After flying back immediately (7am on Sunday) and seeing fellow depressed Bruins, I took a couple days off before reflecting on the weekend and the season….here are my notes:
- Memphis outclassed us. CDR did his damage, but the difference was really Derrick Rose. We’ve had guys go off on us this year, but not 2 guys. Rose is truly an elite talent and it felt that Darren had no chance. DC actually played pretty GOOD defense, but was just physically inferior. Rose should be the top pick in the draft. If Beasley is taken, the team that passes on Rose will regret it.
- The Animal is Gone. The Animal Westbrook proved to the country that he is an elite talent. Just purely from an eye test, it was obvious that The Animal was the only one who could compare to Memphis’s athleticism. I would take him if I was in the lottery and I believe he should go between the first 8-12 picks. His ballhandling is suspect and I question if he will ever become an NBA point guard, but his athleticism is off the charts and he attacks the rim like he absolutely hates it. He wants to destroy the rim like very few players in the world, and that alone is worth a lot.
- DC was exposed. Im not even going to hate on DC. No haterade for him here. He was abused by the #1 pick in the NBA draft. Yes, DC looked like Chris Paul when he went against Mitch Johnson, and then the hype started to build. But cmon, going from Mitch Johnson to Derrick Rose is like someone dating LC from “the Hills” to dating Gisele Bunchen. It is called a step up in class and very few guards would have been able to handle it.
- Howland did make some mistakes. Hindsight is 20/20 but Luc played very solid D againt CDR and the Animal Westbrook did play good D against Rose.
- Shipp Sucks. The 2 early 3’s turned out to be a bad turn of events for UCLA. DC didn’t look for his shot (if you notice this year, when Shipp is good, DC sucks and vice versa - nobody talks about this but we got your back). Then Shipp thought he was Jason Kapono and shot with no hesitation. The only thing is, Shipp sucks. Thus, his early hot streak was fool’s gold.
- The Big White Beast needed more touches. I don’t care about the double team. Give him the damn ball. Give it him on the perimeter. Give it to him and let the double team come. Give it to him at the high post. Just give him the ball! As I said earlier this season, NOTHING bad can happen when KLove touches the ball. This is why he should be a top 10 pick.
- We partied with the Bruins. At 10:30 pm on Saturday, we decided to treat ourselves to some Texas beef, so we went to a steakhouse to cheers to a great season. So we went to Texas Land and Cattle Steakhouse, and low and behold, the entire Bruin team was there with their families and friends. Here are some notes from that night:
1. Howland wasn’t there.
2. The Animal Westbrook wasn’t there either. Understandable, since he was probably interviewing agents and deciding what color Bentley he should pick after he becomes a lottery pick. I’d say blood red Russell, you are The Animal and you attack the rim like it is Osama Bin Laden. Definitely Red.
3. The Big White Beast seems like a really nice guy. Love is so good with the media that you wonder if he is too seasoned or if it is genuine. We took pictures with him and spoke to him briefly and I think he is legit.
4. Disappointed but not sad. We spoke to Luc for a bit and he told us that the team felt that this was the year (to win it all). Overall, the mood was pretty upbeat. You could tell the players were disappointed but at the same time, there wasn’t a sense of overall despair. I think they knew the better team won that day. Family and friends and players seemed to be having a nice final meal together to celebrate a great season.
5. Long Live King Moute!! Met Luc’s Dad, who was very gracious and polite and wearing traditional African clothing, followed up with this exchange. I said, “wow you are the king!” . Luc’s Dad with a smile on his face, “Yes , I am the King.” Must be nice.
6. A good bunch of guys. Overall, you can tell this team was a family. The 2007-2008 UCLA Bruins seemed to be all friends and a close knit bunch. They joked around with each other, they seemed to genuinely like each other. It’s been quite a run the past 3 years and it made me proud to see these Bruins in perhaps their final dinner as a unit - High character guys who were the true essence of a TEAM.
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