Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most frustrating UCLA talents in recent memory, Josh Smith, has chosen Georgetown as his next basketball stop. From CBS Sports:

Josh Smith is headed to Georgetown.

According to a source close to the situation, the 6-foot-10, 300-plus pound UCLA transfer has decided to go across the country to play for the Hoyas.

Smith chose Georgetown over Kansas.

It was a wise decision for Smith to leave the UCLA basketball program; in his time there, he had been largely overweight and seemed unmotivated most times to up his conditioning. Throughout his tenure as UCLA’s big man, he often spoke of basketball as a chore rather than a game he loves. One can blame UCLA coach Ben Howland for this, while Smith’s habits and inability to lose weight and earn playing time consistently can also be to blame.

A change of scenery and perhaps playing under a coach who promotes the love of basketball (John Thompson III will be that man in Georgetown) could rekindle Smith’s passion for the game and ultimately, it may re-motivate him and help him get into shape.

While fans have whined and moaned about Smith’s play, the big man has been the Bruins’ most efficient player the past two seasons. Smith was always savvy offensively and he was never a liability on defense (except for fouling too often), with his lone fault — conditioning and weight — drastically limiting what he could do on the court.

Smith will be fine at Georgetown, leaving behind a UCLA hoops program that has been resurgent of late, but is missing interior defense (which has led to a philosophy that has abandoned defense altogether).

Here’s to Smith getting it together and becoming the best Hoya he can be.

Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports

If you’ve been keeping up with UCLA hoops, the departure of highly-talented, but oft-maligned, center Josh Smith is old news. (And if you haven’t kept up with UCLA basketball … well … surprise!)

The first narrative that was formulated was that which emphasized the vast amount of players that have left the program in the past four years with four having left in the past calendar year.

But what hasn’t been discussed was the impact of Smith’s departure not on just the direction of the program, but the direction of this team on the actual court where actual basketball games are being played.

Because without Smith, UCLA’s once-assumed advantage of being larger and more intimidating on the interior no longer exists. From here on out, UCLA will have to employ a three-big rotation of Travis Wear, David Wear and Tony Parker. Aside from the fact that watching a two-Wear line-up is detrimental to your eyes and this UCLA hoops team, the only player that can play the pivot fully is Travis Wear, meaning he’ll be relied on for heavier minutes than usual. That’s not ideal considering this squad has had conditioning issues (as they did last year; surprise, surprise), and although Parker can step in at the 5 occasionally, his success there isn’t sustainable just yet, given the amount of fouls he commits and his over-aggressiveness which needs to be channeled and used appropriately.

UCLA didn’t just lose a talented center that was coming off the bench and had largely disappointed a hopeful fan-base. UCLA lost its most efficient big man in the past three seasons. They lost a player who led the team in total rebound percentage (percent of available rebounds a player grabbed while on the court), the team leader in defensive rating (measure of amounts of points allowed per 100 possessions) and effective field goal percentage.

We can lament about Smith’s inability to stay on the court all we want, but for the 14 minutes a game that Smith played (a number that’s low not because he couldn’t stay on the court, but because Ben Howland was so reluctant to play him in favor of a two-Wear line-up), he was incredibly tough to match-up with and his rebounding skills were lightyears ahead of that of the Wear twins.

Smith was consistently able to get position inside offensively and roam the paint defensively. His presence would’ve been useful against SDSU last Friday night, when the Aztecs outscored UCLA in the paint 28-20. His presence in that game would’ve offset the fatigue accumulated from a devastating seven-man rotation.

Fans can resent Josh Smith all they want — and they have, often saying good riddance to a 20-year old kid who clearly is undergoing serious personal issues — but it’s not as if his presence on the court resulted in a net negative for the team. Sure, laugh at the airballed lay-up .gif all you’d like but he wasn’t a horrible presence in the locker room and he often performed at a higher level than Travis or David Wear when he subbed in.

So Smith will be missed greatly, not just because he’s a good kid, but because he was still a damn good basketball player.

Who knows? The way UCLA hoops is headed, we’ll probably applaud Smith for jumping off the wagon as fast as he could.

Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

In shocking news, UCLA center Josh Smith has left the basketball program.

