i have no interest in donte green--aka the chucker--a tim thomas type clone that doesnt have tims body strength ouch--also speculated on syracuse board that paul harris will declare. Also Speights from Florida is now in draft




From the Los Angeles Times
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Sources say Love, Collison will leave UCLA
The two stars are expected to make themselves available for the NBA draft.
By Diane Pucin
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

April 9, 2008

Kevin Love and Darren Collison have probably played their last games for UCLA and will make themselves available for the NBA draft, sources close to the players said today.

Both players confirmed their decisions in separate meetings with UCLA Coach Ben Howland on Monday. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to make an announcement until after Howland holds a season-ending news conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Love, a 6-foot-10, 270-pound center, led the Bruins with averages of 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds. The freshman was Pacific 10 Conference player of the year, a first-team All-American and most outstanding player of the NCAA regional at Anaheim. Collison, a junior point guard, was a third-team All-American.

Love and Collison are expected to hire agents, which would mean they could not return to UCLA next season.

Most NBA draft experts project Love being chosen anywhere from sixth to No. 13 overall, and that is the information Howland gave Love, sources said.

NBA team officials risk seven-figure fines for speaking publicly about college players, but an East team scout said Love had raised his draft position steadily during the Pac-10 season -- from a possible low first round pick to a lottery pick. And even being held to 12 points and nine rebounds in a 78-63 UCLA loss to Memphis last Saturday in an NCAA semifinal didn't change that.

"That was one game," the scout said, "and as a team UCLA couldn't run its offense."

The Bruins have been prepared to lose Collison since last spring, when the former Etiwanda High standout first considered testing his NBA status.

Collison, 6 feet and 160 pounds, played two of the worst games of his college career in UCLA's last three games. Against Western Kentucky, Collison fouled out trying to guard Hilltoppers guard Tyrone Brazelton, who scored 31 points and torched him during a second half when the Bruins blew most of a 21-point lead. Then, in the loss to Memphis, he fouled out again having scored only two points with four assists and five turnovers in being physically dominated by Derrick Rose, a 6-3, 205-pound freshman.

However, an NBA Western Conference team official said, "I thought he was a mid-first round pick [before Memphis]. I think he still is. That's what his talent says to me."

The sources said both players planned to remain in good academic standing, so their leaving early would not potentially cost the Bruins a scholarship. Programs which do not meet certain NCAA requirements for graduating players risk such penalties. Because UCLA is on a quarter system and instruction in the spring quarter started just last week, both players may still withdraw from classes without penalty.

Love is expected to return to his family's Lake Oswego, Ore., home later this week before coming back for UCLA's team banquet on Monday.

The Bruins are also expected to lose guard Russell Westbrook, a sophomore. He played opposite Collison but moved to the point when Collison was injured early this season.

One scout projected Westbrook as a possible lottery pick, and the guard's family has indicated that he would probably leave school if expectations were that he would go early. He had a career-high 22 points against Memphis and, at 6-3, 190 pounds, was clearly the one UCLA player physically suited to run and jump and bump with the Tigers.

Along with those three stars, it's possible the Bruins could lose as many as four other players.

Debbie Shipp, mother of redshirt junior Josh Shipp, said it was too soon to make any decisions about his future, though her son's two-month long shooting slump and the fact he has had surgery on each of his hips the past two years make him a questionable prospect for the draft's first round, which are the only picks who get guaranteed contracts.

Shipp came to UCLA in a class with Jordan Farmar, Afflalo and Lorenzo Mata-Real, who are all gone now. He also has the example of his older brother, Joe, who has played professionally in Europe, Asia and Australia.

Junior Luc Richard Mbah a Moute may, like Shipp, declare for the April 27 draft, not hire an agent, be evaluated, then come back to school. Junior Alfred Aboya, who will earn his degree this summer, has indicated he may not use his final year of basketball eligibility and concentrate on getting a masters degree. Sophomore reserve Nikola Dragovic said he is considering going home to Serbia to play professionally


[Edited by - BRIGGS on 04-09-2008 12:16 AM]

Out of the bunch I'd be interested in Randolph and Westbrook the most.

I said before the tournament that my surprise for the tournament was going to be Russell Westrbook and he got better as the games grew more important. 14pts in Sweet 16, 17pts in Elite 8, 22pts in the Final 4.

