Cal-UCLA Postgame Thread: Bears Wreck Bruins in Pauley
by Avinash Kunnath on Feb 6, 2010 3:35 PM PST
in California Golden Bears Men's Basketball
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Well, 2-2 was where most of thought this team would be on this road visit. It wasn't exactly ideal basketball after the ASU victory, but I guess if you get the opportunity to win in Pauley by double digits, you'll take it and run with it. Robertson, Christopher and Randle all brought the best of their games for the final 30 minutes, and the defensive intensity and ball movement were superb. We've finally gutted those little Bruins.
Five questions to ponder about this road trip:
1) Was it a successful road trip?
2) Which team will give us the most trouble the rest of the way?
3) Who played the best on this road trip? Who needs some work?
4) What are the key adjustments Mike Montgomery has to make down the stretch?
5) How much fun was it to FINALLY beat UCLA?
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1) Was it a successful road trip?
Awww, hell no. 4-0 would have been successful. 3-1 would have been acceptable. 2-2 is minimal. Particularly given the fact that we were in prime position to beat Zona. That game against SC was yet another embarrassing exhibition of sleepwalking. If we played half as intense against the Trogans as we did today, that is a win.
2) Which team will give us the most trouble the rest of the way?
I’m tempted to say Zona, but I tend to think it may be either Oregon (yes, Oregon) or ASU.
3) Who played the best on this road trip? Who needs some work?
Jerome played the best … and the most consistently. P-Chris needs to find some sort of emotion and desire to play the entire game, each game.
4) What are the key adjustments Mike Montgomery has to make down the stretch?
Monty doesn’t need to make any adjustments. The team does. The players need to keep that Randle quote (from after the SC disaster) taped to their mirrors, converted into an MP3 and placed on their iPods, or tattooed on their wanking hand and take it to heart. This conference is theirs for the taking.
5) How much fun was it to FINALLY beat UCLA?
Nice. But would have been oh so much better had we smacked them around like pimp thrashing a cheating crack-whore up in Haas as well.
Whose Axe?
OUR AXE!
Wait...Oregon???
Really?
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Feb 6, 2010 3:53 PM PST up reply actions
Agreed
They always give us trouble with their zone defense.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Feb 6, 2010 4:10 PM PST up reply actions
The only way Oregon could scare anyone is if...
Dunigan gets on a roll and the Ducks shooters actually make shots. Neither are likely to happen.
SoCalOski
When did you become the critic?
by 33SwisherSweet on Feb 6, 2010 6:32 PM PST up reply actions
Gutted them with a nice curvy dagger!
1) Was it a successful road trip?
I’d say 2-2 is decent. It’s pretty much par in my book. Also, two of the games lost were really close games that could’ve gone our way in the end. So I’m not too disappointed.
2) Which team will give us the most trouble the rest of the way?
I’d say Washington is going to be our biggest game down the stretch, but I also sense a possible slip-up in Oregon…particularly Oregon State. God I hate tripping to Corvalis
3) Who played the best on this road trip? Who needs some work?
I’d say, aside from his one game at Arizona, Theo had the best game. It felt like he was always throwing down a clutch three when it matters.
I would like Amoke to pick up his game. No particular reason to focus other than his missed free throws. I"d like him to pick up that game. But though Christopher had some good play, I wish he was more consistent.
4) What are the key adjustments Mike Montgomery has to make down the stretch?
Monty needs to keep the team focused on maintaining their leads in the game. Instead of changing the game plan and shooting more threes with a lead, I’d prefer our team to continue to pound the basket.
5) How much fun was it to FINALLY beat UCLA?
Everything I thought it was. Really really fucking awesome. It’s always good to stick it to the bruins.
ASIDE from his game at Zona?
Theo had a career high vs Zona….
That’s what I meant.
Sorry, I’m still hungover.
by CaliforniaBone on Feb 6, 2010 4:41 PM PST up reply actions
Answers
1. The road trip was far from successful. I would say that it was disappointing. Again the Bears played four teams that they should have been able to handle, but instead slept walked through Arizona and USC.
The Bears still need help at the end of games. UCLA helped today with missed free throws in the second half, but the Bears did make the plays to put the game out of reach.
2. Which team will give us the most trouble the rest of the way? I still believe it is Washington especially if Thomas gets going.