The oft-maligned big man apparently left for personal reasons. Here’s a statement from UCLA:

UCLA junior center Joshua Smith has chosen to leave the men’s basketball program and has been granted his release, effective immediately.

Smith participated in all six contests UCLA has played in thus far in the 2012-13 season and averaged 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in 13.5 minutes played.

“Joshua is a fine young man who has meant a lot to this program,” said UCLA head coach Ben Howland. “I know I speak for myself and my staff when I thank him for his time in Westwood and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

A native of Kent, Washington, Smith entered his junior season with the Bruins averaging 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 19.5 minutes played in 65 career games (24 starts) over his first two years in Westwood.

“I have made the decision to leave the program for personal reasons,” Smith said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at UCLA and am grateful for the opportunity that has been presented to me here.”

This will be discussed a lot and adds to the strikes against Ben Howland in terms of the players that have left his program.

We’ll have more on this soon.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Josh Smith has the ability to put up huge numbers on the basketball court.  Unfortunately, he also puts up huge numbers at the dinner table.  Smith, a 6’10” Center for the UCLA basketball team, is listed on the official UCLA website at 305 pounds.  That isn’t fooling anyone.  It’s safe to say Smith is heavier than that.  In reality, he is much heavier than that.  For the sake of argument, we’ll say Smith is actually 325 pounds (even that is being kind).  Bruin fans expected significant weight loss this offseason with Smith seemingly finally understanding the effect that his weight had on UCLA’s future in 2012-2013 and his own future in the NBA.  After reports months ago that he was doing well, recent reports have suggested otherwise.  These reports of Smith’s weight have ranged from “some improvement” to “gaining weight.”

Sure, it’s easy to tell someone to lose weight, but it’s not really that easy to do, right?  Well, in the case of big Josh, it really isn’t much to ask.  For a young man with the chance to make millions of dollars in the NBA, a little dedication and discipline is not too much to ask.  Let’s look at his numbers:

• At 6’10” 325 pounds, in order for Smith to maintain his weight, with moderate exercise/activity daily, he would need to eat approximately 3,500 calories per day.
• In 25 weeks, it is not unrealistic, nor impossible, nor extremely difficult for a dedicated person to lose 2 pounds per week, 50 pounds total (considering the amount of body fat Smith has).
• In order to lose 2 pounds per week, Smith would need to cut his caloric intake to 2,500 per day.
• Now if he upped his workout routine from moderate exercise to heavy exercise, he would be able to now eat approximately 2,900 calories per day and still lose 2 pounds per week.

To be fair to Smith and the numbers, as he loses weight, his caloric intake would have to be reduced even more, but the numbers are a general idea of where he is now.  2,500-2,900 calories daily is enough for any athlete trying to lose weight, even if exercising consistently.

Josh is now a junior.  He is expected to be a major factor on a potential championship team.  The offseason isn’t over.  The time to step up is now.  Josh, when you signed on the dotted line and faxed in your National Letter of Intent, you made a promise to UCLA that you would be the best student athlete that you can be.  It is time to live up to that promise.  You won’t regret it and UCLA won’t regret you.  We’ll worry about your non-existent post moves later.  Lay off the donuts and get in the gym!

Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

You’ve probably heard the buzz around the web: Josh Smith has disappointed us once again by not getting into shape despite the vitriol spit his way for not doing so last season.

This was confirmed when Ben Howland spoke to the Sporting News about Smith:

Smith’s struggle to properly condition himself to play persistently has undermined his progress as a player. Howland said Smith is “the same.”

[...]

“I’m disappointed where he’s at, that he’s not further along with his conditioning,” Howland said. “That’s just being honest, being truthful.”

You and me both, Ben Howland.

Of course, it’s obvious that Smith is as about unmotivated as a talented basketball player can get. The dude has been given multiple opportunities to get with it and become a dominant big man. And after he was given so much crap over the summer — from Bruins fans and college hoops analysts — you’d  think he’d have legit bulletin board material to lose weight.

We know it’s difficult; losing weight isn’t something that requires passing interest. But when you’re a basketball player whose increased fitness might lead to you becoming a lottery pick in the NBA draft — and, as a result, a minimum of a two-year, $3.1 million deal with a two-year team option for slightly more — you have a serious problem if that doesn’t motivate you enough. That’s akin to winning the lottery and, let’s be real, who wouldn’t lose 50 pounds at Smith’s weight to win a guaranteed lottery?

