Yardbarker: Brandon Rush

Week 23 NBA pickups

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:05:43 -0500

Guards Brandon Rush (Pacers)- Rush has scored in double-figures in five straight games and has started the past four. He has scored 29 points in each of his last two games while making five three-pointers. As a starter he also has averaged seven rebounds and shot 51% from the field. G Marquis Daniels could miss the [...]

Chicago Bulls 112 vs. Indiana Pacers 106

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:44:55 -0500

The Chicago Bulls took on the Indiana Pacers at the United Center today in a matinee game. The Bulls started off looking good, keeping it a tie game at 12 going into the first timeout. But in the first quarter, Brandon Rush started heating up, hitting shot after shot as the Bulls stalled out. [...]

A $1,118,060 Mistake

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:36:36 -0500

While watching the 2008 NBA Draft last week, I could not help myself from drawing a connection between Brady Quinn and Darrell Arthur. Sure, they are not the same color and do not even play the same sport, but both had to go through the agonizing experience of having ESPN cameras flash their lights on the one-time college stand outs who were being passed up for what scouts had called inferior players preceding the draft. In the aftermath of Brady Quinn's fall from being one of the first people chosen in the draft, very few attacked Condon for his performance in the episode. In fact, many were not surprised; Brady Quinn was not a lock to be selected in the top of the first round, and scenarios that included him being selected later than Brady would have liked had been suggested. Quinn suffering had a lot to do with poor planning by those who selected the players chosen to sit in the green room. Can the same be said in the Darrell Arthur ordeal? Prior to last Thursday, and even on draft day, there was little spoken of a potential slip in Arthur's draft stock. In fact, very few people would have ever believed that Arthur would not be the first Jayhawk selected. Brandon Rush is a stud, but there was no way that his name would be read before Arthur's, right? Wrong. Brandon Rush was picked earlier than many analysts had predicted (at #13 overall), and Darrell Arthur slipped?very?far. Kansas Men's Basketball Coach, Bill Self, believed that Arthur had a chance of being picked right around #15 overall. He was more than a little displeased when his former forward was selected at #27. The difference between the slotted value of a #15 pick and #27 pick over the first two years of the contract is $1,118,060 (hence the title of this article), but that disparity grows even larger if a third and fourth year option is accepted by Arthur's team. Let the finger pointing begin! Bill Self did everything that he could for his former student-athlete when he noticed that Darrell Arthur was getting passed over for what he felt was absolutely no reason. He made calls to NBA team management and knew immediately that somebody dropped the ball. When Self found out that teams were ignoring Arthur's name because "doctors wouldn't let them take him" over a mysterious "kidney problem", frustration and dissapointment set in. So, the question remains, who is to blame? Who dropped the ball? My first inclination was to point my finger at Darrell Arthur's agent, Jerry Hicks. Darrell was recently tested by the Wizards, when nothing was found to be wrong with his kidney. The first thing that his agent should have done is make sure that every single NBA GM, President, scout, coach, and floor sweeper knew that Darrell was healthy and ready to wreck havok in the paint. Here is Hicks's story: "We did the bloodwork on the morning of the 25th, and by noon, [Arthur's kidneys] were determined to be completely normal. I received a message from Washington ? which is still saved in my voice mail in my office ? that everything was normal. Philadelphia received word that things were normal. How this became an issue around the league is puzzling, to say the least." Why is it so puzzling? Rumor had spread that your client had potential issues with his kidneys, which was later dispelled for two out of thirty teams. What made you think that the other twenty-eight got the same information? I give permission to Arthur to believe that the other twenty-eight teams would get the word. He does not know enough about the basketball industry and hired an agent to cross every t and dot every i. There is absolutely no excuse that Arthur's information was not disseminated to every club, just in case. Jason Whitlock got it wrong. This is not about a young player making the mistake of leaving early for the draft. Darrell Arthur was projected as a late lottery pick and probably would have been had teams been properly informed that his "kidney problems" were unfounded rumors. Instead, the lesson that should be learned is that players and their advisors should take ultimate care in handling all situations and events leading up to the draft. If there is even an inkling that a rumor might be seen as true by only a single team, everything must be done to erase such ideas from others minds. When you are a potential lottery pick, in most cases you should not go back to school for another year. There is no insurance policy that will reward you enough money for a career-ending injury. I think that we are making a mistake by blaming Darrell's fall on his early entry into the draft.

