UCLA coach Ben Howland is fine with his players leaving early for the NBA, so long as they’re projected to go in the first round of the draft, where the team commitment is stronger and the money is guaranteed.
Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee added their names to a long list of Bruins to leave UCLA early, but on Thursday at the 2011 NBA draft in Newark, N.J., neither could find the landing spot in the first round many of their predecessors did.
Honeycutt was the first Bruin to be selected, going with the fifth pick in the second round, No. 35 overall, to the Sacramento Kings. Lee followed shortly after, going No. 43 to the Chicago Bulls, who are reportedly sending Lee’s draft rights to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Honeycutt averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore last year. The 6-foot-8-inch forward also led the Pac-10 in blocks (68) and garnered all-Pac-10 first-team honors. Lee was the Bruins’ second-leading scorer as a junior (13.1 points per game) but made his name with his tough perimeter defense. Howland hailed him as one of the best defenders in the country, and Lee landed on the Pac-10’s all-defensive team.
More to come, with reactions from Honeycutt and Lee, later tonight on dailybruin.com/sports.