For UCLA, things can only get better -- next season

UCLA's season started badly with a loss to Cal State Fullerton, got worse at the 76 Classic with losses to Portland, Butler and Long Beach State, then got even worse Tuesday with the transfer of Drew Gordon, and it'll get even worse Sunday when the Bruins play No. 1 Kansas.

To those wondering when it'll get better, stop.

This won't get turned around.

I mean, things might technically get better if only because they can't get worse. And the Pac-10 is awful, so that'll help. But having just spent three days watching the Bruins up close, I'm doubtful Ben Howland will have a nationally relevant team until at least next year, when heralded recruits Josh Smith and Tyler Lamb enroll (and Tyler Honeycutt isn't bothered by injuries). Right now, Howland simply doesn't have the players to be very good, and we can debate why if you want.

Maybe it's because he has lost six players early to the NBA Draft the past four years, and it's finally taking a toll. Or maybe it's because he signed a bunch of overrated in-state products. Or maybe it's because he has somehow stunted the growth of his players by not letting them perform in a more up-and-down system. All of those theories have been tossed around, and there's probably some truth to each.

Either way, I'll say this: Let's not forget that Howland made three of the past Final Fours and is widely regarded as one of the nation's best coaches. He won big with Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo, then won big with Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook. He has won big with all sorts of players -- with average centers (Lorenzo Mata-Real), good centers (Ryan Hollins) and great centers (Kevin Love) -- and remained consistently strong (until this season) despite the turnover. In other words, Howland is way closer to the Hall of Fame than the unemployment line. So people can question his style, I guess, but his body of work in this bottom-line business is pretty remarkable.

Now that that's out of the way, let me back up. Remember how I mentioned that Howland won big with Farmar and Afflalo, then with Collison and Westbrook? They're different kinds of guards, all of them. But one thing they have in common is that they're pros, just like Jrue Holiday is a pro, point being that Howland is currently operating without at least two pro guards for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

The first two weeks of the season have been painful for Malcolm Lee and the Bruins. (AP)

That's also the last time he didn't make the NCAA tournament.

See the connection?

"I don't know; I'll let the pros figure that out," Howland answered when I asked whether he has pro guards on his roster. "But we've got to play better in the backcourt."

A lot better.

Jerime Anderson and Malcolm Lee start in UCLA's backcourt.

Neither has been great this season.

Most recently, Long Beach State's Casper Ware wore out Anderson in Sunday's 79-68 victory, beat him off the dribble so many times that Howland had to switch Lee on him. Even then, things weren't great. Afterward Howland explained he's going to be forced to play a little zone, perhaps a lot, to hide some deficiencies, and it's at this point that I should remind you that Howland's Wikipedia page states that "aggressive man-to-man defense is the trademark of Ben Howland-coached teams." That's how much Howland hates playing zone. But he doesn't hate it as much as he hates watching his team allow easy baskets. So zone it is.

"We're having a hard time staying in front of the ball; it continues to be a problem," Howland said. "We just can't get out and pressure without getting beat."

Asked if that meant the Bruins had an "athleticism" problem, Howland didn't hesitate.

"It's obvious we do," he answered.

What's less obvious is how to fix the problem.

And the real problem is that it's probably not fixable, not this season.