Weekly Answers, Pt. 4

1) Given the severe case of the dropsies that our receivers seem to have, if you were coach Jon Gold, who would you start in a theoretical game against USC next week? - captainqtp
Interesting question. I would start Nelson Rosario, Randall Carroll and Josh Smith in a three-receiver set, with Embree rotating with Rosario and Marvray rotating with Carroll and Smith. I'm of the mindset that tall receivers don't offer a particular advantage in the college game, unless they have breakaway speed or incredible moves, or its a red-zone situation. You don't need two at once. I'm also of the opinion that Randall Carroll has the best raw talent of the corps and it needs to be cultivated better. He was misused last year. But really, it's not about who starts or anything, because there is a fair amount of substitutions. But I definitely think there could be better sets and packages with the particular talent.

2) Jon what is your initial impressions with the new coordinators so far? Also what do you think of our new d-line coach so far? I have a feeling he will do great things with are defensive line this year. Thanks for the hard work Jon. - Bruinfan123
Everything I've seen has been good, but A) it's been seven practices, and B) the problem was the play-calling, wasn't it? I think it's a little premature to become giddy over coaches this early. But in terms of the guys individually, they all have energy and enthusiasm and high expectations. And Mike Johnson will be an absolute beast in recruiting. He walked Spaulding Field yesterday like Dean Martin to Neuheisel's Sinatra. Cool guy, wide smile, clearly forming bonds and connections already.

3) What exactly is the role of the F-back? I'm a little confused because Barr is like 6' 4" athletic fullback sized player and Thigpen is a 5' 8" speed guy. Seems like they are fundamentally different types of players playing the same position. - BruinBall
I'm asking myself the same question every day. I don't know why they just don't end the farce, put Presley at tight end, Barr at wideout and Thigpen at running back. If it were just Barr and Presley, I would get it. But like you say, they're completely different "types" of player, and they're forced into this weird hybrid position. Weird.

4) What do you think of Lee's decision to go pro? Do you see him coming back for his senior year? Was Honeycutt's leaving because of a dislike for Howland? - Legalsean
First, start with Honeycutt. Honeycutt is pretty much a lock to go in the early-to-mid 20s, and with another year at UCLA, where would he be? His flaws are his flaws, and another year wouldn't completely correct them. He doesn't take the ball to the rack, he doesn't create his own shot, he doesn't always make the wise decision. So he comes back and does everything a little better than he did this year, and maybe adds 10 percent more "gamer" skills, like hustle and clutch and a better spin move. He averages around 13-14 points, around 7-8 boards, around 1.5-2 blocks, 3 assists and cuts his TOs to 2.5. You think that catipults him to the lottery? I don't. I think his "max draftability" would be around 16-20, and that's not a big enough jump in base rookie pay to deem another year of college as "necessary." Now, as Tracy Murray said in his recent great interview, it's about staying in the league for 12 years, not three, and maybe Honeycutt isn't a finished product, but he's also completely altering his family's life, and I'll never bash a kid for doing that.
Now, Malcolm, that one puzzles me. I DO think Lee could drastically improve his stock next season with UCLA, particularly if the team plays as well as it can. Starting senior off-guard for a Sweet-16 to Elite-8 level team, prohibitive conference defensive POY favorite, first-team lock, POY darkhorse. His flaws - his shot, his shot selection and his ball-handling - CAN be improved and CAN prove something to NBA GMs, and as of right now, he's not a first-round guarantee. Next year, he would be. That's a major, major, major difference. Of course, the decision to go pro has not been made, so it's all speculation. But at the same time, I think UCLA's team success next season would've made it a no-brainer.

5) Why do you think Honeycutt and Nelson were the leaders of last year's team? It seemed that the team's fortunes went as far as those two players would carry them in games. Was Lee not looked at as a leader for this team? - Legalsean
The loudest wheel gets the grease, no?