Back to Men's Basketball coverage

Men's Basketball

Friday, June 27, 2008

Keegan

Keegan: Arthur gets shaft in draft

By Tom Keegan

Darrell Arthur was chosen with the No. 27 pick by the New Orleans Hornets, then traded to Portland, then to Houston and then to Memphis.

Darrell Arthur was chosen with the No. 27 pick by the New Orleans Hornets, then traded to Portland, then to Houston and then to Memphis.

Advertisement

Videos

Jayhawks selected in the 2008 NBA Draft

video thumbnail

A total of 5 Jayhawks were selected in the 2008 NBA Draft, tying the all-time record.

Podcast episode

Spodcasters

Spodcasters: Draft Day Edition

Ryan Greene and Tom Keegan break down Kansas University's record-tying night in the NBA Draft. KU became just the third program (UConn in '06, Florida in '07) to have five players drafted in the first two rounds. The guys break down who has the best chance to succeed in '08-'09, ...

photo

Nick Nelson/LJW Staff

All Jayhawks drafted in the 2008 NBA Draft were traded at least once.

Somebody done somebody wrong, and the second somebody is Kansas University forward Darrell Arthur.

This became obvious to the world when Arthur was queried on national television about a reported kidney issue that led to him tumbling in the draft.

"My health is fine," Arthur said. "I took another blood test in Washington, and everything came out fine, but I guess those guys never contacted anybody. Everything is cool."

If by Washington he meant the Washington Wizards, well, it's not on one NBA team to let the rest know about the intelligence it has. It's on a player's representatives to let every team know everything about a player that could help his draft stock. A favorable blood test for a player whose kidney became an issue certainly would qualify as good news that could have helped Arthur from slipping all the way to 27th.

It's tough not to wonder where Arthur would have gone in next year's draft had he returned to Kansas and had there not been a kidney issue. He might have gone high in the lottery. Oh well, too late to fret about that.

Watching Arthur and his family in the green room long after the other anticipated early picks already had been selected led to speculation as to what was happening.

Arthur's younger brother, Juicy, already long since had passed out, his head on the table, when ESPN's Ric Bucher revealed why the KU sophomore who pinned 20 points and 10 rebounds on Memphis in the national title game kept getting bypassed for lesser talents. Bucher said that multiple NBA general managers told him that they learned of kidney concerns regarding Arthur, requested results of lab work and were denied.

The mistake made on Arthur's behalf came in either not offering to take blood tests for interested teams or in not distributing the favorable test results from Washington to all teams.

Fear about Arthur's health spread, and with a better distribution of information, that seems as if it could have been avoided.

At least there was an explanation for Arthur's slipping.

Why Mario Chalmers wasn't chosen until four picks after J.R. Giddens remains a mystery. Back on the day Chalmers announced he was making himself eligible for the draft, the information given to him was that he would be taken somewhere between the 25th and 35th pick. Then his workouts went so well that his stock seemingly soared. Chad Ford of ESPN had Chalmers getting drafted with the 12th pick in his mock draft. In the end, Chalmers was viewed as combination guard with a point guard's size.

Never mind the three-point shot Chalmers hit against Memphis; how could so many teams see what he did against Texas in the Big 12 tournament title game and not use a first-round pick on him?

It bodes well for Chalmers' future that Miami Heat General Manager Pat Riley, who has such a keen eye for talent, was the man who traded for Chalmers.

It also bodes well for Chalmers that Dwyane Wade, such a master at drawing multiple defenders, will set him up for open jumpers. We all know what Chalmers does with those.

Jayhawks in the 2008 NBA Draft

Comments

KEITHMILES05 (anonymous) says...

From all reports Arthur did not select a "professional" to handle his affairs until last weekend.

This proves you need somebody who knows the process and not family.

This bumbling act was his to bear. Stop blaming "others" when in fact Darrell and family should have known none of them were capable of handling this situation.

June 27, 2008 at 2:58 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

It was a pretty costly financial mishap for Arthur and his family. Somebody should have been contacting these teams to either clarify or verify this information. Maybe Arthur did have some kidney problems..........Maybe he didn't. Somebody should have been handling this information in a "Professional" manner to help Darrell. Whomever was in charge of this specific assignement for Arthur failed completely and cost Arthur a lot of money. I still don't think the kidney information had a complete effect on Arthur's slippage, but I am sure it had a pretty great impact. I still think most GM's think Arthur is a little "Soft" which I've always thought about him. Either way, I hope this motivates Arthur and he goes out and plays for a contract. He has the opportunity to do some great things in Memphis because they are so terrible, but at the expense of the Grizzlies Arthur could also be lost in the shuffle for the exact same reason. I hope everything turns out okay for Arthur. I am sure his ego is bruised just a little. I wish the Pacers would have picked Arthur at 17 rather than Hibbert. Time will tell if Arthur proves his critics wrong.

June 27, 2008 at 3:16 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

merrill (anonymous) says...

No matter what all of these players will not starve and they are happy to be playing pro basketball. They all knew several other real good players were on the table. All will work out for them.

