SB Nation User Blog: Bellerophon

Center Court: Ben Ball (CSUF) Second Half Thread

Bellerophon — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:42:36 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Concordia's Justin Johnson, left, goes up for a shot as UCLA's Drew Gordon defends during the first half of an NCAA exhibition basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Cal State Fullerton Titans at UCLA Bruins, Nov. 16, 2009, 8:59 p.m. PST

Since we're in the wee hours here on the Best, err, I mean West Coast, I'm filling in for Nestor. Well, folks, it has not been a pretty half. Our Ben Ball Warriors have come out and played sloppy basketball and go into the half-time break down to the Cal State Fullerton Titans by a score of 27-33. Turnovers, poor shot selection, and stone cold shooting from the charity stripe are the stories of the first half.

Fortunately, Malcolm Lee and Michael Roll have kept the Bruins in the game with smart cuts and smart possession. If you're cut off from WWL, you can track the second half against the Titans at the official site. Nikola Dragovic continues to frustrate with ill-advised chucks, but Reeves Nelson has been an absolute beast.

Let's hope the Bruins can get it together. Fire away in our second half (change up the mojo) thread.

GO BRUINS!

Newsweek: Let the Newspapers Die

Bellerophon — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:11:52 -0000

Newsweek: Let the Newspapers Die

Newsweek's Techtonic Shifts blog serves up a very interesting read on why we should let the newspaper industry die, equating the ink and print medium to "horse-drawn carriages, or steam engines, or black-and-white TV."

Very interesting read in light of our various discussions about Bill Splashme and T.J. Slimers and the other hacks running the ~~Trojan~~ LA Times.

Hear that Bill? You're going to lose your job. Thanks for playing, but you and the LAT will fail.

Yahoo! Sports Shows MJD More Love

Bellerophon — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:44:34 -0000

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Out today, Yahoo! Sport's Brandon Funston is making a case that our own MJD deserves to be on top of everyone's fantasy football draft boards this coming season.

Image courtesy of The Dallas Morning News

Now, the conventional wisdom is that Adrian Peterson is the default No. 1 pick for fantasy football players. Not so fast says Funston:

1. Consider that Peterson has not finished among the top three RBs in fantasy points per game in either his rookie or sophomore campaign.

2. Consider that in those past two seasons, MoJo has outproduced him in yards per touch (5.50 to 5.43) and TDs per touch (.049 to .036).

3. Consider that MoJo, in a platoon role, was second among RBs in ’08 in receptions (62) while a full-time Peterson ranked just 44th (21), one reception better than Cedric Benson.

The numbers don't lie. MJD is legit. In other words

Simply put, MoJo is dynamic in all facets of the game, be it short-yardage, between the 20s, receiving, blocking, durability ... you name it. And the biggest issue people have with him (his size) is actually a benefit as he’s easily lost by the defense in a crowd and his low, stout frame makes it hard for defenders to deliver a solid lick.

Now, you may not agree with Funston. A lot of fantasy football guys will consider AP the No. 1 pick without hesitation.

But Bruins, look at it this way. MJD is being seriously debated as the top fantasy football player with the likes of Adrian Peterson. That says something.

And it makes you wonder what ever happened to that over-hyped poser from U$C. I think his name was Reggie something. Maybe Reggie Bust? I'm not sure since he has been unheard of since he took a pay cut and left U$C for the NFL.

Poll

If you had the No. 1 pick in your fantasy football league, who would you take with the first overall pick?

Maurice Jones-Drew

188 votes

Adrian Peterson

85 votes

Someone else

28 votes

301 votes | Poll has closed

New York Times: BruinsNation Superior to L.A. Times

Bellerophon — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:34:16 -0000

While Nestor and the other guys might be too modest to share, I couldn't resist the chance to post a swipe at the "newspaper" known as the L.A. Times and the "journalists" who work there. As Nestor pointed out earlier, there was a very good write-up on the expectations for this football season in the New York Times, which was in line with our own expectations and those of other commentators.

However, the best part of that write-up in the New York Times for me was this:

For constant coverage of U.C.L.A. sports, look no further than BruinsNation.com and, to a lesser degree, the Web site of The Los Angeles Times.

