Hoops Roundup: Roll Calls Out Dragovic For Not Playing "Hard," Nelson Calls Out The Guards, Update On Keefe
by Nestor on Feb 17, 2010 4:55 AM PST
in Basketball
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PrintBen Howland's Bruins have a short practice this week before heading out of town for what should be a brutal and ugly road trip to Washington. It gets started with matchup against the Cougars in Pullman on Thursday night where the Bruins have won 16 games in a row. I think it is almost safe to assume that streak is going to end tomorrow, before the Bruins either get humiliated or get a true moral victory in Seattle in front of a national TV audience on tWWL on Saturday.
Bruins are thankfully not sounding delusional by talking about winning the regular season conference title. Instead they are now talking about how they need to play next 6 games to set up a run in the Pac-10 tournament. That is a nice thought but it is not going to matter much if their head coach keeps going with pretty much the same rotation. Sure he may do a little tinkering necessitated by James Keefe's injuries (more on that below), however he is going to stick with the same core when it matters, which has been mostly ineffective, uninspiring and often just unwatchable the entire season.
In the meantime, it looks like players are calling each other out. Michael Roll blurted out what we have been seeing all season. He called out Ragovic (and Reeves Nelson) for lollygagging through games (emphasis added throughout):
"I wouldn't even say it's about being part of the offense; it's about being into the game," UCLA senior shooting guard Michael Roll said. "When they're not playing well, as a team we have a tendency to check out. They have a tendency to not play as hard if things aren't going their way. If we can get them to turn that around - as a team, we all need to play harder if they're not playing well, just to pick up the slack."
Let me get to Nelson first. There is no doubt he has gotten frustrated at times. He has also goofed up on defense numbers of times. However, he has three legit reasons. He is a FRESHMAN. It happens all the time with freshman at UCLA. It takes a while for them to pick up all intricacies of a Howland defense (and this year it has been more challenging given Howland has been coaching a zone defense which he hasn't done much in his career). Second, he is playing out of position as an undersized 5. Lastly, he has dealt with serious injuries this season ranging from swollen eye to concussions due to his playing hard.
Ragovic on the other hand has no excuse whatsoever. He is a senior who has been around the program for four years and has caught all kinds of break from his head coach after getting himself in bad situations, and somehow managing to stay in the program while others were shown the door for not playing tough defense. He has repeatedly gotten away by lollygagging as a defender, even though Howland uses the quick hook for most of his other players. So he has no excuse and it is telling for him to get exposed by a fellow senior. Embarrassing for him and for Ben Howland who still thinks this guy somehow has "leadership" qualities to anchor a UCLA basketball program.
Ben Howland's disparate treatment of Ragovic hasn't been helpful because it seems right now that there is definite internal dissension within the team. More on this after the jump.
Bald Eagle made a pretty interesting observation about team chemistry following the ugly, record setting loss against the Trogans. He noted how at one point of the game Malcolm Lee went down hard and Reeves Nelson didn't come over to help out even though he was close by. Well Nelson is openly calling out our guards in the paper today:
Nelson's touches have been erratic at times, and so have his points - from 19 against Washington State on Jan. 23 to 11 at Oregon on Jan. 28, from 18 against Stanford on Feb. 4 to a combined 16 against Cal and USC - as he continues to learn how to get open and how to use his legs in the post.
"You can't really pass the ball into yourself, so it's just up to the guards to either take open shots or get the ball inside," Nelson said. "It's easier said than done, I guess. But it's up to them - they run the offense."
Ooof. So much for sticking together as a team through the adversity. Then again I can understand freshmen being a little bewildered and bemused through this season when they see how players like Ragovic who don't have to play any defense keeps getting their 35+ minutes, and guards like Anderson routinely put in before the end of half or during crunch time in second half to cough away leads and momentum.
Moving over to injury news, as referenced up top Keefe is still out this week. Howland mentioned he will need surgery when the season is over:
"He's unlikely for this week - he did have the MRI read that he had on Sunday morning, and basically it showed that there's not a lot of new activity," Howland said. "My hope is he'll be able to play in our last four regular-season games. He's gonna need surgery once the season's over - the screws are still in place, but I think it's pretty clear they're going to have to go back in there and take a look."
At this point I think James Keefe needs to think about the overall health of Keefe and put that above the interest of this team. His career at UCLA hasn't worked out the way we all envisioned it to be. However, he has been nothing short of a Ben Ball warrior given the way he has dedicated his heart and soul and sacrificed his body (and his career when he gave up a medical redshirt) for the four letter.
