Go Bruins! T.J. Leaf on Lakers radar?
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:10 am    Post subject: Go Bruins! T.J. Leaf on Lakers radar?

When UCLA beat #1 Kentucky in their house yesterday, 19 scouts, including 1 from the Lakers, were on hand to see the star talent on both teams.

Lonzo Ball showed some talent, but 6'10" 225 lb pf T.J. Leaf is amazing, strong, an agressive capable rebounder, handles the ball well, is quick, has a sweet touch on the inside, penetrates and dunks on or over people, and shoots well from 3. He showed a sweet touch on a fall away wrong legged clutch shot from 17-18 ft on the left baseline. I've seen stats in the paper each game, and now I've seen him play twice now. No doubt he's probably the best pf in college today. He's better than Kevin Love was when he was at UCLA, and I believe he's the best pf I've ever seen at that school. I've seen them since Wickes and Rowe on the 70's squad.

If he stayed 4 years, he'd be the consensus #1. I'm not familiar with most other freshmen, but I see no reason why he won't go in the top 5 this year.

I'm as patient as anyone on LG with developing players but there's nobody on the team I wouldn't trade for him. I REALLY like Nance and Julius but I'd trade both of them for Leaf. This guy is IT and by the time they win the title that Lonzo Ball's dad predicted, the whole nation will know it. He's got me hoping the Lakers don't make the playoffs just to have a chance. Next to Ingram, that would be a GREAT fwd combination. Here's hopin.'
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 8:14 am    Post subject:

He's a great player but isn't better than Love was in college. He's underrated at this point though. Balls getting most of the attention but Leaf is clearly one of the two best players on the team.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 10:53 pm    Post subject:

UCLA ranked #2 now.....
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 11:30 pm    Post subject:

Eh. We beat the same Kensucky team last year and didn't even make the tourney towards the end because DaddyBall kept giving crucial and long minutes to his son, who's worse than a turnstile on D and never met a shot he didn't brick. Bryce's severe deficiencies on defense exposed the rest of the team, the horrendous shot selection, and lack of leadership caused them to toil in a funk. Right now Alford is being bailed out by two talents in Ball/Leaf, as well as mercifully less shots for Bryce, but it remains to be seen if that's enough down the stretch.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 5:08 am    Post subject:

rwongega wrote:
Eh. We beat the same Kensucky team last year and didn't even make the tourney towards the end because DaddyBall kept giving crucial and long minutes to his son, who's worse than a turnstile on D and never met a shot he didn't brick. Bryce's severe deficiencies on defense exposed the rest of the team, the horrendous shot selection, and lack of leadership caused them to toil in a funk. Right now Alford is being bailed out by two talents in Ball/Leaf, as well as mercifully less shots for Bryce, but it remains to be seen if that's enough down the stretch.


I'm starting to get the feeling you may be a "glass is half empty" kind of guy.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 6:18 am    Post subject:

Leaf can probably be drafted in the late-teens because the 2017 draft lottery is considered deep, so the Lakers would need to trade for him.

I don't see him being as good as Love, but Leaf is close - it's rare to find a young big man who shoots, boards, passes, and blocks shots like him. I question how effective he'll be on defense in the NBA, but he is tough and he's a sneaky good shotblocker in college, so he may surprise. Offensively he looks like he'll be an efficiency monster, but will he be a volume scorer #1/2 option type like Love became or more of a stud roleplayer?
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 9:00 am    Post subject:

BigGameHames wrote:
He's a great player but isn't better than Love was in college. He's underrated at this point though. Balls getting most of the attention but Leaf is clearly one of the two best players on the team.
Love probably had the bigger reputation but what he actually did was limited to the boards and inside on offense.

Love didn't have a reliable outside shot in college and never has been known for ball handling. He didn't play with a lot of scorers in a high scoring offense. His strength was rebounding and inside scoring.

Leaf is standing out while teammates are getting theirs. His handles and defense are far better than Love's and his rebounding is strong and on par. When you mix in his ability to blow by a man off the dribble, spin and go over a smaller post player to dunk (he was fouled by a help defender), and finish nicely around the rim without just shooting a jump hook, the eye test tells me I never saw freshman Love play on the same level.