3. Who played the best on this road trip? Who needs some work? Randle played the best along with Gutierrez and his energy. As for the two that need some work it’s Robertson and Christopher.
Christopher has to find a way to score consistently and in a variety of ways. Kind of like he did in the second half today. He hit threes, he got to the free throw line, he drove to the hoop, and he made an excellent cut to the hoop as well which made him able to receive a great feed from Gutierrez.
Robertson is a great defender, but his offense deserted him twice on the road trip. For the Bears to get on a run Robertson needs to consistently give the Bears offense.
I would also say the Bears need to get more production from their bench because if anything happened to one of the Bears seniors the Bears would be in trouble on both ends of the court.
4. What are the key adjustments Mike Montgomery has to make down the stretch? At this point keep stressing the importance of getting a hand up on a shooter, take better care of the ball in the final minutes of games, and have that level of intensity of defense that was played today.
5. How much fun was it to FINALLY beat UCLA? It was great that the Bears got the win on the road against UCLA. Let’s hope that this begins a nice win streak for the Bears.
FUCK. UCLA.
that is all
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
by CBKWit on Feb 6, 2010 4:40 PM PST reply actions 8 recs
I swear it’s Springfield’s only choice! Throw up your hands and raise your voice!
Remember, the enemy's end zone is DOWN!
oh man, they’re really eating their own over at BN. Check out the post game thread. And I thought Cal football post game threads were full of anger and angst.
by LeonPowe on Feb 6, 2010 5:06 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
From BN
Let’s keep asking the questions and demand answers
1)I guess it’s now ok to ask questions…somewhat of a flip flop from the “do not criticize any aspect of ucla bball in any way” approach. Oh, I mean a complete 180.
2) yes, I’m sure that “demanding answers” will pay off…sbn blogs are nothing if not powerfully connected organizations with access to the highest level of the programs they cover.
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
That’s business as usual for BN, isn’t it?
Their posters have such an inflated sense of self-importance. The love the smell of their own farts.
i'm here to clean your pool but i don't have a pool *bowchica bowow*
No "fire Howland’ nonsense here. It is more than all right to offer up criticisms … and I am not going to hold back … but use datas/substantive observations.
However, next 2 years … it is going to be telling. No one is going to need to use the "F" word. The economics of having to raise money for Pauley will put the pressure on. No one is going to pay for a consistently sh!tty product that has been on display this season which has lead to lot of legit questions about how Howland is managing the programs.
Let’s keep asking the questions and demand answers. However, Howland does have some political capital, which he is burning through right now at a rapid rate.
What the fuck did he just say? It’s like he’s preparing to flip flop on the spot.
by CaliforniaBone on Feb 6, 2010 5:35 PM PST up reply actions
I dunno, that made sense enough to me.
Howland has had much success in the past, so that buys him some rope, but if the team continues to play poorly, though his past success gives him some benefit of the doubt that he can right the ship, he’s not completely above question or reproach.
by atomsareenough on Feb 7, 2010 3:02 PM PST up reply actions
As I say below, they are saying that while it isn’t ok to say “Fire Howland” it is ok to say, “We may have to fire Howland in the near future.” I personally think that is a distinction without a difference.
Without having gone to BN (which I try to avoid if possible), I would say that it’s probably more like, “It’s too soon to clamor for Howland’s firing at this point, but if this continues for much longer, the time may soon come when it’s not unreasonable to clamor for his firing.”
Then again, trying to assume rationality and objectivity on the part of UCLA fans is probably a useless exercise anyway.
by atomsareenough on Feb 8, 2010 9:24 AM PST up reply actions
Hey screw you, we have tremendous power with Cal Athletics! They linked to us!!!
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Feb 6, 2010 5:36 PM PST up reply actions
I demand an answer!
as to why Herb Benneson and his minions won’t acknowledge our existence, when we are giving doing the most comprehensive coverage of cal bball (men’s and women’s) of anyone.
…no, I do not expect a response from athletics
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
they’re really eating their own over at BN.
That is pretty much standard for the friendly and welcoming people at BN. Win and they are barely able to contain their smug superior gloating. Lose and they begin to lash out at any and all who dare offer a statement not sanctioned by their Lord and Master Nestor.
But that comes from having a blog filled almost entirely with (and ruled by) egotistical brats with a sense of entitlement that even the Kardashian skanks would find a bit extreme.
Just another day over there.