Ouch. Kind of embarassing, considering BN is a collection of Bruin alums, students and fans, who are paid nothing to follow and write on UCLA sports, and the L.A. Times is staffed with "professional journalists" who are paid a good sum to cover UCLA sports, provide analysis and commentary, and serve as the greater Los Angeles area's source of print news. If I owned the L.A. Times, I'd be seriously considering a major staff overall, but that's just me. I mean, maybe some "newspapers" are cool with their peers calling them out as a joke.

But this shouldn't come as a surprise, since they hired losers like Bill Splashme, who writes like a moronic high school sophomore when his lips aren't planted on Cheatie Petey's rear.

As much as this is a pat on the back for the BN crew, this is also a huge shout-out from "The Gray Lady" to all of you. While Nestor, Achilles, Ajax, Rye, et al. are busy throwing up the content, it's all of you who fire up the discussions, throw ideas around, and keep BN buzzing. So BN readers, keep it up.

And Fox 71, I know you love any post blasting the L.A. Times, so, as one of BN's resident geezers, enjoy.

Cincy Recruit Stephenson Takes Plea Deal

Bellerophon — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:24:14 -0000

Cincy Recruit Stephenson Takes Plea Deal

Once again, an illustration into what is wrong with college basketball and why I'm glad CBH, unlike Timmeh, doesn't bring these "amateur" players in.

Sounds like U$C missed out on the perfect guy for their program: we could have nicknamed him OJ3. Oh well.

Another SBN Blogger Gets MSM Exposure

Bellerophon — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:41:16 -0000

Another SBN Blogger Gets MSM Exposure

I know we're not exactly fans of the Sacramento Kings here at BN, but I wanted to highlight that Ziller at SacTown Royalty was interviewed on local Sacramento news this morning (I happened to catch it as I was getting ready for work . . . I know, being a Bruin in exile in Sac is rough).

Instead of turning to their in-house sports guy for thoughts on the NBA Draft, the MSM turned to SBN. Love to see SBN and its bloggers taking on a bigger role in providing opinions and analysis on our favorite teams.

FoxSports.com: DC #8, Jrue #10

Bellerophon — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:09:56 -0000

An interesting list has come out this morning, on the eve of the NBA Draft, over at FoxSports.com. Apparently, Adi Joseph of NBADraft.net ranks the top ten PGs in this year's draft, and guess which over-hyped PG finished behind a polished, 4-year senior floor general?

That's right: Joseph channels BN and puts DC two spots ahead of Jrue. Says the man from NBADraft.net on his #10 ranked PG:

If Stephen Curry has gained the most hype since the end of the NCAA season, Holiday is following close behind. Perhaps the biggest underachiever on an underachieving UCLA team, Holiday received some praise for his selflessness but more criticism for his lack of confidence on offense and an inconsistency that plagued him all year, culminating in an 0-for-8 performance against USC in the Pac-10 tournament. He scored 20 points just once, against Florida International, (averaging 5.6 ppg over the final 12 games) and was relegated to shooting guard because of Darren Collison's veteran presence. Not exactly lottery pick-type numbers.

It's nice to see someone in the MSM isn't drinking the Jrue Kool-Aid that a lot of these NBA GM types seem to be chugging like a drunken frat boy with a keg. But, then again, a lot of these guys talking up Jrue as a for-sure lottery pick don't exactly have great records of success in the NBA (I'm talking to you, Mike Dunleavy of the pathetic Clippers, Chris Wallace of the Memphis Grizzlies (thanks for giving us Pau for nothing by the way), and Sam Presti in Oklahoma City).

Joseph put DC ahead of Jrue at #8:

In Jonny Flynn and Ty Lawson, you have two point guards with good skills and incredible speed who have suffered because of their height. Collison has all that, but he's also 30 pounds lighter and significantly weaker than his speedy contemporaries. The collegiate star, who was a major force in three Final Four runs for the Bruins, would have been best off leaving after his sophomore year (a surefire top-20 pick). But time has exposed Collison's greatest weakness, which is, of course, weakness. Collison is a winner, though. And he should make a great reserve for years to come.

