Love leaving
Not that it is any kind of surprise, but I was told tonight UCLA center Kevin Love is leaving and that an announcement would be made this week. He is supposed to return from his family's home in Oregon today and attend the season-ending team banquet with his father, Stan, tonight.
I have more on it in Monday's paper.
Well, this is truly no surprise. It was great to have seen him play for us and the skills he demonstrated were incredible. I will greatly miss his outlet passing and how seemingly easy it was for him to rebound and put the ball back in. It's unfortunate that he was not enough to bring home a championship.
What I don't like of this is the whole one-and-done phenomenon that has plagued many schools. Nothing personal against Love, Mayo or anybody else but I don't like the idea that a school serves as a rendezvous point for individuals who have no care in receiving an education. This phenomenon really takes away the attention from other players who have established themselves in a basketball program and whose efforts are totally overlooked (eg, Westbrook, Mata-Real, Moute, etc...)
I'm hoping that the NBA and the NCAA can come to an agreement that will get rid of this phenomenon-although one can argue that a new one will develop.
I was skeptical about the passing, but it was the most amazing of all his skills. The only people who aren't going to missing is the rest of the Pac 10.
The only aspect of his game that could have improved with another year would have been his D. I just don't see anyone in the NBA superior to Howland in teaching defense. Maybe I'm fooling myself here.
Anyway, not having KL to defer to may open things up for the players next year. After all, Texas didn't exactly suffer from Durant leaving after a year.
i totally agree with ubcrluain... this "one and done" thing is way whack. totally takes so much of the focus away from the things that are proper and good about the college experience. its a detriment to the institution of higher education. it is, it really is.
klove is admitted to one of the best places of higher education in the world, among the top research universities on the planet... and he turns his back on this to have millions of people watch him throw balls through a hoop a few years early. that is a tragedy. its not "politically correct" to say so, but its the truth.
BRUINzor, imagine if there was a kid out there who was a real genius type. Physics major. He gets a full academic scholarship to UCLA. After a year in school, he comes up with some brilliant invention that is guaranteed to make him millions upon millions of dollars. It's not going to feed the hungry or give us world peace or anything, but he's going to make a lot of money, and people will really enjoy this invention. Only problem is that to go through the patent process and travel the world promoting the invention, he has to quit school. Would that be a "tragedy"? Would it be a "detriment to the institution of higher education"? How exactly is this any different?
And I'm sure it goes without saying that if he were in the exact same situation, BRUINzor would turn down the millions of dollars guaranteed to stay for four years.
Good luck, Kevin. It was great getting to see you play for the Bruins.
Seitz, it's completely different. These kids come to college knowing very well they are one and done. They're just waiting out their mandatory 1-year "probationary" period. They have zero intention of staying longer than they need to. It becomes a joke that the NCAA is just a one-year minor league for the NBA.
Seitz, it's completely different. These kids come to college knowing very well they are one and done. They're just waiting out their mandatory 1-year "probationary" period. They have zero intention of staying longer than they need to. It becomes a joke that the NCAA is just a one-year minor league for the NBA.
Seitz, it's completely different. These kids come to college knowing very well they are one and done. They're just waiting out their mandatory 1-year "probationary" period. They have zero intention of staying longer than they need to. It becomes a joke that the NCAA is just a one-year minor league for the NBA.
OK, then, what about a kid like Westbrook? If he leaves, does it make it OK because he wasn't expected to go pro early? Let's say he had exploded last year and left. Would it be different than Love since no one expected him to leave early and he's just striking while the iron is hot? Are we really going to make a big deal about the mens rea of a player before he enrolls?
College is supposed to prepare you for a career. That's what it's done for Kevin Love. I wish him luck, and I'm happy I got to see him play while he was at UCLA.
Well, originally players could simply bolt from high school to the pros if they were good enough. Then the NCAA steps in and says a player has to be 19 years old to be eligible for the NBA. Now they are talking about raising that to 20. Will that make much difference? In football, a kid has to stay at least 3-years, but football is a different animal i.e. better be physically mature to enter the NFL>
Either way, it does turn the very top high school players into de facto free agents. Why did Love go to ucla and not his home town team, Oregon?-- Because he wanted a shot at the title.
