March 17, 2011

After last season's horror show (in purely relative terms), UCLA have bounced back slightly to make the tournament this season. This has been helped by a decent summer of additions, highlighted by McDonald's All-American Joshua Smith (who is pretty much the opposite of Josh Smith). Joshua Smith has probably had a few too many McDonalds All-Americans in his time, for he's about 50lbs overweight. The bulk has its advantage; the man can't be moved from the spot once he's got it, and rebounding position is as easy for Smith to obtain as a Macedonian passport is for any speedy mid-major American guard with a fine handle, looking for a lengthy European basketball career. Smith is also surprisingly effective in pick-and-roll situations, and can make some shots around the basket, although the considerable mobility issues make him a fairly hopeless defender. (Smith often comes off the bench for fellow freshman Anthony Stover, who averages less than 1 and 2 on the season - for some reason, UCLA aren't able to start playing their best players until Stover has committed a foul, at which point he can be subbed out for those who will impact the game. This seems like an unspoken ritual that they could do away with.)

Read full article