Keefe had his moments of glory when he helped us get into the Final-4. So, I think Keefe should rest up, focus on getting healthy and finish on a high note in classroom in his last few months in Westwood. He along with Michael Roll will be two seniors, we will be celebrate and bid goodbye with some happy memories from great days. So James Keefe, please put your health above the game during these remaining days of 2009-10 basketball season. You have done enough.
Lastly, Howland is saying Morgan is going to "get a chance to play more":
"Bobo's going to get a chance to play more. We can't obviously afford any more injuries. That would be difficult.
Guess we will have to see. Howland has been saying a lot of things this season. Unfortunately they have not been translating on the court since he keeps doing the same things.
GO BRUINS.
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Let the internecine warfare begin!
(Well, at least the public portion…) This sadly does nothing but confirm what many have thought/heard for quite some time. Perhaps it’s time to start taking odds on who transfers after this season?
Agree for the most part on JK – he’s basically given his all despite not having the skills/confidence/coaching support/whatever to make the kind of impact we hoped for when he arrived. I would like to see him be able to return and start on senior day, though. He deserves that, even given the need to develop other bigs for next year.
Difficult to watch
It seems we are reaching a point where the players have lost the motivation to play hard.
Now they are criticising each other’s play! Frankly I am
not that motivated to watch this team today. That is extremely sad. I wonder what the ratings are this season for UCLA games. I am looking for a
miracle turnaround next season
That kind of public comment reflects poorly on everyone
and I expected better from MR – but perhaps losing to $C twice as a senior starter was the last straw for him.
As with KL’s comments a couple of years ago – I wish MR and RN hadn’t spoken publically, but it’s hard to argue with what they are saying. ND drifts in and out of games, with mostly lackadaiscal play occasionally interrupted by diving on the floor or taking a charge. RN tends to start with enthusiasm but gets frustrated easily and takes himself out of the game mentally, particularly if he thinks a call hasn’t gone his way. MR isn’t calling RN out for making mistakes – which any freshman makes, and, on our team, any player makes – he’s calling him out for the way he reacts to those mistakes, and for the way he also seems to lose enthusiasm if he isn’t involved offensively.
RN’s comments on the guards (presumably point guards specifically?) are also understandable, as they are struggling to create anything. At the same time, given his unwillingness to pass out of double teams in games it is perhaps understandable why they don’t look to force the ball inside when he is well defended. Possibly a chicken and egg situation – guards fail to get the ball inside much, so RN is unwilling to give it up on the rare occasions when he has it, which makes the guards less likely to feed him. I hold the guards more responsible than RN in this regard, but it’s possible that there is a feedback loop there.
Regardless, there seem to be serious chemistry issues on the court – I would be interested to see how many baskets are TH finding RN, where the seems to be a good understanding, as opposed to the point guards finding RN or TH finding other players. TH seems to understand the value of getting guys involved in a way that seems to escape ML, among others.
Mike Roll is a fifth year senior ...
and a veteran of several Final Four teams.
That said, I’m glad he aired it out in public.
For all we know he’s been saying it in private all along.
I’m proud of Mike for saying what needed to be said.
my sentiments exactly
My respect for MR has gone up even more. His playing days are donel once his UCLA career is over. Brickovic will end up making decent coin playing in Europe somewhere, and he’s mailing it in.
I don't know if Roll is the captain ...
but his experience makes him like a captain, even if he isn’t the official captain.
He’s a leader and I’m glad he called some guys out in public.
I’m not disagreeing necessarily with Nelson, but to me there is just more gravitas behind Roll’s comments than his.
leadership is NOT
calling out guys in public a few games from the end of the season. It may be satisfying for people to see players on our miserable team called out in the media, but it is not a sign of ‘leadership’ at this stage of the season.
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 9:40 AM PST up reply actions
No, leadership definitely is not
about calling people out and complaining about them openly. I grant you that.
But consider the context within which Roll did it. This is a fiercely competitive individual, warts and all. He is the de facto captain even if he isn’t one officially. What happens deeply affected him and so he did what he did. What seems not appropriate, in my opinion , is the conduct of others on the team. What have they really done to elicit outbursts from someone who just might also be aware of such consequences but went ahead anyway ?
not defending RN and ND at all
just find it surprising to see people praising a guy for throwing teammates under the bus.