The dude obviously doesn’t want to play basketball, though. And because of this, Howland should just cut Smith.

Because while Smith doesn’t appear to be a problem with the locker room, the team can’t afford to have poor leadership — he’s a junior after all — failing to lead by example.

You can take the soft-hearted approach with Smith if you want. You can give him “one more chance” to prove that he’ll respond.

I can’t, though. I’m done with this guy.

We get it: He’s just a 20-year old kid. At the same time, though, Smith is here at UCLA to play basketball. He’s not given a scholarship to be entirely unmotivated to get in game shape, and he isn’t here at UCLA because he is prone to invent the next great thing.

He’s here to pound the paint, rebound, and play for upwards of 30 minutes a game.

And it isn’t as if this team can’t replace him. Sure, UCLA will obviously lose its biggest weapon — again, as always, “when he’s fit” — but it gives others a chance to compete who are incredibly motivated to play this game. Freshman Tony Parker is obviously next in line to start at the pivot.

Of course, Tony Parker’s a big dude himself — he’s 6’9” and weighs 270 pounds — and having Smith around might prove to be a bad idea; the dude just might be a bad influence to the young Parker.

Ben Howland needs to cut this dude. No more ultimatums; he’s been given enough. No more chances; he’s had far too many.

We’re ready to move on, Josh Smith.

Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

For months, there has been speculation as to whether UCLA basketball center Josh Smith has lost weight and gotten in shape over the summer. The narrative surrounding the talented but oft-ridiculed big man was his fitness and, literally (no pun intended), his weight has been weighing him down.

Not too long ago, we posted this little tidbit from a UCLA student on reddit who saw Josh Smith recently, since Smith lives in the student’s apartment complex:

I see the dude almost every day, since he lives in my apartment building. He looks basically the same. I’m not saying he hasn’t lost weight, but if he has it hasn’t been enough to be physically noticed. The picture comparison to the video kinda didn’t help. Just saying… [...] I’ll believe it when I see him dominating the court. He’s ALWAYS eating junk food in the elevator. Nice guy though.

Reports had said otherwise prior to this, though, and we gave Smith the benefit of the doubt.

We realize this was a mistake, and apparently, Smith may have actually put on weight. From Miguel Melendez at Inside UCLA:

We caught a glimpse of practice after Howland’s press conference. I saw Smith but I can’t tell whether he’s lost any weight just based on the fact I’ve never covered this team. I asked a seasoned beat writer and he thought Smith actually put on some weight since the last time he saw Smith.

That’s damning. Smith’s biggest problem is his weight and, as we keep banging our heads over, is really the only thing keeping him from being the most dominant big man in college hoops today.

Smith has disappointed us plenty, though, so while we’re upset to hear about this — and, quite frankly, really angry — we’re also not in the least bit surprised by this news, if it’s true.

It might not be, mind you, and this is based on speculation. But it’s speculation from a “seasoned” beat-writer that’s obviously seen Smith quite a bit over the past couple of years, meaning the statement has some validity to it. To further confirm this, though, we suggest you read the quotes from Ben Howland over at Miguel’s post regarding the status of Smith.

We’ve said it over and over (and every college hoops pundit will agree): UCLA will only go as far as Smith will take them, talented freshmen class be damned. UCLA’s main strength over any other team in the nation is easily on the interior where Smith has the potential to hold down the fort.

We’re hoping this is untrue. Crossing our fingers, praying, even.

Please, get it together, Josh.

GO BRUINS!!!

Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

UCLA basketball is nationally relevant again for all the right reasons. With the Bruins laying claim to the top recruiting class in 2012, and in a college basketball landscape run by one-and-dones, these recruiting classes mean the world to college hoops programs.

What’s as exciting, though, is that Josh Smith was an embarrassment in 2011 meaning there’s nowhere to go from here but up, so he should get better. Meanwhile, Larry Drew II will be able to play this season while the rest of last year’s starting unit that won 19 games will become a bench mob of sorts.

All in all, the Bruins are poised for a serious run at the national title.

