The last line from the article in the OC Register got me thinking…

USC forward Davon Jefferson went undrafted.

If I was a general manager, this would be how I’d view things: If a player tried to go pro after his first year and wasn’t guaranteed to be picked at least in the second round, I’d hesitate to pick him. I think other GM’s think the same way.

If you’ve only played a year at the college level, there’s just no way that staying at least another year won’t improve your skills so you can increase your stock and at least get drafted in the second round. If I was a GM I’d question the character and/or intellect of someone who didn’t realize this. I think if you don’t have the patience to wait until your ready, why would you have the patience to withstand the increased frustration that surely comes along with playing at the highest level?

I can understand why some people need the money for their families and I empathize with them…kind of. If you want to do the best thing for your family, I don’t see how waiting one more year to help your stock wouldn’t be in their best interests. Now that Davon Jefferson is undrafted, I think teams that work him out will have a presumption to cut him. Even second round picks, who aren’t guaranteed contracts, don’t get second chances. Most of the time, free-agent signees, like Davon Jefferson if he’s lucky, won’t even get a first chance.

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Jill Painter at Inside UCLA has the scoop on the absolutely gorgeous mural recently unveiled at John R. Wooden High School:

Breathtaking. Painter Writes:

The character from his children’s book, Wooden heroes Abe Lincoln and Mother Teresa, etc. The words ”father, husband, teacher, coach, athlete” are on the mural, with pictures of Wooden in each of those roles.

And..uh…she also writes:

Also, the school has a farm - you could hear roosters in the background during the ceremony - and is looking for donations of animal food. To donate, contact principal Jay Kessler at jkessler@lausd.net.

For the record, John R. Wooden high school is in West Los Angeles. Not Nebraska. Just thought I’d clarify.

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In case you haven’t seen it yet, here it is:

Russell Westbrook:

Kevin Love:

I thought it was cool watching the best coach in America cheer his boys on B-)

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The OC Register had a pretty sweet article on the the draft. It details how Love ended up at Minnesota and also had takes from Howland. Here are some excerpts:

“I’m just so excited and elated for them,’’ UCLA coach Ben Howland said via conference call. “Both Russell and Kevin have worked so hard.’’

Hours after the draft ended, The Associated Press reported Mayo was dealt to Memphis for Love in an eight-player deal that also sent Mike Miller to the Timberwolves.

“I was actually hoping I’d go (to Minnesota),” Love said. “I believe I could play well beside Al Jefferson.”

While Love was one of the nation’s most sought after players coming out of high school, Westbrook was a late developer. He had received little recruiting attention until he grew 4 inches between his junior year and the start of his senior year. As a junior, Westbrook was 5-foot-11, 150 pounds. He’s now 6-3 and 196 pounds.“I’m just so excited and elated for them,’’ UCLA coach Ben Howland said via conference call. “Both Russell and Kevin have worked so hard.’’

Hours after the draft ended, The Associated Press reported Mayo was dealt to Memphis for Love in an eight-player deal that also sent Mike Miller to the Timberwolves.

“I was actually hoping I’d go (to Minnesota),” Love said. “I believe I could play well beside Al Jefferson.”

While Love was one of the nation’s most sought after players coming out of high school, Westbrook was a late developer. He had received little recruiting attention until he grew 4 inches between his junior year and the start of his senior year. As a junior, Westbrook was 5-foot-11, 150 pounds. He’s now 6-3 and 196 pounds.“I’m just so excited and elated for them,’’ UCLA coach Ben Howland said via conference call. “Both Russell and Kevin have worked so hard.’’

Hours after the draft ended, The Associated Press reported Mayo was dealt to Memphis for Love in an eight-player deal that also sent Mike Miller to the Timberwolves.

“I was actually hoping I’d go (to Minnesota),” Love said. “I believe I could play well beside Al Jefferson.”

