UCLA BASKETBALL: Lee will declare for draft, hold off on hiring agent By Jon Gold, Staff Writer
sgvtribune.com
Posted: 03/29/2011 09:34:51 PM PDT
LOS ANGELES - UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee said Tuesday during a conference call that he's declaring for the NBA draft, but he added he's not going to hire an agent.
Lee, coming off left knee surgery, said he will take until the May 8 deadline to pull out of the draft before making his decision. He is in the process of rehabilitating his knee - which required surgery to fix a small cartilage tear and small meniscus cartilage tear, suffered in the team's regular season-ending victory over Washington State - and hopes to be ready for individual workouts April 28.
"I consulted with my family and mentors like that, but the deciding factor was saying I'm a junior and I felt I made a lot of improvement from last year," Lee said. "I felt like it was just right."
Lee said his AAU coach was in the process of interviewing potential agents, but he said he wasn't going to hire one in the interim. Sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt declared for the draft Monday but will hire an agent, ending his college eligibility.
UCLA coach Ben Howland said he thought Lee made the right decision based on the fact that he has the option to return his senior year, when the Bruins are projected to be among the top teams in the country.
Lee submitted a questionnaire to NBA executives Monday that will give him feedback on his current draft prospects, Howland said, and he should have the results in 7-10 days.
"I don't think it hurts Malcolm at all," said Howland, who also added that he expects sophomore forward Reeves Nelson to return after their discussion. "He's leaving open the option to come back to school if he doesn't get the feedback he wants to hear.
"His classes are Tuesday and Thursday, and he should be good to go in terms of being back to full strength by the time they are starting to work guys out, which at the earliest is April 28th."
Most mock drafts have Lee anywhere from the early second round to undrafted, but Lee's sensational defense could find him a first-round suitor. Lee averaged 13.1 points on 43.7 percent shooting and added 3.1 rebounds as an All-Pac-10 first-team selection for the Bruins, who advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
But it was Lee's defense that drew rave reviews, as the all-defensive team pick was called the "best perimeter defender in the country" by Howland on several occasions.
"I feel like I'm a first-round draft pick, but my opinion doesn't mean anything," Lee said. "If I'm not a first-round draft pick, as of right now, I feel like I can improve my stock in the workouts."
Lee said he is unconcerned about a potential NBA lockout, and that it will not affect his decision. However, he did say that the team's potential for next season could be a factor in his return. Even with Honeycutt off to the draft, most Pac-10 observers believe UCLA should be at the top of the conference next year.
"That's definitely on my mind," Lee said. "Just knowing what our team could be with me. The potential this team has could be a deciding factor. But if I were not to come back, it could be a top team still because we do still have talent."
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Malcolm Lee to put name in NBA draft
By Peter Yoon
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Updated: March 29, 2011, 3:23 PM ET
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA guard Malcolm Lee confirmed Tuesday that he has made himself eligible for the NBA draft but is reserving the right to withdraw by not hiring an agent.
Lee, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound junior, was UCLA's second-leading scorer last season with 13.1 points a game, and has until May 8 to decide if he wants to return to school and continue playing for the Bruins.
He is the second UCLA player in two days to declare for the draft. Forward Tyler Honeycutt also did so Monday but plans on hiring an agent, so he will relinquish his college eligibility.
ESPN NBA Insider Chad Ford projects that Lee will go in the second round, if he is drafted at all. Lee will work out for NBA teams from April 28 through May 8 and get feedback about his draft position.
"I feel like I'm a first-round draft pick, but my opinion really don't mean nothing," Lee said. "If I'm not a first-round draft pick as of right now. I can improve my stock in the workouts."
How quickly he recovers from recent knee surgery may be a major factor in those workouts. Lee had cartilage removed from his left knee last week, and said he hopes to be at 100 percent by the time the workouts begin.
"But you really don't know until you get out there and start doing the cuts and going against competition," Lee said. "You really don't know until you go out and start testing it."
Lee said the threat of an NBA lockout would not alter his decision.
UCLA coach Ben Howland said entering the draft without hiring an agent is a win-win proposition for Lee because he retains the option of returning to school if he doesn't like what he hears from NBA teams.
"Malcolm is smart," Howland said. "He knows that from that feedback, if someone doesn't tell him we're going to take you in the first round, then it doesn't make sense."
UCLA has been projected to be as high as a top-10 team next season, but with the departure of Honeycutt and now possibly Lee, the Bruins' stock is dropping.
Howland said that Lee, who is the team's best defensive player, would be "a huge focal point for our team next year both offensively and defensively" should he withdraw from the draft. Lee acknowledged that would factor into his decision.
"The potential of what the team could be next year, that could be a deciding factor," he said. "If I were not to come back we can still be a top team because we do still have talent."
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Defensive ace Malcolm Lee declares for the 2011 NBA draft, but keeps staying in school an option by not hiring an agent
Malcolm Lee declares for 2011 draft with first-round aspirations, maintains option of returning next season
By RYAN ESHOFF
Published March 30, 2011, 2:20 am
The Daily Bruin
in Men's Basketball, Sport
Apparently the NBA bug is contagious.
Following the lead of one of his teammates, UCLA guard Malcolm Lee announced Tuesday that he will declare for this year’s NBA draft.
Unlike sophomore Tyler Honeycutt, who announced Monday that he was making the jump to the professional ranks, Lee will not hire an agent, a decision that leaves open the possibility of the junior returning to UCLA for the 2011-2012 season.
“I just felt that I made a lot of improvement from last year,” Lee said. “I felt like it was just right.”
