Lavin’s Detractors Need Not Be Proud

If it’s a motivating ploy, I applaud him for his ingenuity.

If it’s a shameful display of friendship gone asunder, thereby ratcheting up the suffocating pressure on UCLA men’s basketball Coach Steve Lavin, I would urge him to take one more deep breath and ride it out to the very last second.

If it’s all over, then we have reached the limits of what one man can take.

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THE TIMES reported Monday that Lavin had told “confidantes” he was contemplating resigning, his “confidantes” then spilling their guts to the newspaper and increasing the heat on Lavin as if such a thing were possible after falling to 4-7 with losses to USC and St. John’s.

With friends like these.... The Times reported that Lavin had said Saturday he had no plans to resign, “but his friends,” the report said now, “believe he has decided that departing at this time would be best for him and the team.”

Lavin denied that later in a statement released by UCLA, but the damage was done -- ESPN.com, for example, reporting: “The Lavin Death Watch has intensified around Westwood.”

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YOU PROBABLY view Lavin as a big loser, never measuring up to the memory of John Wooden -- as if that coach has been born yet, and the end of the Lavin era cannot come soon enough for you.

It’s hard to argue the inevitable now that the mob has formed. I’ve already written here that Lavin is “going, going, gone,” knowing the good fight is over now that new Athletic Director Dan Guerrero has fired Bob Toledo and set the standard for survival, but still I could not be more disappointed.

From Day 1, of course, Lavin has never lived up to the Bruins’ expectations, never gotten past the widely held opinion he was hired before he was ready to run such an elite program, never won every game as Bruin fans expect.

All he has done is put together a record of 139 wins against 67 losses, and while that might merit a raise elsewhere, there is no margin for disappointment at UCLA. In fact, the pounding criticism has been relentless, month after month, and yet if education still counts for something at this institution of higher learning, then Lavin has given his charges an advanced and extraordinary lesson in resiliency.

Maybe that’s what was so disconcerting about Monday’s newspaper report, the betrayal of “confidantes,” and yet another kick in the teeth to someone who has already taken a beating. How much more can one person take on top of the sports talk radio shows, TV commentary, columnist rants and booing fans?

By the sound of Lavin’s chatty friends, he’s finally down for the count, the criticism overwhelming him, and, frankly, I never thought I’d see that day.

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NOW SOME people might suggest this is another sympathetic campaign a la the Rick Pitino/Peter Dalis controversy to buy some time and all orchestrated by Lavin. Fine -- whatever works. But the feeling here is it really is the beginning of the end, which might even come before Thursday night’s game against Arizona State.

However, if Lavin’s legacy is going to be one of good-humored, unbending resiliency, then I would urge him to pull his team together and tell everyone else to take a hike while they play it out together to the end. It’s the very best education one can buy at a major university, and while it’s not what the Bruin faithful would want at this time, whatever they want, it’s never going to be enough.

We have arrived at this moment for that reason. Five of the last six years Lavin has taken a team to the Sweet 16, and only one other coach has done that -- the best in the game today -- Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.

It’s probably understood there will be no miracles down the stretch this season as there have been in previous years to save a career, but skipping town now just doesn’t jibe with the way Lavin has met adversity in the past.

This is someone who has repeatedly proved it’s not over until it’s really over, and while that might not be enough for some people, how can you deny the remarkable strength and grace he has displayed in staying the course?

I’d like to see him dig a little deeper, and go out throwing one more thrill into those who have consistently sold him short.

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COLORADO RUNNING back Chris Brown is leaving early for the NFL, and running back Marcus Houston has left the school with an eye on attending Colorado State. UCLA opens the 2003 season against Colorado in Boulder.

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SHAQ WAS chosen 2002 athlete of the year by readers of Sports Illustrated for Kids. I’m sure in future issues of SI for Kids the Laker role model will discuss the best way to make fun of Yao Ming and his friendship with Louis Farrakhan.

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THE CLEVELAND Plain Dealer reported that high school basketball player LeBron James received a Hummer H2 from his mother for his 18th birthday. The Ohio High School Athletic Assn., however, is investigating to determine if an outside source helped fund the acquisition. The silver/platinum SUV reportedly was shipped from California, and while the Clippers seem to be playing like a team trying to position itself to land James, I think we can rule out the possibility of owner Donald Sterling providing the $45,000-plus for the SUV.

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TODAY’S LAST word comes in a news release from the Dodgers:

“The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today they have reached an agreement on a contract for the 2003 season with pitcher Guillermo Mota.”

The Dodgers win the pennant! The Dodgers win the pennant!

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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com.