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It doesn't matter if it is the right decision -- We still hate it, and always will, when a great warrior bails on UCLA.
Arron Afflalo, one of the greatest Bruin warriors of all time, has declared for the NBA Draft, making him a "three and done" player.
Because he also declared last year (before withdrawing), AA is NOT ELIGIBLE to change his mind and return to UCLA's team. He WILL, however, return to earn his final credits necessary for graduation.
Coach Ben Howland predicts that Arron will be drafted in the First Round, but we wouldn't be surprised at all to see him fall to the Second. Ben says that he has done extensive research, conversing with NBA GM's and Scouts. to formulate his opinion, that Arron is a hot commodity right now with lots of teams showing interest.
The flip side is that Arron struggled mightily on Offense in several widely-seen games at the end of the season. It is possible that Arron will have trouble freeing himself up for good shots against Pro-level defenders. However, Arron is already a Pro-level defender himself, and that fact could, by itself, keep him in the First Round. Would it be too much to ask for the Lakers to re-unite AA with Jordan Farmar?
There's a lot of talk now about the new line-up that will evolve in Westwood next Season. In fact, there's TOO MUCH talk about it. When you're talking about Ben Howland, you know that you're in good hands, and that whatever alignment he decides on will work. What's more, due to injuries, off-season developments, and incoming Freshman intangibles, it's dumb to waste too much time trying to iron out the rotation right now. Finally, because Howland is not shy with substituting and experimenting with different combinations, it just doesn't matter that much who the initial Starting 5 is. For instance, someone starting at Power Forward might end up getting more minutes at Center, etc, etc.
But just for the sake of argument, and because there is no Football or UCLA Basketball for a while, here's what we foresee:
Josh Shipp moves from Small Forward to Shooting Guard, backed up by Michael Roll. Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook would continue to hold down the Point Guard position. If Roll or Westbrook makes two shots, then that person can play the 2, shifting Shipp back to Small Forward. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute would be the 3, until a Guard with a hot hand moved Shipp, which would either give Luc a breather, or send him to Power Forward (where he has thrived for two years, grabbing more boards in his first two years than any Bruin in History, it's been reported). When he goes to the 4, he'd be spelling Freshman Kevin Love. Lorenzo Mata could still start at Center, with Alfred Aboya backing up Mata and Love, and with James Keefe behind Love as well.
The issue is whether Luc will improve his Offense, specifically his outside shot. We do NOT think Bruin fans should rely on that. But what you CAN hope for, reasonably, is that Howland teaches him how to avoid turnovers when he decides to penetrate. Ben can do that, but he can't make him hit the 18-footer.
With the above line-up, which could also receive help from Ryan Wright, Nikola Dragovic, and Freshman Chase Stanback, the Bruins will be a Top 10 team all year. Even with the loss of Arron, the UCLA Offense will be higher-scoring than last year, thanks to Shipp and Love.
The question is whether or not the Defense will suffer. The answer is yes, but not so much that the Howland System won't still be near the top of the Nation in D.
Final analysis is that it's going to be another stellar year for UCLA, with another chance to post Banner #12.
Despite today's headline, we really do wish Arron all the best in his NBA career, and we will continue to root for him, wherever he ends up. It's just too bad that his self-proclaimed intense desire to win a Title at UCLA wasn't quite as intense as we were hoping. If the Bruins lose in the Final Four for a third straight year, Arron and all of us can sit around and think about what COULD have been.
But the bottom line is that we wish Good Luck to Arron, a true blue Bruin of whom all Bruin fans can and should be proud.
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