Leaf is clearly the the better athlete and the only thing love had the advantage in was outlet passing.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 9:39 am    Post subject:

lakersboy wrote:
BigGameHames wrote:
He's a great player but isn't better than Love was in college. He's underrated at this point though. Balls getting most of the attention but Leaf is clearly one of the two best players on the team.
Love probably had the bigger reputation but what he actually did was limited to the boards and inside on offense.

Love didn't have a reliable outside shot in college and never has been known for ball handling. He didn't play with a lot of scorers in a high scoring offense. His strength was rebounding and inside scoring.

Leaf is standing out while teammates are getting theirs. His handles and defense are far better than Love's and his rebounding is strong and on par. When you mix in his ability to blow by a man off the dribble, spin and go over a smaller post player to dunk (he was fouled by a help defender), and finish nicely around the rim without just shooting a jump hook, the eye test tells me I never saw freshman Love play on the same level.

Leaf is clearly the the better athlete and the only thing love had the advantage in was outlet passing.

Freshman Kevin Love wasn't just limited to inside offense, though he was elite scoring in the paint - he averaged the same number of 3FGA per40 as TJ Leaf and knocked them down at a respectable 35% clip. Their overall stats are pretty similar, actually, but TJ is hitting a blistering (unsustainable?) 50% from three, while Love got to the FT line a lot more. But Love was putting up his numbers on a much, much slower team with far fewer possessions - 66.7 in 2007-08 to 79.6 this year - and he was a bit better defender than Leaf, albeit surrounded by much better defensive talent.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 11:23 am    Post subject:

lakersboy wrote:
BigGameHames wrote:
He's a great player but isn't better than Love was in college. He's underrated at this point though. Balls getting most of the attention but Leaf is clearly one of the two best players on the team.
Love probably had the bigger reputation but what he actually did was limited to the boards and inside on offense.

Love didn't have a reliable outside shot in college and never has been known for ball handling. He didn't play with a lot of scorers in a high scoring offense. His strength was rebounding and inside scoring.

Leaf is standing out while teammates are getting theirs. His handles and defense are far better than Love's and his rebounding is strong and on par. When you mix in his ability to blow by a man off the dribble, spin and go over a smaller post player to dunk (he was fouled by a help defender), and finish nicely around the rim without just shooting a jump hook, the eye test tells me I never saw freshman Love play on the same level.

Leaf is clearly the the better athlete and the only thing love had the advantage in was outlet passing.


Kevin Love was a dominant post player. He had a 3pt stroke, but like Karl Towns, was restricted from using it. If anything, he actually got criticism back then for taking 3-point shots.

Looking beyond that, Kevin Love was a glass eater that drew contact (63.5%FT rate!!!!) and made his free throws.

Though it's early in the NCAA season, Leaf only draws a foul rate of 23.5% (D'Lo got enough criticism on here just for not attacking the paint enough), and has a body more suited for PF/SF duty than a traditional PF (more along the likes of Randle, Green, Faried, etc.)

There's no doubt that Leaf is a very good athlete and is excelling with pace and space ball at UCLA, but it is early. BTW, don't forget that Love's team was coached by Ben Howland, who taught defense, post play, halfcourt, and rebounding.

Despite that, they were #10th in the nation in scoring. I wouldn't discredit that.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 2:39 pm    Post subject:

Leaf doesn't seem to be listed on the DX mock draft. I guess they think he might not come out this year? He does look like he could use another year to build up his body before he goes pro, but that hasn't stopped many people before.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 3:18 pm    Post subject:

Bol wrote:
Leaf doesn't seem to be listed on the DX mock draft. I guess they think he might not come out this year? He does look like he could use another year to build up his body before he goes pro, but that hasn't stopped many people before.

He moved up to #16 on their 2018 mock.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 1:04 pm    Post subject:

rwongega wrote:
Eh. We beat the same Kensucky team last year and didn't even make the tourney towards the end because DaddyBall kept giving crucial and long minutes to his son, who's worse than a turnstile on D and never met a shot he didn't brick. Bryce's severe deficiencies on defense exposed the rest of the team, the horrendous shot selection, and lack of leadership caused them to toil in a funk. Right now Alford is being bailed out by two talents in Ball/Leaf, as well as mercifully less shots for Bryce, but it remains to be seen if that's enough down the stretch.


