Bleacher Report - Articles by w j

UCLA's Men's Basket Ball Hurting: Drew Gordon, Tyler Honeycutt Injured

w j — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:37:54 -0400

More Bad News For UCLA.

6'8" freshman power forward Drew Gordon, who played 10.8 mpg with 3.6 ppg and 3.4 rpg in 2009, partially tore his patella tendon yesterday, Tuesday, June 16. Gordon was playing in the USA U19 tryouts in Colorado when the injury occured.

Five-Star wing and 2009's No. 12 ranked high school recruit Tyler Honeycutt fractured his back in an Academic All American Classic game on May ninth when he was undercut while he was jumping. Doctors have said he needs to rest for a couple of months, so Honeycutt is unsure if he will be ready for practise in mid-October. Honeycutt will attend summer classes at UCLA so that he can get access to UCLA's trainers.

UCLA's first game will be on November 17 against Cal State Fullerton.

The Bruins were desperate to restock their lineup and were expected to rely extensively on the talents of Gordon and Honeycutt. Departures of starters All American guard Darren Collison, All Pac 10 freshman guard Jrue Holiday, senior center Alfred Aboya, and No. 12 Pac 10 career scorer senior wing Josh Shipp had left only one starter for the 2009-10 season, junior forward Nikola Dragovic.

USC and UCLA Men's Basketball Programs Hurting

w j — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:55:53 -0400

Only a few days away from the NBA Draft, Pac-10 Division I men's basketball stalwarts USC and UCLA are staggering. Both are about to have their starting lineups damaged for the second season in a row. Combined, USC and UCLA were the sources of three lottery picks in 2008 and are going to lose three more lottery pick players in 2009.

Last year, UCLA lost All-American freshman center Kevin Love and starting NBA guard Russell Westbrook to the draft, along with defensive specialist forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. The NBA draft cost USC freshman guard sensation O.J. Mayo and freshman forward Davon Jefferson in 2008.

As if that was not bad enough, UCLA senior All-American guard Darren Collison, Pac-10 All-Freshman Team guard Jrue Holiday, and USC's Pac-10 All-Freshman Team forward DeMar DeRozan have hired agents, which locks them into the 2009 NBA Draft.

Aren't These Losses Bad Enough? Apparently Not

Adding insult to injury, USC's men's basketball coach Tim Floyd resigned under a cloud this past week. Floyd had been the only USC men's basketball coach to take his team to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament three consecutive years. The coach responsible for bringing O.J. Mayo to campus has been accused of paying off Mayo's AAU coach, Rodney Guillory.

An NCAA investigation into the USC sports program regarding Mayo and NFL running back and USC alumnus Reggie Bush is ongoing. It appears that this investigation will result in some sort of disciplinary action for the USC basketball program.

Without its tournament-familiar head coach and with the potential for a ban, recruits are reversing Letters of Intent, and players are declaring for the 2009 NBA Draft.

Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team All-Pac-10 junior forward Taj Gibson, who has not signed an agent, is leaving early for the draft. Likewise, Second Team All-Pac-10 junior guard Daniel Hackett has entered the draft.

Forward Marcus Johnson, who averaged 3.1 ppg and 1.9 rpg over 12.3 mpg, also informed USC two weeks ago that he would be turning pro. Johnson, who missed games in 2008 because he changed schools, is turning pro despite receiving an extra year of eligibility late in May.

6'7" forward recruit Derrick Williams from La Mirada has been released from his Letter of Intent, along with guard recruits Noel Johnson and Lamont Jones. For the 2009 recruiting class, only 6'6" Oaks Christian High School forward Evan Smith remains. Mater Dei's 2010 three-star point guard recruit Gary Franklin is also reportedly considering whether he may de-commit.

What About Those Graduating Seniors?

UCLA is likewise preparing to suffer attrition among its starting five. Senior forward Josh Shipp and senior center Alfred Aboya have graduated, leaving some big shoes to fill.

Shipp, the Pac-10's No. 12 career leading scorer, led the team in scoring with 14.5 ppg and a 50.4 percent field goal percentage.

Aboya, the bruising center from Cameroon and future self-proclaimed Presidential Candidate, blossomed as a senior. Figuring out how not to collect fouls, he was able to average 9.9 ppg and 6.3 rpg, shooting 54.2 percent from the field.

USC will also be losing senior forward Keith Wilkinson, who averaged 2.7 ppg and 2.5 rpg over 18.5 mpg over the 2008 season.

USC in Worse Shape

At this point, the fate of the USC men's basketball program is unknown. Assuming that the NCAA investigators come to a conclusion that gives USC the latitude to field a basketball team in 2009, the results will not be pretty.

Of the starting five, only junior point guard Dwight Lewis will be returning. His 2009 statistics were 14.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, and 2.3 apg, but also 2.5 turnovers per game.

6'7" freshman forward Leonard Washington, who averaged 6.1 ppg and 4.2 rpg over 17.9 mpg, will also be called upon to fill the void. Alex Stepheson, the 6'9" forward transfer from UNC, who must now be questioning his decision, will also be able to plug a hole in the frontcourt. He averaged 4.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 14.5 mpg at UNC in 2006-07.

