at UT-Austin, have lived here for 20+ years and have worked on campus now for 7 years.  I see it up close, and I have loads of friends here who are alums and are huge UT fans.  The reality of UT sports is not the same as the myth.  It's just not.  I know you all are fans and believe in your school, but you seem to think you can have any coach you want.  You can't.  The reality of who you've been hiring in football, just to name the biggest, wealthiest, most important individual program, bears that out.  

Ok techtard. 

[pigmeat markham 135]

14 hours ago, MAUFRAIS said:

The double eagle guys got the tech young alumni landman base real puffed up lately.

Tho obviously not a landman,  the founder of Yeti has recently arrived upon the scene as well.

Edited March 14, 2019 by pigmeat markham

[pigmeat markham 135]

16 hours ago, MoJames said:

Counterpoint

Well I guess to represent the UT campus, if I could figure out how to do it, I could post a pic of transient piss and vehicle exhaust fumes.

That's not a shot, but merely an example and nothing more of the fact every city has its particular cross to bear.  Appealing and desireable as it relates to a particular city is a very subjective call.  I'm frequently surprised that so many here just aren't mindful of that.  Lubbock or somewhere else not your cup of tea?  Fine, I get that.  You're reading the post of a guy who turned down a job and decent raise in Austin.  To each his own.

Tadlock and Kittley have had money thrown at them. as will Beard.  They chose to stay because they like it there.  Bob Knight still makes his home in Lubbock.as an example.  Beard has lived in Lubbock for 14 years now.  It's his home.  His kids are in Abilene, his significant other is a head coach there, great arena and they're building him a basketball facility second to none currently, he's gotten six 4 star  recruits I believe it is over the last 2 years, he's well paid and will be moreso in the future,, better attendance than UT and so on.

I don't pretend to know what's going to happen, but there's more than a few reasons he might just stay. While certainly always possible, his departure to Austin if offered is not a given.

 

 

 

 

 

[SwanderedTalent 5761]

3 hours ago, pigmeat markham said:

To each his own.

some people like steak, some people like Slim Jims, who are we to judge?

Edited March 14, 2019 by SwanderedTalent

[Js1 85347]

6 whole 4 star recruits? Well slap my ass and call me a bitch, UT could never dream big like that! 

[CooterBrown 18014]

I hope we make the F4 run and then Shaka gets fired anyway because CDC isn’t stupid.

[76Jayhawk 44]

9 hours ago, Satchel said:

Why is Scott Drew never in the mix when it comes to available coaches?

I dont think Drew will leave Baylor. 

[Js1 85347]

46 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

I hope we make the F4 run and then Shaka gets fired anyway because CDC isn’t stupid.

Not likely.

More likely someone overreacts and lures him away and Texas didn't counter.  "Oh no...don't....go...."

[Underdog 28662]

9 hours ago, VolenteHawk said:

Same reason Gregg Marshall is still at Wichita State.

Because IU are dumbasses. 

[idigTexas 2289]

Context.  Hyperbole.  Carts overtaking dead horses.  Unhatched chickens trying to cross the road.  Dust storms, dumpster fires, and Drag piss.  This thread has it all and then some. 

No one thinks Texas is going to actually make a Final Four run, but to dismiss it as an impossibility is to completely disregard history.  It isn't called March Madness because the brackets always go chalk.  I am not at all pleased with the performance of the team under Shaka, but I cannot fathom a scenario where I could even consider hoping for a loss.  Seeing the sliver lining in a loss?  Sure.  Hoping for one?  No fucking way.  

Of course, I don't believe that the fate of the program for the next year (or several) hinges on the outcome of one game.  We all want a team that challenges for the conference title every year AND makes deep runs in the tourney on a regular basis, and Chris Del Conte would not be the Athletic Director of the University of Texas if he did not feel the same way.  Relax.  Let the man do his job.  Have a little patience and trust the process.  Come in off the ledge and feel confident in the fact that it is perfectly safe to cheer for the team's success.          

[VolenteHawk 495]

8 hours ago, ztejas said:

Not in the conversation? They lost 15 games.

