We’re all scared of the professional scouts in the college ranks these days.
Every year could be the year that someone bounces to The Association, leaving that gaping hole on the roster that the coach must rush to fill.
Ben Howland knows all about that.
In reality, though, who wouldn’t give an arm and a leg for another Kevin Love to come along, even if it is just for the one season?
This is the trade-off that college coaches everywhere are forced to make.
Now, we’re coming to the end of the season and March Madness is nearing, but seemingly just as soon arriving is the NBA Draft.
Presently, UCLA has two players who could potentially take part in that event after this season ends: sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt and junior guard Malcolm Lee.
A quick scan of the wholly premature Internet mock draft landscape places Honeycutt somewhere in the first round and Lee in the second.
Of course, neither of them will openly talk about their possible departures until the offseason, but Bruin fans should make their feelings known about what they think that decision should be.
The Bruins should want ““ nay, they need ““ at least one of those two to go pro now. Don’t even wait for June, just hold the press conference, give the speech, thank the family and then let’s get back to the court.
Let me clarify: I’m not implying that either Lee or Honeycutt actually leaves the team (or stops going to classes, most importantly), but that they reveal themselves as the NBA-level talent they have the potential to be.
For all intents and purposes, UCLA’s postseason run begins this weekend with a gigantic matchup against Arizona on Saturday afternoon.
Never mind the pageantry of the last game in “Old Pauley,” or the school’s “Blue Out, Sell Out” promotion, the outcome of the actual game being played on Nell & John Wooden Court has huge
implications for the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament seeding. Good seeding, of course, is paramount to their chances for any marked success, which would be represented by either one or two wins in the Dance.
The Wildcats, No. 10 in the latest AP Poll, will be the highest-ranked Pac-10 team to visit Westwood since the Love era Bruins faced the Cardinal-clad Lopez twins for the conference title in 2008.
Arizona is led by the soon-to-be Pac-10 Player of the Year and All-American candidate sophomore forward Derrick Williams.
And what of his professional prospects?
He’s predicted by most online mock drafts to find an NBA team in the first five selections.
So, how is UCLA going to defeat such a well-regarded opponent? Easy. Go pro.
Let’s look at the history books.
In 2009, USC was an average team. The Trojans finished 9-9 in the Pac-10 and amassed 22 wins overall, but it didn’t look like they were going to make the NCAA Tournament. Until DeMar DeRozan, who was having a so-so season until that point, decided to declare his NBA status (figuratively, of course) right on the spot.
DeRozan won the Pac-10 Tournament MVP with a career-high in points and another in rebounds during the event and USC made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, two rounds further than expected.
Another prime example of this phenomenon, one that won’t cause Bruin blood to boil, would be Russell Westbrook.
The former UCLA guard’s rise from unwanted high school prospect to No. 4 NBA Draft pick has been well-documented, but it was that final stretch of games he played for UCLA when he really stood out. It got him noticed by the dreaded pro scouts, but also helped the Bruins a great deal in their Final Four run.
Though we demonize the one-and-done system that turns every offseason into a pins-and-needles waiting game for coaches and fans alike, no one here would object to UCLA needing pro talent on its roster.
Last season’s team, with its unfortunate performance, produced no NBA players, the first time since 1996 that UCLA did not have a representative in the draft.
This year’s Bruin squad has the potential to win games in the postseason, but it will have to sacrifice a piece from its bright future in order to do that.
Honestly, who wouldn’t take that deal?