While it's not exactly a glowing recommendation, it's a fair assessment of the holes in DC's game. He's a small guy. No one is saying he isn't. But he does recognize that DC is a winner, that he's a true Ben Ball Warior and is a guy who never quits. Wherever DC lands, some team is going to have a very pleasant surprise on their hands.

It's going to be interesting to see where he ends up. I wouldn't mind DC landing with Golden State. His speed would be great in Nellie's all-out run-and-gun pace, it's be nice to get the ball out of Ellis' hand (and let him play the off guard, where he excelled when B.Diddy ran the show), and DC would bring some defensive help that Golden State really needs. Good luck to him tonight: no matter where he plays, he'll always be a true Ben Ball Warrior that I'll track for years to come (just as with JF, AA, RW, KL, and LRMAM).

Typical trOJan Arrogance

Bellerophon — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 18:26:18 -0000

When people from outside the UCLA-U$C rivalry world ask me what the difference between our two universities is (if you can even call U$C a university), I usually point to each school's most famous alumni. The guy you could call the "face of the university."

For us, that's easy, it's one of two men. For some, it's Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the color barrier, who pulled a Rosa Parks a decade before she got all the credit, a man who was a four-sport letterman for the Bruins in an era where African-Americans weren't allowed to attend many major universities in this country. For others, it's Lew Alcindor (or, as you non-Bruins know him, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), a man who was a true student-athlete, a man who was so prolific they banned the dunk from college basketball, a man who is an ambassador not just for basketball, but for learning, and a man who is an accomplished, best-selling author.

For U$C, one name comes to mind: O.J. Simpson. A sleeze who would appear in any advertisement for the righht amount, a snake who skated on two murders because of prosecutorial incompetence, an arrogant bastard who thought the law did not apply to him.

That is the contrast I usually draw between our two universities. It's telling. Two examples of our university's excellence in both the classroom and on the field/court. For them, it's a typical example of the arrogance that defines trOJans.

We already know U$C's well-documented run-ins with the law, with their arrogance in breaking our laws (after all, they claim to "own" the police), and their culture of turning a blind eye to the thugs they bring to their campus, all in the name of "success."

O.J. Simpson was finally given his just punishment: 9 to 33 years in a state prison for his role in a robbery-kidnapping. O.J. joins the long list of trOJan convicted felons.

With his trial behind us and his sentence imposed, new information is coming to the public eye:

Clark County District Attorney David Roger said Simpson was offered a deal for less prison time than the nine- to 33-year prison terms the graying former football star was sentenced to on Friday for kidnapping and assaulting two sports memorabilia dealers with a deadly weapon.

Well, that's no surprise. Prosecutors offer plea bargains all the time. It's how our system works. Without plea bargains, the system would overload and collapse.

Of course, the man who beat the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office out in skipping on a double-murder rap, thought he could beat this rap too and turned down the deal. Pleas are routinely turned down by defendants. That's not unusual. But, the telling part, of O.J.'s character (and that of U$C in general) is this:

"Mr. Simpson wanted something just short of a public apology," Roger said. "We didn't think that was appropriate."

But the District Attorney wasn't the only one who thought O.J. was a pathetic, arrogant son-of-a-b**ch. The judge (the Honorable Jackie Glass) agreed:

"At Mr. Simpson's initial bail hearing, I didn't know if he was arrogant or ignorant or both," Glass said. "During this trial, I got my answer. It was both."

Your Honor, thank you for making clear to the entire nation what so many of us Bruins already knew: your typical trOJan is an idiotic, arrogant fool.

That's the trOJan way: do whatever you want and if the law gets in your way, remind those gnats that you're a trOJan and you're entitled to do whatever it is you want. And ask for an apology for wasting your time while you're at it.

Those cross-town pathetic losers make me f**king sick.

GO BRUINS! BEAT U$C!

Mbah a Moute Making Waves in Milwaukee

Bellerophon — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 01:20:45 -0000

haster123 is already all over this, but I thought I'd throw it up here in some more detail. Anyway, our favorite Cameroonian Prince is making some serious waves for the Milwaukee Bucks. The Milwaukee press is discovering what we Bruins have known about Mbah a Moute for years: he's a tenacious defender who gives it to anyone, anywhere, anytime. In fact, they're making some telling comparisons:

Who was the last rookie to actually help a team defensively?
Probably Tim Duncan.

