HoopsHype.com Rumors

Baxter Holmes: A NBA scout on ex-UCLA center Joshua Smith: "The kid has eaten himself out of a career." Twitter @BaxterHolmes

Draft, Joshua Smith 

Joshua Smith graced the cover of the UCLA basketball game program Wednesday night, an awkward bit of timing considering that the talented but overweight junior center quit the Bruins' team earlier in the day, citing "personal reasons." Smith's decision, announced several hours before the Bruins faced Cal State Northridge, made him the second player to leave the Bruins this week. Guard Tyler Lamb announced Sunday he would transfer. Los Angeles Times

Draft, Joshua Smith 

Sophomore C Joshua Smith plans to return next year after apparently giving some consideration to entering the 2012 NBA Draft. At 6-foot- 10 and 300-plus pounds, he has the size to interest scouts at the next level, but he needs to improve his 9.9 ppg average in 17.2 mpg from a season ago. CBSSports.com

Draft, Joshua Smith 

UCLA center Joshua Smith said Thursday that he would be coming back to UCLA. Smith, a 6-foot-10 sophomore center, had a disappointing season averaging only 10 points and 4.9 rebounds but is thought to have NBA potential because of his size. But after UCLA was knocked out of the Pac-12 tournament with a 66-58 loss to Arizona, Smith said he was not ready to test the NBA waters. "I’m coming back," Smith said. "I can’t -- there’s no way I’ll ever leave on a note like that. Whenever I leave I want to make sure we go out with a bang and I go out with a bang, nothing like this." ESPN.com

Draft, Joshua Smith 

According to a source, UCLA bigman Joshua Smith is sending out feelers with NBA teams to see where he could expect to be drafted if he were to test the draft process this year. Smith has intriguing size, but NBA scouts we've spoken with see him as an unpolished bigman that's too far away from being ready to be considered as a first rounder. He's a mid-second to undrafted player according to everyone we've talked to. NBADraft.net

Draft, Joshua Smith