Lack of rebounding
Coach Ben Howland said before season rebounding was a concern, and it is showing in the Pac-10. UCLA has been out-rebounded in all four of its league losses, including getting beat 34-27 on the boards by Arizona.
"We weren't blocking out,'' UCLA power forward Nikola Dragovic said. "(Jordan Hill) was standing their by himself and got like six, seven offensive rebounds. It led to second and third shots."
True but if you allow teams to shoot 60%, that usually equals less rebounds, no?
The most galling thing was that the Arizona guys, including Hill, were literally wide open under the basket as rebounds just fell into their hands. How do you not put a body on Hill?
Howland needs to escape to an undisclosed location with Bobo over the summer and get him ready to play UCLA basketball. Because if Bobo's not a factor, the rebounding is going to be even worse next year. Gordon will be playing out of position at center and Dragovic and Keefe will be as clueless as usual inside.
Osito Azul,
Hey amigo, we’re back and ready to watch the ‘ol gamearoosky. We are going to get KILLED of course, but we Troyanos don’t want you to say you “question most USC fans' dedication to their team if they aren't interested in basketball.”
Lots of us go to as many games as possible, even though it requires a long drive through miserable traffic. You could say it's sort of like going to the Rose Bowl! Unfortunately (like UCLA football fans), we do need to maintain a safe distance to avoid personal injury. So, do not mistake our mild aloofness for lack of interest.
Wish us lots of luck; and maybe we can bring those Scoundrels of the Desert down a peg and help fix your RPI a little bit. What is it? 30? Caramba! Anyway, let’s hope our resident tenor and dramatist, Signore Daniele Hackett can put the cuffs on that villain Harden. OK compadre?
Unfortunately, Hill is too quick to box out, and even if we got a body on him, he can just out manueuver us. He is a legitimate NBA player so good luck stopping him. At least Hill would have a lot bigger person to run around if Bobo were in. We need Reynardo Sydney, that's all there is to it.
To my dear amigo Locoweed,
Do you think getting Pauley is an easy trek? However, the Rose Bowl is one of the most accessible stadiums in the history of the universe. But, maybe as an ill-formed Trojan fan, you're going the wrong way!
You know what? This team needs a little bit of attitude! Collison, Shipp, Drago, Holiday, et all are very passive, low-key type guys
It might have something to do with Dragovic being a sieve, and Aboya being unable to rebound (defensively) or block. Gordon's foul-prone, but he can rebound and block. He really needs to start if this team is to go anywhere, because they're just going to get destroyed by good frontlines with the current lineup.
BruinNV - You've got it backwards. Offensive rebounds leads to layups and 60% shooting.
Blue Bruin - Agree. This team lacks a pack leader. That's why Gordon keeps trying to step into that role (even if he's not ready). The Dog Whisperer's rules apply.
The problem can be summed up in 3 words (okay 5):
Love
Mata-Real
Mbah a Mouté
Reynardo is not the answer because he'll want to roam the perimeter more than he will crash boards.
Face it, Aboya is a 4 trying to play a 5. Drag is a 3 trying to play a 4. You could probably get away with one of those, but not 2 against good teams. We got caught without a real front court due to kids leaving early. This would be my one complaint about CBH. We clearly should have had another big strong PF or C last year or the year before.