Howland Reinstates Dragovic (After Consulting With Dan Guerrero)
by Nestor on Nov 25, 2009 11:00 AM PST
in Basketball
28 comments
Coach Ben Howland has reinstated Nikola Dragovic back to the team. Per the LA Times Dragovic will be available to come off the bench during tomorrow's evening's game against Portland:
UCLA Coach Ben Howland has reinstated Nikola Dragovic, the senior forward who is facing a felony assault charge in connection with a fight at a Hollywood concert last month.
Dragovic missed the previous two games but will return to action against Portland in the first round of the 76 Classic tournament Thursday. Howland said Dragovic will not start but is expected to play off the bench.
"Based on what we know right now, we thought it was the right decision to allow him to play," the coach said.
Per Jon Gold, Howland made the decision after consulting with Dan Guerrero:
Dragovic hasn't practiced since Thursday, though he's attended practice since Monday. He's been doing some running, conditioning and shooting to stay in shape, but James Keefe will continue to start.
"Based on the information we have right now, what we know about the situation, I sat down with Dan, and we just felt like we thought it was the right decision to allow him to play," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "I sit down with my bosses and discuss; it's not just my decision."
Honestly, I personally don't feel comfortable with this decision. I would have preferred that Dragovic serve an indefinite suspension until his legal issues were cleared up. I also think having him on the team right now is a distraction that can blow up even more. That said Coach Howland gets the benefit of doubt given the kind of rock solid reputation on which he has built our program.
Coach Howland has earned the collective confidence from Bruins Nation on his ability to make the right decision based on the facts he has infront of him. So hopefully, Dragovic's situation will get resolved and he will finish out his UCLA career living up the standards set by our Ben Ball warriors on and off court (hey may be he can teach something to his fellow students about protecting the Bruin on campus, joking).
Anyway, in terms of on court action JK is going to get the start. Frankly I hope he gets the majority of the starting mins our offense flows better with him on the court. He has better defensive instincts. In other words, JK gives us more complete package on the court. It will be interesting to see how the mins shape up tomorrow night against a very tough Portland team, which will be giving Gonzaga a run for their money and already have victory against Oregon in their resume this season. More on them later.
GO BRUINS.
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Trust
At this point in time, I’m going to defer to Coach Howland. I don’t know what the official policy is, but I am well aware that charges do not equal guilt. That said, I will be very disappointed if Dragovic is convicted after being reinstated.
On a side note, those posters who referred to ND as “euro felon”, etc., or generally piled on him should reevaluate themselves. It seems that ND reported the incident and has been compliant with whatever sort of investigation followed. This may very well be a case of an overzealous D.A. charging a “name” for recognition. It might not. But at this point, namecalling by our fanbase in unacceptable.
by AllHailMightyBruins on Nov 25, 2009 11:24 AM PST reply actions
I meant specifically
people who have attacked Dragovic as “euro felon.” I am not happy with him which I have made clear but there is no place for that here on BN.
I trust that CBH and DG have considered all of this carefully
They have waited for the available facts to come out and appear to have erred on the side of caution here. The important thing is that our program remains clean and that Dragovic has not been wronged. With both our head coach and AD exercising their due diligence, the program is clean. By reinstating Dragovic after a two game suspension, we ensure that we do not punish him for a crime that he may not have committed. There are no easy answers, but at least this way, no one can say that we were too easy on him (making him run extra laps ala Cheatey Petey) or too hard on him (suspending him for an entire season if he is ultimately found not guilty).
Couldnt agree more
CBH has given us no reason to doubt his integrity, and it appears that the athletic department and CBH have done a good job handling this situation.
The two game suspension sends the message that even being involved in situations like this is unacceptable for a Bruin. However, not making it an indefinite suspension gives ND the benefit of his presumed innocence. Further, in the world of public opinion (which is sadly the most important thing here), having CBH and the athletic department throw their support behind ND shifts the view from “blood thirsty felon” to “probably not guilty.”
As long as Keefe has his starting spot I'm cool with this.
I really wish Nikola was suspended for a few more games so our freshman could get more experience and playing time. I look forward to seeing Hamid get more burn against Portland to build his confidence. We really need to find out who our weapons are in case our big three (Commissioner, Lee and Roll) have bad games or are out with injuries.
That’s my take. I see Nikola as more of a hindrance than a solid contributor to the offense. His defense isn’t a strong point and he’s not athletic enough to keep up with more athletic 3’s and 4’s that are around his size. I hope the powers that be here respect objective opinions about the players. That being said, I do hope he gets his shooting stroke back and becomes a reliable component to the team.
Two strikes – period. Convicted or not, UCLA should never have to deal with this unacceptable behavior and distraction in the first place. I really hope he straightens it all out. This could determine how the rest of his life will go.
