If thereâ€™s anything in Chris Fosterâ€™s Los Angeles Times story that ought to bother UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, it was the authorâ€™s assertion that the administration â€œsigned Steve Alford to a seven-year, $18.2-million contract with the expectation that his hiring would invigorate an apathetic fan base. They expected him to be greeted with open arms.â€

When Alford was hired, he was only nine days removed from an NCAA Tournament round of 64 loss to Harvard that was considered the most stunning result of the 2013 championship. He was hired with only a single NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance on his resume. He was hired after primary targets Brad Stevens and Shaka Smartâ€”Bruins fans who advocated the firing of Ben Howland were widely convinced theyâ€™d get oneâ€”declined.

So itâ€™s impossible to imagine UCLA was expecting open arms. They had to be pleased if there were no torches and pitchforks.

As for the substance and execution of Fosterâ€™s article, however, there was little for UCLA or Guerrero to be particularly disturbed about. It was mostly an examination of what formulated Alford, and why there has been a brush with controversy surrounding his hiring: specifically, his 2002 support for then-Iowa player Pierre Pierce regarding accusations of sexual assault.

And yet Guerrero chose to make a featurized profile of his new basketball coach into a significant news story by releasing a statement on the subject:

"It is unfortunate that Chris Foster's Los Angeles Times article on UCLA men's basketball Coach Steve Alford focuses only on issues and opinions from long ago and ignores what he has accomplished since arriving at UCLA. In addition to assembling a phenomenal coaching staff, every student-athlete chose to remain a Bruin and play for Steve. I should also note that despite an exclusive interview with Chancellor Gene Block on the subject of Coach Alford, Foster failed to mention any part of the interview, including the chancellor's repeated and unequivocal support for Coach Alford and his firm belief that Steve is committed to being a Bruin and embracing the values of Coach John Wooden. Finally, contrary to the impression left by the story, Steve has been warmly welcomed by the Bruin family and the Los Angeles community. We are all excited to have Steve as our coach and are looking forward to the new season. Go Bruins!"

OK, so maybe Guerrero was expecting â€œopen arms.â€ Maybe thatâ€™s what he has deluded himself into perceiving. But itâ€™s not what has occurred at UCLA since Alford became the fallback choice to run the Bruins program. And the only thing that will change the mood will be an NCAA championship the Bruins seem a long way from achieving.