Here is the typical "blame everything on the Alfords" UCLA fan in his natural habitat LG. Hiding behind a keyboard and trashing a college kid who has had a good career. All while ignoring that they've been in the sweet 16 2/3 years they've been there and winning a pac 12 tournament title. Giving him no credit for recruiting those players who are "bailing" him out or for implementing the system that has allowed them to have a ton of success so far.

Alford's a good coach and his son is a good college player who has hit more big shots at UCLA than anybody I can remember. Now that he's had time to build the roster he wants and implement the type of system he wants your still not going to give him any credit? Not surprising coming from the typical "blame everything on the Alford's" fan but disappointing nonetheless. Quit looking for reasons to hate them and be happy about what they are doing.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 8:55 pm    Post subject:

rwongega wrote:
Eh. We beat the same Kensucky team last year and didn't even make the tourney towards the end because DaddyBall kept giving crucial and long minutes to his son, who's worse than a turnstile on D and never met a shot he didn't brick. Bryce's severe deficiencies on defense exposed the rest of the team, the horrendous shot selection, and lack of leadership caused them to toil in a funk. Right now Alford is being bailed out by two talents in Ball/Leaf, as well as mercifully less shots for Bryce, but it remains to be seen if that's enough down the stretch.

It's not the same team they beat. At least 2, if not 3 of their starting lineup were freshman, as well as others in the rotation. One of their key big men missed most of last year's game and this year there were no notable injuries this year for the Wildcats. They had a terrorizing defense that caused teams that turn the ball over 1 of every 4 possessions but despite the score, they got manhandled on their home court. This win IS a big deal.

If center and the backup center learn to control fouling, this team will be even more dominant. I don't see how they miss the final 4, or even winning the Title unless there's a major upset or injury. One thing they're susceptible to is hot 3 point shooting opponents.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 9:11 pm    Post subject:

Bol wrote:
Leaf doesn't seem to be listed on the DX mock draft. I guess they think he might not come out this year? He does look like he could use another year to build up his body before he goes pro, but that hasn't stopped many people before.
Unlike Lonzo Ball, he hasn't given any indication that he's 1 and done. Word on the street (according to reporters during the national telecast) is that he's going to examine his draft prospects at the end of the season.

Imo, nobody's seen much of him because most games are on Pac 12 Network only. When people see what he does regularly against league competition and other games such as Michigan this weekend, he'll soon be a lot higher rated than he has been so far.

I believe one attribute I failed to mention was his quickness. As a result of that, his ball handling, and shooting touch, whenever he gets the ball, he's a threat to score.

Another thing I liked is that when he was at the defensive end and the ball went up, he didn't wait outside for guys to rebound the ball. I recall at least once where he hustled from above the free throw line to help smaller teammates under the rim, and took an offensive rebound away from the opponent. Too many players will watch teammates, but that's how he got 13 boards against Kentucky.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 9:32 pm    Post subject:

Baron Von Humongous wrote:
Leaf can probably be drafted in the late-teens because the 2017 draft lottery is considered deep, so the Lakers would need to trade for him.

I don't see him being as good as Love, but Leaf is close - it's rare to find a young big man who shoots, boards, passes, and blocks shots like him. I question how effective he'll be on defense in the NBA, but he is tough and he's a sneaky good shotblocker in college, so he may surprise. Offensively he looks like he'll be an efficiency monster, but will he be a volume scorer #1/2 option type like Love became or more of a stud roleplayer?
I believe he can easily be that go to guy right now. There are so many options but he's excelling in an offense that doesn't rely on 1 paticular position to score. He's making a high percentage of his shots this year.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 10:18 pm    Post subject:

lakersboy wrote:
Baron Von Humongous wrote:
Leaf can probably be drafted in the late-teens because the 2017 draft lottery is considered deep, so the Lakers would need to trade for him.

