UCLA's Reeves Nelson dismissed from team

As reported by multiple sources earlier this afternoon, UCLA junior forward Reeves Nelson was dismissed from the team by coach Ben Howland this morning.

The 6-foot-8 Nelson-- the Bruins' top scorer and rebounder last year (13.9 ppg and 9.1 rpg) -- was serving his second suspension of the season when Howland dismissed him from the team this morning. Nelson's suspensions are a result of "insubordinate behavior." (After serving his first suspension this season, Nelson missed the team's flight to the Maui Invitational).

This season, Nelson has been spotty, largely in part to frequent benchings and suspensions: He averaged 5.7 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. It will be interesting to see how his dismissal affects the Bruins -- was he a negative distraction that contributed to UCLA's 2-5 start (only one win was over a D-I team), or will his dismissal be even more of a distraction? Howland said in a statement, "Hopefully this is going to be a unifying thing for our team."

One thing is certain: the Quakers have one less big man to handle tomorrow night.