Dan Guerrero Better Act Fast: Another Player Has Left the UCLA Basketball Team

This UCLA basketball season is so bad, I am not sure we have had one home game where the biggest story has not been something off the court. Shabazz eligibility ruined the opening of Pauley and the continued saga hung over other games as well with a development each time before the game. Then before Cal Poly, we had the specter of Tyler Lamb leaving.

Now tonight, we hear Josh Smith is leaving:

Jason Scheer @JasonScheer

Sooo Josh Smith is leaving UCLA? Good things happening over there

Jason Scheer

@JasonScheer

Publisher and senior editor of WildcatAuthority.com

Also Baxter Holmes:

Was told yesterday that UCLA's Josh Smith was thinking about quitting the team. It appears he has decided to do so.

What this means.

1. Ben Howland is gone. He is toast. The only question is when.

2. 8 Scholarship players is an obscenely low number for any basketball program not suffering from NCAA sanctions. The situation is desperate.

3. The attention now needs to be on Dan Guerrero, for the following reasons:

• Can Guerrero admit he blew it keeping Ben after he missed the tournament two out of three years, not to mention all the other issues? He has to do so and fire Ben now!
• Will (or did) Guerrero sit down with Tyler Lamb to talk about what happen? Same with Josh Smith.
• Dan needs to pull the plug on Ben right now. Losing two players, who are not troublemakers (yes Josh has issues but they are self-destructive issues), is a fire that Dan can no longer afford to ignore in the context of everything else. Again, keep in mind last year we also lost two players during the season, De'End Parker and Reeves Nelson.
• Bruins Nations and others wanted Howland gone after last year. The only debate really was for the reasons: SI article and related issues, missing the tournament two out of three years, or a combination. This is Dan's mess who backed Howland.

Dan is facing a big test. UCLA is the marquee program in the history of college basketball. How many more negative headlines and articles must we endure?