Amen Mikeh!
Amen Mikeh!
Amen Mikeh!
I have two feeling on Kevin Love and the whole one and done topic.
The problem in my opinion is the NBA has the most screwed up system of any major sport. The NFL which always gets the best of their players forces kids to use collages as their minor leagues.
Baseball actually has the best system. You can go out of high school but if you go to collage you have to stay two years. Unlike Basketball you do not start getting credit toward free agency if you go out of high school. Instead you don't get credit toward free agency until you make the Majors. Hockey is similar.
The stupidity of basketball and it has hurt the NBA is that they draft minor league players and let the time they sit developing count on their years toward free agency. You either need to go like football or baseball in my opinion but this middle stuff is horrible.
On Kevin Love, I don't blame him for leaving and I think it was a real treat getting to see him play for UCLA for a year. He is definitely a unique player with some special talents.
That said if I was his parents my advice would be different. With the main reason being he doesn't need to leave early for money. Collage is a unique experience and a chance to educated and prepare for life after basketball. In addition, Kevin Love is a hero at UCLA who seems to enjoy all the extra attention he gets.
The NBA is a grind. In the NBA he will probably just be another player and definitely won't be getting the special attention he gets and loves in collage.
He will have 15 years either way to enjoy the NBA if he is good. Collage and the opportunity it offers will be gone as soon as he walks out the door.
That is my opinion on both topics.
Bill Gates also didn't finish his degree at Harvard. I personally don't think it was wrong for him to turn his back on that excellent education.
Kevin Love's dream is to play against the best basketball players every day. I wish him the best, I also thank him for giving us a great year. I think he has earned the right to live his life as he wants, rather than to our whims, fears, projections and wants.
I have two feeling on Kevin Love and the whole one and done topic.
The problem in my opinion is the NBA has the most screwed up system of any major sport. The NFL which always gets the best of their players forces kids to use collages as their minor leagues.
Baseball actually has the best system. You can go out of high school but if you go to collage you have to stay two years. Unlike Basketball you do not start getting credit toward free agency if you go out of high school. Instead you don't get credit toward free agency until you make the Majors. Hockey is similar.
The stupidity of basketball and it has hurt the NBA is that they draft minor league players and let the time they sit developing count on their years toward free agency. You either need to go like football or baseball in my opinion but this middle stuff is horrible.
On Kevin Love, I don't blame him for leaving and I think it was a real treat getting to see him play for UCLA for a year. He is definitely a unique player with some special talents.
That said if I was his parents my advice would be different. With the main reason being he doesn't need to leave early for money. Collage is a unique experience and a chance to educated and prepare for life after basketball. In addition, Kevin Love is a hero at UCLA who seems to enjoy all the extra attention he gets.
The NBA is a grind. In the NBA he will probably just be another player and definitely won't be getting the special attention he gets and loves in collage.
He will have 15 years either way to enjoy the NBA if he is good. Collage and the opportunity it offers will be gone as soon as he walks out the door.
That is my opinion on both topics.
I don't think the issue is going to college for a year and then leaving. Rather, nobody should be forced to go to college at all, to pursue their talent, dream and vocation.
Imagine if Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), John Lennon (Beatles), Jerry Yang (Yahoo!), Sergei Brin (Google), and other brilliant creative types, were forced to stay in college? They could not have accomplished what they did.
Bill Gates also didn't finish his degree at Harvard. I personally don't think it was wrong for him to turn his back on that excellent education.
Kevin Love's dream is to play against the best basketball players every day. I wish him the best, I also thank him for giving us a great year. I think he has earned the right to live his life as he wants, rather than to our whims, fears, projections and wants.
I have two feeling on Kevin Love and the whole one and done topic.
The problem in my opinion is the NBA has the most screwed up system of any major sport. The NFL which always gets the best of their players forces kids to use collages as their minor leagues.
Baseball actually has the best system. You can go out of high school but if you go to collage you have to stay two years. Unlike Basketball you do not start getting credit toward free agency if you go out of high school. Instead you don't get credit toward free agency until you make the Majors. Hockey is similar.
The stupidity of basketball and it has hurt the NBA is that they draft minor league players and let the time they sit developing count on their years toward free agency. You either need to go like football or baseball in my opinion but this middle stuff is horrible.