I agree there are mitigating circumstances for MR, so I am not looking to bash on him for this; I think this is an unfortunate but understandable slip on his part. Not a huge demerit – but also not something to be cited as an example of leadership.
The reason I said in my original comment that this reflects poorly on everyone is that it reflects poorly both on the guys for airing their dirty laundry in public, on the other players for putting them in this situation, and on CBH for both the situation that caused the frustration and the apparent loss of control over the locker room.
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 10:16 AM PST up reply actions
Well, we just disagree on this ...
I think Mike knew exactly what he was doing and did it to get his teammates’ attention.
If Drew Gordon did it — I’d question his motives and his common sense. When MIke Roll does it, I believe it’s a strategic move by a team leader who does not have a reputation for running his mouth.
well
here’s hoping the strategic move works, in any case…!
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 10:22 AM PST up reply actions
Look, britishbruins
The train wreck is happening right before our eyes. Nothing Howland can do will possibly salvage what’s left of the season. Roll can keep his opinion behind closed doors, inside the locker room bolted locked ouside, at the junction of Wilshire Blvd on top of a box as if this is Hyde park, London, etc. what difference will it make ?
sorry?
I personally don’t think you should take shots at your teammates in the press – particularly at the end of the season, when it is less likely to have a useful impact. If other people want to see it as a strategic move, then I at least hope it serves its purpose and produces a better effort from the players in question. Not sure what point you are seeing in my comment that you’re responding to, but I am not sure I intended it.
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 11:58 AM PST up reply actions
The comments are minor. Nothing to write home about.
All Roll said is sometimes ND and RN need to play harder. A blind man could see that’s true. Same with RN’s comments about the guards. Shoot the rock or get it inside. Duh. These are minor complaints among teammates, really.
The season is a train wreck already. We don’t need to exaggerate tiny comments from the players to prove the team lacks chemistry, tenacity or talent. We don’t need to search for conflict among the players to realize this has been CBH’s worst performance by far as a coach.
Frankly, I don’t even know why I watch this team play every game. The basketball they “play” is really unwatchable. But one always hopes to see a glimmer of a positive future, I guess.
It’s especially hard when you see players mailing it in and the other team busting its gut. Lack of effort is unforgiveable and SHOULD BE PUNISHED. Why it has not been is beyond me.
This is where the focus should be, in CBH’s coaching, and not minor player comments. Frankly, I’m surprised they haven’t been at each other’s throats a long time ago on this sinking ship.
I believe CBH has the ability to turn this around, but it is worrisome to me that, in this lost season, he has not let more youngsters play for the future and PUNISHED the lolly-gaggers. In the end, it is character that counts. I thought CBH knew and believed that.
We’ll see. He can still prove me wrong.
Okay
This is where the focus should be, in CBH’s coaching, and not minor player comments. Frankly, I’m surprised they haven’t been at each other’s throats a long time ago on this sinking ship.
We have been doing that all along. Over here we do analyze all the details about our program. These comments might be “minor” to you but they reflect extremely poorly when published in a major in the second biggest media market in the country
Nestor, I never said your normal focus was not in the proper place.
All I’m saying is exaggerating these understandable comments by players suffering through a terrible season is the tail wagging the dog.
It’s all on Howland, as it should be. I think so highly of his integrity and commitment to UCLA. I know this season is killing him because he is a responsible person.
Hopefully, he can at least get these kids ready for next year.
We all agree on thins, I think.
That’s the important point to me.
GO BRUINS!
On one hand
comments like these should probably be left to private discussion. However, I feel relieved that the players are not disillusioned and are at least in part seeing and feeling the same frustrations we have expressed here on BN. I give MR points for his straightforwardness, although I’m not a big fan of his timing and choice of medium for expression.
Consider all the limitations in his game
Roll does what he can day in and day out. This is an upright young man, loyal Ben ball warrior, fiercely competitive but becoming disillusioned unfortunately at the grim prospects of how his Pauley career will end.
What he said, or didn’t say, and whether it was the appropriate way by going public regarding anybody, I’ll just say CUT HIM THE SLACK. He is suffering because of Howland’s missteps.
I am glad Roll said this
Somebody within the team needed to. After all, he only has 7 more games left playing with him unless they hook up in Europe somewhere. Maybe CBH will read that and realize the same things that Roll is seeing. As for Nelson, it is probably best that a freshman keep any critical comments to themselves. But I believe it shows that he cares about winning and is only understandably frustrated.
