Arena Adventures: Pauley Pavilion

Arena Adventures: Entry #9

Arena: Pauley Pavilion

City: Westwood, CA

Date: December 31, 2010

Teams: UCLA vs. Washington

As my alma mater the University of Wisconsin was playing in the 97th Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO, I decided to make a trip out to California to watch that game and hopefully catch a couple other basketball games as well. On New Year's Eve, the UCLA Bruins were playing the preseason Pac-10 Conference favorite, Washington Huskies, so I decided to head from downtown LA up to Westwood to see historic Pauley Pavilion. I assumed that with all the history that has been made in Pauley in the John Wooden days that the arena was going to be one of the nicer ones I had been to. Boy was I wrong...

I give UCLA credit as a major renovation project is currently in progress to update Pauley by 2012, which I think is extremely necessary if UCLA wants to draw in the recruits UCLA should be signing under a proven coach like Ben Howland. The main thing I noticed was the gigantic spaces behind the baskets as Pauley is set up to push the bleachers back and transform into 3 separate courts when used for normal campus activity. The other thing I noticed was the fact that all patrons enter the arena at the same level and the only way to move about the arena is through the actual seating bowl as the exterior concourses are tiny. This results in traffic flow that is less efficient than the 405 or I-5 at 5:00 on an LA weekday.

As for the game itself, Washington was clearly the stronger team throughout the day, but UCLA played hard. Behind Malcolm Lee on the perimeter and Josh Smith in the post, UCLA was able to hang tough with the Huskies, trailing by a 38-31 margin at the half. Had UCLA been able to get better production out of Tyler Honeycutt in the first half, UCLA might have been even closer or leading, but Honeycutt picked up a couple of cheap fouls early on and sat most of the half. Isiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning led the way for Washington in the first half.

As the second half started, Washington poured it on and eventually built a lead of as much as 17 points before UCLA started a fast and furious comeback. Behind Honeycutt and Lee, UCLA was able to trim its deficit to as little as 4 points before a huge 3 was buried by Darrell Gant of Washington and the Huskies never looked back from there, eventually winning by a margin of 74-63. This was a big win for the Huskies to sweep the LA-area schools (Washington beat USC 73-67 in OT 2 nights earlier) and take control of the Pac-10 Conference title race early on as Washington State lost at UCLA 2 nights earlier. In the end, I think both teams played about how they were expected to; Washington looking like the conference favorite and UCLA looking like a middle-tier Pac-10 team with an outside shot of an NCAA berth come March.

One down, what's next?

Sometimes the NBA doesn't make sense and right now I am still trying to come up with how the Magic trade really made them that much better. They give up Vince Carter (to Phoenix) and Rashard Lewis (to Washington) and a few others and netted Gilbert Arenas and a few spare parts.

Gilbert Arenas won't be wearing a
Wizards Jersey anymore after today's
trade to the Orlando Magic.

I question this because Vince Carter was the highest on the Magics +/- with 153 and nobody else is really close. I'd compare it to Arenas' but it's the Wizards and I don't think that is fair. When you look at two player combinations Carter is a part of almost all of the top duo's on the team. And Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis are #4 on the team with +85.

Seems like a complete panic move and really doesn't put the team in that much better of a position and locks them up with a lot of huge contracts.

And man do I feel sorry for Steve Nash, so close to the Finals last year and now they've dismantled the team.

So what happens the rest of the way? I don't think the Suns are done. Not by a long shot. I expect to see Nash traded by the deadline. I also think we'll see Detroit make a move and trade either Tayshon Prince and/or Rip Hamilton.

Oh and let's not forget about 'Melo.

So let's start with the obvious. How does New York get Carmelo Anthony?

First they need to get another first round pick. Rumor has it that they can get one for Anthony Randolph. Done. Whatever team it is. Done.

Next the team graciously takes 'Melo from Denver, giving up three first rounders (two 2011 and one 2012) and giving up Eddy Curry's expiring deal and Timofey Mozgov for Carmelo. Works with the ESPN Trade Machine. I think Denver would do something as small as this, because they realize that Melo is gone and they are quietly moving into panic mode and would want to get anything as opposed to nothing out of their franchise player. I don't see the Nets staying in the Melo game if they aren't 100% sure that he will sign a long term deal to stay with New Jersey.

Will Steve Nash end the season playing
for the Suns?

Next I think we'll see Steve Nash be dealt. Where? Once the Knicks have went out and gotten Melo I think their next move is to go out and land Nash. I don't think the trade would take too much, Raymond Felton and Roger Mason and a second rounder or two and I think we'll have another "Big Three." ESPN Trade Machine.

Seems like a legit New York move and something that would not only bring them back into the basketball world, i.e. the Amar'e signing, this might actually give them a shot at the Title.

This next trade is a bit out there, but don't ever put anything past Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. The ESPN Trade Machine shows us something as simple as Andre Iguodala for Caron Butler. The 76ers need to make more playing time for Evan Turner and Butler has an attractive expiring contract. This would give the Mavs a play maker and would allow Dirk to play as more of a secondary option and be the recipient of many open shots because of the attention that AI2 attracts. Otherwise if that deal is not to Cuban's liking we could see a trade with Charlotte who is rumored to be shopping Gerald Wallace, the Trade Machine shows this deal works with Butler as well. The Mavs would likely have to add draft choices to get Wallace. Either of these trades make Dallas a much better team and might give them the chance to beat out LA.

Next up there has been a lot of speculation about my Utah Jazz and Andrei Kirilenko. While I feel that AK47 will end up being with Utah through the end of the year, I think that Utah would make a trade if they felt it helped their team. Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton have been linked with potential trades and this one works out and saves Detroit money, although this would require Utah to step up with the check book. ESPN Trade Machine.

With such big names on the market and many teams looking to either improve or cut spending this winter will be unpredictable and exciting.