You've got that right, but you've got it reversed.
The constant mocking of all things Tubby by a certain set of people, the total inability to let go of something that's now completely irrelevant to the current state of UK basketball, has A LOT to do with race. Some people think that Tubby was just an affirmative action hire who was unworthy of ever getting the job in the first place (false from any objective historical standard). So now they can bring up every failing of Tubby as a way of saying "see, see, see, see, I was right all along". It goes beyond his merits as a coach, and indirectly involves them trying to justify a broader political view. The same views that probably make them hate John Thompson, John Chaney, Nolan Richardson, and currently, Mike Anderson. The word "thug" tends to get thrown around a lot by these people, and they never stop to question the (stunning) coincidence that they seem to harbor a large amount of bitterness towards pretty much every black coach who's succeeded on a national stage or ever presented any kind of threat to UK (externally, or, in Tubby's case- at least as they see it- internally).
I was on this board's predecessor for years expressing doubts about Tubby's long-term viability at UK, starting at a time when that was very much a minority view. I am keenly aware that there were many, many people for whom race had nothing to do with anything when it came to criticizing Tubby. However, I never tried to pretend that it wasn't a factor for some, and I'm not really sorry at all if that makes certain people uncomfortable. It will always be a factor. Deal with it. And it's especially going to be up for debate when someone can't let go 8 years later.