Grateful for my DVR this past weekend
I was out of town, and “fast forwarded” through the lackluster Bruin performance on Sunday. I agree that divisive comments in a public venue from team members never reflects well on a program, but seriously, watching ND saunter down the court, his mind elsewhere, adjusting his “cool shooting sleeve,” which is obviously a real good luck charm for him this season, just infuriated me so much. I can only imagine what MR feels like sharing the court with that 4 year veteran. Unfortunately, I think ND’s skull is too thick for any comments to incite a better performance.
My craptastic "new" DVR from Comcast
didn’t record the last 30 minutes of the scheduled game. I managed to catch the last three minutes of the game since I also recorded the show immediately following our game.
We’ve swapped it out since, but I’m THISCLOSE to getting Tivo.
DirecTV
I am not a honk for DirecTV and its new DVR (used to be Tivo), as there have been challenges especially in the early HD days, but it is the most reliable utility I have in my house at this time, except for the land line phone we have. When the weather was severe in So Cal recently, DirecTV was perfect and stood up well. The DVR is so simple my wife can regularly record her shows, and if you knew her, you could appreciate my comment.
Bill
Mensgym
I loved my Direct TV DVR
I don’t like to figure out all the gizmos that come with TV’s, but that one was simple enough!
When we would extend the recording, the DVR would freeze. We’ve stopped doing that and have gone back to our previous recording methods – record the next two hours after the game, just in case.
Not on Comcast,
but the DVRs I’ve had from AZ and KS cable providers have given the option of modifying the recording time – I always add at least 30 minutes to a game.
I learned early on that when recording a game
always record up to an hour of what ever follows. Games very rarely end as scheduled, and if by any chance it goes into overtime, those 5 minutes can last half an hour as televised.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
Drago's initial suspension
I know it’s late to even mention this, but when was Drago was suspended early in the season, I thought at the time, this may be a good thing for this team if Drago is just out of the picture for the rest of the year. With his previous legal problem, the team might be better off without him. But I never liked his game anyway.
Without Drago, Gordon may have been less frustrated and stayed. Reeves might have gotten to play his natural position at the PF, initially backing up JK and eventually getting the majority of the minutes. JMM gets to back up Gordon and both would be better next year.
OK, I know, hindsight, and speculation.
by Arturo del Mundo on Feb 17, 2010 9:59 AM PST up reply actions
do you have maybe even one line, a quote, or some off-the-record source
to suggest that frustration with Dragovic played a significant role in Gordon’s departure?
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 10:07 AM PST up reply actions
I certainly undertsand RN's frustration
I don’t understand why our offense doesn’t flow through RN. He’s our best offensive option and most often will either score, get fouled or have defenders collapse on him, leaving the rest of the squad with some good looks outside.
We hardly went to him at all in the 2nd half vs. sc which was really frustrating. I remember once or twice we did get it to him and he wasn’t able to convert but I would ride that horse if I were the Bruins.
by RealisticBruinFan on Feb 17, 2010 9:03 AM PST reply actions
As mentioned above
he does not pass the ball back out when they collapse on him.
He bulls up a shot — and often he is successful.
Or, he gets fouled. At 53%, he’s the worst FT shooter of the players who get major minutes.
Don’t get me wrong. He and TH are our two best players and I have great respect for his game.
But, it will be even better when he can create opportunities for the other guys by drawing two defenders and passing out to an open man.
sjh
I think he will get it right eventually
We all have to be patient with freshmen. Actually not just frosh but our underclassmen as well. I haven’t given up on the sophomores yet.
And, he will be much better when
he’s playing his natural position.
Talk about “sacrifices” — we properly laud ML for playing his best, out of position — but look at what RN has done.
sjh
From where I sit ...
Reeves is playing his natural position.
Reeves is — to me — a natural five, though he’s a little undersized.
He doesn’t have nearly enough range on his shot to be a four and even more significantly he lacks the lateral quickness to defend most power forwards.
Will he play the four spot next season? I expect he will, mostly when he is matched against a slower four. But I don’t think that’s his natural position, he’ll just play it for us out of necessity.
Brendan Lane is more of a natural four man to me, though he needs to get stronger. As someone wrote on another board recently, there is a better chance that Lane gets stronger than Nelson gets quicker.
None of this should read as a knock on Nelson. I like his motor, I like his attitude and toughness.
Next season I expect Nelson and Smith to get most of the minutes at center and hope Lane starts at the power forward position. Nelson will surely get some minutes at that spot, too.