While Love was one of the nation’s most sought after players coming out of high school, Westbrook was a late developer. He had received little recruiting attention until he grew 4 inches between his junior year and the start of his senior year. As a junior, Westbrook was 5-foot-11, 150 pounds. He’s now 6-3 and 196 pounds…
Howland said he was not shocked that three of the top five players picked were from the Pac-10 and more specifically, from Los Angeles’ crosstown rivals.

Seven Pac-10 players were picked in the first round, including twins Brook and Robin Lopez of Stanford, who went No. 10 to New Jersey and No. 15 to Phoenix, respectively.

Yet another UCLA player, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, was drafted in the second round, 37th overall, by the Milwaukee Bucks.

“I talked about that going into the season in November,’’ Howland said, recounting his assessment of the abundance of player talent in the conference.

Love said, “It says a lot for our league. It shows the quality of players we have.’’

Check out the rest here

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Well, I didn’t want to say it before, but screw Memphis. Did we really want our boy to play in Memphis, the city that shares the same name of the university that beat UCLA in the Final Four?

It looks like Kevin Love is headed to the warm tropical beaches and white sands of…Minnesota. And he’s being traded for O.J. Mayo. My heart is telling me that there is some sort of beauty in that, though I have yet to sit down and really figure it out. Anyways, here’s the deal:

The Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t holding onto O.J. Mayo for long.

Two league sources told ESPN.com that the Wolves have reached an agreement in principle with the Memphis Grizzlies that will send the draft rights of Mayo, Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker and Greg Buckner to the Grizzlies in return for the draft rights to Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins.

The deal is a blockbuster for both teams. ESPN.com reported on Tuesday that the Wolves GM Kevin McHale was infatuated with Love, but felt that the team had to select Mayo and use him to acquire more assets.

In addition to landing Love, the Wolves get a sharp-shooting swingman in Miller who can help carry the scoring load from the perimeter.

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Here’s UCLA’s press release on Luc Richard Mbah a Moute being drafted early in the second round by Milwaukee Bucks:

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who became the first Bruin to start in three straight Final Fours since Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes and Greg Lee in 1972-74, was selected in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks (37th pick) on Thursday evening at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Mbah a Moute became the third Bruin selected in the 2008 NBA Draft, which is the first time three Bruins have been drafted in the same season since 1998. In that year, all three Bruins were drafted in the second round. Jelani McCoy was the 33rd pick (Seattle Sonics), Toby Bailey was the 45th pick (L.A. Lakers) and J.R. Henderson was the 56th pick (Vancouver Grizzlies) in the 1998 NBA Draft. Russell Westbrook was the No. 4 overall pick in 2008 by the Seattle Sonics while Kevin Love was the fifth overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Mbah a Moute became the 104th UCLA player to be selected in Bruin draft history (UCLA is the all-time collegiate leader in NBA Draft selections, since 1948). UCLA has had at least one player taken in the NBA Draft for the last 12 years (since the 1997 draft).

Mbah a Moute, a 6-8, 232-pound forward, was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection in 2007-08 while averaging 8.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game (2nd on the team and 12th in the Pac-10). The 2006 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year finished his UCLA career ranked 15th in total rebounds with 775.

In last year’s NBA Draft, Arron Afflalo was the 27th pick by the Detroit Pistons. In the 2006 NBA Draft, Jordan Farmar was a first round selection (26th pick) by the Los Angeles Lakers, and Ryan Hollins was selected in the second round by the Charlotte Bobcats (50th selection).

Additionally, Mbah a Moute is the eighth Bruin to be drafted in the Howland era, joining Westbrook and Love this year; Arron Afflalo last year (27th pick by the Detroit Pistons); Jordan Farmar (26th pick by L.A. Lakers) and Ryan Hollins (50th pick by the Charlotte Bobcats) in 2006; Dijon Thompson in 2005 (54th pick by New York Knicks) and Trevor Ariza in 2004 (43rd pick by New York Knicks).

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Hubert Davis kinda looks like an alien.

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