Whose Axe?
OUR AXE!
God knows that Cal fans have more reason than most to get angry and frustrated by their teams, but I can’t imagine us unleashing the kind of venom on our own team that those guys unleash on theirs.
Snobby Chick - Senior Division
CGB also rarely bans people, nor do its moderators have big baby blue sticks up their asses
i'm here to clean your pool but i don't have a pool *bowchica bowow*
ah, my apologies. i thought avinash may have banned someone named “jahvid worst” once (who may have been an incarnation of amy)
i'm here to clean your pool but i don't have a pool *bowchica bowow*
no worries. And truth be told, I’m not around nearly as much as Avinash or Twist so I don’t really know. Maybe they have banned someone.
I agree with you, the contrast is funny. If you disagree with someone here, that’s great, we like it. It fosters discussion. Hell, if you disagree with Twist you know you are right. Over there, if you go against the party line, banned. It’s like the republican caucus.
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
Actually there have been 3 bannings that I can think of – Jahvid Worst, Calhaddajxfirst and some other guy.
I loved that South Park episode!
i'm here to clean your pool but i don't have a pool *bowchica bowow*
I think he was a system wide ban
that guy was a moron, and I think the SBN higher ups banned him from the entire system. THAT’S how tolerant we are here at CGB
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
Didn’t he get banned by SBN, rather than CGB? (God, I sound like BN!)
Snobby Chick - Senior Division
Maybe I’m revealing too much – but I clearly remember Avi banning him – then him showing up at some of the NFL blogs to trash talk (Bleedin’ Green Nation) and THEN being a company wide ban.
Revealing too much as in – I paid attention and remembered the sequence of events.
I barely remember it
and you’re a much better rebounder, so I will concede to you
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
LeonPowe is right…this is what happened, I guess we were on the internet at the same time. And jahvid worst was banned in record time, after only a couple comments.
Jahvid Worst, DJax, and Rocky were all banned for the same reason, racism or homophobia. Jahvid Worst was posting some racist photos. DJax and Rocky were using homophobic slurs. We gave Rocky a second chance and he seems to have improved. He’s not exactly a pollyanna, but he is certainly much more reasonable…..in comparison.
We do have minimal rules here, but we have to keep overt displays of racism or homophobia out of here.
President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
I'm pretty sure Nestor invented hyperbole.
i'm here to clean your pool but i don't have a pool *bowchica bowow*
Almost
Nestor invented the greatest, most absolutely accurate and magnificent hyperbole the world has ever known.
Disagree? Boom – Banned.
Whose Axe?
OUR AXE!
My personal favorite
(these guys don’t deserve initials by the way)
I bet Malcolm Lee is in tears right now, knowing that he won’t be known as ML on BN.
by Sharkbit12 on Feb 6, 2010 5:35 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Holy hell….BN is truly delusional
i'm here to clean your pool but i don't have a pool *bowchica bowow*
One positive thing about BN
Whenever I visit there, it makes me appreciate our little corner of the cloud all that much more.
Hell, BN even makes me appreciate CC.
Whose Axe?
OUR AXE!
I visit there to drink their tears.
More refreshing than beer.
by CaliforniaBone on Feb 6, 2010 5:43 PM PST up reply actions
OK, I have been restraining from commenting on the insanity at BN, if only because of the vague truce signed awhile ago. And if the following violates that truce then feel free to delete this comment twist/rags/avi. But I want to say this: Those fans treat their student athletes worse than any mainstream site I’ve seen and it really bothers me. Now, were I a UCLA fan I would hardly be thrilled with their season. But the level of vitriol they aim at their team I think would only be justified if their coach/players were 1) clearly giving up on the season and showing no effort. 2) In constant trouble with NCAA rules and/or the law.
It’s like it never occurred to them that their team is bad because they lack talent. They talk about their players like they’re all gutless morons instead of a young, mediocre team with no depth that is actually playing above their heads because they happen to have a great coach. And Howland’s only crime is completely missing on one important recruiting class and having all of his NBA talent leave in a 2 year period. Sure, that’s a mistake, but the insults thrown at him shame his actual accomplishments and they shame the UCLA fanbase.
Calling the team you love ‘poodles’ ‘delusional’ and ‘pathetic’ is embarrassing, rude, and grade school level analysis. And when you complain about a team that’s 6-5 in conference as not up to your ‘standards’ then you reveal yourself to be insufferably entitled, a strange thing to say about fans from a public university who would frequently accuse their rivals of being the ones with a sense of entitlement.
