Draft Day Stories: Jordan Farmar and Ryan Hollins

2006 NBA Draft is tonight at 7:00PM ET on ESPN

The UCLA Bruins have not had a player selected in the first-round of the NBA draft since 2000 when Jerome Moiso was selected eleventh overall by the Boston Celtics. Baron Davis was selected third overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 1999.

The drought should end tonight when NBA Commissioner David Stern will potentially call out the names of two Bruins at the podium.

Based upon numerous reports, Jordan Farmar will be drafted in the middle to late first-round, while Ryan Hollins has jumped up on the charts and may go in the late first-round as well.

Below are Draft Day Stories on the two Bruins from local and national news outlets.

Jordan Farmar

The Lakers auditioned nearly 80 players and had Temple's Mardy Collins and UCLA's Jordan Farmar in for workouts this week. Whether Farmar would be available when the Lakers pick at No. 26 is questionable. L.A. Daily News

The Lakers' first-round pick is No. 26, and they are in need of a point guard. But General Manager Mitch Kupchak said the Lakers won't necessarily focus on a guard if they find a better player at another position in today's draft. These are the likely candidates the Lakers will select from: James White, a 6-foot-7 swingman from Cincinnati; Jordan Farmar, a 6-2 point guard from UCLA; Maurice Ager, a 6-5 guard from Michigan State; and Sergio Rodriguez, a 6-3 point guard from Spain. Press Enterprise

Lakers: (35-1): Point guard is the position the Lakers should look into and theres one right in their own backyard in UCLAs Jordan Farmar. The 62" guard led the Bruins to Final Four before falling to Florida in the championship game. FoxReno

The Cavaliers are looking for a point guard or combo guard with the No. 25 overall selection.Farmar averaged 13.5 points and a Pac-10-best 5.1 assists last season. He said he thinks he matches up favorably with the top point guards in the 2006 draft. Morning Journal

Jordan Farmar, 6-2, 170, UCLA: Cavalier's Ferry long has been rumored to be interested in Farmar, who impressed at the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando. He is more of a pure point guard. Akron Beacon Journal

Cavaliers face decisions in draft: They could hold onto the pick and pray that either UCLA's Jordan Farmar or Villanova's Kyle Lowery falls further than most draft experts think they will. Salem News

New Jersey very well could trade this pick to Portland (for 30 and 31) or to another team. Should they keep the pick, Farmar has been a player the Nets have been enamored with for some time. He would be in an ideal situation as Jason Kidd's understudy. Farmar lacks a strong build, but shows a real understanding of the game that many PGs lack. NBADraft.net

Jordan Farmar - New Jersey Nets - The backup point guard comes next. A solid draft for New Jersey with two picks in the early twenties. HoopsWorld

A couple of players who entered the draft early should interest the Nets. Jordan Farmar of UCLA averaged 13.5 points to help the Bruins reach the NCAA title game against Florida. Pioneer Press

Nets Can't Be Too Picky: The comfortable scenario: They are expecting at least one of three guards -- Shannon Brown of Michigan State, Jordan Farmar of UCLA and Kyle Lowry of Villanova -- to still be on the board when their number comes up. In such a case, they are believed to be leaning toward Brown. NJ.com

If the Nets stand pat, which is a very likely scenario, they will have a hard time deciding whom to pick. Ideally the Nets would like to select a power forward and either an athletic guard or a backup point guard with their two picks. The Nets are considering big men like Florida State's Alexander Johnson, UConn's Josh Boone and UCLA's Ryan Hollins at 22 and 23. They also have Michigan State guards Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager, UCLA's Jordan Farmar on their short list. New York Daily News

Sacramento's most obvious needs are in the backcourt, where underachieving Jason Hart and unproven Ronnie Price were Mike Bibby's backups last season. The Kings might be able to select UCLA's Jordan Farmar, Kentucky's underrated Rajon Rondo, Villanova's Kyle Lowry or even Sergio Rodriguez. Union-Tribune

After the Kings lacked interior defense much of last season, it seems they also have gone hunting for big men, from Connecticut's Hilton Armstrong to Boone and others. They have looked at point guards, too, namely UCLA's Jordan Farmar and Spaniard Sergio Rodríguez, but are said to have questions about their defense. Sacramento Bee

Dallas Mavericks. Jordan Farmar, PG, 6-2, UCLA.Farmar is tough to place. He could go as high as Indiana at No. 17, or he could go in the second round. The Mavericks worked him out last week, and he'd be a good option should free agent Jason Terry decide to leave Dallas. Sporting News

Memphis: Jordan Farmar, PG, UCLA. The tough-minded Farmar should help the Grizzlies immediately. Wisconson State Journal

Memphis Grizzlies: Jordan Farmar, UCLA: The Grizzlies want to go big, but they also have a need at point guard and opt for the best available player. Chicago Sun Times

Left with the No. 21 and 26 picks, the Suns will have a hard time finding immediate help. Potential choices include 6-4 shooting guard Shannon Brown of Michigan State, 6-6 Swiss forward Thabo Sefolosha, 6-2 guard Jordan Farmar of UCLA, 7-foot center Saer Sene of Senegal, 6-2 shooting guard Guillermo Diaz of Miami and 19-year-old British 7-footer Joel Freeland. SI.com

Suns: Jordan Farmar, G, UCLA. The jury is out on how Farmar will perform at the next level, but he could be an adequate fill-in for Steve Nash. PhillyBurbs

Team: Indiana Pacers Pick: 17 Player: Jordan Farmar (UCLA) Pos: Guard Notes: Farmar is the pure point guard that the Pacers need. He knows how to distribute the ball effectively and has great court vision. MLive


Ryan Hollins

The big players the Nets would consider are Connecticut's Josh Boone, Florida State's Alexander Johnson and UCLA's Ryan Hollins, who is long and athletic, but raw. New Jersey.com

Look for the Blazers to deal their 30 and 31 picks to move up (possibly with Sacramento at 19 or New Jersey at 22) for a pick or a combination of player/picks. The Nets like Ryan Hollins and might even consider him at 22/23, but he would likely be here for them if they traded one of their picks, and they could add the 31st pick in the deal. NBADraft.net

Clippers to take best player available, though they could use a young big man to develop behind Elton Brand and Chris Kaman. Possible big men at 34 could be Paul Davis, James Augustine, Joel Freeland, Josh Boone, Ryan Hollins or even Kevin Pittsnogle. HoopsWorld

Bulls on the clock: Yemi Nicholson (Denver) and Ryan Hollins (UCLA) round out the short list of center prospects. Herald News

The Hornets also have a second-round pick, the 43rd overall selection, to add depth. UCLA 7-footer Ryan Hollins will be available, according to many of the mock drafts. Hollins was a key player in the Bruins' drive to the NCAA championship game in April. Sun Herald

Also Saturday, the Bobcats worked out UCLA's Ryan Hollins, Wake Forest's Chris Ellis and Vladimir Veremeenko of Belarus. None of them is a candidate for the Bobcats' first-round pick, the third overall in Wednesday's draft. MSNBC

(BruinBasketballReport.com)