Tempered expectations
After the end of the UCLA basketball season, the pundits started drooling on the Bruins' potential for 2011-12. With a nucleus of talent returning, senior leadership, talented additions to the team and coming off a pretty good bounce-back year, some national college hoops analysts were hyping the Bruins to the Nth degree, some saying top-10, some saying top-5.
Now what?
Malcolm Lee announced today he's hiring an agent and entering the NBA Draft, Tyler Honeycutt did the same shortly after the season ended, and now UCLA must replace two of its best players. The Bruins return a solid core of Reeves Nelson, Joshua Smith, Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson, but the loss of Lee really stings.
Though projected as a second-round pick, Lee was a lock-down defender for UCLA and was second on the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game. He would've returned as a three-year starter, giving the Bruins the on-court experience they've lacked in recent years, as a returning all-conference first-team and all-defensive team pick.
Ben Howland and Co. are now going to have to do some creative roster management, with a surplus of talent in the front court, and little depth in the backcourt.
UCLA fans could see some strange lineup configurations, but if David Wear can indeed play the small forward position in a starting capacity - and that's a big if - the Bruins could field a lineup of Jones, Anderson, Wear, Nelson and Smith. In a murky Pac-12, that's a winnable core.
The key is the development of Tyler Lamb and the contributions of De'End Parker and Travis Wear. If they can produce at a decent level, UCLA will still have enough depth to contend in the Pac-12.
But it looks like the idea of the Bruins being clear-cut conference favorites has gone out the window, all the way to the NBA.
good luck to Malcolm...in Turkey in 2012...
His parents asked me to take their picture at the AZ game in Pauley - makes sense now...
this blows. Malcolm, WTF? ...still time to change your mind, son.
We'd definitely be better with Lee, but this team will still be good. We all know Lee's not NBA material, so keep in mind it means we won't miss him as much as others (Westbrook, Afflalo, Farmar, Love, etc.) He was soft and inconsistent offensively, not a great shooter. And yeah, he was a good defender, but "lock down" is a little over the top here. Imagine him trying to guard an NBA scorer; he's a boy amongst men.
It means we'll get the ball to Smith more, who will be a beast. It means Lamb will get more pt, and I don't think he'll be soft. It means Nelson will have the tougher defensive assignments like he did vs. Derrick Williams. It means Jerime Anderson can continue to improve - he's maybe a better outside shooter than Lee anyway. It means Parker will get an opportunity to learn how to lead the team. It means we'll have more playing time for all the trees we'll have next year (Stover, Smith, Lane, Wear, and Wear.) And it means we won't have to see that stupid arms-crossed six-shooter pose Lee likes to do after he hits a lucky shot - give me a break.
Id' rather have Lee than not, but I still have high expectations.
Still strong but vulnerable. Jon does realize it is the Pac-12, though, right???