If we were to lose out on Mr. Rose(please god no) and we somehow end up with Beasely, I wouldn't mind trading for another pick in the 8-10 range and taking Westbrook with it. While he's slight, his defense is very good, he's a very good man defender and I think would do an excellent job guarding NBA PG's - this right now is his biggest strength. Offensively - I think he would make an excellent for a team that is going to play an up and down game in the NBA, since he looked to be at his best this season off defensive rebounds and gunning up the court in transition. His Jumper right now is questionable, but when you look at him shoot, it looks like he has the makings of a good shot, he just needs to fine tune it - something many guards coming out college have to do.

Of course as I say all that about Westbrook, it remains a fact that as of this moment he's a better SG than a PG, but I think he has the ability to become a solid PG in the NBA. He has the quickness and the ball-handling ability.

Briggs, I also like Randolph, I think he's going to a force defensively and I can only see his offensive game getting better and better. I'll leave the scouting report on him to you, since you know him much better than I, as evidenced by your previous posts on him. I would love to somehow get him and Rose in this draft.. imagine that?

Posted by nyk4ever:

Out of the bunch I'd be interested in Randolph and Westbrook the most.

I said before the tournament that my surprise for the tournament was going to be Russell Westrbook and he got better as the games grew more important. 14pts in Sweet 16, 17pts in Elite 8, 22pts in the Final 4.

If we were to lose out on Mr. Rose(please god no) and we somehow end up with Beasely, I wouldn't mind trading for another pick in the 8-10 range and taking Westbrook with it. While he's slight, his defense is very good, he's a very good man defender and I think would do an excellent job guarding NBA PG's - this right now is his biggest strength. Offensively - I think he would make an excellent for a team that is going to play an up and down game in the NBA, since he looked to be at his best this season off defensive rebounds and gunning up the court in transition. His Jumper right now is questionable, but when you look at him shoot, it looks like he has the makings of a good shot, he just needs to fine tune it - something many guards coming out college have to do.

Of course as I say all that about Westbrook, it remains a fact that as of this moment he's a better SG than a PG, but I think he has the ability to become a solid PG in the NBA. He has the quickness and the ball-handling ability.

Briggs, I also like Randolph, I think he's going to a force defensively and I can only see his offensive game getting better and better. I'll leave the scouting report on him to you, since you know him much better than I, as evidenced by your previous posts on him. I would love to somehow get him and Rose in this draft.. imagine that?

Randolph reminds me a lot of Bosh at GT. It's a very close comparison from the size length athletic ability ballhandling speed left-handed--good in the post + can also hit mid range. The one player I DO NOT want is donte green--that would be one guy that would make me yack.

Posted by BRIGGS:


Randolph reminds me a lot of Bosh at GT. It's a very close comparison from the size length athletic ability ballhandling speed left-handed--good in the post + can also hit mid range. The one player I DO NOT want is donte green--that would be one guy that would make me yack.

Totally agree Briggs. Randolph has that same lanky but strong body-type that Bosh has. People don't realize but when Bosh was at GT, he played alot of PG for them - the dude is 6'11! The same can be said for Randolph, his ball-handling skills are that good.

And I totally agree with you about Donte Green and the comparison that you used for him earlier is spot on. He is everything that Tim Thomas is and was and thats never a good thing.

if we get stuck in the 6 spot, i'll take randolph.

Posted by BRIGGS:

i have no interest in donte green--aka the chucker--a tim thomas type clone that doesnt have tims body strength ouch--also speculated on syracuse board that paul harris will declare. Also Speights from Florida is now in draft





[Edited by - BRIGGS on 04-09-2008 12:16 AM]

Paul Harris says He doesn't want to leave college without playing in the NCAA's.

Donte Green According to his Grandmother, who I believe is raising him
"Donte's going back to school next year,'' Greene's grandmother, Barbara Scott, said Tuesday night. "He's going back to Syracuse.''

i'm down with westbrook as a consolation prize if we don't luck out in the lottery and get rose. what are you guys' thoughts on jerryd bayless?

randolph seems like the choice if we go big in the draft.

hope donte green does go back to school, don't think he's bigtime yet and i'd like to see syracuse put out a good team next year.

LOL. We are gonna some guy like Love aka white Mike Sweetney. That's just great.

Well if Walsh is drafting and he works out all these players, Mcgee and Randolph should be the two that remind him some what of what his last playoff contending teams had. A 6-11 super skilled power forward. Maybe the wins will help the knicks more then hurt them.