Feeling the Rush On Media Day

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:42:18 -0500

A Daily Babble Production On the day before the NBA draft, the coolest guy in the room could barely finish his sentence without chuckling. At himself. It was likely because the sentence in question was I tried to mold my game after Michael Jordan, but that didn't work out too good. Indeed, nobody is going to be confusing Kansas guard Brandon Rush with the man known as His Airness anytime too soon. But we knew that going in. What was a lot more striking was the ...

Cavs-Warriors Trade Rumor

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:28:10 -0500

Rumors of a trade involving the Cavaliers and Warriors have been popping up?except these rumors don't involve Baron Davis. Tis the season for rumors in the NBA. The Finals are over, the draft pool has been finalized, and teams have had time to take stock of their needs and assets. Indeed, if you're the type of person, like I am, who actually enjoys pouring through hundreds of pages of rumors, 90% of which don't have an ounce of truth behind them, then this is a fun time. Yeah,...

Representing Champions

Fri, 30 May 2008 07:59:38 -0500

The 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions have selected their agents for the 2008 NBA Draft. On April 7th, I pondered whether any of the departing Kansas Jayhawks would be signing with either Jeff Austin or Mike Higgins based on their historical ties with Jawhawks players. Four Jayhawks have made themselves ineligible for the 2009 season and entered their names into the 2008 NBA Draft with the formal signing of an agent. None of them have selected Austin or Higgins. * Russell Robinson - Bob McClaren of McClaren Sports * Sasha Kaun - Justin Zanik of ASM Sports * Darnell Jackson - Roger Montgomery of Montgomery Sports Group * Brandon Rush - Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports and Entertainment

NCAA Champs Kansas say goodbye to Rush, Arthur

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:17:30 -0500

Juniors Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur declared themselves eligible for the NBA Draft today, meaning Kansas will be losing four starters from the National Championship team if Mario Chalmers bolts for the NBA as well. Rush, who declared last year, has given up his eligibility regardless of signing with an agent or not because it is his second time declaring. Arthur has not signed an agent and thus could come back, but it looks unlikely that he will return to the Jayhawks. The two accomplished what they set out to do in their college careers, and I have no reason to believe this is a bad move by either of them. Good luck in the league guys!

NCAA: Kansas Jayhawks Finally Come Through

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:34:51 -0500

With the whole world watching Mario Chalmers calmly nailed a game tying three pointer and Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks came through in the clutch to claim their first title in 20 years. The Jayhawks took a half time lead and didn't panic when down... www.rawsportsblog.com

NBA: Indiana Pacer Sitting Out To Watch Baby Brother!

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:45:32 -0500

As if things couldn't get any worse for the Indiana Pacers, the team was told that shooting guard Kareem Rush would rather watch his younger brother Brandon Rush, of Kansas, play in the NCAA finals Monday night then be with the team. www.rawsportsblog.com

'Heels stomped by Jayhawks; questions abound for next year

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 23:10:22 -0500

Rock. Shock. Jayhawk. Roy, you're definitely not in Kansas anymore. Kansas opened up a 40-12 lead on tourney favorite North Carolina in the first half, using a dizzying display of efficient offense and stellar defense and cruised to an easy 84-66 victory to advance to Monday's National Championship and a date with Memphis.

Elite 8: Sunday Games Breakdown

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:19:34 -0500

2 Tickets to San Antonio left: Memphis/Texas and Kansas/Davidson Who wins? Here's some analysis.

Hansbrough heads AP preseason All-Americans

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:00:07 -0500

Tyler Hansbrough's junior year at North Carolina has begun much the same way his sophomore did, as the leading vote-getter on the Associated Press' preseason All-America team. The 6-foot-9 forward was one vote shy of a unanimous pick Monday and was joined by senior center Roy Hibbert of Georgetown, senior guard Chris Lofton of Tennessee, senior guard Drew Neitzel of Michigan State and junior guard Darren Collison of UCLA. Hibbert received 62 votes, one more than Lofton, while Neitzel was on 37 ballots and Collison was on 31. The next-highest vote-getter was Brandon Rush of Kansas with 23.