Malcolm Lee: Please Feel Welcome To Go Pro
by Nestor on Jan 2, 2010 1:28 PM PST
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PrintJust got back in a little while ago. P did he post game thread this afternoon. I asked him if he still wanted to do it given what transpired at Pauley. Well he had the stomach to brave it and still put it up. Props to him.
Meanwhile here is what I was thinking of while watching the debacle at my local watering hole. Here is an exchange from WWL earlier this week. From what I have heard this is might be more than just a little rumor (HT UCLA4Life):
Dave (San Francisco, CA): Chad, there's been some worry down in LA about whether UCLA's disastrous season could mean Malcolm Lee will bolt after the season. I know he had some considerable talk coming into the season, and Howland has a great track record of sending players to the NBA, but is his a name you expect to be in the draft?
Chad Ford (1:54 PM): From what I can gather from people close to Lee, Lee will bolt UCLA for the Draft. Despite a so-so year fro
This is more than just a rumor. As reported by Andy Katz following another humiliating loss earlier this season, Howland himself acknowledged that "there are people in Lee's ear telling him he's a pro -- now."
If Malcolm Lee wants to go pro this badly, I really hope he gets it over with. Hope he leaves UCLA. NOW. ASAP. Hopefully Bobo can transfer out and we can start fresh pretending the freshman class of 2009 never happened. Anderson can either compete against the less heralded or hyped guards coming in next season (we can forget about getting McCallum or Zieglar) or pout on the bench. Yeah, I know we can undoubtedly use Lee's athleticism next season (just like we could have used Ariza in his second season). But I rather have a Bruin team dominated by someone like AA who believed in the magical four letter words, then by players who only think about three lettered NBA.
Everyone is at fault for how it has all turned out with that class which also includes Ben Howland and his entire coaching staff for failing to recognize the kind of talent they need to fit the mindset of Howland basketball.
Watching the game it is pretty clear this team has no go to player on the court. There is no one in this team who has the leadership qualities of AA, DC, LRMAM or PAA. There is no one in this team who has the heart. Perhaps Honeycutt and Lane have what it takes but it is going to take a while. Roll is giving it a great effort but he is nothing more than a role player. Can't fault Dragovic for what took place tonight. Keefe just doesn't have it.
While the post title is directed at Malcolm Lee and delusion that has typified the freshmen class of 2009, it's a total team loss and right now responsibility falls on Ben Howland. He needs to fix this. He also needs to think about starting fresh by establishing a brand new foundation at UCLA. Bruins are not going to go anywhere with the current core in place. If they really want to build a sustainable future, Howland needs to start over with the kids from this year's class and also think hard about how he can change his philosophy to adapt and adjust to current challenges facing the UCLA basketball program.
Ben Howland needs to find a way to reestablish the foundation that led to all those Final-4 runs. It all starts with bringing in players who are not only "ballers" but guys who are hungry, who want to win, who feel a sense of pride in those four letters, and who didn't come in with a sense of entitlement, and delusions of instantly going to the NBA. Somehow all of that was lost with the freshmen class of 2009 which damaged the very core that helped Howland rebuild the basketball tradition at UCLA.
Right now I don't have a lot of faith in any member of that class to bring us back to where we were just two years ago. The seniors for all intent and purposes are going through the motions. I just hope Howland is strong and secure enough to realize he needs to adapt and change his ways, and start building for the future.
At this point, I am looking forward to senior day and looking forward to a roster that is led by players who remind us lot more of AA, RW, LRMAM, PAA, and LMR than the primadonnas from last year's class.
GO BRUINS.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
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I actually think Reeves Nelson has the heart
but I don’t think he has the skill yet in his first year…
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
Worried about his D
Which is awful this year but more importantly seems the effect of being slow, which is tough to overcome. If he can become even a decent defender, his rebounding and aggressiveness on O will make him very valuable, and I love his toughness.
But we can’t play Howland-style D with any major liabilities on the court.
I agree about his D
he’s a great help shot blocker but he’s always slow in transition (who on our team isn’t?) and still learning the rotations.
he’s also getting exposed as an undersized 5 on offense as well with many of his early shots getting shoved back in his face but you had to expect that with our lineup this year.
RN has two problems: his body and his head
His problem with his body is that he just isn’t very athletic. This is why he has trouble finishing around the rim against better competition. He can marginally improve this in the offseason with workouts and conditioning.
RN’s bigger problem is that he reminds me a lot of Chris Kaman. When things don’t go his way, he gets frustrated and dissappears or makes silly plays. It is a little reminiscent of DG, except that I haven’t seen RN pout, he just gets frustrated. Hopefully as he matures this will resolve itself.