Just to continue my thought on next season, Honeycutt and Moser will be the threes, Lee and Lamb will be the twos and Zeke Jones and Anderson will be the point guards. Man, I hope Zeke can play and JA improves.
Another rotation I like is
Lee at the 1
Honeycutt at the 2
Nelson at the 4
Lane at the 3
Bobo at the 5
I, unlike Nester, have little hope that JA will improve to an acceptable level of a UCLA point guard.
Don't you think ...
that lineup would have trouble defending?
Honeycutt would be forced to cover quicker guys, Lane would be forced to cover quicker guys and Nelson would be forced to cover quicker guys. I guess we could zone with that lineup but it would struggle in man to man defense.
Match-ups would be challenging
but how else do we get all the talent on the floor at the same time?
I think you have to allow Bobo to be a shot blocker and help when Lane and RN get beat by quicker guys.
Plus this lineup gives us some real length that may make up for the lack of quickness.
Also, with our current roster composition, do you think we will have enough speed to play man? I’m not sure….
One reason not to like this lineup may be that you lose TH ability to get rebounds and defend around the rim.
at least with Bobo's agility he could provide excellent help defense when our other guys get burned
Um…
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 11:26 AM PST up reply actions
joking right?????
It is a huge stretch to ask him to hedge or help as a shot blocker. Not the swiftest of foot…
But...
Bobo’s upside is so huge that I just can’t see keeping him off the court, despite his limitations….
I've been asking for us to go to a big lineup for about 6 weeks now
We play mostly zone anyways so there are no matchups and therefor, not matchup problems. The length would make it tough to throw the ball around too.
For everything UCLA baseball, visit my UCLA baseball twitter.
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Feb 17, 2010 11:55 AM PST up reply actions
I have heard you make that case
and definitely understand it. But even with no ‘matchups’ as such, your ‘big’ lineup is also your ‘slow’ lineup, making the rotations and help in the set zone slower, and making it harder to defend in transition. I don’t know if the length more than compensates, compensates exactly or doesn’t quite compensate for the potential loss of speed, and would be interested to hear anyone’s take.
Watching some of the good zone teams this year, the key seems to have people who are quick AND long… but for us, that’s mostly an either/or situation…
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 12:06 PM PST up reply actions
+1 on Nelson
I’m not seeing him at the 4, mostly for athletic reasons. I think he’s showed he can be pretty good at the five, size be damned, and just how the hell is he supposed to guard even a moderately fluid 4? His defensive problems at the five have not been size related, but quickness related — that only gets worse at the 4.
is Lane going to guard even a moderately fluid 4?
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 11:25 AM PST up reply actions
Can you stop attacking Lane?
I am frankly getting tired of attacks from you, DCBruins among others on Lane, Moser and other freshman who haven’t gotten the playing mins needed for development. So cut it out. Thanks.
not attacking Lane here
questioning whether the argument against RN at the 4 is valid, when other people are suggesting keeping RN at the 5 to open up a spot for Lane at the 4.
Is RN going to be a great defender of athletic 4s? Probably not, but athletic 4s may struggle to defend his strength and post moves down low. Is Lane going to be a great defender of athletic 4s? I don’t see him as particularly suited to guarding athletic 4s either; and I don’t know if his offensive skill set provides the same matchup problem for athletic 4s that RN’s does. It looks like his game is to be more of a mid-range shooter.
None of this is an attack on Lane. My comments on his performance in the $C game were more positive than most. In this instance I don’t buy the argument that you have to start Lane ahead of Nelson at the 4 because Nelson can’t defend that position. If people want to make a case that Lane should be on the court because he is one of our 5 best players next year, that is fine. If people want to make a case that TH needs to play the 4 against quicker 4s, I can see that too. I just don’t get the argument that we need to play Nelson as an undersized 5 because Lane is somehow a better defensive option at the 4.
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 11:52 AM PST up reply actions
(I should have given more than a one line comment, I guess)
(but thought it was understood from context)
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 12:08 PM PST up reply actions
I think it's fair
to ask about Lane’s defensive skills. I don’t see asking as necessarily denigrating him. Since we haven’t seen much of him, we don’t know how he’d do once he got used to more than 23 seconds of game time. He will hopefully develop over the summer to be better than whatever his skills are now. Not bashing Lane, but I think wondering about how he’d do in significant, repeated game action is in line with what you, I, and most others have been doing lately, Nestor. Just my two cents.
Lane seems to have more potential
To guard athletic fours.
