On Love, Collison
Here is my take on the Kevin Love and Darren Collison situation.
From everyone I spoke to, the feeling inside the basketball program is both players will declare for the NBA draft. The only question is the timetable for their announcements to be made, which is why I found Tuesday's reports to be so curious.
I spoke with Love individually after the Memphis loss in UCLA's locker room, and he made it clear he wouldn't have a decision for at least a week because he wanted to get rid of as emotion from the loss as possible before discussing the matter with his family.
I spoke to Collison's mother during halftime of the championship game, and she said the family was yet to sit down and discuss the matter, but that would happen sooner rather than later. That is why it struck me as odd that Collison would tell UCLA coach Ben Howland before Collison had a chance to sit with his family and talk.
Again, when the process is done playing out, sources continue to say Collison and Love will both declare for the draft, which isn't really news.
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About Inside UCLA
This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
Brian,
I have often been critical of you, but I do respect the fact that you won't trample on people's lives in order to report a story. I think that says volumes about you.
I'm not sure why the people in the LA Times felt the need to do this. Announcing something most people already suspect isn't worth the price of upsetting the young men and their families who are making very big life changing decisions, and clearly the "facts" of the report are incorrect, as neither Collison nor Love has contacted Howland about a decision
Who should declare - at least test the waters: Collison, Westbrook, Love; also Mbah a Moute, Shipp - next year is their final year, they lose nothing by testing the waters
Who should leave:
Collison - IF he's a first round pick - debatable if he's 2nd round
Love - IF he's a lottery pick AND is ready to give up his youth and college and move on - it's more emotional and collateral issues than anything else, in terms of basketball, he's mature and good enough now, can improve what's left to work on in the pros as well as in college, and skipping one year of multi-million dollar income in a relatively short career, you can't ever make up that money. OTOH, if he and Westbrook both return to go with the incoming freshmen, Love is the critical piece - he'd likely be favored for the NC and National POY - only worth a couple places in the draft, probably, but inestimable in terms of life accomplishments and satisfaction
Westbrook IF he finds he's a definite first rounder and is ready mentally and psychologically to move on - if he returns he gets a year to improve his outside shot and ball handling which could translate into a lottery pick
Who should return - all the others.
Shipp has to prove he can get through a whole season physically - you have to questionwhether it was his hips that caused his complete turnaround downward the last half of the season
Luc has to develop a shot to play pro - he has one more year of college to do it or he's in the NBDL or Europe, NOT the NBA
Brian,
Since you have widely proclaimed your objectiveness, why did you not title your blog:
"LA Times Lies?"