Dissing Bruins

One thing you’ve got to admit about Tim Floyd, at least he is consistent.

In Tuesday’s USC basketball report by Ben Bolch, Coach Floyd still refused to acknowledge the great things happening across town with UCLA and Ben Howland. If you’ll remember, when Floyd was hired at USC, a reporter asked him what it would take to elevate his program to the status of their crosstown rival. He said his expectations were higher than that, as he viewed Arizona as the consummate program in the Pac-10.

Well, congratulations Coach Floyd, mission accomplished. You are right there, as Arizona is seventh in the Pac-10 standings and you are eighth.

Bernie Wallen

Oxnard

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Tim Floyd, in a move so fitting for a representative of USC, realizing that he is being out-recruited, out-coached and out-classed by Ben Howland, relies on the first resort of playground bullies when dealing with those smarter than themselves: He makes fun of Coach Howland’s appearance (in this case, Howland’s hair loss).

How would he deal with Phil Jackson? Presumably by calling him a four-eyed gimp. And I am certain he would shove Coach Wooden out of his way and exhort him to “speed up, old man.”

David Atkinson

Los Angeles

--Darren Collison is a consensus All-American and Russell Westbrook has NBA scouts drooling over his explosive athletic ability, but ESPN’s Doug Gottlieb thinks they are merely good, not great [Jan. 16]. I suppose Doug wishes Heidi Klum’s English was a little better.

William David Stone

Beverly Hills