I agree ...
Lane has not really done anything this season due to a lack of consistent minutes. But I feel he is a much better athlete than Nelson.
I do think Nelson will log minutes at the 4. My original point up above was about his “natural” position. He will play some 4, but he’s a natural 5, IMO.
Lane is more of a 4 — he’s the better athlete and I think he’s got more range on his shot, though he’s barely had a chance to take a shot this season.
I really hope Smith is the 5, Lane is the 4 and Nelson logs minutes at both spots, but mostly backing up Smith.
What that means for Stover and Morgan I’m not sure. There was a thread on another board today that detailed Stover’s progress, how he’s added weight and how the coaches are pleased with his progress. Stover has the potential to be a shot blocker, which is something none of our current 5s (I don’t know about Smith). I’d love it if Stover could contribute because we haven’t had a shot blocking type 5 since maybe Ryan Hollins.
I can theoretically imagine a lot of minutes with Nelson at 5 and Lane at 4
but mostly that would be an indictment on Bobo, AS and JS2.
It seems hard for me to believe that we’ll have 3 scholarship centers lined up on the bench, while Brendan Lane is getting starters minutes at the 4… seems much more likely we’ll have RN playing 30 mins at the 4 backed up by Lane, with 40 minutes of center play squeezed out of Bobo, AS and JS2; unless one of them transfers.
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 1:52 PM PST up reply actions
and
if Lane improves a lot over the summer and demands serious minutes, maybe CBH WILL have to consider using the bigger lineup discussed above in his rotation, particularly if TL isn’t ready to be a contributor at SG.
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 2:03 PM PST up reply actions
Nestor stop: Defending CBH is not attacking BL or MM
First, I haven’t attacked MM once. I have said I have not seen him enough to comment on him. I am not anti-BL.
But I don’t agree with your thinking that CBH should have played BL and MM more minutes in the PAC 10. I have defended CBH against the argument that he should be playing people for the future as long as he could be 500 this season. I agree with CBH’s seeming decision that BL is not in the top 7/8 players right now, thus if you are playing to win you don’t play him now. (For example, Wooden said the only thing he did different from his good non-Championship teams to his great Championship teams was to practice the first 7 or 8 together as the first team. I think it is key for Chemistry, development etc. to settle on a rotation and play them.)
So if want to bitch at me for something, you can criticize\disagree with me for wanting to win now, for agreeing with CBH we need only play 7/8 players a game and thinking that, for example, MAH is a better player right now than BL.
Obviously, MAH can only get a little better with his athletic limitations and BL has much bigger potential. Now that the 500 season is (almost) over, fine play BL, Bobo (who you don’t like), and MM.
And fine yell at me for being Pollyanna-like for thinking until the $C game we could get to 500. It looks like I was wrong about that.
exactly
Reeves Nelson season stats – 152 FGs attempted, 124 FTs attempted… 6 assists
Not at present the guy through which you run your offense (but definitely a guy you want to keep involved given his high number of points-per-shot.)
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 9:36 AM PST up reply actions
Is it baseball/track//spring football Season yet?
..meant with the greatest of reverence, but this is getting almost too ugly to watch
Kinda like reverse schadenfreude..
God, it's great to be a Bruin!
sidenote: "after the jump" is a highly annoying, outdated term
Can all the contributors PLEASE stop saying “more on that after the jump”? 1) that phrase is just annoying to read. 2) it’s way old; i never see it used ANYWHERE else anymore. 3) the contributors to this blog use it WAY too much and 9 times out of 10 this ‘jump’ to which they refer never comes to fruition.
Please, enough with this “after the jump” business.
and I already know what you’re going to say… “But there IS always a ‘jump’”. The answer is NO. Just as I do, I assume a lot of people read this blog in a blog reader that displays the entire post. OR they come to the site and don’t bother with the semi-article on the main page, but rather click on the headline to go straight to the full article. Obviously I don’t do the analytics on this blog, but I would bet it’s a large percent of the readership who falls into one of those two categories.
Just say “more on that later” or whatever. “After the jump” pisses me off, and probably pisses off a lot of other losers like me too.
um
good luck with that.
Personally, I do not fall into either of the categories you mention.
Nestor typically tells people not to read articles here if you have a massive problem with them. In your case, maybe you should just try not reading those few words – or get a fancier blog reader to automatically search for phrases that upset you and delete them before you have to read it.
