Thursday, February 7, 2008
The lanky freshman forward scored on offensive rebounds, popped in a couple three-pointers and reminded Russell Robinson of Wayne Simien. He had 21 points that November night last season and that was just the first the game for Darrell Arthur.
After that debut, people started to learn about his nickname, Shady. It was a shortened version of Slim Shady, and fans and teammates wanted to know if they’d seen the real Slim Shady.
Players on the Kansas bench cheer during the Missouri game Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse. Sophomore forward Darrell Arthur has played limited minutes in two out of the last three games because of foul trouble.
More than a year later, has anyone seen the real Slim Shady? The best way to describe Arthur’s game is well, shady, or at least inconsistent. Sometimes he scores at will. Sometimes he disappears for long stretches. Sometimes he attacks the offensive glass. Sometimes he doesn’t grab a board. About the only thing he does consistently is foul, and the foul trouble is keeping him from building consistency in all the other areas.
Arthur insists he’s working at eliminating the fouls.
“I’m trying,” he said.
Most of the buzz around KU basketball at the beginning of the season was about Arthur. Self called him the most improved player. Teammates were wowed by his offensive performances during workouts.
“He’s just amazing,” junior guard Brandon Rush said. “He scores non-stop.”
A breakout season seemed like a guarantee. Self even said that the offense would be at its best when it went through Arthur. But 23 games into the season, Arthur has yet to develop consistently into a consistent offensive or rebounding force.
He’s leading the team in scoring at 13.3 points a game and is second in rebounding, but he’s also averaging almost three fouls per game. He had the same problem most of last season, and those fouls cost him minutes.
Monday night against Missouri, Arthur had three fouls by the midway point of the first half. He didn’t get into the second half until there was about 12 minutes left, and the game was no longer in doubt.
“I caught some bad breaks trying to help over and take a charge and got another early,” Arthur said. “It was just bad. I can’t catch a break for nothing.”
The worse part about his foul trouble is that Arthur is becoming a force when he’s actually in the game. He scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in just 14 minutes against the Tigers. He had 12 and seven against K-State in just 17 minutes.
“I just have to play with my head and feet,” Arthur said.
He also has to hope the guards don’t leave him out to dry. Arthur’s fouls aren’t always his fault. When a guard gets beat off the dribble, Arthur has to come over and help. He’s vulnerable for a blocking foul when he does that.
Sometimes, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson try too hard to get steals. They overcompensate, don’t get the ball and leave their man with a wide open lane. Guess whose job it is to stop that man? Yep, Arthur’s.
pullquote
I just have to play with my head and feet.
-Darrell Arthur
Self said that’s not fair to the big man.
“Our guards don’t understand that when they don’t guard the big guys foul more because the guards get in the paint,” Self said. “Certainly we have to do a better job of guarding the ball.”
For now, Kansas is still doing OK with Arthur in foul trouble. The Jayhawks may play their best when he’s the focal point of the offense, but centers Cole Aldrich and Sasha Kaun have been good replacements. They combined for 18 points and 13 rebounds against Missouri.
Arthur acknowledged it was good for them to get more playing time, but he wanted the minutes, too. To get them, he’s going to have to play smarter. And when he does that, the Arthur who can score and rebound consistently will likely appear.
He’ll finally be the real Slim Shady.
—Edited by Jeff Briscoe
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