"The Ron Artest Experiment" - BleacherReport.com

[Originally published on BleacherReport.com]

His hair is ugly.

His 2010 playoff numbers are even uglier.

An 18.5-percent postseason clip from three-point land makes you wonder why the Los Angeles Lakers did not make more of a run to re-sign Trevor Ariza, who shot nearly 48 percent from downtown during last year's playoff push.

Since signing with the Lakers last summer, Ron Artest has been critiqued and questioned, doubted and dared.

First it was his ability—or lack thereof—to belong, to conform, to transform, from a disconcerted star into a composed commoner.

Then it was his Christmas night concussion. Was this the first of frequent frenzies? How would he respond? Heck, would he respond at all?

And now, with the Lakers one win away from thwarting the Oklahoma City Thunder from the playoffs after Artest posted his most productive offensive output in Game Five—14 points on 6-for-11 shooting—the critical wolves keep howling.

Is Ron Artest a faulty fit for the triangle offense?

Does he create spacing and balance problems? Why is he averaging almost 10 less points per game during this postseason than in all of his previous five appearances?

Throughout his career, Artest has been asked to make plays, either for himself or for his teammates.

He has never been the prettiest of playmakers or the flashiest of foes, but Artest's size and strength enables him to get to where he wants on the hardwood, create space and ultimately put the ball in the basket or find one of the other four guys for an open look.

Artest is perhaps most effective in the mid-to-low post position, where his brute force and low center of gravity allow him to work his way into the lane, either for an easy deuce or a trip to the charity stripe.

Once he establishes himself on the inside, Artest then becomes a bigger threat on the perimeter, where he can take many defenders off the dribble and muscle them out of his route to the rim or otherwise free himself for a step-back jump shot.

Wherever he is working, Artest's offensive arsenal does not include the one aspect that the Lakers have asked—or rather, forced—him to embrace: the spot-up game. There are plenty of players who thrive in such a role. Ariza was one of them.

Artest is not. Especially in the triangle offense, which is incredibly confining.

While it is an ingenious offense when executed correctly, the triangle requires precise positioning, which can limit a player's options if his strengths are not utilized within it.

Artest may have lost a step or two on the perimeter, but his interior fortitude is still very much the forefront of his success.

Yet, when was the last time the Lakers made a conscious effort to put Artest in the post?

That question may be left unanswered—and so too should those about his ineffective offense, because they should have never been asked to begin with.

You can contact Josh Hoffman at JHoffMedia@gmail.com.

"Lacking a Boom-Boom Pau" - BleacherReport.com

[Originally published on BleacherReport.com]

Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in a 2008 trade that was more like charity, NBA success has been painted in purple and gold.

Another NBA championship. Two Finals appearances in as many seasons. A winning percentage well over 75 percent when the Spaniard is in the starting lineup.

And those are just the tangibles.

If not for that deal, would Kobe Bryant likely be a lifelong Laker? Would Phil Jackson have established himself as the greatest NBA coach by winning his 10th title? Would L.A. have begun its transformation from Lakerland to a Clippers town?

You could argue that Gasol is more valuable to the Lakers than Kobe. You could debate that, without the former, the latter would have never achieved both individual (an MVP) and team glory (another ring).

You could contend that the Black Mamba's impact on the NBA would be more like that of a garden snake.

But amid all the appreciation and admiration that Gasol has garnered during his short stint with the Lakers, he is far from being the Luigi to Kobe's Mario, jelly to Bryant's peanut butter, ink to his printer.

Through four games, his 2010 playoff numbers—18.5 points and 11 rebounds per game—show that Pau is performing with prowess, that he is doing more than his part to propel the purple-and-gold deeper into the postseason.

But numbers only go so far, especially when the one-seeded Lakers are having a terrible time taming the eighth-slotted Thunder.

Outside of the box score, Gasol has gravitated to a less pivotal role, usually when his services are most needed.

Where was he when Kobe was laboring in the final frame of Game 3?

Or in Game 4, when Oklahoma City was riding the merry-go-round of momentum and the Lakers were in need of an easy basket, something Gasol can seemingly get whenever he wants?

Or when the triangle offense looks like a circle of confusion, and the Lakers resort to launching long-range bombs that do not detonate?

