Jordan Farmar still a crowd-pleaser at Pauley

Bruin-turned-Laker Jordan Farmar was at the UCLA-Biola game Friday night. He was pretty inconspicuous during play, but after the final horn he was mobbed by fans wanting autographs, pictures or just a chance to shake his hand. We've become a big Farmar fan (see Farmarmania for posts) and checked in to get his thoughts on the newest crop of Bruins.

—Adam Rose

Have you played pickup with any of the new guys?

All of them, pretty much.

What do you think about them as a whole?

They're a good group. They know how to play. They play hard. I like Jrue [Holiday] a lot. He reminds me of myself when I was in high school.

What specifically stands out about him?

His high basketball IQ. And I like the way he uses his left. He uses his left hand a lot even though he's right-handed. He's going to be a great player. He's talented. The whole class is pretty solid, all the way around.

A lot of people thought Darren Collison might get picked higher in the NBA draft last year than you did when you came out. Did you give him any advice as a fellow Bruin point guard?

No, that was his own decision. Everybody's timetable and what they're looking for in terms of their professional career is different.

What does it mean to a team to have a guy like that return?

It's good to have that experience. He's been there before — to the Final Four a few times now. He's an All Conference player and he's going to be an All American. You can't say too much more about that!

Who's the sleeper on this team? A guy who will really impress everybody this year?

Josh Shipp!

Your minutes are going up for the Lakers while others are trying to figure out how to share court time. What are you hoping for in terms of minutes this year?

They're tough to come by! Playing time, shots, all that stuff. We have a really good team. As long as the team wins ball games, I can't complain. I'm young. My time will come.

Who's going to have a better season: Bruins or Lakers?

Lakers, even thought the Bruins are going to do their thing too. Nothing short of a championship is success for us.