33 Wins. Yeah, I said it.
Please please stop conflating legal issues with basketball issue
Jet, this isn’t necessarily just directed at you, but everyone here needs to STOP MIXING ND’S PERFORMANCE ON THE COURT WITH HIS LEGAL ISSUES. I understand your post is more about his effect on the court, but too many people on here have made the argument that “ND sucks on the court, so we should suspend him indefinitely for his legal issues.” But your comment that:
I really wish Nikola was suspended for a few more games so our freshman could get more experience and playing time.
is absolute ridiculous. To say that you wish a player would get suspended so other players get more playing time shows both a lack of trust in CBH to allocate playing time and develop his team as well as a profound misunderstanding of the situation
It's not ridiculous to me.
Please respect that it’s my right to not like or support Nikola Dragovic as a player – period. If he shoots out of his mind and helps us, fine. But until then, I’d like to see other Bruins take his place in the order and see what they can do to help the team win. If I sound harsh, then so be it. I think someone mentioned earlier that they figured Nikola would be suspended until his legal issues were resolved (which is what I’m more or less saying in my post).
And no, I’m not mixing his off-court drama at all but I do think his game has way too many holes and not enough strengths to deserve as much playing time as he currently gets (meaning the games that he played). It’s all good, poncho, I’m sure we both want to see Nikola and the Bruins both come out ahead of all this.
Since he’s reinstated, I do hope Coach Howland can figure the roster out and maximize the potential of Nikola and the rest of the freshmen.
33 Wins. Yeah, I said it.
I totally respect your opinion
Like I said, my comment was so much focused at you as to what part of your post reminded me of, namely all the disingenuous arguments from people who claim that they would hold any player to the same standard in one sentence and then criticize ND’s shot selection in the next.
All good.
Poncho, I've been with you all the way on this
I trust CBH in every way — not just to decide what’s best for ND, personally, and UCLA BUT to put the right players on the floor at the right time.
Jet, what you said is offensive to some of us — not because you are criticizing ND or questioning his play, many of us do that — but because you are mixing issues that are truly distinct and separate.
Would you treat DG differently, in the same situation, because we really need him on the floor?
sjh
I guess great minds think alike
Of course, that’s not to say our BN brothers and sisters aren’t also great. I think we both share the same outlook, especially on legal issues. Wait and see what both sides of the situation are, look at it objectively through that context (not the basketball context), and come to a rationale conclusion based on that. Since CBH has never given me a reason to doubt his integrity, I, like you, trust him in every way to handle his team on and off the court.
I would.
Seriously. Off the court nonsense is what it is. If the Commish did the same thing (as in have legal troubles twice in two years) I’d feel the same way.
Don’t get me wrong, it would certainly hurt a lot more for me since I like Drew Gordon’s game a lot. The only plus side to this scenario is that Bobo and Reeves would get plenty of burn!
Poncho – glad you at least understand where I’m coming from whether you feel the same way or not. I really don’t think there’s a right or a wrong way to react to Nikola’s troubles on and off the court.
That being said, even if Nikola didn’t have legal troubles, I’d still want him to get less minutes. I just don’t think he’s the dead-eye shooter people project him to be. Believe me, I WANT to be proven wrong on this, guys. Go Bruins.
33 Wins. Yeah, I said it.
More trust
The truth is we still do not still know the truth. And one aspect of the aggravated assault and bodily injury charge as reported by the Los Angeles Times (throwing or pushing the victim into a plate glass window) is very a unusual way to commit that crime. Also fights of this nature are harder to prosecute because of reasonable doubt and self defense jury instructions. But this is all speculation on our part.
One thing is not speculation. Remember those “rapists” on the Duke men’s lacrosse team. Well guess what, they were not rapists. And the school administration sold them down the river in a Durham, North Carolina minute only to find out later they were innocent. That’s right innocent—they committed no crime. One member of the faculty was conspicuous in is unwillingness to rush to judgment. Many do not know his name—Mike Krzyzewski. Educated at West Point, he was indoctrinated in the rule of law which includes the presumption of innocence.
One thing we know for a fact though Coach Howland’s knowledge far surpasses ours by a wide margin. Since we do not know the truth about the charges, I trust Coach Howland.
Well Done Peggy Sue
Duke is a powerful reminder of what happens when we act politically and not Constitutionally.
sjh
Okay, but UCLA should have our own "3 strikes" rule.
Not 3 criminal convictions, of course, but 3 cases of less-than-Bruin behavior. So I would hope Coach Ben lets Nic know he is on his last chance. He needs to not hang out with the wrong crowd, as others have noted. He needs to keep his head down and concentrate on studies and Ben Ball and skip the extracurriculars until after the school year.