/gets off high horse
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
by norcalnick on Feb 6, 2010 8:35 PM PST up reply actions 14 recs
then feel free to delete this comment twist/rags/av
What am I, chopped liver?
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
I knew you wouldn’t delete it – you’re probably mad I didn’t use more profanity while I insulted UCLA fans!
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
while Iinsulteaccurately and cogently described UCLA fans
Fixed. It ain’t an insult if it’s true.
by atomsareenough on Feb 7, 2010 3:10 PM PST up reply actions
hmm
That last post was supposed to look like this:
while Iinsultedaccurately and cogently described UCLA fans
by atomsareenough on Feb 7, 2010 3:11 PM PST up reply actions
The hatred towards Lavin and Dorrell
is scary and intense, but at least those are paid adults. The bashing of these kids is kind of ridiculous. And I’m someone who was definitely critical of Nate Longshore. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to express criticism, and I think you’re right – they’re sometimes downright offensive.
Not to beat a dead horse
The dynamic at BN is simply toxic. Nestor and his junta have created a system there where their opinion is akin to the word of god in some sort of ultra-repressive theological regime. The whole basketball thing is an ideal example of it. The Nestor-approved opinion now is that Howland is losing control of his team, and there is no reason for players like Dragovic to be on the floor at all, let alone for more than 20 minutes per game.
Okay, fair enough. That’s an opinion. Another opinion might be that Ben Howland believes that, after assessing the talent level of his team by watching them practice, players like Dragovic (as bad as they are), still give the babybruins the best chance to win in any given game.
Yet anyone daring to say something like that is immediately bullied, shouted down, insutled, and eventually banned.
Even worse, anyone daring to (gasp) defend Howland by pointing out that he has had success and an off year might happen, or that despite the horrible season they are having, they are still only one game away from first and actually can still manage to win the conference is immediately ridiculed and battered by Nestor’s mindless zombie followers.
It’s pretty damn astounding.
The best (worst?) part is the level of denial and self-delusion going on over there. The posters all seem to fall over themselves trying to praise Nestor — it’s like some bizarre updated version of the Stanfurd Psych experiment, only testing the idea of Stockholm Syndrome rather than power.
That place is just a mess.
Whose Axe?
OUR AXE!
I think one interesting thing is to compare the end result of CGB and BN. At CGB you can basically say whatever you want, and no one will ever threaten to ban you – yet the conversation is both more sophisticated and more positive. And of course, over here we actually have regular posters who aren’t actually Cal fans and they clearly make the site better. Over there, there is no dissent. constant bannings, stupid acronyms, yet the conversation is incredibly negative and they are mocked by the entire internet. This is why, outside of North Korea, censorship fails.
by Tedfordisgod on Feb 7, 2010 12:43 PM PST up reply actions
“Censorship fails” is debatable, since they averaged 300,000 visitors a month, and we’re at around 80,000 visitors. Maybe we should start banning more people.
I’M LOOKING AT YOU GOLDBLOODED!
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Feb 7, 2010 2:09 PM PST up reply actions
Wait, our goal isn’t to be a respected voice on Cal sports?
TWIST!!!!!
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Feb 7, 2010 2:33 PM PST up reply actions
3/4 of that readership consists of people like me who have nothing better to do than to visit their website to get a good laugh.
So you’re right, they’re not accomplishing their goal, if that is indeed what they’re striving for.
Fox News
is also very successful, using a similar strategy of stoking controversy and providing comfort to true believers. Those guys are printing money hand over fist and taking it to the bank (see hyperbole and mixed metaphors work!)
Maybe the difference is that Fox is more cynical about it (sure, the management and staff are right leaning, but I think it was really a brilliant effort to fill an under-served maket. Look at the rest of the programming on the channel – as profit-oriented as can be) and that the stakes are little lower for college sports (ok, a lot lower).
jh
That seems like a far comparison. I think CGB is more like the Daily Show – you come for the laughs, but it actually is far better news coverage than any of the cable news networks.
by Tedfordisgod on Feb 8, 2010 11:21 AM PST up reply actions
That makes me Samantha Bee, doesn’t it?
