[fliptonnParticipant]

didnt get to watch them a lot last year. wondering what theyre gonna look like next year. obvious starters are kyle anderson and shabazz. will kyle likely play point? can someone tell me a little about the wear twins? i know they both are big men that can shoot but can either play the 3? is it possible to start both of them and joshua smith? thats a big line up. is jordan adams good enough to start? can he at least be a major contributer? they have a ton of talent but will it translate? what do you guys think? 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Is that they are basically the same player. Yes, that is actually an issue. Sure, they are both big guys who can kind of stretch the floor, but they are not great rebounders or defenders. Just remember reading something about them being both fairly mediocre and you either have to play them together or cannibalize the other ones minutes. Pretty much agree with that theory. I think they kind of gave up on playing one or the other at SF and my guess is they will be the starting front court with Shabazz Muhammad. Josh Smith is still stuck with utility minutes until he gets into some semblance of shape. The big fella is a bear in the post, but his conditioning makes it so he can be a liability at times.

My guess is, they probably start Kyle Anderson, Tyler Lamb, Shabazz Muhammad, David and Travis Wear. Than, they have some decent depth with Larry Drew, Norman Powell, Jordan Adams, Anthony Stover and Josh Smith. Adding Tony Parker would be interesting too, though he brings to mind a slightly smaller Josh Smith without the paint game (or with the same height/length). The Wears can shoot, but they seemed to not do so with much volume, probably for good reason as they are needed closer to the basket. While it is possible to see a huge line-up with Smith at center and maybe a Drew/Muhammad backcourt at times, or even an Anderson/Muhammad backcourt, my feeling is that more often than not Shabazz will be at the 3.

Shabazz may not have ideal height for a 3, but his wing span is near 7 feet and while a switch to 2 at the NBA level is possible, he should have no problem as a college 3. He also will almost undoubtably be UCLA’s leading scorer and probably the early odds on favorite for Pac-12 POY. Do not know if Shabazz was as dominant a HS prospect as Kevin Love, another UCLA freshman I predicted conference POY honors for, but he is a more versatile scorer at the same stage. Odds are, he does at least what Tony Wroten did scoring the ball at UW, except much more efficiently.

Think that Kyle Anderson is given the ball and does really well. He is very skilled and versatile, could play anywhere from 1-4 in college, possibly even in the post. His size is just about that of a prototypical PF, but I think he could indeed run a college offense well. Long range shooting still might be a bit of a question mark, but the guards are much bigger this season and much more talented for the Bruins. I do not know two potential freshman more ready to impact the college level than Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson in the class of 2012, so odds are that the Bruins at the very least are back in the tournament picture and could make some noise.

[sammybuckeye13Participant]

The Wear brothers (who, hilariously, put up almost exactly identical numbers last year) will probably both need to start. It’s not a Mason/Miles dynamic like in Durham…both gave 11& 6 in 26-28 minutes as sophomore last year. Anderson is almost definitely starting and Muhammed is almost definitely going to dominate. Those guys go 6-10, 6-10, 6-8, 6-6.

I think Josh Smith is the odd man out, but not starting could be a blessing in disguise for him…his biggest problem last year but was getting into foul trouble very early in games. Coming off the bench would ease the jitters and tension and he’s neither as durable/dependable as the Wears or as versatile as talented as the blue-chip recruits.

[HadzialijagicParticipant]

 Tyler Lamb played 2 and 3 for them last year and should be in a fight with Jordan Adams for the swingman spot next to Shabbazz. The Wear twins cant play small foward. They arent very athletic and although good shooters they dont reallly have 3 point range. Joshua Smith is a talented player but he is poorly conditioned and is foul prone so its good to have him off the bench. If they reel in Tony Parker then they would have a really nice frontcourt.

[fliptonnParticipant]

so if parker does go to UCLA is there a starting spot for him? it’s starting to seem like a bad move to me unless he really is much better than david wear. 

[drk3351Participant]

 if parker goes he’ll probably be a solid backup this year and then in 1 or 2 years he’ll be a starter. I doubt he beats the wear twins or smith for a spot this year unless smith get even more overweight

[Dale WorthingtonParticipant]

Wow, UCLA may be the most exciting team to watch next year. Muhammad/Anderson is going to be, without a doubt, the best 1-2 freshman punch in the land.

I’m so silly for not following HS prospects. I just found out about Anderson in the Muhammad thread and see that he’s a 6’8 point forward.

A 6’8 POINT FORWARD! I think I’m in love!

With Royce White off to the pros, Kyle Anderson is what we need!

Too bad Pac-12 teams are rarely on national TV. Am excited to see Arizona as well.

[jeff416Participant]

They are probably going to be my preseason #1 if they get Parker. They will be the most talented team in the nation imo. Shabazz and Anderson will be huge for them. Especially Shabazz, I think he will be the best player in the nation his Freshmen year. They will also be getting Larry Drew (who is a solid PG) and Jordan Adams (who can really shoot the ball). I cant wait to see them play next year. Arizona should also be pretty good, so the Pac 12 will finally have a few good teams again.

[Taylor Gang MikeParticipant]

 no no no, i have my sources like i said… Larry Drew was promised a starting job at the point.. His dad has talked to Howland and im pretty sure he will start.. hes a senior, as much as i love Kyle, he will either play the 2 or come off the bench.. I just cant see how howland is gonna bring Drew off the bench, hes a Cali kid and is popular. Trust me negative people, look at it from Howland, hes gonna want Kyle to learn the point, he may even have an up tempo offense… its looking like

Drew/Kyle

Bazz/Powell

Lamb/Adams

Wear/Wear

Wear/Smith/Stover

 

[llperez]

The wear twins are solid. Both can face the basket, have a soft touch around the paint, shoot a very good percentage. They are not all-Americans but far from scrubs which I have read about them from a few users on this site. Josh smith will come off the bench and play 15-20 minutes where he will be a focal point on offense for a stretch and then go back to the bench the second he starts to get winded. Tyler lamb is a returning starter and is an athletic wing who can slash and get out and run and create shots. Norman Powell is another wing who last year as a freshman showed solid defense and potential as a spot up shooter.

The biggest concern is at pg where I’m not sure if Anderson can play there or what to expect from Larry drew

[Sasha4MVPParticipant]

@Dale

Don’t worry.  The Pac-12 have that humongous deal with ESPN so in all likelihood UCLA’s games will be nationally televised. 

[M-EazyParticipant]

Sorry but Kyle Anderson could’ve went anywhere in the country.  He didn’t committ to UCLA and then help them land one of the biggest recruits in years to come off the bench.  Kyle Anderson is a lot better than Larry Drew and who cares about how popular Drew is the fact is he’s not that good of a PG. 

Anderson and Muhammad will have Calipari mad that he didn’t get them…they both are special and could take UCLA back to the Final Four.

[Taylor Gang MikeParticipant]

 there will be a comp at the point

[Dale WorthingtonParticipant]

Sasha, does the Pac-12 deal take effect this year?

"no no no, i have my sources like i said… Larry Drew was promised a starting job at the point"

"there will be a comp at the point"

Yeah, you don’t have sources.

u mirin’ my detective skills?

[Author]

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