P.S. I am making no judgment as to Nic’s guilt or innocence; he is entitled to presumption of innocence with respect to possible criminal charges. But that has nothing to do with conduct unbecoming a Bruin.
You are assuming that ND's
acts were “less than Bruin behavior”.
I believe in the need to defend one’s self and one’s friends.
I believe in the need to defend the Bruin Bear.
If ND acted in self defense or the defense of his friend — I’d call that Bruin Behavior.
But, hey, I’m old — maybe all the young people have a different value system
sjh
Yes and No.
I believe in self-defense. I do not believe in putting oneself in a situation where self-defense may come into play. For this reason I would never let my children live on campus at USC (of course they didn’t go there) nor would I sit in a crowd of Raiders fans in the Colliseum. Nor would I hang out with Rey Rey or with Lane Kiffin’s freshmen.
Thats pretty ridiculous
He was at a concert. I don’t see how that is a poor decision on his part. If someone picks a fight with him, he should be allowed to defend himself. I really think its wrong for people to assume he did anything wrong until the facts come out.
UCLA '08
by BruinTrouble on Nov 25, 2009 3:18 PM PST up reply actions
Concert in hollywood = south central and Raiders fans?!?!
I mean, Hollywood certainly isn’t as glamorous as it is portrayed on television, I agree with bruintrouble that you saying that ND attending a concert in Hollywood was somehow putting himself in a situation equivalent to living at USC or going to a Raiders game is pretty ridiculous.
Not to mention...
How does his first “incident” qualify as a strike? Has anyone here ever had a rocky relationship? Did he put himself in a situation he should not have? We don’t know what went on…I had a former girlfriend come to my house with “guns blazing” (fists, pointy boots, and hard objects flying through the air at my head). I called the police. When they got there, she was threatening to press charges, and they were ready to take me away. Luckily, she decided against it. One police officer stuck around and told me I was real lucky, but it might not be the same next time. Some of us need to put away the crystal ball and let CBH and the legal system do their work.
What would we be saying if USC were playing someone charged with a felon? (After his second arrest?)
I understand “innocent until proven guilty” but I suspect many on this site would be ranting if/when USC were playing someone in this situation
I am glad to see the phrase: “Honestly, I personally don’t feel comfortable with this decision.” Thas sums up my view as well.
Dont know the facts and have to trust CBH’s judgement, but I would prefer to err on the side of caution
by Bruin Dad and Grad on Nov 25, 2009 2:47 PM PST reply actions
Why do you think we put "alleged" before or after making that claim?
Besides that, the issue is disguised. It’s not that a student-athlete messed up or continues messing up, or a program has a history of recruiting kids who mess up upon hitting campus. The issue is what does the program do when these issues occur. In our case, we put the accused on suspension until the right people can gather the facts and then we chart a course of action that does not condone bad behavior but still respects the innocence of the accused. In SUC’s case: run a couple laps and deny, deny, deny.
RE: Suspend until legal issues cleared up
Criminal cases, especially in LA, take a long to run their course. Most likely, this will not be settled until very late in the season or after the season. So unless you want to suspend him for the whole season, they might as well decide now(assuming the have the facts of the case).
UCLA '08
Arraignment is December 21
So if he were suspended until the arraignment, that is pretty much the entire non-conference season. If the case actually went to trial, losing the entire season only to be found not guilty would have been a very real possibility.
BruinTrouble & bruinponcho are right – felony criminal cases in LA do take a long time to process. Add in the fact that ND is OUT of custody and there is a co-defendant will just further extend the case b/c you have to take into account the schedules of 2 attorneys. If UCLA waited until this case resolves, the school might as well suspend him for the rest of the season.
As an additional note, what makes the charge more serious is the personal infliction of great bodliy injury allegation against ND.
Examining the facts (that we know)
First of all, I agree with those who are keeping NDs on court performance and legal issues separate. It is ridiculous to “hope he is suspended longer” to keep him off the court. CBH is well versed on knowing who he wants on the court. Simply put he should be suspended if his off the court actions warrant a suspension and this has nothing to do with how he’s playing on the court.
wrt his suspension
Case against him: serious criminal charges (a felony, possibly “trumped up”), second time with police involvement
Case for him: he went to CBH soon after the event, he went to the police soon after the event, he may have been protecting himself or a friend, no alcohol seemed to be involved, this happened at a reasonable place/activity (a concert), CBH and DG likely have more details and he has their support
2 games is probably about right. As others have mentioned the legal process is too slow and CBH/DG made a decision that they felt was appropriate and we have no reason not to trust them.
For those who argue that it’s his fault that he put himself into that situation, so he deserves a lengthy punishment; I would disagree with that notion. He is a college student and we can’t expect him to avoid typical activities, like attending a concert with his roommate. It’s not like he was at a wild frat party, drinking alcohol and getting into a fight.
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