SB Nation User Blog: bruinponcho

Finally!!! Some News About DC

bruinponcho — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:39:04 -0000

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Chad Ford has an article on ESPN's NBA draft page analyzing DC and his pluses and minuses. Unfortunately it is premium content, so I will give you guys a recap of it without quoting it.

Ford says that DC was "unconscious shooting from anywhere on the court." Ford says that DC was making NBA 3s, midrange jumpers, and drives with perfection. We all know about DC's legendary shooting percentages and I am happy to see that he is carrying that forward to the NBA game.

Ford's only real knock on DC is his size. However, DC's trainer (former Hornets Assistant Coach Dave Miller) says that DC has put on extra strength without losing any speed. In fact, Ford says DC is the fastest player in the draft and DC agrees with him.

The thing that might be helping DC's stock the most has nothing to do with DC and everything to do with what Aaron Brooks has done in the playoffs for Houston. Ford compares DC to Brooks and NBA GMs are notorious copycats with quick point guards being the in vogue thing. Ford states that DC isn't the scorer that Brooks is, but is a better playmaker.

Ford references the popular sentiment that CBH's system held down DC's stats which is likely true (Ford comments that DC's stats would have been more impressive if he played for UNC, a program notorious under Roy Williams for producing "great" college players but terrible pros), but not necessarily a bad thing. Ford notes that playing under CBH has led to DC being a top defensive guard and learning how to play half court. Both of these things will help him flourish in the NBA.

Ford concludes by saying that DC is competing with other guards like Lawson, Flynn, and Mills for a spot in the late lottery or mid first round (much better than the late 20s that some draft "experts" who never attend workouts have DC). Ford also states that DC is best shooter and defender of that bunch. As for DC's mentality going into this, he says he is going to be a "special player" for whoever picks him.

It is great to see such a good review of DC and that he seems to be impressing people through his hard work, career development, and good attitude. Talk about doing things the "right way" as opposed to a certain other UCLA guard.

In other news, Josh Shipp has signed with Bob Meyers (who played at UCLA under Harrick) from Wasserman Media Group (one of the biggest sports agencies) who also represents Jordan Farmar. A lot of the draft sites seem to be down or ignoring JS, but look for some team to take a chance on him late in the second round IMHO.

Jrue Holiday gets it wrong again

bruinponcho — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:12:25 -0000

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Nestor highlighted Jrue getting it wrong before, well it looks like he has done it again.

I have been one of the few holdouts around here that thought that Jrue would get good advice and see the light and come back to UCLA for his sophomore year. My belief was that this would not only improve his draft stock, but would allow Jrue to achieve his potential and become a good NBA player.

Alas, Nestor can finally find me solidly behind him regarding Jrue not coming back. The LA times had an article profiling Jrue today. Here is where Jrue adds to the list of getting it wrong:

"In college, it's all about defense," he said. The NBA "seems like it's more fun. You can be you."

Oh Jrue. One of the worst myths about the NBA is that they don't care about defense. The reason that players make it and have careers in the NBA is because of their DEFENSE. There is a reason that Russel and Luc got lots of playing time in their rookie years as compared to players like Luc's teammate Joe Alexander or the Lakers' Adam Morrison--they can defend at an NBA level.

The NBA isn't about "fun." It is a business where the bottom line is production. If you can't play/defend to help your team win, then you aren't going to be in the game much having "fun."

Jrue could come back to UCLA next year and develop into a top tier point guard who is ready to contribute to an NBA team from day one. Unfortunately, it appears that he will instead get drafted on "potential" and be a project where he will be left to develop and have "fun" riding the bench.

I know lots of people take their frustrations for this past season and place them on Jrue. I don't have any ill will towards Jrue, I just think he is getting terrible advice. He is working out with David Thorpe (who does the rookie rankings column for ESPN--conflict of interest much?) who seems to be under the same impression that Mr. Holiday is that Jrue will skyrocket once he does individual workouts. Whatever. Maybe I'm wrong and they are right.