President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Vance DeGeneres is more like it.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Feb 8, 2010 6:49 PM PST up reply actions
And, by the way,
Go dawgs, go…(unmentionable)…and go cougs! keep us far in first place tonight!
Remember, the enemy's end zone is DOWN!
Landry Fields is kind of a beast.
Who did we use in our game with them to keep him in check? It wasn’t Niko right?
It didn’t hurt for the Bears to get a terrible shooting performance from Fields, who needed 24 field goal and 8 free throw attempts to notch a mere twenty points. Kudos to Monty for rotating multiple defenders onto the versatile guard, which seemed to help throw his game off. Expect to face a very different and motivated Fields in Maples; hopefully we can employ a similar style of defense to take him off his game in the finale.
CGB 1.3.10
Remember, the enemy's end zone is DOWN!
The key to beating Stanford is not to actually stop Landry Fields, which is impossible anyway
It’s to make sure that no one else scores anything to assist him.
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
What about their other good player? #24 I think is his number?
by atomsareenough on Feb 7, 2010 3:15 PM PST up reply actions
Jeremy Green? He can be shut down with aggressive defense
He’s still only so-so at creating his own shot. I’m not going to say he can’t do it, because that’s not the case, but if you force him into repeatedly trying to create something out of nothing, Stanford’s not going to score much.
See, eg, his line from Saturday’s game. USC played super-aggressive D on him. He took 10 shots, of which 6 were 2-pointers— and he missed all 6.
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
But who do you prefer to win?
If ASU loses, Cal will be alone in first. So, we want UW, right?
But if UW wins, then they will be only 1 game behind us. And they are a good team, and killed us in Seattle.
Maybe I want ASU to win, and take my chances going forward. I think we might be able to beat ASU more than UW later on.
Dude who cares about the negativity!?
WE FUCKING BEAT FUCLA IN PAULEY BY DOUBLE DIGITS!!!
In other words, Go Bears!
YES, fuck the ruins!
Nice dismembering of the vaunted “Ben Ball Poodles.” Hahahahahahaha!
Can’t wait for Tedford to teke Slick Dick to the woodshed. Always beat ucla!
"I found Rome built of brick; I leave her clad in marble" - Augustus
Has anybody seen
Brandon Smith?
When was the last time he contributed any minutes? Any points? Any assists? Any steals? Any anything?
Should have stayed a walk-on, because he’s not going to get many minutes after Franklin and Crabbe arrive to pair up with Guttierez at the guard slots.
Come to think of it, I didn’t see Seeley today either. Interesting. Oh, yeah, he makes too many sloppy plays with the ball, and a pressure defense like UCLA is not a good match for him. But he’d better watch out, too.
You know, if Randle goes down with an injury, I would suggest we wouldn’t be able to win a single game left on this year’s schedule. Cal Bear POY.
Sorta random, but what do you guys think our starting 5
will look like next year? Franklin, Smith, Rossi, Kamp, and Sanders-Frison? Or will Jorge start instead of Rossi or Franklin?
Jack "The Must, Just has no Rust, ain't no Bust, after him the ladies Lust, turns pitchers into Dust, likes his pizza with no Crust" Cust
Or Will Crabbe or Amoke start?
Jack "The Must, Just has no Rust, ain't no Bust, after him the ladies Lust, turns pitchers into Dust, likes his pizza with no Crust" Cust
Thanks for commenting FrankCohen!
It’s likely we’ll see something like Franklin, Gutierrez, Amoke (who’s really a 3), Kamp, MSF (maybe Max if he can develop some game). Seeley could be in the mix too, and I wouldn’t be quick to dismiss Smith—Monty has always favored his most experienced players.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Feb 6, 2010 10:27 PM PST up reply actions
It's a rebuilding year
Realistically, expecting great things out of next year’s roster is probably overoptimistic. The year after next (when hopefully Cal can add some frontline depth and the team will have a big group of 5th year and ordinary seniors) might be more realistic.
The primary goal for next year is, therefore, to spread minutes around to figure out who the elite players will be for the following year.
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
Thanks for the welcome!
Jack "The Must, Just has no Rust, ain't no Bust, after him the ladies Lust, turns pitchers into Dust, likes his pizza with no Crust" Cust
Tedford's on CSN Cay Area right now
talking about the recruits, is this a replay?
Remember, the enemy's end zone is DOWN!