I don't see him being as good as Love, but Leaf is close - it's rare to find a young big man who shoots, boards, passes, and blocks shots like him. I question how effective he'll be on defense in the NBA, but he is tough and he's a sneaky good shotblocker in college, so he may surprise. Offensively he looks like he'll be an efficiency monster, but will he be a volume scorer #1/2 option type like Love became or more of a stud roleplayer?
I believe he can easily be that go to guy right now. There are so many options but he's excelling in an offense that doesn't rely on 1 paticular position to score. He's making a high percentage of his shots this year.

I agree, I think he looks like a guy who can be a #1/#2 option who fits in so seamlessly because of his unselfishness and BBIQ that he seems roleplayer-ish at first glance. But he's a much more interesting prospect than Kaminsky (production by age), Lyles (rebounding and defense), and Sabonis (passing and ballhandling) that I have to think if he maintains a 17/9/1.5/3ast pace that he's a top-10 pick even in a deep lottery. He's obviously going to draw comps to Markannen due to position and pigmentation, and while a 7-footer who can shoot at volume as well as Lauri is very exciting, Leaf is the better all-around player and is a year younger.

I still like Love a little bit more as a prospect, but I am a Leaf believer.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 11:06 pm    Post subject:

Gimme_the_rock wrote:
rwongega wrote:
Eh. We beat the same Kensucky team last year and didn't even make the tourney towards the end because DaddyBall kept giving crucial and long minutes to his son, who's worse than a turnstile on D and never met a shot he didn't brick. Bryce's severe deficiencies on defense exposed the rest of the team, the horrendous shot selection, and lack of leadership caused them to toil in a funk. Right now Alford is being bailed out by two talents in Ball/Leaf, as well as mercifully less shots for Bryce, but it remains to be seen if that's enough down the stretch.


I'm starting to get the feeling you may be a "glass is half empty" kind of guy.


More of a realist. Alford hasn't done anything to suggest he can have a sustained track record of success.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 11:10 pm    Post subject:

BigGameHames wrote:
rwongega wrote:
Eh. We beat the same Kensucky team last year and didn't even make the tourney towards the end because DaddyBall kept giving crucial and long minutes to his son, who's worse than a turnstile on D and never met a shot he didn't brick. Bryce's severe deficiencies on defense exposed the rest of the team, the horrendous shot selection, and lack of leadership caused them to toil in a funk. Right now Alford is being bailed out by two talents in Ball/Leaf, as well as mercifully less shots for Bryce, but it remains to be seen if that's enough down the stretch.


Here is the typical "blame everything on the Alfords" UCLA fan in his natural habitat LG. Hiding behind a keyboard and trashing a college kid who has had a good career. All while ignoring that they've been in the sweet 16 2/3 years they've been there and winning a pac 12 tournament title. Giving him no credit for recruiting those players who are "bailing" him out or for implementing the system that has allowed them to have a ton of success so far.

Alford's a good coach and his son is a good college player who has hit more big shots at UCLA than anybody I can remember. Now that he's had time to build the roster he wants and implement the type of system he wants your still not going to give him any credit? Not surprising coming from the typical "blame everything on the Alford's" fan but disappointing nonetheless. Quit looking for reasons to hate them and be happy about what they are doing.


Oh look, here's an LG member with nothing to contribute to the discussion other than crying "keyboard warrior". Ben Howland went to 3 straight Final Fours. Look where he is now. So to claim 2 years of Sweet 16's is an accomplishment is laughable. And if you've watched the games, you'd realize, Bryce wouldn't have to play pretend Jordan if he'd play a little defense and tried to overachieve despite his grossly limited athleticism. No doubt, Bryce would make a fine player for some mid-major team, but this is UCLA. There's a degree of success beyond the managed expectations you're trying to acclaim for the program that Wooden built.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 8:19 am    Post subject:

rwongega wrote:
BigGameHames wrote:
rwongega wrote:
Eh. We beat the same Kensucky team last year and didn't even make the tourney towards the end because DaddyBall kept giving crucial and long minutes to his son, who's worse than a turnstile on D and never met a shot he didn't brick. Bryce's severe deficiencies on defense exposed the rest of the team, the horrendous shot selection, and lack of leadership caused them to toil in a funk. Right now Alford is being bailed out by two talents in Ball/Leaf, as well as mercifully less shots for Bryce, but it remains to be seen if that's enough down the stretch.