But Jrue is WAY down on the list of available guards right now behind point guards Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Jonny Flynn, Jeff Teague as well as shooting guards James Harden, Demar Derozan, Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, Gerald Henderson, and Terrence Williams. That is 13 guards ahead of him. Throw in players like Eric Maynor, Patty Mills, and Chase Budinger (all of whom I would draft over him), and Jrue could be even farther down the draft board. And I don't think that every team in the draft is going to be looking at guards. The reason that these players are ahead of Jrue is that either they have proven their abilities in college and can help a team or they have shown enough improvement that they are worth the risk. Plus, do you really think that these players aren't also looking to improve their draft stock in those individual workouts to or I guess they are just going to roll over and let Jrue take their draft spot and money.

Jrue, your thoughts?

Meanwhile, working out each day, watching NBA games at night, Holiday seems as if he is getting an inkling of the future.

"I think I'd fit in well," he said.

Again, I don't dislike Jrue or even care about his impact on UCLA basketball. It just makes me sad that such a good player can waste his talent by operating on bad advice and assumptions.

UCLA Basketball Recruiting Roundup

bruinponcho — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:45:24 -0000

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

With the late signing period just around the corner, I came across ESPN's Recruiting Class Rankings for 2009. They have UCLA at 10 which is probably about right.

CBH said after JH declared for the draft that TH and MM might be playing some shooting guard this season in addition to small forward. I have to tell you that I am more excited to see TH and MM in a Bruin uniform than any of our recruits during CBH's tenure (save KL). They are the perfect players for CBH's defense in that they are long, quick and athletic. The thought of having 6'8" and 6'7" small forwards is dangerous enough (think Corey Brewer), but moving them to shooting guard when lots of teams are going to having small backcourts--watchout. In fact, watching MM during the Nike Hoop Summit, it is pretty clear that his game and body are more suited for shooting guard (especially when--not if--he makes it to the NBA). Here is what ESPN had to say about these two:

Tyler Honeycutt (Sylmar, Calif./Sylmar) gives UCLA coach Ben Howland a perimeter scoring threat with a diversified game. As he continues to develop his body and add strength, Honeycutt could become a big-time scorer from the small forward slot.

Mike Moser (Portland, Ore./Grant) provides the Bruins with another player who can do many things on the court, including handle the ball and involve teammates. Moser needs to continue to add strength to his frame as well as work on his perimeter shooting. UCLA also will have three inside guys to complement the wing players coming to Pauley next season.

Rivals.com also is impressed by TH labeling him the 4th best outside shooting foward saying that TH is:

He is a lethal shooter, and he also has a tremendous feel for moving without the basketball. .

I disagree with ESPN on MM's shooting. In fact, according to NBAdraft.net who attended the Nike Hoop Summit practice where the American players scheduled an impromptu 3 point contest, MM more than held his own.

The final put Mike Moser against Wall to decide the top shooter of the contest. Moser knocked down his first 11 finishing 14-of-15 easily beating Wall who got up to 4 before missing 2 in a row ending the competition.

However, MM didn't get much playing time during the actual game (which USA lost due to pathetic rebounding inside from Renardo Sidney). MM's 3s had good form and he also nearly had a putback dunk, so although his stats aren't that impressive, I came away impressed by him. Here are some more observations from nbadraft.net about MM

Mike Moser -- 0 pts, 0-3 fg, 0-2 3p, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk 9 min -- Moser got the biggest ovation from the crowd as the local kid. He was a little out of place with the rest of the talent in the game, but fit in for the most part. Although he struggled to contribute much in the game.

USA Team Head Coach John Olive gave his assessment of Moser's game saying that he's a very hard working kid with nice potential but he's a cut below the rest of the kids in terms of speed and athleticism.

I watched him knock down 14-of-15 3 pointers (11 in a row) winning the informal shooting contest besting the other USA team members, so obviously the kid has shooting ability. He's got the length and potential to make it to the NBA someday, however he lacks elite foot speed and explosiveness which means he will need to develop his body and skill set at UCLA over the next 3-4 years to get there.

In addition to complimenting TH's shooting, Rivals.com also named RN the third best rebounding forward saying:

Nelson can outmuscle most opponents for the ball. He also is a strong leaper and has vise-grips for hands.