Derrick Rose was the hot topic. Coaching is probably a lot easier on the knees and body in general which may well prove to be the smartest choice of the night.

June 27, 2008 at 6:36 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

yates33333 (anonymous) says...

Miami had the best draft of all the NBA teams, but Portland came close. I suppose like almost all KU fans I felt sorry for Arthur. I hope he has a great NBA career. Of course, I hope all former KU players have great careers.

June 27, 2008 at 6:37 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

chuckberry32 (anonymous) says...

so what's the tally up to of jayhawks in the nba?

June 27, 2008 at 7:37 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Lebowski (anonymous) says...

Hard to say chuckberry... just because there's so many "bubble" guys who could be in the league, or down in the D-league or somewhere else.

Pierce
LaFrentz
Vaughn
Pollard
Hinrich
Collison
Gooden
Wright
Rush
Arthur
Chalmers

Maybe next year or later down the road:

Jackson, Kaun, BThomas, Simien, Miles, Langford, Chenowith (lol ya right), Robinson

Assuming we're not counting the Ex-hawks (giddens, padget)... somewhere between 11 and 19?

Am I missing anybody?

June 27, 2008 at 9:05 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

Boston - Paul Pierce, Scot Pollard
Memphis - Darrell Arthur
New Orleans - Julian Wright
San Antonio - Jacque Vaughn
Chicago - Kirk Hinrich, Drew Gooden
Cleveland - Billy Thomas, owns rights to Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun
Indiana - Brandon Rush
Portland - Raef Lafrentz
Seattle - Nick Collison
Miami - rights to Mario Chalmers

As far as I can tell, that's everybody. Keith Langford will probably be in camp with someone, also, so he could make a squad. Sasha will be in Russia, so he won't count this season, but everyone else has a great chance to make their teams.

June 27, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

I heard Langford was going to be on the San Antonio summer team and Billy Thomas was going to be on the Cleveland Summer team. I thought Aaron Miles was playing as well, but not quite sure on him. Samething with Wayne Simien. I know Big Dub is playing, but not sure where. I know he was up Minnesota, but I'm pretty sure Minnesota released him after his injury last year.

June 27, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

BoulderHawk (anonymous) says...

Darrell is going to be just fine.
Criticize his choices all you want.
Easy to do from the SIDELINE.
He was drafted in the first round , now it
is up to him to maximize himself.
Rockchalk nation supports him.

June 27, 2008 at 10 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

okjhok (anonymous) says...

Darrell is fine. He's got guaranteed big money for the next two years. Chalmers is not fine. He has nothing guaranteed, and lost his college eligibility. I cringed last night watching all the underclassmen that went in the second round. Many, if not most of them now become basketball vagabonds. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But a vagabond with a college degree is better than one without said degree, IMHO.

June 27, 2008 at 10:18 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

WilburNether (anonymous) says...

I hope Chalmers is successful, but I'm afraid okjhok's comments are spot on. Keegan's comments are off base, as were the foolish sentiments of some journalists and draft "experts" that one big shot vaulted Chalmers into the first round, even (in one case) made him a lottery pick. One shot in college (or a big game, or even a fine career) does not a successful professional career make. Look at all the Heisman Trophy winners who have flopped in the NFL over the years. I hope things go well for Mario, but I'm afraid he was blinded by the NBA stars in his eyes, heard only what he wanted to hear, and then last night got a hard reality check. Next year's draft will be much thinner at PG than this year's, and he may well have cost himself a shot at a long career in the NBA by going early. Hope that won't be the case, but I hold no great expectations for his future.

June 27, 2008 at 10:51 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KU (anonymous) says...

What's the NBA minimum salary? $450,000 for a first year player?

I'd say all 5 guys that were drafted are just fine. The ones who went in the second round and aren't guaranteed a contract have the opportunity to earn $450,000 or more their first year out of college if they are deemed worthy of being on a roster.

Most new college graduates would be happy to be in a position where they could compete for the opportunity to earn $450,000 their first year.

June 27, 2008 at 11:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

imnotpaulpierce (anonymous) says...

You have to expect Chalmers to get signed by Miami if Pat Riley was willing to trade for a second-round draft pick.

It looks like Mario's decision to leave school early may have cost him a lot of money.

I don't agree with Keegan. Chalmers could have DEFINITELY improved his stock by staying another year. Just look at all of the freshman & sophomores taken before Mario this draft. Next year's freshman class is nowhere near as talented as this year's. Mario would have elevated his draft status based on that alone.

I wish all the Jayhawks the best!

June 27, 2008 at 11:14 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KU (anonymous) says...

imnotpaulpierce (and others who think Chalmers should have stayed another year),

There is something powerful about the pull to go out on top.

Did you ever see the Seinfeld episode where George perfects the art of "leaving on a high note"?

June 27, 2008 at 12:07 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

imnotpaulpierce (anonymous) says...

Would Mario have been remembered as anything less than the guy who hit the most important shot in Kansas basketball history had he stayed for one more year?