Here is the typical "blame everything on the Alfords" UCLA fan in his natural habitat LG. Hiding behind a keyboard and trashing a college kid who has had a good career. All while ignoring that they've been in the sweet 16 2/3 years they've been there and winning a pac 12 tournament title. Giving him no credit for recruiting those players who are "bailing" him out or for implementing the system that has allowed them to have a ton of success so far.

Alford's a good coach and his son is a good college player who has hit more big shots at UCLA than anybody I can remember. Now that he's had time to build the roster he wants and implement the type of system he wants your still not going to give him any credit? Not surprising coming from the typical "blame everything on the Alford's" fan but disappointing nonetheless. Quit looking for reasons to hate them and be happy about what they are doing.


Oh look, here's an LG member with nothing to contribute to the discussion other than crying "keyboard warrior". Ben Howland went to 3 straight Final Fours. Look where he is now. So to claim 2 years of Sweet 16's is an accomplishment is laughable. And if you've watched the games, you'd realize, Bryce wouldn't have to play pretend Jordan if he'd play a little defense and tried to overachieve despite his grossly limited athleticism. No doubt, Bryce would make a fine player for some mid-major team, but this is UCLA. There's a degree of success beyond the managed expectations you're trying to acclaim for the program that Wooden built.


The game evolved past Howlands style of coaching and he had years of struggles after the final four runs. UCLA fans haven't given Alford a fair shake and the ridicule his son constantly receives is an embarrassment to the fan base. He's not a PG yet was forced to play PG because nobody else on the roster could. This year he's been allowed to play his natural role and has done well. 2 sweet sixteens isn't anything incredible but it's an accomplishment nonetheless.

I watched the games as well as you but the difference is I understand what is actually going on while you look for reasons to hate a kid that has had a very good career at UCLA. I've had this discussion and it always goes in circles so I'll just leave you with this. Alford had a vision of a high paced showtime type UCLA program and it is starting to come to fruition. Instead of searching for the negatives, be happy about what he's built. It took longer than some expected but with another elite class next year, I think UCLA is about to return to the top of the college basketball world.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 11:50 am    Post subject:

UCLA is judged by what they do come tournament time.....Their record is good right now, but I think if you've watched them long enough, we know the regular season record doesn't mean much. Will they ever have a magical run to finally win an NCAA championship after 21 years?
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 2:00 pm    Post subject:

BigGameHames wrote:
rwongega wrote:
BigGameHames wrote:
rwongega wrote:
Eh. We beat the same Kensucky team last year and didn't even make the tourney towards the end because DaddyBall kept giving crucial and long minutes to his son, who's worse than a turnstile on D and never met a shot he didn't brick. Bryce's severe deficiencies on defense exposed the rest of the team, the horrendous shot selection, and lack of leadership caused them to toil in a funk. Right now Alford is being bailed out by two talents in Ball/Leaf, as well as mercifully less shots for Bryce, but it remains to be seen if that's enough down the stretch.


Here is the typical "blame everything on the Alfords" UCLA fan in his natural habitat LG. Hiding behind a keyboard and trashing a college kid who has had a good career. All while ignoring that they've been in the sweet 16 2/3 years they've been there and winning a pac 12 tournament title. Giving him no credit for recruiting those players who are "bailing" him out or for implementing the system that has allowed them to have a ton of success so far.

Alford's a good coach and his son is a good college player who has hit more big shots at UCLA than anybody I can remember. Now that he's had time to build the roster he wants and implement the type of system he wants your still not going to give him any credit? Not surprising coming from the typical "blame everything on the Alford's" fan but disappointing nonetheless. Quit looking for reasons to hate them and be happy about what they are doing.


Oh look, here's an LG member with nothing to contribute to the discussion other than crying "keyboard warrior". Ben Howland went to 3 straight Final Fours. Look where he is now. So to claim 2 years of Sweet 16's is an accomplishment is laughable. And if you've watched the games, you'd realize, Bryce wouldn't have to play pretend Jordan if he'd play a little defense and tried to overachieve despite his grossly limited athleticism. No doubt, Bryce would make a fine player for some mid-major team, but this is UCLA. There's a degree of success beyond the managed expectations you're trying to acclaim for the program that Wooden built.