For the Bucks, it was a guy named Sidney Moncrief.

Already, this is the class Mbah a Moute is approaching.

Now, I'm not saying the Prince is the next Timmy D. But to be mentioned in the same sentence as a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer is some compliment. Especially for a rookie taken in the second round. And the praise isn't coming from just the local media, but from his seasoned NBA veteran teammates:

"It's not a matter of where you're drafted," Jefferson said. "It's a matter of if you can play basketball. And he can play basketball. Already, he's been asked to guard the best players on the other team. When you're asked to do that, there is no higher compliment you can be paid as an individual."

Richard Jefferson's been around for a while. Played with J-Kidd and Vinsanity. I think the guy knows talent. And Jefferson isn't alone. Their coach is loving what the Prince brings:

"When we picked him we knew he was an NBA-ready defender, but he needed improvement on his offensive game," Skiles said. "Then we saw him work and the energy and the effort he put into it. His offensive game is going to come around. He's making shots and doing a lot of good things."

The most-telling piece of information about the Prince is both his line recently against the Wizards, but that the Bucks trust a second-round pick to take a game-deciding shot:

Against the Wizards, he made eight of 10 for 17 points. The Bucks had the confidence in him to let him try a game-winner in regulation. He took the baseline in overtime. He made the jumper that finished Washington. He had six rebounds. He is becoming a complete player the right way, by leading with defense.

The best part is that other NBA fans are just now discovering how special of a player the Prince is:

Second round pick Luc Mbah a Moute has outplayed first round pick Joe Alexander thus far. Skiles likes Mbah a Moute’s great defense and toughness, which he learned playing in Ben Howland’s system at UCLA for three years.

And this comes from the Bucks' blog here at SBN, Brew Hoop:

Luc Mbah a Moute. It's becoming a broken record, isn't it? Another game, another big performance from the 37th overall pick. Though he missed the potential winner at the fourth quarter buzzer, Luc was again a catalyst and continues to show much more polish on the offensive end than anyone expected with 17 points on a tidy 8/10 shooting, including some big hoops late. And on defense it was the same old story, as he helped contain Antawn Jamison to just 6/19 shooting.

As UCLAbruin920, tasser10, Bruingirl83, and haster123 pointed out, the message to elite recruits everywhere is crystal clear: come to UCLA, play for Ben Howland, learn to play in-your-jersey defense, get drafted to the NBA, become another Bruin NBA success story.

Looking Ahead: Ben Ball Depth Projections - Part III: Frontcourt & Summary

Bellerophon — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:25:39 -0000

As promised, in this third segment of the three-part series (the first part here and the second part here) on our Ben Ball depth projections, this time we'll key in on our current frontcourt depth and how it projects over the next two seasons.

As I said before, hopefully, these projections and summary will help foster some discussion on our recruiting situation and how our frontcourt will play out this season.

POWER FORWARD AND CENTER

2008-2009

	PF	C
1	James Keefe (JR)	Alfred Aboya (SR)
2	Drew Gordon (SO)	J'mison Morgan (FR)
3	Nikola Dragovic (JR)	James Keefe (JR)

KEY LOSSES: Kevin Love (C - NBA Draft), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (PF - NBA Draft), Lorenzo Mata-Real (C - Graduation)

OTHER LOSSES: David McGrath (PF - Graduation)

INCOMING PLAYERS: J'mison Morgan (C - # 3 C, 5 stars by Scout), Drew Gordon (PF - # 15 PF, 4 stars by Scout)