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 10:05 AM PST up reply actions
Yeah...it's a real nuisance
One more click of the mouse. What a drag. You’re probably got that finger busy picking your nose.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
If you don't like it...
…then don’t come back to BN. We’ll continue to write in the style we prefer and rockerhud, if that “pisses you off” I suggest you find somewhere else to get your Bruins fix. We don’t owe you anything, you know, since we’re doing this for free, so STFU.
BTW, our readership numbers are doing pretty good, so obviously, you don’t know WTF you’re talking about. Thanks for playing.
by Bellerophon on Feb 17, 2010 11:02 AM PST up reply actions
I read the first part on the home page
and if I don’t like it I don’t bother clicking through. On a desktop or my iTouch. Works for me.
Jumping in on a blog you’re basically never posted on and asking the site moderator/co-founder to change his style to suit yours strikes me as “highly annoying.”
Personally, I think having a "jump" is a nice compromise
All blogs and newspapers have a bit of a dilemma: whether to publish the entire story on the first page (the page that everybody sees first), or to publish a mere headline + link to the full story, or to publish the first part of the story + link to the rest.
The first option is frustrating to both readers and publishers. For readers, something as recent as a few hours old gets pushed to the bottom, out of reach for most people given the time they have to read. For publishers, all the action is on just a few stories at the top, while stories deserving continued life wilt further down.
The second option is frustrating, too, in forcing readers to open a new tab or page just to see whether one wants to continue reading.
Personally, I think BN gets it right. You can argue that the dividing line be placed higher, allowing shorter “part ones” and more stories on the front page. But, that’s a quibble.
As for the phrase “after the jump” pissing you off, I join britishbruin in wishing you luck with that campaign. I don’t like “he goes” for “he says,” or “nukular” for “nuclear,” or “like” every three words, either, but my campaign is flagging.
how about
“and HE was like” for “and he said”? Hits you with both barrels.
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 3:50 PM PST up reply actions
I too wish that MR had voiced his concerns differently
however, as I think about it………good for him. It is painfully obvious how much Drag is a slacker. He is one of the worst examples of a basketball player our program has seen in the last decade. A complete embarrassment in how he has been held to a different standard of play. He has no accountability, and everyone, EVERYONE, see’s that. If MR is tired of it. If he has had it with Drag and wishes to voice those concerns, then I have no problem with a senior calling him out. He has spent more time than anyone in the Ben Howland system and knows exactly what it takes to be successful in it. Good for MR.
like
to CBH early in the season, rather than to the Daily News at the end of the season
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 10:10 AM PST up reply actions
WOW
Ragovic looks just like J. Scheyer’s non-d playing twin in that picture.
KEEFE'S Status
Anyone here think he should apply for a medical redshirt and try and get an extra year? Is this even an option?
Do we really want him to return next year, or gracefully move on?
I’m leaning towards hoping JK moves on. I agree with Nester that JK is a warrior and sacrificed a lot for this program.
However, he has been nothing short of a Ben Ball warrior given the way he has dedicated his heart and soul and sacrificed his body (and his career when he gave up a medical redshirt) for the four letter.
But I believe it is time for him to move on and make room on the roster for someone more talented. He will merely take minutes away from younger guys who are at least, if not more, talented.
While it will be nice to have a Senior leader on what will be a very young team next year, he just hasn’t developed into the player we all hoped and expected,given how highly touted he was coming out of high school and how well he played at times while wearing the four letters.
But I say, “Good Night” young warrior. It’s time to make another sacrifice for the team give up your scholarship, take yourself out of the rotation, and allow for the growth of younger players, with more upside.
Yep
I believe the threshold for a medical redshirt is 25 or 30% of your team’s games (ie. MAH’s 5th year eligibility, Roll’s eligibility this season after playing a small number of games in ‘07-08 and Shipp’s 4-game season a few years back). Keefe is well past that point now.
formerly bruinhoo
yup
and was also way past it the year he took off his redshirt when MR went down
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 2:05 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah, I think it is time to say goodbye to James
He has been great. It could be interesting if he decides to stick around as a graduate assistant. I get the impression he really loves being a Bruin and would be a great ambassador for our program.
JK as a grad assistant would be great
I actually had assumed MR would be the one as a grad assistant, but I read somewhere (sorry forgot where) that he will be well-served playing in Europe, so that may be out of the picture right now.
by bruinhopeful on Feb 17, 2010 12:39 PM PST up reply actions
Absolutely....
To everyting, there is a season.
