Big column on this whole mess forthcoming.

I'm officially pissed.

So much for "Simmons is an elite basketball analyst."

This is NO better than Woody Paige headline grabbing garbage.

Fuck.

...but as someone who has religiously read Simmons for the last 3+ years, this is a major slap in the face.  I know some people have been fans of Simmons for a longer period of time, but I was definitely on the bandwagon and felt people were being far too harsh on him the past year or so, when bloggers took pride in taking random pot-shots at him.

But this out-of-nowhere and unfounded smear-job on Barnes is just insanity without any logical basis behind it...I honestly think he wants Rick Barnes to demand that every single player pass the ball to Kevin Durant on every single play and never take any shots of their own.  You know, because Durant could score fifty points in a game, it's the fault of DJ Augustin and Rick Barnes that he hasn't strung together two consecutive monster halves.

The more I look at the body of work this season, the more impressed I am with the development of this team.  I think it's pretty incredible Rick took four major (and two minor) freshmen contributors, installed a brand-new offense conceived for when James transferred, got all these youngsters relatively fired up about defense, and has them peaking at the end of the season...it would have been much easier to try to cram everyone into an established offensive system or run the freshmen into the ground during the early season.

I'm glad Texas helped bring Simmons back into college basketball, but, if this is what he's bringing to the table, then he can stick with his   NBA Draft and Most Untradeable player columns...

nor has he ever been, contrary to what he has written. He is, has been, and will always be a Boston Celtics fan. He's been watching Texas play because he covets Durant. He could care less about the challenges Barnes has had to face with four freshmen starters. He simply wants to see a game full of Durant isolation plays and anything Barnes does to deny that dream is "poor coaching".

You know what? I'm cool with that. Let all the know-nothings think Barnes is a worthless coach. As someone mentioned elsewhere, they thought the same about Mack Brown before 2005. One of these days, with Durant or without, Barnes will sneak up and show them what's what.

The University and the Longhorn athletics programs will always be viewed by outsiders with disdain due to size, success or the band's uniforms. Texas (the state) is similarly viewed by the rest of the U.S. as some sort of Beverly Hillbillies monstrosity, rich and powerful but stupid and backwards. I'm not sure it's worth any of our time to get upset by these uninformed viewpoints. We know how good Mack and Rick are as coaches just as we know that to expect perfection every season is unrealistic.

Me, I'm just hoping any team but Boston gets the Kevin Durant lottery pick...  Maybe Memphis? They could set up a Tennessee Longhorn uber-superstar support group for him and Vince.

...after enjoying his Celtics articles in the past, I really hope any team but the Celtics winds up with   Kevin Durant.

Memphis would become pretty frisky with Durant, but I'd still rather him stick around for another season...