Sad but seemingly true
My buddy just texted me the following: “Gordon, Holiday, Anderson, Lee, Morgan = The Flop Five?”
We all fell for it
Perhaps there is a solution. Perhaps Howland can really make an effort to connect with these guys and help them out with positive reinforcement. Will that help? I am honestly not sure.
we have help coming next year
with Jones running the point and Smith offering immediate inside help, we should be good to with or without Lee next year. Plus give another year of experience of training for Honeycutt and Nelson and we have a solid lineup next year. I haven’t heard a lot about Lamb, but it seems like Jones and Smith are 100% Bruin spirit
You mean Lazeric Jones?
He sounds like a decent kid but will he be ready to step up from Day 1? Guess the most optimistic scenario here is at the very least he will give Anderson stiff competition during practices and elevate his game (and then also play substantive role on game days). I think we need to take at least another pg or two.
I will be very surprised if Bobo sticks around. I think we will have 2 more scholies open up with his transfer and Lee leaving. I am not as sure as I was with Holiday that Lee is gone. But I think if there is an opening (ie he has 4-6 good games rest of this season), he is gone.
i think the expectation is that he will start from day 1
Most publications herald him as the best JUCO player in the country, and he would have the physical maturity of a junior, so that helps. From his quotes he sounds very confident in his abilities, but also understands the team situation that Howland emphasizes (ahem Drew Gordon)
Yeah, saw those reviews as well
But then again we all read the reviews on the recruiting class of 2009. I mean all of us – ALL OF US – fell for the hype. That’s why I guess I am more skeptical this time around.
some people have Maalox moments. I'm going to have a Maalox school year.
I can feel the ulcer forming as we speak. The one constant over the years, no matter whether we won or lost our football game against South Central, was basketball. From the looks of it we have a comeuppance coming to us in basketball. What’s worse, this team does not look like it will even qualify for an NIT berth. Which to me was the most damning indication against Lavin.
Here we go again? How is this possible? We came off triple Final Four appearances and have the recruiting classes to show for it. How can we be this bad? Pittsburgh continues to compete with lesser recruiting classes. Just last year Kentucky was as bad as they come, one year and one sleazy coach later they are a top 5 team in the country. And, if I’m not mistaken they landed a player we wanted very much in John Wall.
I still think Ben Howland is 10 times better than Steve Lavin. But I have to wonder if the bright lights of heading a premier program hasn’t revealed some warts on the Prom Queen. I think he is a victim of his own success. It’s safe to say that if he still had his top assistants in Jaime Dixon and ? Keating, we would not be in this pickle. But we are here and there is no denying it.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
At least ML padded his stats in garbage time
Come on N, you can at least give ML credit for his scoring average in trying to score as much as he could in the closing minutes.
ML in the NBA at this point is as much of a joke as JA as a D1 point guard. He struggles to handle the ball, he doesn’t make good decisions, he forces shots, doesn’t have a consistent outside shot, and is really only 6’3. There is no way he can play shooting guard in the NBA. Even with the lack of point guards in this years draft, ML would still be a mid-second round pick right now.
I guess I'm in the minority here
but I’m still behind Lee completely. The NBA stuff is too bad – and no, I don’t think he’s NBA ready at all – but it’s not like he’s not pronouncing himself an NBA draft pick publicly, or doing anything that we can see to distract from the team. If he feels like he should go pro, fine. 99% of guys with his talent and athleticism are playing in college to make the NBA. We’ve been fortunate to have guys that really do give 100% to their college programs, but that doesn’t mean that a teenager with NBA dreams should be scorned.
..there are people in Lee’s ear telling him he’s a pro — now.
I’m the same age as ML, and damn, if someone I trusted told me I was good enough to be a pro at something right now I’d probably believe them.
As long as Lee is giving 100% effort on the floor I will have absolutely no problem with him. He had a bad game offensively today (until garbage time), but I saw a kid out there that refused to give up. He was hustling his butt off on defense and played at the end like the game was still in reach. Isn’t that what we want out of our guys?
Obviously I’d love that offensive performance during the whole game, but the kid singlehandedly kept the Notre Dame game respectable. He had an off day, and I’m a bit surprised to see all the animosity towards him. Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I certainly have guys that I’m no fan of, but I guess this seems like it’s coming out of nowhere. I’ll be in Lee’s corner as long as I see him hustling like I did today.
Has there ever been a player better than Detlef Schrempf?