ESPN adds this about RN

Reeves Nelson (Modesto, Calif./Modesto Christian) gives the Bruins toughness and effort, which have become staples of Howland's teams in recent years.

Sounds like a perfect replacement for PAA.

We have all heard of BL's great CIF game and I am very excited to see the different dimension this Keith Van Horn clone will bring to UCLA. Here is a tidbit from ESPN about BL

Brendan Lane (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) gives the Bruins an inside player with shooting ability that allows him to stretch defenses and play some faceup 4.

I have heard people say that AS might reshirt next year, I have never seen him play, but from youutube clips I have seen, it appears that he has excellent timing on his shotblocking. However, I don't know if he is really the 6'10" he is listed at, but who knows. Here is what ESPN thinks of AS

Anthony Stover (Los Angeles/Windward School) has the length to anchor Howland's intense pressure defense with his shot-blocking ability. As he gets stronger, Stover will become a dominant defensive force in the Pac-10. He also has surprising court awareness and passing skills for a big man.

In non-UCLA recruiting news,

USC lost star small forward Solomon Hill to Arizona this week. Arizona also added Kyryl Natyazhko who Rivals lists as the 9th best center (AS is 19th). So don't look now, but Sean Miller is rebuilding Arizona very quickly which as a fan of good basketball and the Pac 10, I am glad to see.
Besides losing Hill, USC has had Gibson, Hackett, and DeRozan all delcare for the NBA draft. Also backups Donte Smith and Mamadou Diarra are not returning next year. However, USC does appear the frontrunner for Oak Hill Academy point guard Lamont Jones. Needless to say, the USC team of present is nothing like the USC team that could have been 2 weeks ago before Timmeh flirted with Arizona.
Some of the top recruits still remain unsigned and could greatly affect recruitng rankings and the landscape of college baskeball next season (especially since there really is no clear cut top team or teams at this point). John Wall was amazing in the Nike Hoop Summit and looked like a more charismatic version of Derrick Rose. Xavier Henry is an amazing scorer and if he ends up at Kansas, they would be the team to beat. However, Kansas may also land one of the other top unsigned players: Lance Stephenson. I which we knew for sure if JH was coming back or not so that CBH could make a run at one of these players, but I don't think anyo of them really fit his system anyway. Also, if JH does come back, I would rather have him than any of these kids.

So now you are up to date on the state of college basketball recruiting right now. I for one can't wait for next season as CBH will have a team unlike any he has before with its dominating size and length. Exit question: since college football gets to have spring football, how come college basketball doesn't have summer basketball? I know I would watch.

NBA Draft Chronicles: 4/7

bruinponcho — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:56:53 -0000

This is the first entry in what I plan on being a compalation of NBA draft news with a slant toward UCLA and Pac 10 coverage. I am a draft junky and follow these things personally, so I figured I would share my thoughts and information with the Bruinsnation community so you guys can be informed and get your thoughts on them as well.

As we all know, UCLA will have three seniors eligible for the draft this year: DC, PAA, and JS.

PAA has been busy trying to elevate his status among the scouts. As mentioned last week, PAA was invited to the Hershey's All-Star game that was held the Friday before the Final Four in Detroit. PAA played his usual tough defense and had 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in 18 minutes. These aren't spectacular numbers, but he definitely showed that he is much more than the banger that everyone thought he was prior to this year.

PAA will also be playing in the Portsmouth Invitational taking place April 8 -11. While this event usually attracts players trying to get in to the second round, it willl be better attended by scouts this year than in previous years because the NBA will no longer be having 5 on 5 scrimmages at the Orlando combine. Thus, this is the only real opportunity for players to show what they can do in 5 on 5 setting as opposed to individual workouts.

Speaking of Portsmouth, for some reason JS decided to turn down an invitation to play in it. This decision led to draftexpress.com (one of the few reputable draft sites) to declare JS a "dummy". While I don't think JS is dumb, I do find this move questionable. I have yet to see JS projected as being drafted this year except for a few mentions every once in awhile as one of the last 5 picks or so. One would think that JS would use his strong senior year to catipult himself into the draft rather than laying low and disappearing from scouts minds. It will be interesting to see if he is able to work any private workouts in the coming months.