The game evolved past Howlands style of coaching and he had years of struggles after the final four runs. UCLA fans haven't given Alford a fair shake and the ridicule his son constantly receives is an embarrassment to the fan base. He's not a PG yet was forced to play PG because nobody else on the roster could. This year he's been allowed to play his natural role and has done well. 2 sweet sixteens isn't anything incredible but it's an accomplishment nonetheless.

I watched the games as well as you but the difference is I understand what is actually going on while you look for reasons to hate a kid that has had a very good career at UCLA. I've had this discussion and it always goes in circles so I'll just leave you with this. Alford had a vision of a high paced showtime type UCLA program and it is starting to come to fruition. Instead of searching for the negatives, be happy about what he's built. It took longer than some expected but with another elite class next year, I think UCLA is about to return to the top of the college basketball world.
.

You may have watched the games but don't pretend you actually understand what's going on. Sorry this script has been played before and unlike others, I know when the wolf is in sheep's clothing. Bryce has no business being anything other than a backup and only Alford Apologists would see otherwise. No, the only embarrassments are those who are satisfied with the status quo as if UCLA is some program like New Mexico State or Iowa.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 7:46 pm    Post subject:

rwongega wrote:
BigGameHames wrote:
rwongega wrote:
BigGameHames wrote:
rwongega wrote:
Eh. We beat the same Kensucky team last year and didn't even make the tourney towards the end because DaddyBall kept giving crucial and long minutes to his son, who's worse than a turnstile on D and never met a shot he didn't brick. Bryce's severe deficiencies on defense exposed the rest of the team, the horrendous shot selection, and lack of leadership caused them to toil in a funk. Right now Alford is being bailed out by two talents in Ball/Leaf, as well as mercifully less shots for Bryce, but it remains to be seen if that's enough down the stretch.


Here is the typical "blame everything on the Alfords" UCLA fan in his natural habitat LG. Hiding behind a keyboard and trashing a college kid who has had a good career. All while ignoring that they've been in the sweet 16 2/3 years they've been there and winning a pac 12 tournament title. Giving him no credit for recruiting those players who are "bailing" him out or for implementing the system that has allowed them to have a ton of success so far.

Alford's a good coach and his son is a good college player who has hit more big shots at UCLA than anybody I can remember. Now that he's had time to build the roster he wants and implement the type of system he wants your still not going to give him any credit? Not surprising coming from the typical "blame everything on the Alford's" fan but disappointing nonetheless. Quit looking for reasons to hate them and be happy about what they are doing.


Oh look, here's an LG member with nothing to contribute to the discussion other than crying "keyboard warrior". Ben Howland went to 3 straight Final Fours. Look where he is now. So to claim 2 years of Sweet 16's is an accomplishment is laughable. And if you've watched the games, you'd realize, Bryce wouldn't have to play pretend Jordan if he'd play a little defense and tried to overachieve despite his grossly limited athleticism. No doubt, Bryce would make a fine player for some mid-major team, but this is UCLA. There's a degree of success beyond the managed expectations you're trying to acclaim for the program that Wooden built.


The game evolved past Howlands style of coaching and he had years of struggles after the final four runs. UCLA fans haven't given Alford a fair shake and the ridicule his son constantly receives is an embarrassment to the fan base. He's not a PG yet was forced to play PG because nobody else on the roster could. This year he's been allowed to play his natural role and has done well. 2 sweet sixteens isn't anything incredible but it's an accomplishment nonetheless.

I watched the games as well as you but the difference is I understand what is actually going on while you look for reasons to hate a kid that has had a very good career at UCLA. I've had this discussion and it always goes in circles so I'll just leave you with this. Alford had a vision of a high paced showtime type UCLA program and it is starting to come to fruition. Instead of searching for the negatives, be happy about what he's built. It took longer than some expected but with another elite class next year, I think UCLA is about to return to the top of the college basketball world.
.

You may have watched the games but don't pretend you actually understand what's going on. Sorry this script has been played before and unlike others, I know when the wolf is in sheep's clothing. Bryce has no business being anything other than a backup and only Alford Apologists would see otherwise. No, the only embarrassments are those who are satisfied with the status quo as if UCLA is some program like New Mexico State or Iowa.