Bay
Chronicle special report? basically said QB competition would be open (what else is new) and how good Allen is on both sides of the ball.
Remember, the enemy's end zone is DOWN!
Lots of ways to look at it, but you start to see patterns and probabilities of who starts:
Small Package:
1. Smith, Brandon
2. Gutierrez, Jorge
3. Seeley, D.J.
4. Amoke, Omondi
5. Kamp, Harper
Size Matters:
1. Gary Franklin
2. Allen Crabbe
3. Amoke, Omondi
4. Kamp, Harper
5. Zhang, Max
Don’t Mess
1. Gary Franklin
2. Gutierrez, Jorge
3. Amoke, Omondi
4. Kamp, Harper
5. Sanders-Frison, Markhuri
Run ‘N Gun
1. Gary Franklin
2. Allen crabbe
3. Seeley, D.J.
4. Amoke, Omondi
5. Richard Solomon
Experience:
1. Smith, Brandon
2. Gutierrez, Jorge
3. Amoke, Omondi
4. Kamp, Harper
5. Sanders-Frison, Markhuri
Play the Youngins – sacrifice the present for the future:
1. Gary Franklin
2. Allen Crabbe
3. Alex Rossi
4. Richard Solomon
5. Zhang, Max
It’s all about the Stars, Ratings:
1. Franklin
2. Crabbe
3. Amoke
4. Solomon
5. Kamp
My Depth Chart:
PG: Gary Franklin; Smith, Brandon
SG: Gutierrez, Jorge; Allen Crabbe
SF: Amoke, Omondi; Seeley, D.J.; Alex Rossi
PF: Kamp, Harper; Bak, Bak; Richard Solomon
C: Sanders-Frison, Markhuri; Zhang, Max
…and I’m really interested to see if Crabbe and/or Seeley can provide some good minutes. I’d really like to see Seeley step up and take it, but he hasn’t shown the required intensity yet, and I’m not sure he ever will. But the role of team leader is his for the taking. I have to remind myself that Crabbe is just a frosh, and may not be ready for the college game. We’ll see.
Also, will Monty use a shooter guard type at the 3 (Crabbe/Seeley/Rossi)? Or will he go for defense and play Amoke there, allowing Kamp and MSF/Max to play the 4 and 5?
Finally, it seems possible that Gutierrez’s best role is coming off the bench. I don’t know what it is, but the energy he brings that way seems better than as a starter. And, I’m not sure he has that starting SG game in him. Normally you like your SG to be a real scoring threat – someone who can either park and shoot all day, hit the midrange, or drive and create their own offense. Gut being a defensive specialist… seems better suited for coming off the bench. And so, does that create:
1: Franklin
2: Crabbe/Seeley
3: Seeley/Amoke
4: Amoke/Kamp
5. Kamp/MSF/Max
…in that order of pushing players to the next position, depending on size and who can shoot.
Okay, give yourself a pat on the back if you made it this far. I’m falling asleep here….
by concordtom on Feb 6, 2010 11:47 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
Wow, UCLA fans can be nuts. At certain Bruins centered sites certain people are suggesting that while it is unreasonable to suggest Howland be fired now, it is not unreasonable that Howland should be fired at some point in the not distant future.
Three Final Fours in the last four years.
wow. that IS nuts. Talk about getting spoiled. I guess the Final Fours don’t mean much when you’ve won all those championships. He hasn’t won a single one!
It IS true, however, that his style is hard nosed and that players don’t necessarily like that. Drew Gordon leaving the team after not getting along with the coach is a sign of that. I’m not sure the best recruits like to play for a hard personality like that, and this may be limiting his recruiting. I know, it’s nuts to suggest his recruiting isn’t anything but the tops. But he is not the top recruiter. I think Kerry Keating was responsible for many of UCLA’s top recruits, such as Kevin Love and Collison. UCLA is easily being out recruited by: Kentucky, Memphis, Kansas, UNC, Duke, and probably a good number of Big East schools. UCLA fans know these traits about Howland’s maniacal personality that keeps him from being the best. The best have the recruiting personality to go with the game strategy piece. Howland is very good at that! UCLA fans should be grateful. I knew they were weenies, now they are spoiled weenies.
Nonetheless, how many people have called for Tedford’s head after this season? Many said he was “on notice”. And yet, people are gushing about him and his stable, attractive, clean program after this week’s recruiting success.