No news really on DC yet. Some say that his stock has slipped from being around the 20th pick to possibly an early second round pick. I don't by this as most of these draft sites don't think like NBA scouts. The sites get amazed by a few point guards who put up good point totals in college and assume they will be a high draft pick and successful in the NBA. Scouts and NBA types realize that most point guards in the NBA aren't looked to as the main scorers and that things like defense and smarts will make them a better player in the NBA.

If I had to rank the top point guards right now in the draft, it would look like this:

Ricky Rubio, Spain (appears that he will enter despite having a huge buyout in his current contract)
Brandon Jennings, American-Italian (with all the hyphenated Americans, I figured this would be the best way to lable Jennings)
Ty Lawson
Jonny Flynn (might return if not a top 10 pick)
Jeff Teague (I'm not sold on him, and I think he will return to Wake)
Eric Maynor (has good size and "looks" like an NBA guard)
DC

It sucks for DC that the point guard position is super deep this year and that there also other combo guards in the draft (Stephen Curry, possibly Willie Warren from Oklahoma, maybe JH). The thing with DC is that NBA people know what they are getting whereas with the other players they don't. DC will be a consistent backup point guard and strong defender for many years in the NBA. But he wont be the possible all-star that Rubio, Jennings, Lawson, or Flynn could be. Of course, these players could flame out just as easily. This is why DC will end up in the 20s somewhere playing for a playoff team where he will be able to contribute which is really probably the best situation for him as opposed to being asked to carry a bad lottery team.

As for JH, I really have no idea about him right now. Some reports say he already has declared, some say he still is thinking about it. I actually say him today with DG, ML, and JM on campus and took that as a positive sign that he might stay. At the very least, it showed that the freshman have formed a tight bond and that JH is still at school, which is good news for those hoping JH stays. Right now, JH is being projected in the late teens early twenties which to me seems about right based on what we have seen from JH so far. Hopefully this along with aforementioned things make JH think twice and return next year and become a top 5 pick next year.

As for the Pac 10, Cal's Patrick Christoper has declared, hasn't signed an agent, and isn't likely to be drafted, so he will likely return for his senior year. There are reports that DeRozan will declare, which makes sense since he will be a top 10 pick. Also, Arizona's Budinger has declared and Hill is expected to follow. Budinger is projected somewhere in the teens and Hill as a top 10 pick. James Harden has also declared and despite his poor showing in the tournament, will still likely be the first shooting guard taken in the draft.

All underclassmen have until April 26 (11:59 p.m. ET) to declare themselves eligible for the draft. Provided they don't sign with an agent, they have until June 15 (5:00 p.m. ET) to withdraw their names.

I hope you enjoyed this first roundup of draft news. I will try and do this at least once a week until the draft or more as events dictate. So any thoughts?

PAA playing in Hershey All Star Game today

bruinponcho — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:24:43 -0000

PAA playing in Hershey All Star Game today

I am so happy for PAA. This is an all star game for college seniors and it seems to focus on players that are possible 2nd round picks. The game is on the CBS College Sports Channel which thankfully I get, but most probably don't.

Go get em PAA!!!

The Standards new standard bearer

bruinponcho — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:53:36 -0000

The Standards new standard bearer

According to ESPN, Tim Floyd is going to be the next head coach of Arizona.

This really seems like an odd hire since Floyd is an intraconference coach which is awkward (just ask Stanford) and Timmey has done a pretty good job building up USC whereas Arizona will be rebuilding for at least 2 or 3 years. The only thing that I can think of is that SC is under NCAA investigation and Floyd leaving would quiet that down or at least save himself.

One other thing, Renardo Sidney never actually signed with SC, so it would be interesting to see what happens with him (as well as DeRozan, Gibson, Hackett) if this is true.

Holiday reportedly to "test the waters" in NBA draft

bruinponcho — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:25:32 -0000

Holiday reportedly to "test the waters" in NBA draft

Not that this was much of a surprise, but Bruin Report Online is saying that Holiday is putting his name in the draft. I'm not a member so I don't have the full story, but I think even those of us who thought Holiday would come back next year expected him to declare and see where he was at. Here is hoping he doesnt hire an agent.

