Report: Decision To Suspend Gordon For Two Practices Led To His Departure

We talkin’ about practice? Practice? Apparently, according to the Los Angeles Times.

UCLA center Drew Gordon decided to leave the team after Coach Ben Howland quietly suspended him for two days of practice this week, his parents said.

The Times report quotes Gordon’s parents saying that Gordon’s problems with the situation had more to do with UCLA’s plodding style of play than coach Ben Howland. They admit that Gordon has a temper, but stopped short of saying he had a “stormy” relationship with the head coach.

However, other people close to the situation describe things differently. One source told ESPN’s Andy Katz that Gordon’s “conduct was detrimental to the team” and that Gordon “was not viewed as having positive energy in the locker room.” Because, see, the rest of the UCLA players walked around the locker room with smiles on their faces singing Kumbaya.

Katz writes that Gordon will likely go to a Mountain West program, unless a West Coast Conference team (like Gonzaga!) is willing to take a chance on him. Gordon’s parents confirmed to the LA Times that he won’t go to another Pac-10 school, but didn’t elaborate, instead saying that several program have already called them.