For struggling Bruins there is no quick fix

by Brad Allis
tucsoncitizen.com
on Jan.02, 2010, under Sports

It was weird to see an Arizona/UCLA game as an afterthought on the national scene, but when both teams are right around .500 that is exactly what it was. It was a game between two legendary programs that may have little meaning in terms of the NCAA Tournament.

Arizona showed flashes of what the future could be. Derrick Williams was big, Kyle Fogg showed some nifty moves and Jamelle Horne seems closer to maximizing his athletic gifts. The future is bright in Tucson.

I am not sure the same could can be said about Westwood. Barring some young Bruins making rapid improvements, it does not look like UCLA is going to contend for Final Fours for a few more years.

Next year’s team could have some issues. (Coach) Ben Howland already pressed the panic button when he accepted a commitment from junior college point guard Lazeric Jones. The feeling is that Jones will likely be the starter a year from now.

All told, the Bruins could very well start three newcomers. In addition to Jones, the Bruins Welcome in Josh Smith and Tyler Lamb.

Smith is ESPN’s No. 1 center prospect, while Lamb is their No. 11 shooting guard. The 6-10, 270-pound Smith is as skilled a big man as you will find, but he’s also battled conditioning and focus issues. Lamb is really talented, but is he ready to carry a big load in the UCLA offense?

This season the Bruins do not have a go-to guy, and unless a younger player develops, the Bruins may need to rely heavily on the newcomers.

Right now their starting line-up next year could look like this:

PG Lazeric Jones

SG Tyler Lamb/Malcolm Lee

SF Tyler Lamb/Tyler Honeycutt

PF Reeves Nelson

C Josh Smith

It seems as if Mike Moser, Jerime Anderson, Anthony Stover, Brendan Lane and J’Mison Morgan are their rotation players, but this year those five players COMBINE for 11.9 points per game, with 6.5 of those coming from Anderson.

Now, all of those guys came in with great recruiting resumes, but have not yet put it all together. There are also some rumors of discontent by UCLA players. Drew Gordon openly challenged Ben Howland’s offense and there is talk that other players on the roster have said similar things behind the scenes. It would not be a shock to see some more players transfer out ala Gordon.