On Kevin Love, I don't blame him for leaving and I think it was a real treat getting to see him play for UCLA for a year. He is definitely a unique player with some special talents.
That said if I was his parents my advice would be different. With the main reason being he doesn't need to leave early for money. Collage is a unique experience and a chance to educated and prepare for life after basketball. In addition, Kevin Love is a hero at UCLA who seems to enjoy all the extra attention he gets.
The NBA is a grind. In the NBA he will probably just be another player and definitely won't be getting the special attention he gets and loves in collage.
He will have 15 years either way to enjoy the NBA if he is good. Collage and the opportunity it offers will be gone as soon as he walks out the door.
That is my opinion on both topics.
I have two feeling on Kevin Love and the whole one and done topic.
The problem in my opinion is the NBA has the most screwed up system of any major sport. The NFL which always gets the best of their players forces kids to use collages as their minor leagues.
Baseball actually has the best system. You can go out of high school but if you go to collage you have to stay two years. Unlike Basketball you do not start getting credit toward free agency if you go out of high school. Instead you don't get credit toward free agency until you make the Majors. Hockey is similar.
The stupidity of basketball and it has hurt the NBA is that they draft minor league players and let the time they sit developing count on their years toward free agency. You either need to go like football or baseball in my opinion but this middle stuff is horrible.
On Kevin Love, I don't blame him for leaving and I think it was a real treat getting to see him play for UCLA for a year. He is definitely a unique player with some special talents.
That said if I was his parents my advice would be different. With the main reason being he doesn't need to leave early for money. Collage is a unique experience and a chance to educated and prepare for life after basketball. In addition, Kevin Love is a hero at UCLA who seems to enjoy all the extra attention he gets.
The NBA is a grind. In the NBA he will probably just be another player and definitely won't be getting the special attention he gets and loves in collage.
He will have 15 years either way to enjoy the NBA if he is good. Collage and the opportunity it offers will be gone as soon as he walks out the door.
That is my opinion on both topics.
Hey, guys, this "One and Done, Go Pro" thing is nothing new.
Jimmy Connors did it in 1971.
It was a real treat watching Kevin play for us. I wish him well. He really doesn't have that much more to prove in the college game so why not earn a paycheck playing the sport he plays so well? I find it hard to find any fault in that reasoning. I suspect the same one-and-done talk will be back anew this time next year when Jrue Holliday announces. Let's just hope that one of these one-year players blossoms into a Carmelo Anthony type and helps us win another title!!
Altho I'm not a fan of the "one and done" rule, it was nice to have Kevin be a Bruin for this one bright, shining moment. He will forever be linked to UCLA and that's not a bad thing. One thing I would like to see to have a rule that if a HS player makes a verbal commitment to a NCAA institution than reneges to enter the NBA draft, then that team which drafts the young man would have to pay the school to compensate for the expense of recruiting said player. A couple of examples of this would be Robert Swift who committed to U$C and then ended up signing with the SuperSonics as well as Andrew Bynum who verballed to UConn and then got drafted by the Lakers.
Not surprising that you got it wrong.
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/8034810?MSNHPHMA
I like it when news outlets and blogs name their sources so I can decide how much credence I want to give a story. Foxsports.com says Kevin Love is its source and that he says he hasn't decided yet. Pretty good source. I wish I knew who the LA Times and the Daily News source was. In the long run, they'll probably be right, but I don't know how they could know more than Kevin Love himself. Anybody can say, "I was told..." and the fact they were told can be true. Please name your source...this isn't Watergate.
Kevin really doesn't have any reason to stay at UCLA. The publicity, added ticket sales, concessions, TV ratings etc which were generated by his year at UCLA more than off-set the cost to the University of his scholarship.
We, as Bruin fans would LOVE (pun intended) for him to stay. But the only real reasons for him to stay are personal ones--he just loves the college experience so much and see it as a once-in-a-lifetime affair to which no price tag can be affixed.
If he doesn't, there's no reason to take it personally. Kevin is a good kid and I'm happy he gave us a year of thrills.
Good luck to Kevin Love and the Love family regardless of what he/they decide.