Unless …

Unless things happen. Unless catastrophe strikes, or unless bad luck or poor roster management rears its ugly head. Things happen, as the saying goes, and when they do, things can go from great to awful within the blink of an eye.

No top college hoops program is as susceptible to these kinds of things as UCLA is. With Ben Howland on as hot of a seat as any in the country, and with all the attention focused on these Bruins come November, things can get hellish quicker than we’d like.

What are the kinds of things that will ruin UCLA’s dream season? Let’s take a look at six of

them:

1. Shabazz Muhammad Is Declared Ineligible for 2012-13

Well, this is the biggest possible blow and it’s also the most predictable. Questions surrounding the eligibility of UCLA’s biggest prize this offseason have made Shabazz a proverbial time-bomb. He’s already ruled out for UCLA’s trip to China for exhibition games, and that NCAA investigation could get ugly.

Muhammad may not be the most important player on this team, but he’s definitely the most prolific and is easily the top pick in the 2013 NBA draft, meaning that draw will no longer be in Pauley Pavilion, so getting butts in those seats will be especially difficult.

2. Kyle Anderson’s Hand Never Heals Correctly

This is so unlikely, but let’s pretend that Anderson — UCLA’s only legitimate PG — never heals from his hand injury in full, meaning he’s largely ineffective as a result. (We’re really blowing this up here, because we have masochistic tendencies, apparently, but work with us here.)

It’s fair to label Kyle as UCLA’s most important player for the time being; Ben Howland’s success has largely been dependent on having solid point guards run his slow-down, half-court offense. Anderson fits the role really damn well with his court-vision and ability to make plays for others. On a team that has absolutely no true playmakers, Anderson becomes really damn vital for this team. Losing him will probably be worth forfeiting the season.

(OK, not that dramatic, but still.)

3. Josh Smith Stays the Course, Can’t Get In Shape

Smith could easily be UCLA’s best player and the best college baller in the nation. Dominant big men at any level of basketball are hard to find, especially ones that can play around the rim with the touch that Smith has.

As of now, though? He’s not even the third-best player in freaking Westwood. Sure, on a per-minute basis, he performed better than anyone else on Howland’s squad did in 2011-12, but when you’re only on the court for 17 minutes a game because of foul trouble and crappy stamina, does that even matter?

If Smith stays in the same shape he was last season, his college career will be over. There’s little chance he even stays on the squad after this season if he can’t get it together, and UCLA’s biggest advantage — that of size and interior defense — will be gone entirely.

CLICK ON NEXT PAGE TO CONTINUE THIS LIST

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Recently, we passed you on some reports that UCLA basketball center Josh Smith has lost considerable amount of weight. Fifteen pounds, actually, from what the reports say, and although that’s not as much as we’d like, it’s progress. When it comes to Smith, we’ll take what we can get.

Except we might not be able to count the pounds before Smith has actually lost them. Because, based on some discussion on r/UCLA, a subreddit for UCLA news, Josh Smith is actually still the same weight. Here’s what some of them said:

On a link to GJB’s post with video of Smith working out: I see the dude almost every day, since he lives in my apartment building. He looks basically the same. I’m not saying he hasn’t lost weight, but if he has it hasn’t been enough to be physically noticed. The picture comparison to the video kinda didn’t help. Just saying… [...] I’ll believe it when I see him dominating the court. He’s ALWAYS eating junk food in the elevator. Nice guy though.

This is in stark contrast to the reports and from what we’ve, perhaps, convinced ourselves to see. Media reports should always be taken with a grain of salt, especially when surrounding the UCLA basketball team, which is always under such a heavy microscope.

But Smith had someone (presumably another student) defend him, saying the following on a link to a report by ESPN that he had lost weight:

I just saw him today (July 12) actually in my apartment building. He actually looks a bit slimmer than before. It’s encouraging that the article actually says a specific amount of weight that he’s lost, rather than just vague statements about his fitness.

These are all observations, but sometimes, having people who are trying to be objective and relaying info we cannot take in ourselves is crucial.

Smith is on a hell of a leash, and it’s unfair to judge his progress before we have even seen him suit up in a game. But we’re nervous as hell for the dude, and we want him so badly to succeed because, by all accounts, he seems like such a cool guy.