Absolutely not.

June 27, 2008 at 12:51 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

actorman (anonymous) says...

I agree. In fact he very well could have added first-team All-American to his resume, now that people around the country actually know who he is.

June 27, 2008 at 1:26 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Lebowski (anonymous) says...

Wilburnether,

You lost me somewhere between hello and

"I hold no great expectations for his future."

Good grief, are you serious?

Yes, maybe another year of college gets him a higher draft spot and a fatter opening contract, but this has not washed his career down the toilet.

He made the right decision for one simple reason...

He's ready.

I'mnotPP... you're not talking about his "stock", you're talking about his draft location. The difference is that by saying he'd increase his stock... that he'd make people believe he's a better player and/or a better prospect than he is now. By that rationale, I don't believe Mario could improve his stock a lot. But yes, I agree he'd have probably been taken earlier.

June 27, 2008 at 1:55 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

txrockchalk (anonymous) says...

While I too agree in hindsight Chalmers should have come back for another year, what did first-team All-American earn Chris Douglas-Roberts? Talk about craziness...

June 27, 2008 at 2 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

trueblue9 (anonymous) says...

This is what Rush's next five year's look like:
$1,499,300
$1,611,800
$1,724,200
$2,463,880
$3,407,550

Arthur's:
$814,300
$875,400
$936,400
$1,689,270
$2,505,180

Chalmers':
$442,588 IF he makes a roster. Otherwise to the D-League where you make junk.

In short: Oops.

June 27, 2008 at 3:48 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Lebowski (anonymous) says...

I still don't see how that's an 'oops'.

1) It's a f'ing joke that some of the yahoos went before him.... maybe JR Giddens for one.

2) You say "IF" he makes the roster... yeah... is this Mario Chalmers? Or some other Chalmers we're talking about? What about his skills do you think is not going to make the roster? He's going to make the roster quite simply because he's too good not to.

3) That 442,588 is a one-year deal, right? What happens if he cracks as starter and plays spectacular? I honestly don't know much about the NBA's salary structure and all that.... is he stuck in a structured salary like everyone else for 5 years? Or can he start negotiating a new contract or become a free agent earlier? Those are serious questions.... I don't know.

4) He had information to go on... the information he had said he'd be going somewhere around Arthurs spot, if not earlier. And he should have. Not his fault NBA GM's are gambling addicts and idiots.

5) $442,588 is a hell of a lot more money than $0. I'd live with that "mistake".

June 27, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

actorman (anonymous) says...

It would be interesting to know whether Mario regrets his decision now that he was picked in the second round. I am mystified as to how someone who's a first-rate defender and shooter and has ice in his veins could not get picked higher. But I agree with Lebowski that he will make the team; it's hard to imagine someone with his skills not making it. (Then again, it was hard to imagine someone with his skills being picked that low, so what do I know?)

June 27, 2008 at 5:23 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

trich424 (anonymous) says...

THE MIAMI HEAT GAVE UP 2 SECOND ROUND PICKS AND CASH TO GET MARIO CHALMERS. THE HEAT COACH WAS QUOTED AS SAYING HE WANTED TO GET CHALMERS IN THE FIRST ROUND, BUT COULDN'T TRADE UP. HE IS GOING TO MAKE THE TEAM, HE IS ALREADY BEING TALKED ABOUT AS BEING A STARTER. SHUT UP ABOUT HIM STAYING NEXT YEAR, OR WHAT IF WHAT IF WHAT IF. HE WENT AT THE RIGHT TIME, TO THE RIGHT TEAM. WADE IS GOING TO GET HIM OPEN LOOKS, BEASLEY IS GOING TO DRAW ATTENTION DOWN LOW. CHALMERS WILL THRIVE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT. QUIT WORRYING ABOUT HIS FUTURE.

June 27, 2008 at 5:55 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

34_5_20_nbaTitle (anonymous) says...

man that nba jayhawk logo is awesome. i hope they put that on some shirts or hats. if they do sign me up for a purchase!

June 27, 2008 at 8:30 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

ralsterKUMed95 (anonymous) says...

The trends I saw in the draft were if you had height (that was in your favor), if you were 'the' star of your college team and/or led your college league in scoring--it was in your favor. If you were a foreign player with height and potential, potential, potential--it was apparently in your favor--even at the expense of proven college players, something I just could not mentally grasp. How the hell do you explain CDR getting drafted where he was--ludicrous! Shady's health info was just plain mis-handled, my heart just ached and I was totally frustrated at these no-namers going in front of him. And I do think if you put RussRob on alot of these guards 1on1, he would school them silly. But I have a feeling he will impress someone somewhere....Anyway, now it is in each young man's hands to get better and do all each has to do to EARN that big money. Good luck, guys! I will watch the NBA, if only to see our Hawks shine!!!

June 27, 2008 at 9:12 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

Great article about Self and Arthur on cnnsi.com

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008...

June 28, 2008 at 12:25 a.m. ( | suggest removal )