Bryant is banged up, battered and bruised. Name me another player who is fighting through a combination of finger (on his shooting hand, mind you), knee and ankle injuries all while leading his team in minutes, points and assists during the postseason.

...

Still waiting...

Yeah, that is what I thought.

Bryant is in the midst of his 13th playoff push in 14 seasons, nine of which he has played in at least 71 regular-season contests. If you take into account those 179 postseason games, plus his efforts on the international stage, 14 seasons instantly becomes 16 or 17.

While Kobe can still provide the fireworks, they cannot go off without a lit match, which is what the Spaniard needs to supply—not just on any one possession or during any given game, but every time he sets foot onto the hardwood, every time the leather touches his hands, every time he senses a Lakers' letdown or an opening for the opposition.

If you only care for a plant on occasion, the plant will eventually die, even if it has withstood periods of neglect. Bryant is the plant, Gasol the gardener.

If the Lakers want to keep growing their garden, Pau Gasol might want to consider using more of his tools.

You can contact Josh Hoffman at JHoffMedia@gmail.com.

"UCLA's Champion Coach" - Palestra.net: The College Network

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"Los Angeles Lakers Game One: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" - BleacherReport.com

[Originally published on BleacherReport.com]

On Sunday the Los Angeles Lakers began their defense of the NBA championship by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 87-79, in Game One of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Seemingly since the All-Star break, Lakers fans witnessed a near-healthy team—or at least one that can supplant itself into the conference finals with relative ease—which at times displayed the depth and versatility that is worthy of battling for back-to-back championships. Still, D.J. Mbenga's big body and Sasha Vujacic's timely shooting are certainly requesites if LA wants to repeat. With that said, here are the good, the bad and the ugly from the opening game:

THE GOOD: After suiting up for his first affair since March 19, Andrew Bynum made a postseason splash with 13 points, 12 rebounds and most impressive of all, 4 of the Lakers' 9 blocked shots. And he played 30 minutes, a mark that was questionable at the game's outset considering his in-game conditioning following a 13-game, 29-day hiatus in which the Lakers lost seven times. Sure he posted the aforementioned numbers against a significantly smaller team, but all things considered Bynum's performance was a confidence-boosting, rhythm-developing effort which can certainly go a long way in consistently producing as the postseason rolls on. Above all, purple and gold patrons can finally breathe a sign of relief after the youngster was far from effective during last year's playoff push.

THE BAD: The Lakers began the game by dumping the basketball down low and capitalizing on their height and length advantages, not to mention high-percentage looks. In doing so, LA led 27-13 after the first frame thanks to a 55-percent field goal clip. However, throughout the remaining three quarters the Lakers went away from their inside presence and instead settled for long jump shots, which often times resulted in one-and-done offensive sets and thus transition opportunites for the Thunder. By game's end, Oklahoma City edged the Lakers in both fastbreak points (14-2) and points in the paint (42-34), which has to be of great concern for the LA coaching staff.

THE UGLY: Ron Artest defintely forced Kevin Durant into tough shots all afternoon, but when it came time to knock down the usually wide-open, spot-up jump shot, Ron-Ron could not throw a pebble into the ocean if he tried (3-11 overall, 1-8 from downtown). Sure Artest exerts a boatload of energy on defense, but his ability—or lack thereof—to drain those jumpers may very well be the difference between another parade and a playoff knockout punch.

You can contact Josh Hoffman at JHoffMedia@gmail.com.

"From Prince to King: UCLA Quarterback Kevin Prince" - BleacherReport.com

[Originally published on BleacherReport.com]

For more of Josh Hoffman's coverage of the UCLA quarterback competition, click here.

After a season in which he became just the first freshman quarterback in school history to win a season-opener and only the second Bruin to post a set of 300-passing yard games, UCLA's Kevin Prince is primed for a second straight season as the starter under center.

During that 2009 campaign the pride of Crespi High School led the Bruins to a 7-6 record -- their finest finish in the last four seasons -- despite battling a fractured jaw, concussion and separated shoulder.

Still, the current redshirt sophomore is not in the least content with last season's success.

"Last year is out the window," Prince said after UCLA's first spring session on April 1. "It's time to move on."