Teenager with NBA dreams shouldn't be scorned
But I rather have our program be built around kids with dreams of playing at UCLA. We can look up all the articles around AA when he was being recruited by Howland. We need players who will dedicate themselves to their team first and putting their individual interest behind the team. Not sure Lee is there mentally and I am not just saying it based on today’s game.
i agree with that for sure
but even though Lee is apparently entering the draft this summer doesn’t mean he’s given up on UCLA. I don’t think that NBA dreams and dedication to UCLA have to be mutually exclusive. I guess I just feel like he’s working as hard as anyone and really wants this team to win. Maybe he doesn’t have the natural leadership and fire of an AA, but few college players do.
Has there ever been a player better than Detlef Schrempf?
by bucknellbruin on Jan 2, 2010 3:18 PM PST up reply actions
While we don't have to look for another AA
We should put maximum emphasis and focus on bringing in at least one player in a big recruiting class who at least have some sense of the tradition and history of UCLA hoops. AA had it. Don MacLean was the guy for Harrick and he continued that foundation with Ed O/Charles O, Edney, Toby, JR, Kris … and even Lavin lucked into Watson.
For Howland he brought in AA/JF combo and then followed it up with the class anchored by DC/LRMAM. Since then we haven’t seen anything. KL was a special case. RW was somewhat a freak of nature.
Last year’s class: there is no one who stands out as a natural leader. No one.
In this year’s class we are seeing glimpses of leadership in Honeycutt and Nelson but I am not sure.
Lee might be a good player with NBA skills. However, we expected him to be someone who would have natural leadership skills. The stopper in Howland’s defense is expected to be that guy (See AA, RW). Holiday wasn’t certainly a “leader.” The early returns on Lee has been not encouraging either.
Sounds familar
For Howland he brought in AA/JF combo and then followed it up with the class anchored by DC/LRMAM. Since then we haven’t seen anything. KL was a special case. RW was somewhat a freak of nature.
Last year’s class: there is no one who stands out as a natural leader. No one.
This sounds a lot like my post on CBH’s recruiting and I wanted to tell all the haters “I told you so” but 66 was kind enough to point out my previous post for me. Thanks 66, you’re my boy! ;)
Seriously though, the C/O 2009 is just the biggest bust ever. You’re right N: we all bought into the hype, CBH included, and now we’re paying for it. I cannot believe how much this class has cratered our program.
In light of our discussions, ND was terrible again, but everyone is right on point: the whole team lost this one. An all around disappointing effort. Just pathetic
Recruiting Issues
Beller nailed it in a previous front page post: http://www.bruinsnation.com/2009/12/12/1198314/the-cupboard-is-empty-again-is
Howland’s Big East tough style of play and lock down D are not the skill sets or qualities that the 5 star recruiting class possessed.
We got seduced by the pretty but shallow girl we never thought we’d be able to date. A little success, and we look a bit better to her and she’s ours. But, now we are dating her and it’s not all that rewarding and we have no idea what to do.
I think it’s on CBH to find better matches — to look beyond the glamour and seduction and to find players with whom we are a good match.
However, so long as we are in this relationship, we have to try hard to make it work. If that means playing zone, damn it play zone; if these guys are too slow to play man, since we brought them here, we need to find a D they can play.
On the other hand, I have no idea what we can do about the fundamentals that seem to be missing: shooting, FT’s, boxing out and rebounding. I don’t think there’s a scheme that can cover up for these deficiencies. The beauty queens are showing internal flaws.
In years past, we’ve scored far more transition points because we played D and rebounded. We could fall behind some an come back.
Now way this team can do that.
CBH is incredibly competitive. He must hate this. He chose the pretty girl — now he needs to figure out how to showcase her.
sjh
Great observation 66
The question is whether CBH can find that old mix? Recruiting just hasn’t been the same since Kerry Keating (his ace recruiter) left Westwood. While he was at Pitt, it was Jamie Dixon who was his right hand mad.
The current batch of assistant coaches haven’t really done the best job in identifying the right talent. They have certainly identified and locked in some of the prettiest girls who everyone else was drooling over. Not sure if they have spotted the ones you bring home to your parents.
You have a gift
for imagery. Your metaphorical comparison to pretty girls brings recognition (not to mention, painful and embarrassing memories) instantly, and captures the situation perfectly, IMO. Your summation of the Mike Leach situation as (paraphrasing) that faculty can’t abide pirates, likewise, paints a vivid picture. Your voice is a most welcome contribution to the dialog that is BN.