UCLA 13th Most Valuable College Basketball Team

bruinponcho — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:55:19 -0000

Came across this Forbes article that was very interesting detaling the value of the top 20 college basketball teams. UNC is the most valuable at $25.9 million. UCLA ranks 13th at $15.4 million.

I found this really interesting:

Athletic conferences receive annual payments from the NCAA's central basketball fund of more than $140 million based on the number of games their teams participate in during the NCAA tournament over a six-year rolling period. These payments, which are composed primarily by TV revenue, directly reward success on the court. The *UCLA Bruins' consecutive Final Four appearances the last three years, for instance, will generate close to $18 million through 2013 for the Pac-10 conference*, which will divvy up the money amongst its members. The Bruins' recent success has helped boost operating income 30% since 2006 and increase team value to $15.4 million.

So since we brought in $18 million for the Pac 10, shouldn't we be entitled to better roughing or at least some say in who the next commissioner is. In the world of business, money = voice.

Eric Maynor Show

bruinponcho — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:18:42 -0000

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Don't know how to embed videos on here (N maybe you can put this up) but here is a video called the "Eric Maynor Show" which was the last 2 minutes of VCU's win over George Mason.

From watching the video, here are some things that are evident:

Maynor is VCU. The bad thing about this is if he goes off, we could be in trouble. The good thing is if we stop him, we stop VCU. Maynor only had 15 points in VCU's loss to Oklahoma.
Maynor goes for steals. The George Mason player was sloppy bringing the ball up and Maynor had quick hands and took it from him. DC won't be this sloppy playing in what could be his last game.
Maynor isn't that athletic. He isn't like the Washington guards who are super quick. He is more of a change of tempo guard which gets him space on bad defenders. I think JH or ML could handle him pretty well.
Maynor isn't that big either. This means that DC might get some time on him. However, DC will probably be put on the 5-10 Rodriguez.
They average 7 3s a game, George Mason defended the 3 well, and VCU still won.
George Mason isn't that good and they had VCU beat until the last 2 minutes. The good thing is that George Mason isn't very good and VCU had a tough time against them. The bad thing is VCU and Maynor showed the heart to pull out the victory.
Not in the video but in Maynor's stats, he is turnover prone. He averages 3 turnovers a game, had a game earlier in the year with 10 turnovers, and even in the George Mason game had 6.

In summary, Maynor is very good. However, he isn't on the Curry level of being the super explosive player that can win a game just by shooting the ball. He isn't a Derrick Rose type physically/athletically which should make him easier to guard. He isn't quick like the UW guards who gave us fits this year. Watching him, he reminds me of a poor man's Stephon Marbury (they even kinda look the same). He is a great player, but when you hear everyone this week pick them to upset us this week, find solace in the fact that he isn't the type of guard that has given us such trouble in the past.

As for my two cents about being in Philadelphia, I actually think it is a good thing in the sense that there is no pressure on us now. Everyone expects us to be upset by VCU and even if we do "escape" that game be beaten by a home town Villanova team. Thus, instead of feeling the pressure of "will they make a 4th final four" the team gets to cruise under the radar and be away from all the hubub of friends and family getting tickets. I am expecting to hear a lot of "Us against the world" talk this week and expect a great game on Thursday.

Go Bruins!

OSU game isn't on TV?!?!

bruinponcho — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:10:37 -0000

I was just checking the UCLA schedule to see what time the Senior Day game against Oregon was at, and was shocked to see that this Thursday's game against Oregon State isn't on TV. How Fox Sports in its infinite wisdom leaves the second to last game of the season off of local television is beyond me. I cant wait to see what crappy countdown rerun they have on or Pepperdine-St Mary's like they had on instead of the ASU-UW game last week.

Can you listen to the radio broadcast online? I know for Laker games AM 570 blacks out the online stream of their radio feed.

Probably not entirely his fault, but if there is blame to be dealt, let me be the first to say, "Thank you Tom Hansen. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."