Just before the Bruins moved on to spring practice, head coach Rick Neuheisel crowned Prince the clear-cut starting quarterback, marking the first time since 2006 that UCLA has forfeited a true quarterback competition entering the spring.

"I'm just hopeful that he can be everything we need him to be with respect to the full complement as a quarterback -- the leader, the guy who creates plays, the guy who pulls you out of the fire, the guy who throws everything with anticipation [and] accuracy -- all the different intangibles that you look for in a quarterback," Neuheisel said of Prince. "He's got all those assets."

In the offseason Prince focused on enlarging his leadership role by organizing seven-on-seven scrimmages and working one-on-one with receivers in order to improve chemistry and timing. He also upped his weight by more than 10 pounds following a request from the coaching staff to reach the 230-pound threshold.

"He's really worked to make himself a physical presence," Neuheisel said.

However, neither Prince nor Neuheisel are excluding sophomore second-stringer Richard Brehaut, who saw limited action in 2009.

"There's still competition," Prince said. "Coaches always make that clear that nobody's job is guaranteed, so I still have to keep on competing."

Added the third-year Bruin head coach, "[Brehaut] needs to take that [quarterback competition] challenge [and] that little experience that he garnered a year ago and make that be beneficial for him so that he can prove that he can really play at this level, which I know he can."

Even so, Kevin Prince is poised to remain the king of UCLA quarterbacks.

For questions and comments, contact Josh Hoffman at JHoffMedia@gmail.com.

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"Who Is UCLA's QB?" - Palestra.net: The College Network

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"Rocking UCLA Pro Day" - Palestra.net: The College Network

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"Come On Down, UCLA Defensive Tackle Brian Price" - BleacherReport.com

[Originally published on BleacherReport.com]

As the 2010 NFL Draft approaches, Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh and Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy have been dominating the defensive linemen discussion—and for good reason—but UCLA defensive tackle Brian Price is not far from creeping into that conversation.

On Jan. 6, 2010, Price officially decided to forgo his senior season in Westwood after leading the Pac-10 and ranking third nationally with 23.5 tackles for a loss during the 2009 campaign. In doing so, he set a single-season record for a Bruin defensive tackle and is now second in school history for any defenseman in that category.

“Teachers used to ask me, ‘What do you want to be in life?’ Most kids would say ‘doctor’ or ‘lawyer,’” Price recounted at UCLA's Pro Day on Tuesday. “But I would say, ‘I want to be in the NFL.’”

It was always a dream of his, even before the pride of Crenshaw High School began playing organized football. However, Price had bigger issues on his hands than an offensive lineman attempting to keep him from tackling the opposing quarterback.

Violence viciously threatened Price’s upbringing, as evidenced by the gang-related deaths of his two older brothers. Accordingly, he became exponentially irritated with the South Central Los Angeles culture.

“I was always angry,” Price said. “I just held it inside.”

Over the years Price learned to convert that negative energy into position results, beginning with back-to-back Coliseum League Defensive MVP honors in 2005 and 2006 and culminating with the 2009 Pac-10 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year award.

“Anger is a gift,” he said with a smirk. “I just lay it all out on the field.”

Price claims he has “never been a violent kid,” but the way Price talks about football, you would think otherwise.

“Kill or be killed” is how he describes battling in the pigskin trenches. “It’s a war out there.”

But the more you talk to him, the more you realize that his brothers’ deaths simply put life in perspective for him—that he understands how fortunate he is to be scouted by NFL teams instead of being swallowed up by the streets.

“It can all be taken away in the drop of a dime,” Price said. “I’m just blessed with the opportunity [to play football], and I thank god every day for it.”

It is an opportunity that kids all across the nation—let alone those born and raised in poverty-stricken, violence-laden neighborhoods—seldom get to experience.

It is an opportunity that Price has resiliently relished.

“I always like when people doubt me,” he said. “I like proving people wrong.”

On April 22, Price will likely become the first UCLA defensive lineman to be drafted in the opening round since Manu Tuiasosopo was taken with the 18th overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 1979.

But for Brian Price, it’s not just about making it to the NFL.

It’s about making a name for himself.

Declared Price: “I want to be the best that ever did it.”

For questions and comments, contact Josh Hoffman at JHoffMedia@gmail.com.