BTW, apropos of nothing (but since you brought up Northwestern in a side comment about that school being on your daughter’s radar), I found myself completely caught up in that Auburn game. Can’t remember whether that was the Morton’s Salt Bowl or the Red Bull Bowl or the No-Pirates-Here Bowl.
Anyway, I have exactly zero allegiances for Northwestern. But, I died a dozen deaths in those last minutes. Wow. Fantastic drama. Kicker misses. Kicker misses again. But, wait. Kicker is fouled. And, hurt. Who will kick now?
Of course, it absolutely HAD to come to that. It couldn’t have been otherwise. A trick play might work. But, no, no Boise State magic this time.
Anyway, I bring all this up because you and Fox and myself and others have waxed poetic about the 1966 Rose Bowl, and what an indelible, high-resolution image that game remains today. That NW-A game was, I imagine, all that for those NW fans, albeit with an unhappy ending.
But, aren’t those vivid memories, including the painful ones, precisely what makes our UCLA experiences so great? While the NW game didn’t have quite the glorious slugfest-in-the-mud appeal of the Penn St.-LSU game (the Aamco Transmission Bowl?), at least it was on real grass, with divots and all. For three hours, it was like being in college again.
p.s. My analogous memory for what NW students must have gone through is the 1967 (?) game against suc for all the marbles. Seeing oj undoing a day’s worth of good work still kills me. Watching short kicks by our vaunted kicker miss for no good reason still haunt me.
But isn’t it great?
Based on what I'm hearing
ML is being told to bolt, but he’s pretty committed to turning things around and getting better before he heads to the NBA. While there are some major questions in the program, I like what I’ve seen from Lee. Even in the MSU game he was working his tail off, he’s our best perimeter defender and is committed on that end and all reports are that he works hard to get better. He may not be what we’d hoped he’d be, but he’s a solid player, very good defender and by all accounts, works very hard.
Formerly ryebreadraz
I actually have heard the same thing
That he is being told that he should be bolting but he isn’t so sure. However, just the fact that this discussion is even taking place or being encouraged by the people around him is beyond frustrating. I knew Holiday and Love were gone. They were done deals (even in Holiday’s case it was just absurd because he hadn’t proven much while he was at UCLA). However, in this case the fact that this is even an issue is mindboggling.
If Lee works hard and really dedicates to a team-first mentality buy buying into Howland’s philosophy, he might end up being as good as Dijon Thompson. I will take it if that happens. However, just not holding my breath that he is going to stick around.
I really hope the info. about him being committed is true. It would really help if he send those signals now. It would show a lot of leadership on his part.
Not all Lee's fault
When kids like Lee show promise, they get all kinds of “friends” with all kinds of advice. The people telling Lee to go pro do not have Lee’s best interest at heart. They are pushing their own best interests. Hopefully Lee has the character to see through the shiny sales pitch, and realize (like JH does today? maybe? ok, probably not, but we all know it) that staying and improving his game is what is currently in his best interest.
greg in denver - UCLA guy for life
Out of hand.
The NBA and NCAA need to fix this asap. It should be just like football, set the age min. two years higher and it would fix both leagues in one stroke. This better be a major issue during the next labor agreement in the NBA.
I still don't see him as an NBA prospect yet
He’s too slight to make it as a SG, especially with his poor shooting ability. He possesses athleticism, but I don’t think it’s that great. He, like the rest of the team, have a lot to work on in regards to their game. It’s not surprising that last year’s class has struggled this season. They really didn’t step up at all in any situation last season and have shown very little improvement this season.
CBH's system begins and ends with team defense.
In the past, with even one or two weak links, the team has struggled. There are at least 3-4 weak links on the floor at all times with this team. ND, MR, NR, and JA are all defensive liabilities. ML and TH seem to be adequate defenders and have definite upside. BLane may have upside but for the most part, seems lost on both ends of the court. Bobo (if he sticks around) and probably Stover are four year projects. No idea yet what we have in MMoser – probably somewhere between BLane and Bobo. Not sure how next year’s class is going to change much. Unless any of them possess “one and done” talent (which I doubt they do), they will not improve this team to any significant degree in one year. I agree with Nestor – CBH has to find the next AA/DC type players that will come in and reestablish the defensive mindset and work ethic that got us to 3 straight final fours.
I can hardly blame him...