But hearing things like this for a supposed lottery pick in the NBA draft is disheartening:

I think he ordered a quesadilla and carne asada burrito like 4 times a week lol

We hope you get it together, Smith, because my damn, would you be a beast.

GO BRUINS!!!

Well, now we have a little video of him working out, which is pretty good, and you can tell he’s lost a bit of weight. Here’s the vid:

Here’s a comparison from the 2011-12 season:

Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

OK, so it’s not a remarkable transformation just yet, but if you have a good enough of an eye, you can obviously tell that he’s getting there, even if it’s not the pace that you’re into. Sure, 15 pounds since the end of the season in March isn’t the best, but the season doesn’t start for another four months when UCLA re-opens a refreshed Pauley Pavilion in November against Indiana State. That’s plenty of time for Smith to lose, say, 30 pounds to get under his billed weight of 305 — which is pretty big for a 6’10” center that should be working and banging in the post as much as Smith should.

We’re being tentative as hell with this, because although we’re excited to see the dude be in shape, we’re also aware that he could easily fall off the wagon and into more fat jokes — which are stupid and mean as hell, mind you, and that is in no way affected by the fact that I’m a fat dude, too.

Bruins fans will bitch, though, and after these past four years, can you blame some of us? Seeing Josh Smith get in shape would be such a damn achievement for him, UCLA basketball and college basketball in general, since NCAA ball — and the NBA, too — is devoid of low-post presences like Josh Smith.

We’ll see, though. He’s saying the right things and, for now, is doing the right things. We just hope he can find something that’s eluded him his entire career at UCLA: Consistency.

GO BRUINS!!!

Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

Throughout the entire summer, we’ve covered UCLA basketball as best as we can. And, as a result, we’re as excited as anyone was when the four highly-touted freshmen — Jordan Adams, Tony Parker, Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad — all signed their Letter of Intents as soon as humanly possible, sort of.

But we’ve been doing a lot of bitching around these parts, mainly about oft-maligned center Josh Smith, who seemed to give less of a crap about basketball than your typical, hardcore MLB fan. The dude was out of shape and … well, you can read the narratives regarding Smith here. And here. And, uh, here.

Of course, Smith is thisclose to shoving all this talk about being lazy and unmotivated right up our asses. From ESPN:

Smith, a junior, said he has lost at least 15 pounds since the end of last season. He is consulting a nutritionist, spending more time in the gym and the results were evident during a summer workout Tuesday, when he ran up and down the court for nearly an hour without showing much fatigue. It was a far cry from last season when he routinely lumbered around out of breath and had a mostly forgettable season.

Smith is getting into shape now, and considering that our boy Josh is easily one of the most offensively-polished big men in college basketball, this is freaking scary.

Not for us, here in Westwood. Not for the crap-ass Pac-12. No, Josh Smith’s fitness will put the entire nation on notice that UCLA, after four very long years, is back on the map.

Because no one can stop a motivated Josh Smith. The dude utilizes every ounce of his strength to get low-post position and uses every inch of his basketball savvy to make sweet moves around the rim. Low-post players are disappearing in today’s basketball landscape — both at the college level and in the NBA — and Smith is one of the few who can dominate in the paint. Even Anthony Davis, someone we compare Smith to, doesn’t have the low-post game that Smith has (or can have).

Last year was a joke, and Josh Smith was the butt of it. But then you hear Josh say something like this:

“I couldn’t really take anything positive from last year,” Smith said. “I want to get to the point where it’s not, ‘Oh if Josh was in shape’ or ‘If Josh was this.’ I just want to be able to run up and down and give my team 29 or 30 minutes on the floor where I’m actually producing, not just 19 minutes where I play in spurts and try to stay out of foul trouble.”

… that’s when you should be worried, if you aren’t a UCLA fan. Because Smith will destroy you inside, and if he continues his improvement, plays for those 30 minutes, and has perimeter players like Shabazz Muhammad and Jordan Adams scoring at ease with a point forward like Kyle Anderson making things easy and tearing apart defenses at every level?

Then you should be shitting yourself.

Keep it up, Josh Smith. Make us eat our words.

GO BRUINS!!!