Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Much of the buzz around campus this week seems to be that Brandon Rush is making a mistake by entering the NBA draft because he is not a lock for the first round.
The fact of the matter is that Rush should keep his name in the draft even if there is a chance that he falls to the second round and loses out on a guaranteed contract.
Take a look at last year’s draft, considered to be the weakest in recent memory because of the inclusion of an ineligible class due to the NBA’s new age limit of 19. Last year’s second-round draftees would likely not even be selected in this year’s stacked draft. Of the first 13 picks in last year’s second round, 11 are currently on NBA rosters and all of these 11 are making more than $400,000 per year. These are the players that Rush will be competing with for roster spots.
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Looking back at the 2005 draft, we see similar results.
Being drafted in the second round does not mean that a player has to ride the bench either. Last year’s 42nd pick, former Texas Longhorn Daniel Gibson, started 16 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers and remains a key contributor to a team still contending for an NBA championship.
Looking back at the 2005 draft, we see similar results. Nine of the first 11 players drafted in the second round are currently on NBA rosters, with players like Monta Ellis, the 40th selection to Golden State, maintaining an important role with playoff teams.
Rush is in a different situation than those early second-round selections not currently on NBA rosters. Three out of the four were international players, entering the draft relatively unknown to NBA teams.
NBA general managers know what Rush can bring to the table after two years as the leading scorer for a Kansas squad that receives as much national exposure as any team outside the state of North Carolina. At 6’6,” Rush can defend NBA wings, rebound well for his position and make open shots. This type of player will always find a spot on an NBA roster. Rush would be the safe pick when a team is faced with choosing him or an unknown international player.
Another year in college would likely not help Rush’s draft stock a great deal. At best, he would be a late first-round pick next season. At almost 22 years old, Rush does not ooze potential like a Julian Wright does. He is already fairly polished and other than ball handling, which is not something that will magically appear in one offseason, he does not have a lot of room to improve. He would lose out on a year of NBA earning potential, valued at least $400,000.
Fans sometimes fail to realize that coming back to school for another season and being the big man on campus is not the most important thing to players anymore. While I’m sure Rush would love a chance to hang his jersey in the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse, a year of NBA salary is likely more important to him.
Rather, as fans we should thank Rush and Wright for the years they gave us. The last two seasons have been full of entertaining basketball and a lot of victories.
Kansan columnist Kayvon Sarraf is a Lawrence senior in journalism.
— Edited by James Pinick
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