Bill Simmons on Rick Barnes

[DFWHoopster]

I found this worth sharing:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100625

6:19: Come on Celtics … Avery Bradley … Avery Bradley … Avery Bradley.

6:20: YES! Good value. And by the way, if you're betting on a No. 1 overall high school prospect whose stock dropped a little after one college year, you want it to be for a reason like, "Yeah, he played at Texas for Rick Barnes, OF COURSE his stock dropped!"

 

[sys]

bill simmons is retarded.

 

[OKhoops]

Dynamite drop in, sys.

 

[chasephill68]

I disagree.. I think Bill Simmons is hilarious

 

[1H3@rtH0$]

Whether or not Bill Simmons is retarded, that was an awesome statement! :clap :ez-roll:

 

[BoulderSooner]

word among most gm's and scouts is that texas does very little to "coach" up players

 

[JBaker]

word among most gm's and scouts is that texas does very little to "coach" up players

Well duh.
They have a top 5 class every year and put tons of guys into the NBA, but they never have top 5 results.
What, 1 Final Four in the last 70 years?

 

[seniorsooner]

bill simmons is a tremendous douchebag.

fify

 

[aaron7]

Simmons is one of if not the most intelligent source for NBA information. He cracks jokes that get under some folks' skin, but that does not diminish his vast knowledge of all things NBA.

 

[DFWHoopster]

Bill Simmons definitely knows the NBA and I like his commentary. Although at times his East Coastness wears on me. I thought this exchange was pretty funny on a couple of Kansas guys:

5:31: I present two athletic perimeter guys for you, both freshmen:

• Xavier Henry (born March 1991), 2-guard: a top-3 college recruit in 2009, started on the No. 1 college team (regular season), averaged 13.4 ppg (27.5 mpg), shot 45.5 percent and 41.8 percent on 3s, didn't get a ton of touches on a veteran team, did everything he could to fit in.

• Paul George (born May 1990), small forward: not a top-100 college recruit, best player on a 15-18 team in the WAC, averaged 16.8 ppg (33.2 mpg), shot 42 percent and 35 percent on 3s, played inferior competition.

Whom did the Pacers take? Naturally, George. Did I mention that their best player (Danny Granger) is a small forward? I love the NBA.

5:32: Bilas just mentioned that George was 6-foot-8 with a 6-11 wingspan. According to the Google search I just did, the human wingspan is normally 1.07 times a person's height. So if George is 80 inches, and his wingspan is 83 inches, actually, that's a wingspan about 2½ inches smaller than it should be. I'm glad I'm here.

5:36: New Orleans picks Kansas center Cole Aldrich at No. 11, then deals him to Oklahoma City (our first trade!) with Mo Peterson's expiring contract for the No. 21 and No. 26 picks. I would have loved that move for OKC if Aldrich didn't measure 6-9 in street clothes during the combines; that triples the potential that he's just a shorter Joel Przybilla. On the bright side, he can bang the boards, set some picks, make a jump hook and give you six fouls. I know, I know … try to contain your excitement. Even the trades are boring in this draft. The fans are so zoned out they can't even remember to boo David Stern anymore.

5:42: First funny line of the night from Van Gundy (after Aldrich's interview): "[The Hornets] needed to trade him, he just compared Sherron Collins to Chris Paul."

 

[sys]

Simmons is one of if not the most intelligent source for NBA information. He cracks jokes that get under some folks' skin, but that does not diminish his vast knowledge of all things NBA.

probably true. oth, he follows college bball about as intently as i follow the nba, and no doubt, if i were to comment on the nba, i'd sound equally as stupid.

 

[Tony]

I really like Simmons; read all his columns and listen to his podcasts. He is a very talented writer and as everyone has said really knows the NBA.

That said, I think there are real questions as to how his writing stands up over the long haul. Come back to me in 50 years -- or even 10, really -- and tell me how all those pop culture references and metaphors work with future generations. He is a writer for his time -- nothing wrong with that -- but won't have the historical impact some of his contemporaries do.

