love and collison enter the draft (not 100% but close)

halekulani · Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 5666

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/news/story?id=3337166

CLA center Love, guard Collison reportedly to turn pro

ESPN.com news services

Updated: April 8, 2008, 11:10 PM ET

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UCLA lost in the Final Four and now it looks like they'll lose two players who got them there.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday that Kevin Love and Darren Collison have both decided to make themselves available for June's NBA draft. Citing sources close to the players, the newspaper said that Love and Collison told coach Ben Howland of their decisions in separate meetings.

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Love spent one year at UCLA and led the team in scoring at 17.5 points per game and rebounds at 10.6. The 6-foot-10, 271-pound Love was a first-team All-American, the Pac-10 player of the year and the outstanding player of the Anaheim regional.

Love has been projected to be drafted in the middle of the first round.

The 6-foot, 160-pound Collison scored 14.5 points and added 3.8 assists per game in his junior season.

Collison struggled in the 78-63 loss to Memphis on Saturday, scoring two points, adding four assists but commiting five turnovers.

A Western Conference team official told the Times, however: "I thought he was a mid-first round pick [before Memphis]. I think he still is. That's what his talent says to me."

The Bruins will also likely lose sophomore guard Russell Westbrook to the draft, the Times reported. He led the Bruins in assists at 4.3 and added 12.7 points per game.

PnOySneakerBoi24 · Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 1149 Location: Walnut

I HOPE THIS IS NOT TRUE
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Alleyhoops · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:50 pm Post subject:

First off, I'd surmise that Love wants no part of Howland's offensive schemes for another season. Next year, teams will defend Love a bit differently, and Howland has shown no real ability to make adjustments in order to get Love the ball. His stock is pretty high now. He may test the waters without hiring an agent.

Regarding Collison -- a quick athlete who likes to get up and down the floor stuck in Howland's grind-it-out offense for another year? Probably not. Plus, if Jrue Holiday pushes him at the point, he can't "afford" to share time with him as well as Westbrook, who will get more minutes at the 1.

Neither of the two are truly ready for the NBA, but I think they'd rather be in the big leagues than at UCLA for another year.
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