Posts tagged Brandon Rush at FanHouse

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

After making big moves last summer (handing Rashard Lewis the keys to the bank, hiring Billy Donovan, cutting ties with Donovan, hiring Stan Van Gundy), the Magic have to settle for small tweaks this summer. Fortunately, after winning 52 games, that's all this team really needs to remain a contender.

Picks: #22

Needs: The Magic essentially start two small forwards in Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu, so getting a legitimate power forward (with more offensive upside than Tony Battie and more physicality than Brian Cook) to help Dwight Howard bang down low should be high on the list. Also, the two-guard spot has been a revolving door between Keith Bogans and Mo Evans, and former lottery pick JJ Redick doesn't appear to be anywhere close to being the long-term solution.

Best case scenario: Finding their shooting guard of the future ... and today. Evans is an unrestricted free agent, Bogans is entering the final year of his contract and Redick looks like trade bait, which means any shooting guard drafted has a better than even chance at opening the season in the starting lineup. A guy like Brandon Rush (who shouldn't be available) would be ideal, but even Courtney Lee and Chris Douglas-Roberts would be a nice fit.

Jeff Goodman posted the list of NBA Draft green room invitees today, and you best believe that there is gonna be some heartbreak going down on this list. After all, there are 16 players invited ... and only 14 lottery spots. Mu-ha-ha.

Actually, there's a decent chance that no one on this list will get Quinned (read: fall too far), mainly because NBA teams are much more likely to draft based on "best available" than positional need if someone starts to drop, but draft day can always be surprising. Anyway, here's the list of who will be hanging out back while the cameras catch every instance of shock, surprise and tearful regret.

With the NBA Draft coming up on Thursday night, FanHouse's Tom Ziller took a friend's advice and unilaterally decided what teams ought to do in the first round. Think of it as a shorter version of our ongoing Crystal Ballin' series.

1. Chicago -- Michael Beasley, Kansas State. Fan consensus would have the point guard from Memphis here, and it looks like John Paxson will swing that way, too. It looks like a whole lot of Chris Paul-induced "pure point" fervor to me. Beasley, though, is the rare unassailable post presence who also boasts great perimeter skills and extraordinary tenacity on the court. With a team so desperate for points on something other than jump shots, Beasley fits right in.

2. Miami -- Derrick Rose, Memphis. The Heat, on the other hand, has some firepower in the paint, between Dwyane Wade's irrepressible slashing and the alternating efforts of Shawn Marion and Udonis Haslem. But Wade needs help running the show. Rose would provide the right engine to push Miami's offensive abilities while offering some backcourt defensive support.

3. Minnesota -- Brook Lopez, Stanford. Like any other basketball aesthete, I have cracked some Brook Lopez jokes. But behind the Cheetah Girls t-shirts, he's a good prospect. The biggest thing he can offer Minnesota in some interior anchorage on defense. Al Jefferson got abused routinely in the paint last season, with nary a partner to help stunt the opponent. Lopez immediately fortifies the effort, maybe not creating a good defense by himself, but at least helping out. Oh, and he can score too.

27 more picks of questionable logic after the jump.

It is D-Day for the Final Four. All four of the #1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament have survived ... but two will fall today. The second game this evening pits Kansas and North Carolina in what is now known as the "Ol' Roy Game".

I have been a Tar Heel fan my entire life and know what to expect from UNC. To get prepped up for the game, I decided to chat up with the Rock Chalk Talk blog about the view from the Kansas side of the fence (go here for my take on the game).

Sportz Assassin: You can't start this any other way but with Roy Williams. It's been five years since he's left KU for UNC. What level of hatred can he expect from Jayhawk fans in San Antonio this weekend?

Rock Chalk: It depends on which portion of the fan base actually makes the trip down to San Antonio. Most of the fan base, at least most of who I have talked to, don't have all that many ill-feelings toward Roy, me included. Sure, we wish he wouldn't have left, especially after he promised in 2000 that he was staying until he retired, but I would argue we are better off now for it, and we realize that he was just fulfilling his lifelong dream. So, while there were certainly be some boos cascading down from the Jayhawks section, I wouldn't expect everyone to show disapproval of Roy.

After fighting back into the Kansas rotation following a pro-career-derailing knee injury, Brandon Rush was arrested yesterday on outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court for traffic violations. Rush was released on $500 bond yesterday.

Rush, who had come to court to take care of at least one of his traffic matters when he was arrested about 3 p.m., headed to Horejsi Center about 4 p.m., where he practiced with KU's team.

"We are disappointed because our players need to be more responsible when handling situations in dealing with the law. Brandon did not appear in court, therefore, this happened," said KU coach Bill Self, who indicated "any team punishment would be handled internally."

It doesn't look like Rush will be suspended, and will be able to play, and to that I say ... good for the Jayhawks? I know, it seems weird. You don't want to encourage lawless behavior, but a look at the two charges levied against Rush -- driving with a suspended license and without proof of insurance -- suggests a careless person rather than one with an outright disrespect for the law. The Jayhawks need to help Rush figure out that carelessness and tardiness don't sit well with judges. This might be his last chance.

The Kansas Jayhawks are facing their fair share of early-season injuries. Brandon Rush is nothing new; Rush injured his knee in May, not only preventing a jump to the NBA but jeopardizing his athletic skill set in the near term. And it certainly didn't help the Jayhawks to lose efficient guard Sherron Collins for six weeks, either.

But Jayhawks fans can rest easy, at least for now: Brandon Rush looked awfully good in limited minutes last night:

Less than six months removed from major surgery, the 6-foot-6 All-Big 12 guard looked like the best player on the floor, scoring seven points in limited action, all in the first half. "It felt pretty good. When I started getting up and down the floor I started feeling like my old self," said Rush, who hadn't been expected back until Dec. 1.

"I thought he was probably as good a performer as we had tonight," Self said. "We didn't play very well at all, especially in the first half. But Brandon was a big bright spot for us. He got knocked down, and that needed to happen. He went to the goal one time and that needed to happen, in traffic. I thought he did some good things. I was really happy for him. You can tell he's not quite what he was. But he'll get there."

That's good news not only for the Jayhawks and their-embarrassment-of-riches athleticism; that's good news for anyone who enjoys watching the Jayhawks dominate their conference with the ruthless efficiency they showed last year. If Rush's progress is any indication, Kansas is set to repeat that performance this season.