Look dude, Alford was all PAC 12 honorable mention last year so other knowledgeable Bball minds obviously agree that he's not only deserving of playing at UCLA, but believe he's an upper echelon PAC 12 player. I'm not going to go into detail and X and Os of it but Alford makes life easier for everybody else on the floor with him by simply being on the court. Also, you're drastically exaggerating his defensive woes. Hate the Alford's if you want but it's unwarranted.
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Plaza234
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 10:03 pm    Post subject:

Bryce Alford absolutely belongs on the floor for UCLA. He's a career 38% 3 pt shooter and about 83% from the line. Plus he doesn't turn the ball over much. He's played about 35 minutes a game the last 3 years and only averages 2 turnovers the game.

I have no clue why any UCLA fan wouldn't be ecstatic over what Steve Alford has done with that program. They very well could win a national title this year, or next season even if Lonzo doesn't want to come back and play with his brother.

This has been a long road back for UCLA, but they are absolutely back given the talent on the team, in the pipeline, and the coach on the sidelines. What we are seeing this year is heck of lot better basketball than watching Steve Lavin's underachieving roll the ball out act, and Ben Howland's style of taking great talent and making them play ugly basketball.
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 10:15 am    Post subject:

rwongega wrote:
BigGameHames wrote:
rwongega wrote:
Eh. We beat the same Kensucky team last year and didn't even make the tourney towards the end because DaddyBall kept giving crucial and long minutes to his son, who's worse than a turnstile on D and never met a shot he didn't brick. Bryce's severe deficiencies on defense exposed the rest of the team, the horrendous shot selection, and lack of leadership caused them to toil in a funk. Right now Alford is being bailed out by two talents in Ball/Leaf, as well as mercifully less shots for Bryce, but it remains to be seen if that's enough down the stretch.


Here is the typical "blame everything on the Alfords" UCLA fan in his natural habitat LG. Hiding behind a keyboard and trashing a college kid who has had a good career. All while ignoring that they've been in the sweet 16 2/3 years they've been there and winning a pac 12 tournament title. Giving him no credit for recruiting those players who are "bailing" him out or for implementing the system that has allowed them to have a ton of success so far.

Alford's a good coach and his son is a good college player who has hit more big shots at UCLA than anybody I can remember. Now that he's had time to build the roster he wants and implement the type of system he wants your still not going to give him any credit? Not surprising coming from the typical "blame everything on the Alford's" fan but disappointing nonetheless. Quit looking for reasons to hate them and be happy about what they are doing.


Oh look, here's an LG member with nothing to contribute to the discussion other than crying "keyboard warrior". Ben Howland went to 3 straight Final Fours. Look where he is now. So to claim 2 years of Sweet 16's is an accomplishment is laughable. And if you've watched the games, you'd realize, Bryce wouldn't have to play pretend Jordan if he'd play a little defense and tried to overachieve despite his grossly limited athleticism. No doubt, Bryce would make a fine player for some mid-major team, but this is UCLA. There's a degree of success beyond the managed expectations you're trying to acclaim for the program that Wooden built.


Wooden hasn't coached the team in over 40 years. In that period of time, UCLA only won it all once. And they haven't even won it all in football once during that period of time so it's laughable to act like UCLA should expect to win national titles in basketball.

Which UCLA coaches have been a success since Wooden? Jim Harrick won a title, and then lost in a first round upset to Princeton the next year. UCLA was also upset in the first round the year before they won it all.

Yeah I know. UCLA gets a lot of hype and top recruits. But the fact is since Wooden they haven't done anything outside of 1995. Ben Howland and those 3 Final Fours is the most success they've had since Wooden outside of 1995.
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 10:24 am    Post subject:

Btw I do think this UCLA team is for real and maybe UCLA will finally win it all again. The Alford hate is weird.

I just think it's weird how some UCLA fans seem to forget the team has one NCAA championship in over 40 years. Wooden was in the distant past. That era passed by a LONG time ago. It's not 1972 anymore.

How many Final Fours has UCLA made besides the ones with Howland since 1975? There is 95 and the one with Larry Brown (who didn't win any national titles at UCLA). Any others?
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