ANALYSIS: Losing Kevin Love after one year was the major blow everyone expected. Having Mbah a Moute jump to the draft, which has worked out well for him, is the blow we did not see coming. Had LRMAM stuck around for one more year, the Bruins would be seriously challenging UNC as the favorite to win it all in March with a solid core of DC, JS, and LRMAM anchoring the young Bruins. In addition, losing Mata-Real's solid interior defense will hurt the Bruins on the inside a bit. However, CBH parlayed LSU's coaching switch into a huge recruiting get for the Bruins, bringing in very highly-touted J'mison Morgan. Moreover, convincing Alfred Aboya to defer his presidential dreams one year, was huge for the Bruins' interior toughness. That said, despite CBH's best efforts, expect AA2 to continue to get into foul trouble, which will give JMM plenty of minutes. Don't be shocked to see JMM getting starts down the homestretch. At PF, James Keefe really came into his own when LRMAM went down with injury down the homestretch, and according to reports, has made the starting job his. This should be the year that JK finally lives up to his billing as a high school McDonald's All-American. If Drew Gordon can overcome the injuries that hampered him his last season in high school, don't be surprised to see him get good minutes in relief of JK. No one is going to replace KL, but this unit should be solid defensively and on the glass. Without the inside scoring, expect the majority of the Bruins' offense to come from DC, JH, and JS.

2009-2010

	PF	C
1	James Keefe (SR)	J'mison Morgan (SO)
2	Drew Gordon (SO)	Anthony Stover (FR)
3	Brendan Lane (FR) / Reeves Nelson (FR)	James Keefe (SR)

EXPECTED KEY LOSSES: Alfred Aboya (C - Graduation), Nikola Dragovic (SF/PF - Graduation)

INCOMING PLAYERS: Anthony Stover (C - # 11 C, 4 stars by Scout), Brendan Lane (PF - # 29 PF, 4 stars by Scout), Reeves Nelson (PF - # 31 PF, 4 stars by Scout)

ANALYSIS: AA2 will be graduating and beginning his path to Cameroon’s presidency. Despite AA2 moving on, Morgan should stick around. There's the possibility he will bolt after one year for the NBA, but with AA2 and JK in the mix, he may not get enough minutes to do so. Right now, I'm projecting him sticking around through his sophomore season. JMM will make the center spot his own, but expect Anthony Stover to get good minutes spelling JMM. Keefe should be around for his senior season and should be the established starter at PF. Gordon will get minutes in the front-court (if he isn't hampered by injury as he was his last HS season), as will Brendan Lane and Reeves Nelson. If JK goes down with injury or leaves early, Gordon will have the inside track to start though.

2010-2011

	PF	C
1	Drew Gordon (JR)	Anthony Stover (SO)
2	Brendan Lane (SO)	Drew Gordon (JR)
3	Reeves Nelson (SO)

EXPECTED KEY LOSSES: J'mison Morgan (C - NBA Draft), James Keefe (PF - Graduation)

INCOMING PLAYERS: None.

ANALYSIS: Morgan definitely has the talent to succeed at the next level but lacks the conditioning to make the jump. By the end of his sophomore year, CBH should have him whipped into shape and I would not expect JMM to be around for his junior season. If he stays, that would be huge, but based on CBH's recruiting efforts, it looks like he doesn't plan on him sticking around for more than two seasons. Stover and Gordon should be able to establish themselves, although CBH is working hard on landing very highly-touted center Josh Smith from Washington (C - # 2 C, 5 stars by Scout). If CBH lands Smith, I'd expect Smith to seriously challenge for the starting job. Either way, if he suits up in UCLA blue and gold, he'll see significant minutes as a freshman. With Keefe gone, the PF job should be a toss-up between Gordon, Nelson, and Lane, although, I'd give Gordon the edge with the extra year in CBH's system and conditioning regimen.

SUMMARY

In sum, CBH has done a remarkable job of recruiting consistently solid classes. While not capitalizing on Lute's sudden retirement and landing Gaddy is a bit of a disappointment, if CBH can get Snaer or Moser to suit up for the Bruins, it'll be a huge boost to an already solid Class of 2009. As mentioned above, CBH is working hard on landing the highly touted center Josh Smith, which will really help the Class of 2010. Kendall Williams isn't getting any love from the scouting services, but then again, neither did DC and that turned out pretty well for us. I think I'll defer to CBH's judgment on the kid.

All-in-all, it's becoming increasingly clear that, like Bill Self and Roy Williams, it is not a question of if CBH will win a national title while at UCLA, but rather, a matter of when. With the talent CBH is bringing in to Westwood, I really believe banner # 12 will be coming to Pauley sooner rather than later.