Larry Drew and the Wear Twins Talk to the L.A. Times, Explain Little

The L.A. Times brings a little light entertainment to this Memorial Day weekend with a story on how Larry Drew II and Travis and David Wear all found themselves leaving Chapel Hill and enrolling at UCLA. It doesn't really tell us anything we don't already know; the Wear twins contribute one quote, on how "The energy just wasn't there as in the years prior, it seemed like." Yeah, the fans kind of picked up on that as well. Luckily, there are the Drews, always good for a couple of irritating quotes.

First, Larry Drew II would like you to know it wasn't about playing time:

"I was there for 21/2 years and I didn't play my whole freshman year, so it's not if I'm playing or not playing," Drew said. "It was just a buildup of things since I first got there."

Second, Larry Drew Sr. wants to make it clear that his son was never happy, and the playing time didn't help:

Drew's troubles transcended the fans. Larry Drew Sr., the Atlanta Hawks coach, said his son contemplated leaving after a freshman year in which he barely played.

I have to say, if you can't be happy winning a national championship, you have almost certainly chosen the wrong school to attend. But what slips through in the interview is what Larry Drew Sr. said about the lineup change last January:

"Nothing was said to Larry, nothing was said to me," Drew Sr. said. "That was a little hard to swallow."

Roy Williams is quoted a couple of times, saying the lineup change was discussed in front of the team. Pointedly, nothing is said about Drew's father, because Williams is a better man than I would be in that situation.

In the end, the voice of reason turns out to be Deon Thompson, who pretty succinctly sums up Larry Drew's entire tenure as a Tar Heel:

"Coach Williams wanted to put a lot of trust in Larry because he has a special relationship with all his point guards, but they bumped heads at times," said Deon Thompson, a former Torrance High star who was a teammate of Drew's for two seasons with the Tar Heels. "He was just a laid-back kid, so it was hard for Coach Williams to light that fire in him at times."

There you go; he's Ben Howland's problem now. Drew, by the way also apologizes for his rap, and remains perfectly happy with the bizarre timing of his departure. Everything's coming up Milhouse now, and I'm sure the Bruins will be dominating the college landscape in a year and a half, right?