Nick KrugDon’t pin your hopes for the 2007-08 season on the wounded knee of Kansas University junior-to-be Brandon Rush, who soon will undergo surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
If Rush returns at close to full strength, consider that a bonus, but don’t assume that’s going to happen.
First, ask yourself this question: If Rush isn’t 100 percent, is he going to want to play for Kansas when the whole world would be seeing him at less than his best?
No.
Rush did what he had to do after tearing the ACL. He withdrew from the draft. Kansas will do what it has to do, which is foot the medical costs, even if there is no guarantee Rush ever plays for the school again.
Dr. Johnny Benjamin, an orthopedic surgeon in Vero Beach, Fla., makes himself available for media interviews through a public relations agency. To interview Benjamin over the phone is to come away believing that a six-month forecast for Rush’s return is extremely optimistic.
Will he Benjamin be surprised if Rush does not play for KU next season?
“No,” he said.
Will the doctor be surprised if he does play?
“No,” he said.
In a word, maybe.