 

[aaron7]

probably true. oth, he follows college bball about as intently as i follow the nba, and no doubt, if i were to comment on the nba, i'd sound equally as stupid.

Do you think that Rick Barnes' results on the court have equalled the success on draft night? Texas has produced a ton of NBA talent in the Rick Barnes era, yet they have one Final Four and no Big 12 tournament titles. I would say Simmons (among others) have hit the nail right on the head.

 

[DFWHoopster]

I think Rick Barnes may feel some pressure the next two years to finish in the top 3 in the conference. Texas has the most money to spend of any athletic department in the country. They are in the hotbed of talent- near Dallas/Houston/Austin/San Antonio. Yet they are choosing to import their players from Canada- Thompson, Joseph, Kabongo. I'm sure those are all good players but it is kind of strange.

The big 12 South is significantly harder than it was when Barnes was padding his resume. Baylor and A&M had terrible basketball programs. That has changed dramatically. Now Texas has to face a really hard 18 game schedule in the future. There really won't be any easy games on that schedule except Iowa State. And that may change soon.

If Barnes goes 10-8 in conference the natives will get restless. And he could have a really good team and go 10-8.

 

[Seymore Cox]

Haven't really followed this Bill Simmons clown until recently. He sucks.

 

[sooner333]

That said, I think there are real questions as to how his writing stands up over the long haul. Come back to me in 50 years -- or even 10, really -- and tell me how all those pop culture references and metaphors work with future generations. He is a writer for his time -- nothing wrong with that -- but won't have the historical impact some of his contemporaries do.

Does anyone read columns on NBA basketball from 1960 -- or even 2000, really? Not much. Most columnists have to write for their contemporaries. He does this well, and he's shown he can adapt to the new pop culture that's developed since he began writing his column.

 

[stoops4pres]

Does anyone read columns on NBA basketball from 1960 -- or even 2000, really? Not much. Most columnists have to write for their contemporaries. He does this well, and he's shown he can adapt to the new pop culture that's developed since he began writing his column.

Exactly. As time progresses, I don't think his ability to adapt to pop culture will decline.

He's without question one of the best when it comes to the NBA. Read his Book of Basketball and you will see that.

I think his title as "Sports Guy" isn't warranted though. He knows a lot about NBA and pro baseball, but doesn't devote much of his time to football (never watches college football) and admits to only paying attention to college basketball around February. That's why I think he doesn't really have much room to judge Barnes' ability as a coach; he doesn't pay enough attention to the game to make that call, IMO.

 

[Sooner04]

Haven't really followed this Bill Simmons clown until recently. He sucks.

So let me see if I've got this straight. He sucks to you, yet he offers informed opinions on NBA ball. He's been published, and has developed a devoted following for his columns on ESPN.com. He's forgotten more about the NBA than any of us could ever learn.

Yet he sucks. Sure. Got it.

Now, go ahead and tell us about some recruit you think we'll sign who's never heard of Oklahoma and probably couldn't spell Capel if you told him the "e" comes before the "l".

Disclaimer: I'm not a big Simmons reader. Too much Boston lean, but I respect his knowledge of the game.......which is extremely vast.

 

[sooner333]

That's why I think he doesn't really have much room to judge Barnes' ability as a coach; he doesn't pay enough attention to the game to make that call, IMO.

That's probably true. His slamming Barnes started when Durant turned out to be so good and they had the early exit in the tournament with him. Then he started realizing that they had always had more talent, but never won championships. I think it's a bit unwarranted because he has taken them to a Final Four and it's not like he's had teams with five NBA first rounders (I think you need to start knocking Calipari if you're going to knock Barnes).

 

[Max Power]

That's probably true. His slamming Barnes started when Durant turned out to be so good and they had the early exit in the tournament with him. Then he started realizing that they had always had more talent, but never won championships. I think it's a bit unwarranted because he has taken them to a Final Four and it's not like he's had teams with five NBA first rounders (I think you need to start knocking Calipari if you're going to knock Barnes).

I agree you have to knock Cal if you are going to knock Barnes, however I believe both are extremely overrated coaches. They have vastly underachieved with the talents they have had IMO.