USC's faithful can also pray that Marcus Johnson decides to return, but that is unlikely at this point. No one else on the roster can be considered to have put in meaningful minutes in 2008.

With no coach, no five-star recruits along the likes of Mayo or DeRozan matriculating, and the recruiting class decimated, it is quite possible that USC will join the Oregon schools in the Pac-10 cellar.

But UCLA Not Sanguine

UCLA's prospects are less bleak, beginning with the head coach. Not only do they have one, head coach Ben Howland is also proving to be the best coach in the Pac-10, and among the elite of Division I men's basketball.

He has taken the Bruins to the Final Four for three of the past four years. His defense-minded style of play emphasizes super-athletic guards locking down the ball handler, wings and guards who jump passing lanes, and denial of access to the post. Offsetting the speed of the fast break points generated from UCLA's defense is Howland's trademark methodical half-court offense.

As such, Howland has proven he can coach and recruit both elite high school talent and identify terrific recruits who are sleepers. At UCLA, he has also been able to make the most out of the role players who stayed for four years.

But none of that masks the fact that UCLA is losing four of its starting five, including its two NBA Draft lottery picks. The core of the rebuilding effort will have to be upperclassmen forwards Nikola Dragovic and James Keefe, along with guard Michael Roll.

Dragovic, who stands at 6'9", averaged 9.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg over 24.1 mpg in 2009, fourth in Bruins scoring and second in rebounding. The 6'8" Keefe brought 3.0 ppg and 3.4 rpg over 14 mpg in 2009, unable to repeat his strong performance from the 2007 Regional Finals.

In 2009, Roll finally emerged from perennially debilitating foot injuries. The sharpshooter put up 6.7 points with a 49.1 field goal percentage over 17.1 mpg.

Returning freshmen will also provide some base of support in the interior but will really be tested at the guard positions. 6'7" freshman forward Drew Gordon, who was invited to Team USA U19 trials, saw meaningful minutes in 2009. He was able to put up 3.6 ppg and 3.4 rpg over 10.8 mpg. 6'10" freshman center J'mison "Bobo" Morgan has yet to prove himself, with only 5.4 mpg in 2009.

2009 five-star SF and No. 12-ranked recruit Tyler Honeycutt, from Sylmar Senior High School, will likely see some playing time.

Ball-handling will be a tremendous area of risk for UCLA in 2009. Freshman guard Malcolm Lee will likely take over the point position for Darren Collison. In 2009 he averaged 3.2 ppg and 0.6 apg over 10.7 mpg. Freshman Jerime Anderson will also contribute, but he only saw 8.6 mpg in 2009, getting 2.3 ppg and 1.2 apg.

Overall, UCLA will be relying on upperclassman role players in the post, without a truly dominant big man to grab rebounds and box out larger and stronger forwards and centers. Inexperience will pervade the guard positions, where setting up the offense and turnovers may become troublesome.

Ben Howland has his work cut out to repeat the performance of 2009, which included a 26-9 record overall and 13-5 record in the Pac-10, second to Washington.

Is Phil Jackson of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers the World's Best Coach?

w j — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:39:46 -0400

That hat isn't a throwback to the 1986 Malxom X Hats of Yore. Nope, Phil is sporting the celebratory lid of one who has captured the tenth title of his career. That puts him on a pedestal alone, above even Red Aureback of the Boston Celtics, who has nine titles. Notice the non-chalante grin? Has has held that Naismith Trophy before. How could Mike Brown have beaten him out for Coach of the Year in 2009? Vote in our Bleacher Report Pole for The World's Best Coach!

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Jrue Holiday of UCLA Unsuitable for NBA Draft

w j — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:29:48 -0400

Jrue Holiday has declared that he will stay in the NBA 2009 draft, and forgo the remaining three years of his college eligibility at UCLA, under premier coach Ben Howland.

Coach Howland is forced to put a good spin on the circumstances, or risk alienating UCLA's recruiting base.

But one has to wonder what could have been at UCLA for Jrue and what will transpire over the premature inception of his professional career.

Jrue Holliday's amateur basketball career has been more choreographed than the Bolshoi Ballet's Carmen Suite. The 19-year old's Campbell Hall high school and AAU Pump n' Run acrobatic slam-dunks and alley-oops are well documented on Youtube.com and Ballislife.com. At 6'3", 180 lbs., Jrue was ranked the number-two high school recruit by both Scout.com and Rivals.com. He received the Gatorade 2008 National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award.

Anchoring UCLA's No. 1-ranked NCAA Men's Basketball Recruiting Class of 2008, expectations for Jrue were stellar. Yet his freshman year performance was mediocre on a UCLA team that underperformed expectations. UCLA began 2008 ranked No. 4, but could not hold onto a Top 10 ranking during the regular and were beaten in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in the second round by Villanova.