For James Keefe’ s sake, and Pauley fans’, he is better off moving on with his life’s other goals. Injuries undoubtably, and unfortunately handicapped his game, stunted his development more than he himself , or Howland and comoany ever realized or accepted.
I appreciate his persistent desire to overcome such disability and contribute, albeit counter productively most of the time. Much as his performance frustrated us, I am sure he will receive a rousing send off in his last home game. After all, he is one of us. It’s all in the bruin family.
I for one am glad these comments were made publicly.
Families have a way of ignoring the big white elephant in the room until it reaches a breaking point. The family alcoholic, the gay son father refuses to see for what he is, hell I got shit for going vegetarian as a younger man. Families also have a way of being leery of airing their dirty laundry in public, but it is usually some traumatic incident that is very public that forces the kind of open dialogue that can get them past their reservations and deal with that particular issue.
Dragovic has been a white elephant we’ve all been happy to discuss around here, but as evidenced by his playing minutes, I’m guessing it is something Howland has not been willing to discuss. Ideally, these public comments will force Howland’s hand, or open his eyes, or ANYTHING that can make the next 3 weeks mean something. If it means playing more freshman to build for next year. Fine. If it means cutting into Dragovic’s minutes and making a run at the Pac 10 tournament in hopes of a tournament bid, Great.
Just do something.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
lol. yes.
And unfortunately, we the extended family have that problem too.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
Some of us have definitely been acting like ...
… Dragoholics. Thankfully a number of them have entered rehab in recent days.
I can see it now:
“Hi. my name is Nikola, and I haven’t played defense in 60 days.”
UCLA's most famous athlete: Jackie Robinson
U$C's most famous athlete: OJ Simpson
'Nuff said
by Cade McAdverb on Feb 17, 2010 3:05 PM PST up reply actions
RN said the same thing that KL said 2 years ago
RN is right, we dont always work the ball in. Kevin Love said the same thing in frustration before. It appears to me that the team is better at getting the ball into the paint this year than it has been.
Our offense bogs down when we are not working it into the paint. And, clearly the guards seem to forget to work it in.
MR’s comments about RN echo what CBH has said repeatedly: RN gets down on himself easily and too quickly. I think both MR and CBH are asking RN to get a cornerback mentality: you are going to get beat … but you have to be ready for the next play.
by Bruin Dad and Grad on Feb 17, 2010 2:38 PM PST reply actions
well that goes back to Howland's offenses
which is a whole ’nother debate for a whole ’nother day.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
Dude, you bring that up every time
and I’m not sure that you can make that point.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Like I said, that's a whole 'nother discussion.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
Difference between RN and Kevin Love
Kevin Love is right when he said the offense should flow through him a lot, and he made the point more specifically than just that he should get the ball more – he pointed out that throwing it in to him isn’t throwing it into a black hole, and that he can help make shots for others. Which is evidenced by the fact that he averaged 1.9 assists per game. Reeves Nelson averages 0.3 assists per game and rarely thinks about passing the ball out again if he gets his hands on it down low, despite often going against bigger guys or double teams.
We should be working to get RN good looks to finish close to the basket. As yet, we should not be running our offense through him. He also gets a decent number of shots, given his minutes – KL took 406 shots at UCLA; RN, if he played the same minutes and number of games as KL, would be around 327. The equivalent adjusted number for senior leader PAA last year would have been 283. LMR as our starting center as a junior? 214. Ryan Hollins as our starting senior center? 218.
So, I don’t have that much sympathy for RN saying what he said to the press (not saying they shouldn’t get him the ball more, just that it he is not being so grievously under-utilized that he is justified taking shots at his teammates in the press). On a per minute basis, he takes more shots than any of our starting centers over the past 5 years except KL, and all of them were seniors or juniors with multiple years experience under CBH
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 3:48 PM PST up reply actions
actually, add to that
that K Love took 82 3pt shots in that time, so his number of shots in the post was at most 324.
So, by that logic, RN is taking as many shots down low on a per-minute basis as K-Love, and significantly more than any of our other recent centers.
by britishbruin on Feb 17, 2010 4:12 PM PST up reply actions
Precisely....
In fact, I am starting to think that perhaps Howland, the great program builder he evidently is, has problems sustaining momentums once his mission accomplished.
His offense predicates on the type of players he recruited especially intended for program rebuilding. The ones he has now are St. Mary’s, San Diego State types, not really prime time players, let alone under the aura of those banners high up the Pauley rafters.
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