At that age, when people are telling you go pro, and you have the potential to make millions and be better off than any of your peers, it’s awfully hard to resist. And truth be told, this is exactly what has been going on for other teams and schools for the past few years with the NBA system. In fact, that just shows that DC was the exception, not the norm, as he was the only one who resisted the NBA to finish out his 4 years here. But as long as Lee is willing to give 100% on the court and conduct himself off the court, I can’t fault him if he decides to go pro as many others have done so before him
much ado about nothing
people ca whisper what ever they want in his ear about entering the draft but no one is gonna draft a guard playing lackluster defense, averaging points in the low teens while shooting so poorly from the field and charity stripe. i think he’s a good player and is a future nba prospect, but he’s not ready. anyone telling him otherwise does not have his best interest at heart. if the situation is as nestor paints at the top we’re looking at jaron rush all over again. in the meantime i’ll give the kid the benefit of the doubt and hope he and the rest of the guys get it in gear on the court
Across The Face
To be fair
I think Malcolm Lee is way different situation than Jaron Rush. Lee generally seems to have a good head on his shoulder and from what I have heard come from a more stable family. However, it’s the atmosphere around him that I am extremely frustrated about. Again, I hope Ryan is right that Lee is not as certain about leaving. But on the other hand the notion that this idea is even being entertained in crazy.
it could be a clue that the UCLA program is in more trouble than we thought
I’m just guessing here, but if Lee thinks that he can develop into a better NBA player player as a benchwarmer for a few years than by staying a Bruin for another year or two, what does that say about the state of the program right now? Obviously Lee could simply be wrong – or not thinking this way at all – but it’s definitely surprising that a guy with NBA talent would leave a proven NBA “feeder” program before he was ready.
All of our previous NBA successes left when there wasn’t much more they could learn/develop in college (yes, even LRMAM). Lee clearly has so much more he can work on – playing in control, outside shooting, leadership, etc. Even though I see ML in a better light than I see JH, if he leaves he’ll be making essentially the same decision – and will probably pay for it as a pro.
Has there ever been a player better than Detlef Schrempf?
by bucknellbruin on Jan 3, 2010 9:01 AM PST up reply actions
you're right N
jaron rush reference was only in regard to ditching early into the draft only to go undrafted and disappear off the face of the earth, ie. playing for the la stars. i think ml is a good kid with his head on straight which is why i find the speculation of him considering bolting lacking any real meat on it. i think it’s carryover interference from drew gordon
Across The Face
I guess I spoke too soon
I said recently that the bright side of this season is that no one could possibly go pro. Oops. I don’t blame ML but really? I can’t see him even getting drafted at this point and definitley not 1st round. Am I wrong? Maybe if it is a REALLY weak draft. I felt this way about Holiday too, but knew he would go 1st round – why, I still don’t know. Athleticism and upside I guess. When you have the season JH had, there is nothing BUT upside!
I hope ML stays but if he is leaving, good luck to him.
GO BRUINS!!!
"The entire world that bleeds blue and gold ... they have been dying for this." - Coach Rick Neuheisel
Reality check
Let me quote a section of the Wikipedia article on Chad Ford:
Ford is sometimes criticized by those claiming that his reports contain unsubstantiated rumors. Billionaire Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban once called him an “idiot” 1 after Ford criticized him for not re-signing point guard Steve Nash. Peter Vecsey, a columnist for the New York Post, also has referred to Ford derogatorily as “Chad Fraud.” In addition, his own peer at ESPN, Page 2 columnist Bill Simmons, also routinely pokes fun [at] Ford, especially for his tendency to overhype foreign players. Simmons once joked that if Darko Miličić, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Pavel Podkolzine and Carlos Delfino 2 were all out of the league in 3 years, they should be forced to live at Chad Ford’s house; implying that the 4 Europeans, all of whom are widely considered as “draft busts”, were selected high due to Ford’s poor judge of talent.
Yeah, Howland acknowledged that there are people telling ML to go pro, but there are people telling every good player to go pro. They are typically self-serving sycophants that don’t have the player’s best interests in mind. I believe ML understands this, and that his position will be much strengthened by at least one more year with CBH. This is just another one of Chad Ford’s unsubstantiated rumors, and I really think the vitriol of the OP is unwarranted. ML has done nothing to show that he is not a team player, and the only “indictment” against him is a one-liner from an unreliable rumor-monger.
Thank You For This Reality Check
Too much response/respect is being given to these parasitic people. If ML goes into the NBA draft, it won’t be now, and I haven’t noticed him acting like he doesn’t care when he’s playing in our blue and gold. He seems to be giving his all, and there aren’t reports that he’s misbehaving with CBH, either.
F***k you, Chad. You’re the worst kind of cockroach.
Keep working hard, ML… we’re behind you all the way.
Love My Bruins
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