Not even in the conversation. Shaka’s VCU team lost 12 games in the CAA and entered the tournament 82nd (via KenPom). They are the worst. Loyola Chicago entered 41st last year. Texas is 27th.

Again, I’m not saying it’s likely, but the notion that it’s impossible or that a UT fan would root against it are both crazy.

[Pig Bellmont 8719]

People talking about Final Fours with this team not realizing it probably has same odds as me winning the powerball

[MotownHorn 1762]

11 hours ago, Braff Zacklin said:

So what does losing to KU do aside from giving you another reason to make 10 posts decrying how much Shaka sucks and how he needs to be gone? There's no one left to disagree with you. This season has been the nail in the coffin.

Oh Derka doesn't like Shaka??!?! I had no idea! What's his take on Barnes? 😁

[MotownHorn 1762]

10 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

  The odds of us making the Final Four are zero.  

I maintain that if Donald Trump became the president anything can happen so I'll put them at 0.000000000001%

[mapplewhite132 309]

18 hours ago, Dirk X West said:

You're not getting what I'm saying.  I love Austin and kinda hate Lubbock.  I'm moved here as soon as I could, and I love it.  I also love the university, as an institution.  Loving Austin is about a lot more than just whether I cheer for UT versus Tech, though.   Again, though, as I said in my last comment, it seems like so many of you don't seem to realize that, even with the facilities and the money and the history, everything is not 100% great here, and also, there are great things about other places too.  If it was only about money and facilities, UT would win every 99% of all games in all sports, but there's more to it than that. 

I think you underestimate the CDC effect. The Texas AD has been a shit show for the better part of a decade. I get why coaches wouldn’t want to be a part of that. But now we have a top 5 athletic director with a real vision, and also a guy that goes to the end of the earth to support his coaches. I think texas coaching jobs are much more attractive with a guy like CDC at the helm. 

[Bitterwhiteguy 153]

10 hours ago, VolenteHawk said:

Because he’s a weirdo. Same reason Gregg Marshall is still at Wichita State.

Drew is still at Baylor because coaches across the country hate him with the fire of a thousand suns. I have yet to run across another D-I coach who is as universally disliked as Drew and it's the reason most ADs don't really consider him for gigs. Bill Self and Barnes would love to lock him in a trunk and drive the car into a lake, just to name two.

Marshall - while an asshole - is still at Wichita State because the Koch Brothers (yes, those Koch brothers) fund him like he's coaching Kansas. All he has to do is play footsie with another school like Alabama and the Kochs kick in some more cash.

 

Also, Beard is interested in the Texas job. Whether he takes it if/when it comes available is up in the air - others have astutely noted the financial barriers, to name one issue - but he's quietly made it known he's up for the interview. This surprised me when I learned of it because of his deep roots in Lubbock, but it seems to be true from what I've gathered.

[Bitterwhiteguy 153]

11 hours ago, Machinator said:

I maintain the following:

1) making the tournament won't save his job by itself

2) Shaka won't be fired. He will either find a "soft landing" or he will be the coach here next season. 

3) The powers that be had already set things in motion even before the regular season (meaning individual games won't change the decision to keep him or not), and barring a deep run this week and/or next, it's going to come down to another school being able to take him and sufficiently cushion the monetary blow.

Therefore, I don't find any conflict in supporting the team tomorrow. That said, I expect them to lose, so this won't matter.

I also find it almost absurd that this team making a Final Four (something that it has accomplished exactly once in the past half-century) could be a bad thing; I would gladly trade a few more years of mediocrity for a Final Four run. But, I don't think we'll have to worry about that.

Imagine how many more teams would be willing to take on his salary if he took this team to the Elite Eight. There's incentive for both sides of the Shaka debate to want this team to make a run.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

I guess what is depressing is win or lose in what is left of this season,  we have another season of mediocrity to look forward to next year since all the $9.95 types are saying we are stuck with Smart for another season.  So much like football during the later years of the Mack era....

[Braff Zacklin 13579]