Jrue's numbers during this season do not inspire awe: 8.5 ppg with a total of 296 points for the season, only enough for the number five rank on his team. The rest of his box score is equally underwhelming: 45 percent field-goal average, 3.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.1 TOs, and 1.6 steals. Still, they were respectable enough to earn him All-Pac-10 Freshman Team Honors.

So why is he entering the 2009 NBA Draft?

Why is he projected to be drafted seventh by ESPN.com? His boosters argue that Ben Howland limited his touches since he played the two guard at UCLA, which prevented Jrue from adequately demonstrating his ability to generate offense. Moreover, boosters argue that Jrue has demonstrated basketball IQ, floor vision, use pick and roll plays effectively and can change gears.

Is there a valid argument to stay out of the draft?

Jrue is being counselled by sanguine parents and biased agents. It is true that Jrue could take the money and avoid the risk of a season-ending collegiate injury which could impair his draftability in 2010.

However, Jrue has not developed adequately to perform at the NBA level. The risk of premature entry into the draft is made more acute because this year's draft has a notoriously poor crop for point guards, which disproportionately improves his draft position.

Physically, Jrue now weights 199 lbs and at 6'3" has the height to defend against NBA guards. But his musculature is that of a boy. He will be bruised trying to finish at the rim against equally fast but stronger NBA guards. NBA guards' inability to be manhandled by smaller defenders will buffet Jrue into turnovers, prevent Jrue from accessing the lane, and keep Jrue from splitting traps.

Skill-wise, Jrue has been weak in the half-court offense and had problems finishing his shots in college. NBA teams do not have the luxury of pushing the ball up-court the same way Jrue did in high school. NBA guards must be able pressure to execute in the half-court.

Moreover, his perimeter shooting percentage of 31 percent from the three-point line was not impressive. Jrue has admitted that "people don't think I have" a jump shot. In the NBA, the three-point line will be much more challenging.

Jrue should have taken a cue from his senior All American teammate and stayed at UCLA to improve his game and develop his strength.

What's Next for the Los Angeles Lakers?

w j — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:52:06 -0400

The Lakers sit on the eve of their 15th Championship. Unlike Major League playoff competition, no team in the history of the NBA Finals has ever been down 3-1 and come back to win.

Even the city of Los Angeles' unions are prematurely complaining about the victory parade. With the 2009 NBA Championship practically in the Lakers' back pocket, readers must permit the indulgence of examining the post-playoffs Lakers...

1) Point guard

The Lakers' point guard position is the team's weak link. Dereck Fisher's career and his last minute heroics will eventually sunset. So the Lakers will transition to Farmar, Vujacic, or Brown? Yikes!

This troika has been exposed as erratic against the NBA's elite guards. In the Finals the three players are averaging 20 minutes, 4.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 1.5 turnovers per game.

At some point, the Lakers will have to consolidate responsibilities in a point guard who has a quick first step, strength, a perimeter jump-shot, and protects the ball. If the Lakers had excellent point guards, then Kobe would have more open shots.

As it stands, Kobe impairs his productivity since he must be the originator of the Lakers' offense (more on this later).

2) Forward

Pau Gasol has been a workhorse, putting up 18.9 ppg/9.6 rpg/3.5 apg/57 percent fields goal percentage in the regular season and 19.8 ppg/7.8 rpg/2 apg/59% field goal percentage in the Finals.

In contrast, Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza have offset brilliant quarters with mediocre performances. In the Finals, Ariza's averages of 10 ppg and 6.3 rpg on 34 percent field goal shooting, are accented by relatively poor games one and two.

Odom is averaging a more respectable 12.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg on 58 percent field goal shooting off the bench in the Finals. Still, his performances in games three and four were sub-par. As a team, the Lakers would find easier shots if they could depend on a consistent double-double out of one player or the other.

3) Center

Bynum has so far proved unreliable. He has had two major injuries in two years, which have impeded his development as a player. His level of conditioning and quickness are weak and cause him to commit fouls in order to defend Dwight Howard.

The starting center is averaging 19:27 minute per game because of foul trouble in three of the four games. As a result, he has only 6 ppg on 41 percent field goal shooting percentage and 4 rpg. The Lakers may need to find a more reliable center.

4) Shot selection

Kobe is the clearly the offensive force of the Lakers. Two thirds of the Lakers' plays either end in Kobe shooting or passing the ball to the eventual shooter. Routinely defenders collapse on Kobe.

Kobe's successful shots are magnificent athletic and acrobatic achievements. However, he only averages 43 percent field goal shooting percentage during this Finals. It would be more desirable for the offense to diversify, thereby taking advantage of reliable shooters like Paul Gasol. This modification will create open shot opportunities for Kobe.

5) Defense

The Lakers need to perform defensively more frequently. During the Finals, they have forced many turnovers, which has been a key differentiator. Rebounding has been on par with Orlando: 156 to 155 for the series.

However, they closed too haphazardly on perimeter shooters in Game Two and have sagged to much on Dwight Howard. Instead of flying around the court chasing the ball rotation, the Laker defenders need to deny the ball and chase shooters off of their favorite shooting spots.

When the Lakers make these improvements, Kobe's scowl may become Magic's grin.