Talk about a fickle bunch, we fans!
Sheesh!
I agree with everything there.
If I was a UCLA fan I would be concerned (just like I would have been concerned three years ago) that the style Howland wants to play would create recruiting issues. They just don’t play a style anyone really wants to play. But clearly Howland can adapt – either by recruiting slightly lower tier guys who will buy in (like the guys who were there in his first few years) or alternatively by actually having an offense that top recruits want to play. Ben Braun had the same issue – he was a great defensive coach but basically knew nothing about offensive, and he was never able to figure it out.
To some extent I wonder if their success, especially prior to the Kevin Love team, was kinda a coincidence of the players already in place. Afflalo, Mbah a Moute, and Collison are all guys who will be grinding out NBA careers based on exactly what Howland needed from them on those teams. I think it probably is tough to look at high school players and know which ones are willing to play Howland’s style in order to win a lot of games.
(It also should be noted that this year, its not like UCLA is losing games because they are refusing to play Howland’s style – they just don’t have many talented players.)
by Tedfordisgod on Feb 7, 2010 12:38 PM PST up reply actions
Nonetheless, how many people have called for Tedford’s head after this season?
I think that comparison would be fairer if Tedford had taken Cal to 3 straight BCS games, which is equivalent to what Howland did. If Tedford won the Pac-10 3 straight years, then went 5-4 in conference the next year, how many Cal fans would even think about putting Tedford ‘on notice?’ I would hope none.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
Well, I do think that UCLA has justifiably higher expectations of their basketball team than we have had of our football team. I think the equivalent would be if after 2005, Cal fans were putting Tedford on notice. That would have been absolutely crazy, but that more or less is what they are doing.
by Tedfordisgod on Feb 7, 2010 12:58 PM PST up reply actions
UCLA's last two recruiting classes have been consensus top 5 overall classes
Look at the record of their prospects on Scout. 2008-2009 featured 3 5-star prospects, 6 4-star prospects, and one 3-star prospect. Next year they have a 5-star and a 4-star signed up, along with one of the top JC prospects in the country.
A lot of those guys have done their best to make those rankings look laughable (J’Mison Morgan at 5*? Seriously?) and Jrue Holliday and Drew Gordon jumped ship early, but… bottom line, they’re getting players who everyone thinks are great. If a bunch of them have turned out less than great, that’s hardly a flaw in recruiting— though it might well be a flaw in player evaluation.
UCLA can, for the most part, get the players they want. Howland’s problem is that in the last couple of years, he’s wanted some guys who haven’t turned out to be worth much.
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
They've had some seriously disappointing recruiting classes
Hasn’t that #1 class from three years ago turned out to be a total bust?
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Feb 7, 2010 3:02 PM PST up reply actions
He's talking about the one 2 years ago, I think
Their current sophomores.
Holliday went to the NBA, Gordon transferred, Morgan sucks, Anderson sucks, and Malcolm Lee is fairly mediocre at present (although he might still become very good by next year, as he’s shown flashes of what he’s capable of).
Given the rankings (2 5*, 3 4*) that’s about as bad an outcome as anyone could have reasonably feared.
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
It makes me wonder if some of the players were given starflation simply because they were recruited by UCLA.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
The other teams they considered
Holiday: UNC, UW, Arizona
Morgan: LSU, Kansas
Lee: Kansas, Arizona
Gordon: UW, Arizona
Anderson: no idea, committed early
2008 was a down year for CA and really nationally as well. It was also meant to be the backbone of the team both this year and next. Whoops.
by SuperBruinMan on Feb 7, 2010 8:55 PM PST up reply actions
I always think of star-flation more as a football problem than a basketball problem. In football, the people giving stars largely (1) haven’t seen players actually play (2) aren’t really qualified to make judgments. In basketball, I both think that it is easier to have seen everyone with the AAU and HS invitational tournaments, and it obviously is far easier to judge individual talent (you can always just look at a stat sheet, which tells 75% of the story.)
by Tedfordisgod on Feb 8, 2010 11:24 AM PST up reply actions
Gotta love Kevin Love.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Feb 8, 2010 5:28 AM PST up reply actions
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| North | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
Oregon Ducks
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USC Trojans
|
7 | 2 | 10 | 2 |
|
UCLA Bruins
|
5 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
|
Utah Utes
|
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|
Arizona St. Sun Devils
|
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