Not hiring an agent right away gives Lee more flexibility. If still not represented, the deadline for him to withdraw from the June draft is May 8th – if he does so, he is free to return for his senior season.
Right now, the most pressing issue for the guard is getting healthy; Lee is currently recovering after having surgery last week to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The injury, suffered in UCLA’s March 5 game against Washington State, typically requires four to eight weeks of recovery time, which should get Lee healthy just in time to work out for NBA teams during the designated 11-day stretch that begins on April 28.
“The main thing, I’m just trying to get healthy right now so I can even work out,” Lee said. “You really don’t know until you go out and start testing it.”
Interest should be fairly high in Lee, a tough player who averaged just more than 13 points per game while playing 33 minutes a night.
His primary calling card, though, will most certainly be his defense – the long and athletic 6-foot-5-inch guard nearly always guarded the opposing team’s best perimeter player. This last season, that group included Jimmer Fredette of BYU, Dwight Hardy of St. John’s, and Isaiah Thomas of Washington. At one point during the year, coach Ben Howland contended that Lee was one of the best wing-defenders in the country.
Lee’s body of work could be enough to land him in the first round in what is widely considered a weak draft class. The most recent projections by NBADraft.net, however, had him going in the first few picks of the second round.
By not hiring an agent, Lee will be able to get feedback from a number of teams on where he is expected to go. If he isn’t satisfied with what he hears, he can return to Westwood for another year of refinement.
Lee said he believes that he should be selected in the first round.
But he acknowledged that if he gets told he won’t be a first-round pick, he’ll likely return to improve his stock, logic that his coach concurs with.
“If someone doesn’t tell him, ‘We’re going to pick you in the first round,’ then it doesn’t make sense,” Howland said. “Especially with the lockout, and the fact that he’ll be a huge focal point of our team next year, both offensively and defensively.”
Although Howland made sure to mention the potential NBA lockout, Lee said that the possibility of not playing didn’t affect his decision to test the draft waters. More difficult, though, was the decision to leave a UCLA team that has a chance to be very good next season.
“That’s definitely on my mind, just knowing what the team could be with me,” Lee said. “The potential that this team could be next year, that could be a deciding factor.”
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Lee declares for NBA Draft
By Jon Gold on March 29, 2011 11:00 AM
Inside UCLA with Jon Gold
The Los Angeles Daily News
UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee said he was declaring for the NBA Draft during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, but added that he was not going to hire an agent.
Lee, who is coming off left knee surgery, said he will take until the May 8 deadline to pull out of the draft before making his decision. He is in the process of rehabilitating his knee - which required surgery to fix a small cartilage tear and small miniscus cartilage tear, suffered in the team's regular-season ending win over Washington State - and hopes to be ready for individual workouts that start on April 28.
"I consulted with my family and mentors like that, but the deciding factor was saying I'm a junior and I felt I made a lot of improvement from last year," Lee said. "I felt like it was just right."
Lee said his AAU coach was in the process of interviewing potential agents, but he said he wasn't going to hire one in the interim. Sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt declared for the draft on Monday but will hire an agent, ending his college eligibility.
UCLA head coach Ben Howland said he thought it was Lee made the right decision based on the fact that he has the option to return his senior year, when the Bruins are projected to be among the top teams in the country.
Lee submitted a questionnaire to NBA executives yesterday that will give him feedback on his current draft prospects, Howland said, and he should have the results in 7-10 days.
"I don't think it hurts Malcolm at all," said Howland, who also added that he expects sophomore forward Reeves Nelson to return after their discussion. "He's leaving open the option to come back to school if he doesn't get the feedback he wants to hear. His classes are Tuesday and Thursday, and he should be good to go in terms of being back to full strength by the time they are starting to work guys out, which at the earliest is April 28th."
Most mock drafts have Lee anywhere from the early second round to undrafted, but Lee's sensational defense could find him a first-round suitor. Lee averaged 13.1 points on 43.7 percent shooting and added 3.1 rebounds as an All-Pac-10 first-team selection for the Bruins, who advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
But it was Lee's defense that drew rave reviews, as the all-defensive team pick was called the "best perimeter defender in the country" by Howland on several occasions.
"I feel like I'm a first-round draft pick, but my opinion doesn't mean anything," Lee said. "If I'm not a first-round draft pick, as of right now, I feel like I can improve my stock in the workouts."
Lee said he is unconcerned about a potential NBA lockout, and that it will not affect his decision. However, he did say that the team's potential for next season - even with Honeycutt off to the draft, most Pac-10 observers believe UCLA should be at the top of the conference next year - could be a factor in his return.
"That's definitely on my mind," Lee said. "Just knowing what our team could be with me.
The potential this team has could be could be a deciding factor. But if I were not to come back it could be a top team still because we do still have talent."
Howland added some more talent on Monday, only it will be delayed a year.
Former Taft High and North Carolina point guard Larry Drew II enrolled at UCLA on Monday and will redshirt next season before becoming eligible as a senior in 2012-13.
Drew abruptly left North Carolina in early February after his playing time diminished and he lost the starting role to freshman Kendall Marshall.
Drew averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 assists in 22.8 minutes per game as a junior, down from 8.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 28.8 minutes per game in 2009-10.
"We're excited to have Larry Drew in the program," Howland said. "I think he'll be a good addition. Gives us a point guard in a class we need it as we move past next year. I'm excited about our team next year. We won't know Malcolm's decision until sometime around May 8. Then I'll have a better feel."
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