Brandon Rush would have received a lot of attention from NBA scouts had he been able to attend the league’s pre-draft camp this week in Orlando, Fla.
The 6-foot-6 KU junior-to-be would have joined Ohio State’s Daequan Cook as one of just two projected first-round picks (by ESPN) to compete at the 62-player hoop meat-market.
Most of the top underclassmen in the country who have decided to enter the 2007 Draft decided to skip the Orlando camp after being told by their agents and/or advisers they had everything to lose and nothing to gain by showcasing their skills in pickup games.
Cook is the only projected first-rounder in Chad Ford’s Top 100 in Orlando this week. Thirteen players ranked 31 or lower in Ford’s top 100 declined invitations, including Arizona’s Marcus Williams, Wisconsin’s Alando Ticker, UCLA’s Arron Afflalo and Nevada’s Nick Fazekas. Forty-two of ESPN’s top 60 players are not attending.
Last year, just two first-round draft choices emerged from the predraft camp: Renaldo Balkman, tapped 20th by the New York Knicks, and Jordan Farmar, the No. 26 pick of the Los Angeles Lakers.
This is all disappointing and surprising to the NBA, which in an attempt to get prospects like KU’s Rush to play, prohibited private team workouts before the start of camp this year.
Rush pulled his name out of the draft last Friday after learning he had a torn ACL in his right knee.
KU’s Julian Wright is in attendance in Orlando, but just for physicals and interviews with NBA personnel.
Other top players in Florida for physicals/interviews only: Corey Brewer, Florida; Mike Conley, Ohio State; Javaris Crittenton, Georgia Tech; Kevin Durant, Texas; Jeff Green, Georgetown; Spencer Hawes, Washington; Al Horford, Florida; Acie Law, Texas A&M; Josh McRoberts, Duke; Joakim Noah, Florida; Greg Oden, Ohio State; Jason Smith, Colorado State; Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington; Al Thornton, Florida State; Brandan Wright, North Carolina; Yi Jianlian, China; Nick Young, USC and Thaddeus Young, Georgia Tech.
